Career Mode Introduction

Project Gotham Racing® 3 has crossed the development finish line and is skidding onto Xbox 360™ systems across the nation. Featuring a laundry list of improvements in both its off- and online game modes that includes advanced vehicle AI and a track editor, PGR 3 showcases the system's graphical prowess and multiplayer capabilities.

We spent a few hours behind the wheel of PGR 3's Career Mode tearing it up on a host of real world courses. Read on for a taste of next-generation career racing.

The in-car view puts you right in the action.

Getting Started
Project Gotham Racing 3 features a hefty roster of exotic sport, racing, and muscle cars, but before you can stain the pavement with tire marks you first have to create a profile and tweak a few settings. The entire process is simple and employs helpful interface prompts to guide you along the process. Once you're finished the game enables auto-save, which automatically stores your progress as you use credits to acquire cars, complete events, snap photos of your cars, and build tracks during the game.

Now it's time to hit the track and put your
four-wheeled beauty through its paces.

You are then presented with a choice of two Career Championship races to enroll in. Both the Regent St. Speed Festival and the Whitehall Walk Style Cup take place on the streets of London. You'll need to place in either of these races in order to unlock additional championships and courses. Every race that's available is presented onscreen with a detailed description so you'll know in advance how many events you'll need to complete. Once you make your choice, it's time to visit the garage.

Pick a car and get ready to roll.

Test Drive
You have at your disposal a garage where you keep your purchased vehicles. It's a modest space that can accommodate four cars, but since you've only got enough credits for one it'll do just fine. Now's your chance to select a vehicle—sort the list of available automobiles by "Cars I Can Afford" so you won't get distracted ogling the exotic machines you can't purchase just yet. Off the bat you can choose from the following, though you'll notice some are locked:

1. Acura NSX
2. Lotus Esprit
3. Noble M400
4. Ultima GTR
5. Jaguar XKR
6. Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II Nür
7. Ford D class (Unlock this Concept Car by earning 10,000 Kudos in the Career Mode)
8. Nissan E class (Earn 15,000 Kudos in Career Mode)
9. Saleen S281E
10. Shelby GT-500
11. Atom 275 Supercharged
12. Corvette C6

Cycle through each car on the list and examine its stats. The screen is divided into three parts: the left side displays a rotating car model and simple data in graph form that details a vehicle's acceleration, grip, drifting, and braking numbers. You may also take each car for a spin on the test track before settling on a particular model. On the right side of the screen are further details on the currently selected ride: Production Date, Top Speed (MPH), Power (BHP), Engine Capacity (cc), Number of Gears, Weight (lbs). Lastly, the bottom portion of your view is the Gotham Sport Comment, which essentially translates all of the scientific mumbo jumbo into plain English to help ease the decision-making process.

Fill your garage with exotic autos.

It's prudent to take your time when choosing a car. Each one handles differently, and as a result you'll have to adjust your normal driving habits to compensate. In essence, the sheer variety of vehicles at your disposal (there are 80 in all) means that you'll have lots of toys to play with, so don't fret if you purchase a car that you don't fall immediately in love with—you'll buy more.

Time to Race
Now it's time to hit the track and put your four-wheeled beauty through its paces. Just before the race, you are presented with a list of difficulty levels. Pick a skill level that suits your abilities.

• Novice (For beginners only)
• Easy (Best for drivers still developing their skills)
• Medium (Worthy challenges for experienced PGR 3 racers)
• Hard (For drivers with confidence and skill)
• Hardcore (The ultimate PGR 3 racing challenge)

As you can already guess, the heavier the difficulty the harder a time you'll have winning a race (though the spoils will also be upped accordingly). If you've never played a PGR game before, start off on Novice or Easy mode—you can always tweak the challenge level later once you develop your skills. Returning pros should go straight to Medium or higher. Make your choice, then it's time to race.

It's at this point that the game really begins. Depending on which championship you've enrolled in, the course and number of events will vary. Finish the race at or above the required level and you'll unlock a new championship. Keep earning credits and building up your Kudos points (which are awarded for skillful and fancy driving) and stock up on additional vehicles. It takes time to complete the entire Career Mode, but it's worth all the effort as you'll amass a collection of the world's most advanced and exotic automobiles and cruise some of the most challenging city courses in the process.

Keep checking back for more coverage on Project Gotham Racing 3 including lists of unlockables, driving tips, and online community spotlights.

Article by Franklin Beans