Developer(s) Bizarre Creations Series Project Gotham Racing Platform(s) Xbox | Publisher(s) Microsoft Engine Proprietary | |
Release NA: November 15, 2001
JP: February 22, 2002
EU: March 14, 2002 | ||
Project Gotham Racing (PGR) is a racing game, the first in its series, developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft for the Xbox gaming console.
Contents
The first title in the franchise, Project Gotham Racing, is an Xbox launch title that quickly became the second best-selling game for the console after Halo: Combat Evolved. PGR is a spiritual successor to the Sega Dreamcast game Metropolis Street Racer. PGR is as of July 12, 2010 compatible with the Xbox 360 through a downloadable update.
Gameplay
PGR differs from most racing games in that winning a race does not necessarily mean the player advances to the next round; instead advancement in PGR requires both driving fast enough to meet the challenge set, and scoring enough Kudos points to advance. Kudos points are gained through the player's driving skills, such as power sliding around a corner at speed, or overtaking NPCs in the race. There are four world cities realistically recreated, including San Francisco, London, Tokyo and New York City.
Reception
Project Gotham Racing received positive reviews. It received a score of 87.32% on GameRankings and 85/100 on Metacritic.
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has described Project Gotham as his favorite video game.
Because of the success of the Project Gotham Racing" series, Guinness World Records awarded the series six world records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. These records include, "Most Complex Car Models in a Racing Game", "Largest Licensed Soundtrack Included in a Racing Game", and "Most Complex Race Environment" for the New York City area of PGR3. The Brooklyn Bridge alone is made up from over one million polygons.