Project Gotham Racing 3 Review

Well it seems Bizarre has successfully proceeded in launching yet another Project Gotham franchise series title. In Project Gotham Racing 3 you will experience a driving simulator like no other. Beware Gran Turismo racing fans, Project Gotham Racing 3 is right up in the leader boards with you. Buckle up as you will forget what reality really is.

Congratulations for a nicely done graphic engine; Bizarre has used the Xbox 360 to its limits. Each car comes equipped with its very own damage scale. Every car has been tweaked to use the statistics it truly comes with. The reflection of light and area effects is shown very well on the cars. Crashing into barriers and other vehicles will inflict damage on your own car as well as the others you are racing against. Bizarre left out one minor detail: when crashing and seeing your damage, the damage effects are repetitive. If you crash one way it inflicts the same damage in the same areas as if you were to crash another way. Other than that, the graphics are great to the very core.

I have to say this game did a great job on the sounds. There is just one flaw that makes this game dull in this department. They use simulated sounds for each car therefore diminishing distinct differences between which cars you are using. Many vehicles in the game sound alike and you could be confused to wonder why your Ferrari sounds the same as your Mustang SVT Cobra. This area could have definitely been improved on. The levels have no background sounds, so when driving without music on there’s little to hear except the engines of the cars. The crowds along the racetrack do not even have a voice as you see their mouths wide open as if they are yelling and cheering; very disappointing to many gamers.

To say the least, Gotham Racing 3 is a great game to sit back and enjoy with yourself and your friends. This will keep you occupied for hours just testing out individual cars and tracks. With well over 100 cars and tracks this game will continue to stun and amaze you. Hairpin turns, all the way to snake lines will creep up on you and keep you on the edge of your seat. With Gotham TV you can watch the best of the best duke it out anytime you want. Just select Gotham TV and select your favorite racer and you will be put directly in their event. In this mode you can even sit in the passenger’s seat and look around with a full camera view. Playtime will allow you to take a break from serious racing and home-in on weak skills you need to work on without the worry of losing ranks. The Gotham Career that everyone knows and loves challenges you from the very start. Selecting the easy mode will create tough AI opponents. Not as easy for first timers to pick up and play. This game is challenging all around and will entertain you for hours.

Very well done but it is still a driving simulator which lacks its own variety and style. One thing that makes this game stand out from the rest is the ability to sit you in the driver seat of the vehicle. Being able to see your interior along with real-time moving gauges that show your speed and your gear shifts will absolutely shock you. The tracks in this game are made from real cities so in some cases you can even recognize certain areas of the track and say “hey look I can see my house from here.” Each track and car looks different in every way. No car looks the same from any angle, and no track has the same curve; very creative in the design of levels and vehicles.

This is a must-have for Xbox 360 owners. For a launch title on a brand new console they have done one exceptional job. Spending the $50 on this game will not disappoint you to any extent. I must say that Bizarre has once again fulfilled many gamers’ dreams of racing. You can play the game once and beat it, but play it again on the same settings and you will still be playing an entirely new event. Increase your difficulty setting and once again be challenged to test every skill you thought you had.