Autumn-bound PGR4 details

By Tom Bramwell Published 11 May, 2007

Cars, Kudos and more.

Microsoft and Bizarre Creations have detailed some of the features making up Project Gotham Racing 4 on Xbox 360, due out this autumn.

The revelations confirm some of what we already knew - PGR4 boasts a dynamic weather system where sudden changes affect your grip on the track; there are 12 cities including Shanghai and St. Petersburg; and the new career mode will see you build up a following of spectators who react to your driving.

AI will be improved enough to perform bold overtaking manoeuvres too, while Bizarre is also working on revisions to the Kudos system, which governs how many points you earn from driving manoeuvres and has been one of the series' biggest attractions.

That's on top of a fair bit of information gleaned from recent magazine previews, collected for you on our handsome PGR4 gamepage, and topping off today's info blast is a list of a few of the cars we can expect to be driving around.

  • 2004 TVR Sagaris
  • 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray
  • 2005 Vanwall GPR V12
  • 1993 Toyota Supra Turbo
  • 2005 Gumpert Apollo
  • 1997 Panoz GTR-1 Coupe
  • 2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
  • 1957 Maserati 250F

We're told to expect more details next month, suggesting that we're going to get a steady trail of information in the run-up to the game's autumn release.

Elsewhere, UK website Spong reports a rumour that PGR4 will feature bikes for the first time in the series' history.

Interestingly, Microsoft's info notes that the team wants "players to become attached to their careers, profiles and vehicles" (our emphasis). A telltale sign? Sounds like we'll find out soon enough.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (34) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • lennon #1 5 years ago

    Due out this autumn?

    /falls off chair.

    Awesome :)

  • bengray66 #2 5 years ago

    Cant Wait.

    PGR3 did always feel like PGR2 with some spit and polish.

  • Mordum #3 5 years ago

    Personally not a fan of this potential 'including bikes' idea. Plus, it's annoying enough when people smash into your backside online in PGR3 when oyu're in a car... imagine how you'll feel getting toppled off your bike on every corner.

  • Cloudane #4 5 years ago

    For Christ sake.

    No bikes please - just focus on what you do best: cars.

  • BBIAJ #5 5 years ago

    Eurgh, please, no bikes!

    Leave that to TDU, it borked up that game enough!

  • DB2k #6 5 years ago

    I agree. No-one wants to pretend they are a rubber suited power ranger. Bikes are shit in games. Look how crap Moto GP is. I hope the bike inclusion is incorrect and they stick to cars. Maybe put some non-super cars in there too this time please. More normal cars that are out there so we can all race our own cars around :)

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #7 5 years ago

    I dunno, bikes might be fun. Although they are a totally different dynamic, so I'm not sure how they'd work without overhauling the control scheme.

    Maybe some dune buggies or trucks or something instead? Definitely have some lower-powered cars...

  • Overlush #8 5 years ago

    Bikes? Right. Whatever. Change for change's sake then?

  • JonFE #9 5 years ago

    TBH, I don't mind having bikes in PGR4 as well. The kudos system enhanced to reward reckless bike riding could be fun...

  • Agent_Llama #10 5 years ago

    No bikes - spoilt Test Drive. Definitely needs the addition of non-super cars. Hopefully this will be a 'proper' sequel to Gotham 2, unlike Gotham 3 which was just too lightweight.

  • HarryB #11 5 years ago

    what month is autumn?

  • Darren #12 5 years ago

    @HarryB - Autumn is usually the period from 22nd September to 21st December so PGR 4 will be out sometime then... unless it's delayed, of course... which does tend to happen an awful lot with next-gen games... ;)

  • Darren #13 5 years ago

    Twelve cities is very impressive, I always loved the amount of variety that PGR 2 had thanks to its 11 (?) cities and it's what PGR 3 lacked sadly so I'm very, very pleased about that. :)

  • LPXO #14 5 years ago

    Screenies...

    [link url=http://kotaku.com/gaming/hot-and-wet/gallery-pgr-4-weather-porn-259497.php
    ]http://kotaku.com/gaming/hot-and-wet/gal...[/link]

  • souljacker2000 #15 5 years ago

    Screenies look amazing

  • sanctusmortis #16 5 years ago

    But... I thought this was further off...

    *'splodes*

    Forza 2 and PGR4 in same year? That's unpossible!

  • SomaticSense #17 5 years ago

    Autumn!?!?!?!?

    Bloody hell, the last I heard was it wasn't due out til at least Autumn 2008. EG, are you sure it's out this year? Seems to good to be true.

    Oh, and please, no bikes....

  • markypants #18 5 years ago

    V excited by this. PGR3 still ends up the game of choice on my Xbox, so really interested to see what they do with 4. I hope they bring back a lot of what made 2 so much fun as 3 felt like a 'light' version of PGR2.

    Not so sure about bikes though. We know that Bizzare don't really need to play with the handling of the cars in PGR as it's still the benchmark for racers IMO. Introducing bikes is a bit of a risk as it's very difficult to get them right.

  • dynarama #19 5 years ago

    \o/ Autumn!!! - get the fu*k down \o/

  • speedjack #20 5 years ago

    Superb ! No point in buying Forza now.

  • sharpfish #21 5 years ago

    Excellent, Can take or leave the bikes (if true) but this seems to be shaping up into something very special.

    And at least we know the graphics are not going to be a let down so can just concentrate on the gameplay. :)

  • Max_Powers #22 5 years ago

    Screens look great and the 'close' release date is an added bonus. Very good news

  • Nige #23 5 years ago

    Another tick for the 'no-bikes' column. Bikes might be good; but bike games aren't.

  • statix101 #24 5 years ago

    But does it run at 60fps this time?...or is the 360 still incapable of HD graphics AND a decent frame rate?.

  • kissthestick #25 5 years ago

    2008 please, its going to clash into say many great games this fall/ winter

  • Scimarad #26 5 years ago

    12 Cities? Very nice!

    Better still have split screen, though.

  • Darren #27 5 years ago

    statix101 - "But does it run at 60fps this time?...or is the 360 still incapable of HD graphics AND a decent frame rate?"

    I believe it's been reported on this very site that the game runs at true 720p (not the feeble upscaled 600p of the last game) and 30 fps not 60 fps. I presume this allows Bizarre Creations to up the detail and add dynamic weater effects. Besides which PGR 3 felt like a 60 fps racer anyway as the motion-blur was very effective... IMO.

  • brainbird #28 5 years ago

    "Forza 2 and PGR4 in same year?"

    2007: Racing heaven for X360?
    ...and what happened to GTR?

  • ChromeMud #29 5 years ago

    So many anti-bikers here!
    MotoGP 1 and 2 were great.MotoGP3 was cack.
    Bizzare may suprise everyone if they can match
    the bike handling to what they've done with cars.
    If it is crap....... then NO SALE!

  • captainrentboy #30 5 years ago

    I'm surprised how many of you were assuming this was coming out next year, whenever I've read anything on this game ever since it was announced it has always been slated for a Chrimbo 07 release :/
    I can't wait for this, bikes or no bikes from the early write ups it's been having it would seem that everything has thankfully been improved from PGR3.
    The career mode bored me silly in the last one.

  • citizenHUNTER #31 5 years ago

    The framerate issue is annoying me now. Not the fact it's 30 fps, but the fact that people moan about it. I joined you all when PGR2 went to 30 after PGR1 was 60, was very noticeable then, but now I just can't see it personally and I can't see where in gameplay terms it really negatively affects it.

    I've found extensive time trial efforts have brought the best out of this game, amazing graphics, amazing handling, perfect balance between precision but fun cos it takes liberties rather than being solidly realistic. Just all round great, this sequel can only be bigger, better, and the fact it's the first time they've not had a rush job on their hands it might be the most polished perfect incarnation of this series yet. How can you be a naysayer. Oh, and Forza looks so bloody dull it's unbelievable, I've seen replays and gameplay footage in HD videos, honestly what is the fuss, looks so bland for next gen.

    As someone said higher up ,where the hell is GTR, that's the real driving sim if you want that, not a worse off (in my mind) GT clone).

  • Kostabi #32 5 years ago

    I thought Microsoft was going to alternate Forza and PGR releases? Not that I'm complaining, double driving goodness in 2007, yay! Forza being delayed a few times no doubt ruined the schedule.

  • DUFFKING #33 5 years ago

    "players to become attached to their vehicles"

    They're incorporating the Crackdown Nailgun into PGR4?

  • Instinct #34 5 years ago

    GTR 360 is not coming out, unless the developer finds a publisher. They were dropped by THQ. http://kotaku.com/gaming/notag/no-gtr-36...

    Actually, two secs. Apparently GTR 360 is still on the way. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/art... Apologies.
    Edited by Instinct at 13/05/07 @ 13:30