Hands-onProject Gotham Racing

Microsoft stopped by today with a previewable build of Bizarre Creation's Project Gotham Racing and gave us the keys. A beefed-up "cousin" to Bizarre's Metropolis Street Racer for the Dreamcast, Project Gotham seems to be coming along very well. Bizarre has added enough graphical and gameplay polish to allow the game to stand on its own as an original title.

The game's graphics are impressive, and a generous polygon budget allows for highly detailed cars and environments and a host of special effects, such as environment mapping on the cars, adjustable time of day, and weather effects, such as rain and fog. You'll find 28 cars in the game, including a Ferrari and a Porsche, which actually take damage as you race. You'll be able to do everything from dent a fender to crack the lights on your car during a race--although driver's side damage is not possible. Gotham will offer roughly 300 tracks set in New York, San Francisco, London, and Tokyo for you to zip through. In single-player, the game speeds along at a fluid 60 frames per second. In multiplayer games, it's possible to play with up to four people, but the frame rate still needs a bit of work.

As far as gameplay goes, the game's core handling is roughly the same: You'll accelerate and brake with the triggers, use the A button for the hand brake, and reverse with the X button. You'll also be able to change camera angles with the white face button. One key game mechanic has been changed, though. The kudos system, which awarded you "kudos" points for skillful driving, has been blessedly tweaked since MSR. This time out, you'll be able to see the points you rack up and, provided you don't collide with anything immediately after they're displayed, they'll be added to your total. Fortunately, it's no longer possible to actually lose kudos from your main total once they've been added, as was the case with MSR, which increases your odds of actually progressing in the game.

Project Gotham will offer you a wide variety of modes in which you can test your driving skills. Quick race lets you jump in and play with just a few button presses. Arcade race offers you a more structured challenge as you work your way through the game and earn kudos. Kudos challenge presents you with some tough courses to navigate through to earn a set amount of kudos to clear a track. Medal pursuit, which is unlocked as you play through the game, requires you to beat times on courses to earn gold, silver, and bronze medals. Multiplayer lets you play with up to three other players in four-player split-screen.

Project Gotham also offers other cool features that let you customize the game to your liking. You'll be able to enter your driver's name and customize the license plate number and plate style (you'll be able to pick one from each city), as well as the helmet your driver wears. The game's actual soundtrack features more than 60 tracks that are blended into the proceeding, thanks to DJs from each city that MS has licensed to appear in the game. For example, San Franciscans will recognize Chuy Gomez from KMEL when they make their way through the city. In addition, it will be possible to rip music from a CD and import it into the game if you'd like to hear your own tunes.

Project Gotham is slated for release at the Xbox launch. Look for more information on the game shortly.