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Happy Birthday, Project Gotham Racing 4!
- Thread starter Shaneus
- Start date
Bioshocker
Member
I loved PGR. I even loved MSR on Dreamcast. It's incredibly sad Bizarre were shut down, they had so much talent. They were the first of my knowledge to offer the player to play his or her own music from the harddrive in the game. I was annoyed this feature died when Bizarre died.
I'd take PGR5 before Forza any day.
I'd take PGR5 before Forza any day.
GeordieMark
Member
Fantastic series. Can't decide whether I prefer 2 or 4, but they are both in my top 2 arcade racers of all time. FH3 is on a par in quality terms, but a slightly different kind of game.
Driveclub could have been a successor but the handling model just wasn't as much fun, and it didn't have the same focus on what kind of game it wanted to be that PGR always had.
Driveclub could have been a successor but the handling model just wasn't as much fun, and it didn't have the same focus on what kind of game it wanted to be that PGR always had.
eso76
Member
I posted this a few days ago in a different thread but here
is a TEN hours video showing every car in the game on every track, in i would guess with most or all weather and tod conditions
yes, still looks great.
No one ever did city tracks quite like Bizarre.
is a TEN hours video showing every car in the game on every track, in i would guess with most or all weather and tod conditions
yes, still looks great.
No one ever did city tracks quite like Bizarre.
Azure Phoenix
Member
Someone at Microsoft had the bright idea of releasing PGR4 right next to Halo 3 and it bombed, then Activision purchased Bizarre without the PGR IP. Under Activision they put out Blur and 007 Bloodstone which both had no marketing so Activision immediately decided to shutter the studio. Meanwhile Microsoft did as Microsoft does best, triple down on the Forza IP and let everything else they own gather dust.
TwiztidElf
Member
2>4>1>>>>3
So, if Activision didn't buy PGR, Microsoft still holds the IP!
Damn Microsoft, give us a new PGR!
PGR4 also had a pretty severe sound issue when it was installed on HDD, which may have contributed to it's lack of appearance on XBL/BC as a downloadable title.
Really? I know he was at Evo before they were shuttered (he gets a "special thanks" mention in the Driveclub credits) but didn't know he was at Lucid now.
I still can't forgive Lucid for that racing game teaser I was sure would be PGR5, until it was revealed that it was for 2K Drive, that crappy iOS Real Racing wannabe that has been since deleted from the app store.
:/
Activision also fucked up in not getting the F1 license. I think they were hoping Bizarre would work on that, but without that they could only give them Blur and Blood Stone (which I really loved, FWiW).
This video still gets to me
AbandonedTrolley
Member
Yep they do, and no they never will. They have their racing brand now unfortunately, almost the same as Sony have GT and never really gave DRIVECLUB a chance for the initial vision of being a service game.
I found PGR3 to be the pinnacle of the series for handling and fun. Still remember how nice one of the New York tracks was. The handling a perfect simcade blend so it felt bound by the laws of physics but an extreme version of those laws. Amazing handling that was consistent and you could really get into a groove. Nailing a lap was so satisfying.
Plus the cone challenges were fun as hell. Precision was key.
Definitely feel like Driveclub had much the same feel but sadly just lacked something more.
Plus the cone challenges were fun as hell. Precision was key.
Definitely feel like Driveclub had much the same feel but sadly just lacked something more.
Auto-Reply
Member
Maybe my all-time favorite racing series... still have the PGR2 Chicago course and Bif Naked's Tango Shoes circling in my memory now and then.
In 3 and 4 used to take an open cabrio/convertible, hood/roof/first person cam and pushed the right stick to the right or left and drove slowly around the courses to look at the buildings.
In 3 and 4 used to take an open cabrio/convertible, hood/roof/first person cam and pushed the right stick to the right or left and drove slowly around the courses to look at the buildings.
The PGR games were some of the most fun I ever had with racing games. The somewhat grounded simcade physics (the best in the business for that sort of thing), the real world locations used (seeing Las Vegas and New York City in the detail they were in for PGR3 was nuts at the time), the length, variety and challenge of the campaigns (I remember getting all Platinums in PGR2... and then finding out it was something only about a dozen people at the time had done. Hell of a challenge... and a grind.)... the games did so much right. You can see elements of that ethos in Forza Horizon and Driveclub, but Forza Horizon lacks the focus (and demanding precision) that PGR had and Driveclub has issues with its moment to moment driving (and content at launch -- although the DLC fixes a lot of that).
One thing that I think is a bit underappreciated is how PGR2 and 3 pushed some things regarding online functionality. The way scoreboards were implemented in PGR2 was rather novel for its time (and kind of set a blueprint for how that sort of thing would work in the future) and the online events and Gotham TV concepts in PGR3 were a full generation ahead of the curve of anything on console (and it's not something even many PC games at the time did). In retrospect, it is insane to think about that they did that in a launch X360 game.
One thing that I think is a bit underappreciated is how PGR2 and 3 pushed some things regarding online functionality. The way scoreboards were implemented in PGR2 was rather novel for its time (and kind of set a blueprint for how that sort of thing would work in the future) and the online events and Gotham TV concepts in PGR3 were a full generation ahead of the curve of anything on console (and it's not something even many PC games at the time did). In retrospect, it is insane to think about that they did that in a launch X360 game.
Simply Sami
Member
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/91545-PGR4-Studio-Became-Disillusioned-With-Microsoft
This article explains in detail what happened.
MS tried to get Bizarre to rush PGR 4. Bizarre wanted to release it when they were happy. I don't think at that time Bizarre would have chosen Microsoft ahead of Activision. They got fed up like Bungie did.
They also weren't happy that Forza got more marketing. PGR seems like a game that did great in the UK. But it never really got the sales that it should have in America due to poor marketing.
This article explains in detail what happened.
MS tried to get Bizarre to rush PGR 4. Bizarre wanted to release it when they were happy. I don't think at that time Bizarre would have chosen Microsoft ahead of Activision. They got fed up like Bungie did.
They also weren't happy that Forza got more marketing. PGR seems like a game that did great in the UK. But it never really got the sales that it should have in America due to poor marketing.
megashock5
Member
Utterly fantastic game.
I wanted so badly for DriveClub to be like it, but it just wasn't.
I wanted so badly for DriveClub to be like it, but it just wasn't.
nogoodnamesleft
Banned
absolutely loved this and PGR3
I'm Spartacus
Member
Best racing game series (including MSR) I've ever played bar none and I lament its passing.
Dee Dah Dave
Member
The Horizon festival should team up with the PGR street racing championships!
That's how I would solve the desire for more PGR, bring it into the Forza Horizon series.
That's how I would solve the desire for more PGR, bring it into the Forza Horizon series.
potatohead
Member
The real nfs successor
Hey! :<
I would buy a whole game of nothing but kudos challenges. I'm not even kidding, they were my favorite events in the PGR games. Chaining the whole course together felt so satisfying. Seeing them nerfed in PGR3 and then completely removed in PGR4 made me sad. I'm half-tempted to try to prototype something myself, heh. (There's that whole bit about games being really hard to make, damnit.)
...although I could see why, as if you didn't "get" the event they were very hard to clear, even on the easiest difficulties. The change in scoring in PGR2 made them more reasonable on lower difficulties compared to the first game... but people still complained like crazy about them online at the time.
(In retrospect, the score targets were probably way too high across the board for everything except Platinum.)
I was scarred by PGR2, one platinum remaining, Stockholm cone challenge, I never did get the TVR, but held my own in the Merc and Porche. Yeah, I think part of the reason I never got into them much in the other games, it just wasn't the same, maybe I was burned out as well.
broncobuster
Banned
PGR4 mightve been the last racing game I really took to. PGR2 is my favorite in the series, but I mustve spent more time with 4 on account of nothing replacing it this past decade. Only Driveclub pulled some of the same strings, just not enough. And from what I gather they wont have an opportunity to improve with a Driveclub 2 either. Its a shame.
Thebonehead
Banned
PGR 4 and Wipeout are games I used to be able to get into a trance induced state with.
Playing the game perfectly until a nudge into the barrier would pull me out.
Playing the game perfectly until a nudge into the barrier would pull me out.
ResidentDante
Member
Totally know the feeling!
IronicSonic
Member
Are ex Bizarre Creation guys in Codemasters now? They need an urban racer along their motorsport titles
I'm quietly confident the Evo team now at Codies will do something special. Fingers crossed!
Heavy Iron Industries
Member
One of the reasons why i bought a 360.
What i REALLY appreciated, is the speedo/tach on the HUD the actual speedo/tach from the car you're driving, not generic gauges. Great touch, why can't everyone do this? Yeesh...
What i REALLY appreciated, is the speedo/tach on the HUD the actual speedo/tach from the car you're driving, not generic gauges. Great touch, why can't everyone do this? Yeesh...
FreeMufasa
Junior Member
PGR2 for Geometry Wars
Soapbox Killer
Grand Nagus
Ohhhh Project Gotham Racing was the sequel to MSR on Dreamcat. (or something close)
zephervack
Member
That damn snow race in the nurburgring with the old ass car has to be one of the most satisfying things I have done in a videogame.
Such a great game.
Such a great game.
InsaneTiger
Member
Re: Turn 10, I think it's lootboxes. And I doubt they could grasp the finesse in game design and handling mechanics required. Hell, even Evo couldn't do that (and they came stupidly close).
What gives you this impression?
freefornow
Gold Member
Happy 10th Birthday PGR4.
Thank you for the experiences. I break into a smile when I look back at you!
Heartbroken that there is no 5.
Thank you for the experiences. I break into a smile when I look back at you!
Heartbroken that there is no 5.
ResidentDante
Member
That was a neat detail, I recall Rage Racer did this too. I love that aspect with varying huds for the different cars!
Yep, wonderful series. 4 is excellent but I think 2 will always be my fave; something about the progression system was just perfect.
Still lament that so much time and money is invested in developing racing games that all take place on the same real circuits, whose only distinguishing feature is the slightly different way the cars handle and how the menus look. Why do people settle for that when PGR has already proved how amazing it can be to blast through semi-fictional urban routes? Presumably it's cheaper to just repeatedly reheat the nurburgring and add some extra polys and grass.
The Horizon games are awesome but it's a very different vibe to the city focus of PGR.
Still lament that so much time and money is invested in developing racing games that all take place on the same real circuits, whose only distinguishing feature is the slightly different way the cars handle and how the menus look. Why do people settle for that when PGR has already proved how amazing it can be to blast through semi-fictional urban routes? Presumably it's cheaper to just repeatedly reheat the nurburgring and add some extra polys and grass.
The Horizon games are awesome but it's a very different vibe to the city focus of PGR.
I fired this up only yesterday after finding a disc that worked in my 360 (the drive is on it's way out). Was a blast finding the old photos and replays I'd saved, as well as the career mode I'd restarted two years ago.
The car models have not held up well at all, but the weather effects, cockpit camera, environment/building details and the sounds (my god, the sounds!) would still be considered on-par even today. The handling feels just sublime too, I'd kill for something like it now.
Beats me how the engine audio in this (to me) sounds more impressive/throaty than Forza does now, given Nick Wiswell worked on both.
Ages ago I found a way to extract screenshots from the game via USB, I might pick some of my old favourites up and post them here in the next few days
Edit: For people who think this is the sort of game that only looks good in gifs, check out this footage. Great sound, solid in-car effect and graphics that still hold up pretty well even now.
The car models have not held up well at all, but the weather effects, cockpit camera, environment/building details and the sounds (my god, the sounds!) would still be considered on-par even today. The handling feels just sublime too, I'd kill for something like it now.
Beats me how the engine audio in this (to me) sounds more impressive/throaty than Forza does now, given Nick Wiswell worked on both.
Ages ago I found a way to extract screenshots from the game via USB, I might pick some of my old favourites up and post them here in the next few days
Edit: For people who think this is the sort of game that only looks good in gifs, check out this footage. Great sound, solid in-car effect and graphics that still hold up pretty well even now.