Designed exclusively for the Xbox 360 -- and visually all the more intense for it -- Microsoft Studios/Bizarre Creations' new entry in the Project Gotham series is a monster dose of racing realism that gets even more true-to-life if you ditch the standard controller for the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel. And even though it may not seem kid-friendly on the surface, Project Gotham Racing 4 ($59.99) is that rare grown-up game that you can actually enjoy with your kids.
Grown-Ups' Perspective: This time around, you're contending not just with tracks of varying difficulty, but also with the elements, as PGR4's new weather system forces you to adapt to changes in cornering, visibility and other factors based on sunny, overcast, rainy, foggy, snowy and icy conditions. (Check out the video below to see what I mean.) The 360's powerhouse graphics capability, combined with the game's awesome cinematic POVs, really make you feel like you're caught in a storm, and the level of detail extends all the way down to individual raindrops. Also new to PGR4 is the ride selection: Choose from more than 120 different real-world racing vehicles, including BMW, Ducati and Honda motorcycles that you can even race against cars if you get the urge, and pull off insane moves such as powerslides, endos and wheelies as you work your way through the global competitive circuit. In fact, with Xbox Live, that circuit takes on a whole new literal meaning.
Kids' Perspective: PGR4 has definite adult appeal, but the game is rated "E" for good reason: Despite the various moves and button combinations you can execute during a race, many of the tracks can be navigated through a simple accelerator-button/stick-control combination. Violence is almost nonexistent, too, which is a definite plus for a game this realistic: Crashes morph into fadeouts, free of explosions or excessive destruction, and you're back on the track within seconds. And the various difficulty levels -- including "Steel" and "Bronze" at the easier end -- bring gameplay down to a level kids can ease into, even though my 7-year-old quickly destroyed me in "Gold" mode. And kids will love watching themselves tear through a course via the beautifully cinematic instant replays, even if you may have trouble getting them back into the game once they've discovered this feature.
