There’s still a great satisfaction in performing a perfect powerslide around an airtight hairpin, or hearing the raw grunt of an Enzo as it powers down a straight, but the focus is still firmly on fun. Project Gotham Racing 4 straddles the gap between simulation and arcade with ease, a notion rubberstamped by a shift in tone and visual style, starting in its menus seeping into the racing itself.
Eschewing the slick, understand stylings of PGR3, this game has its sight set on the SingStar generation. From the stark juxtaposition of colors on the menus to the Sega Style pings and cheers when gaining Kudos, everything in PGR4 has been engineered to make it feel more like an arcade racer. Perhaps this is to give Gotham its own definite aesthetic when up against Forza, perhaps simply an attempt to broaden its market, but it certainly feels different, almost cheap at times. Far from truly damaging, but an indication of a mild change of tack, amplified by the handling of the newly introduced motorcycles.
While the cars retain a sense of weight and reality, the handling of PGR4’s two wheeled included motocross games has more in common with GTA than GT. A huge and integral part of motorbike racing is how the rider’s weight shifts as he or she takes corners, reflected in sims such as MotoGP with its twin sticked controls.
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