PGR4 leaves Forza 2 in the dust, with simply amazing gameplay and graphics. This is a MUST HAVE for any XBOX 360 owner.
There are many aspects of PGR4 that could be picked out, for instance despite the fact that there isn't a huge amount of locations within the game, the huge variation of styles found at different tracks is superb. There are some amazing tracks that are a lot of fun to experience and the beautiful graphics paints a fantastic picture as you go flying through London or Las Vegas, its easy to say that its lazy development on the part of Bizarre Creations, but the actual detail and variation of styles found at the many tracks just shows how much work as gone into designing every track with time and care so that you get a racing experience no other game can match.
Graphically, the game is stunning. I don't mean to slam Forza 2 but when you compare the detail in cars and the details in the environments you do wonder why Forza 2's Tracks were so lacking in quality. PGR4 looks great in many departments, especially when you get into the car itself and see everything from a different view. Its a stunning looking experience. There are the usual modes, from Gotham Career to a great online experience which features tourneys and many other things. The Gotham Career alone can last a good amount of gaming time, but you also have a lot of other cool features such as PGR on demand which allows you to upload beautiful pictures onto the official PGRNations website and also allows you to view both you own and other folks race replays and also vote on them. It all works really well and is a nice addition for the gamer to experience. But theres more, one small but traditional aspect of PGR4 was found in Geometric Wars: Waves which is asusual a lot of fun to play, even tho I'm still not that great at it. Music is also well cared for, there is some great music from the classical to the World Music from all corners of the World. It will suit anyone and although there is some music you'll want to turn off in the sound options simply because it'll get on your nerves, it works well with the game and although there isn't a huge amount of adreline music to pump you up for a good race, it all suits the experience the game offers.
Bikes, one of the big changes in this installment are great, most important they are a lot of fun and compare them with cars you see that they have been painfully balance to the point of perfection, BIkes have advantages over cars while cars have some advantages over bikes, for example Bikes tho fast, will lose speed on the straights and cars will be faster and catch up. Cars can bully bikes about, but bikes are better suited for some of the tight circuits the game offers. The true challenge of Bikes is taking advantage of the tight sections so causing less problems when the troublesome straight come about. Weather is also a great new addition, tho snow isn't so much fun, infact its more of a problem then enjoyment. Rain is a blast to race in offering a new challenge, small or much larger water patches on the track can cause you to slip and slide about and all sorts of other problems, it can also slow your car/bike down a great deal on the straights. But most importantly of all is that its fun and is one of the best expamples of rain racing I know.
OVERALL:
Overall, PGR4 does so much right and very little wrong. Its not just a beautiful looking game with a superb mix of around 150 cars and bikes, but also offers some of the most fun and realistic racing gameplay around. Simply PGR4 should be a MUST for any gamer who calls himself a racing fan.
PROS:
- Amazing controls and overal racing feel.
-Stunning game, from the environments to the cars/bikes.
-A good amount of content that will keeep you busy for a good amount of time.
CONS:
-Still no real true style damage.
-Some of the invitations are very tough.
-Snow and fog are more of a problem then fun!