Rated-M Opinion: PGR4
I will start by saying I am a huge fan of the series. I have owned every single game in this series, including Metropolis Street racer for the Dreamcast. Yes, that was technically the first PGR.
Now just because I owned them all and enjoyed them all doesn't mean I am biased. In fact, I was quick to admit problems with the previous games. But I didn't let those problems stop me from enjoying the games.
A review is basically an opinion, and it's my opinion that this game is the best the series has put out. It's not just all the additions and tweaks to car control. It's not just the cool achievements, nor the great unlockable system. It's really got everything.
Graphics have vastly improved. High poly models, great lighting and weather effects, and a blazing framerate really make this game shine visually. The only deterrent are the "jaggies" a lot of people are experiencing. Of course there are also others that claim to see none at all. I too have them, on an LCD in 720p. What I did t make it better was switch the reference level in the 360 settings to Standard. I had previously only used Enhanced, and it generally worked fine. Setting it to standard has actually improved the jaggie problem for me, and allows me to enjoy the visuals that much better.
The sound is amazing as well. All the car and bike sounds are spot on. The atmospheric sounds like thunder are also done well. Those with 5.1 or higher will really get a kick out of the positional sound. The soundtrack is frickin huge, but it has a lot of stuff on it you most likely have never heard, and probably will turn off. Some gems include Incubus, Disturbed, and My Chemical Romance, but if none of it is to your liking, you can always just use your own stuff.
I think the main point of discussion for this game are the controls. This is gonna be a split issue for a long time. Some love it, some hate it. I love it. The controls have been tweaked to make the game more balanced, due to the addition of motorcycles. This is mainly tweaks to cornering and drifting. I think the balance is great. Do you hate the motorcycles? Not me! In fact, I find myself using them more than cars because nothing corners like a superbike. That's not to say that cars can't corner well too. And there will be the debate. Which is better, cars or bikes? I personally love both, but I'm gonna "side" with bikes. Whichever you side with, there are a crapload of vehicles for you to race in.
The game has a lot of content to go through. A career mode, arcade mode, and online modes as well. Anything varying from cone sprints and knockdowns to hot laps to straight up racing are what you can expect. You will also gt challenges that pop up, and the prize is unlocking a car. You can also unlock cars in packs from the PGR shop with the Kudos you've earned. You can also unlock outfits for your driver, and even a multi-player mode! Lots of stuff to unlock means you'll be playing it for a while.
Then there are those awesome "puzzle" achievements. Like the one where you have to drive a Delorean at over 88mph during a thunderstorm a la "Back to the Future". These neat and quirky achievements add to a whole set of great achievements. Though there are online achievements as well, and I know some of you out there hate those.
Overall, I think this is definitely a step forward for the series. The shame is, people are so enamoured with Halo at the moment that they probably won't even blink PGR4's way. In fact, a lot of people on my friend list didn't even know it was out yet. This game deserves to be played, and that is why our final verdict is:
BUY IT
