The developer of Metropolis Street Racer (MSR), a fine racing game for the Dreamcast, is making its Xbox debut with Project Gotham Racing (PGR). MSR was known for adding a unique twist to driving games by emphasizing street racing and style. Like its predecessor, PGR offers accurate physics, tight control, and the novel "kudos" system. Its visuals benefit from the Xbox's graphics prowess, but not to the extent we would have liked. Still, the game is decidedly different from the competition and is quite entertaining... to a point. Racing in PGR centers around the kudos system, which rewards stylish driving. Kudos points can be earned by sustaining slides, catching air, riding on two wheels, and passing other drivers. Big scores can be achieved by chaining these actions together for combinations. There is a brief delay after performing a trick or chain, and if you hit a wall during the delay, your points are negated. Clean driving is also rewarded; if you do not hit any walls or pylons between each checkpoint you're awarded a clean-driving bonus.
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