London on 170 MPH a Day

Since Project Gotham Racing® 3 is another creation of UK-based Bizarre Creations, it's no surprise to find the accurately and lovingly modeled city of London front and center in PGR 3 Career Mode. In addition to giving you a stunning look at the attention to detail that's been lavished on the game's environments, these early races introduce you to some of the various challenges you face throughout the game, at a level of difficulty you're ready for.

Yeah, you can start in that car.

The Regent St. Speed Festival
Welcome to your career. You've bought your first ride, and London is calling, as it does. First up is the Speed Festival at Regent St., a modest two-race affair that starts you off simple, and only gets trickier from there.

• Her Majesty's Pleasure: As well as being a hoot to say, this race is about the last time you see a "simple" course that you don't create yourself. The track here is shaped a bit like a long nose looking to the west, and the sharpest curves are on the "nostril" in the southeast corner.
• Embankment Rush: The second race of the opener is the flip side of the H.M. Pleasure, literally. You take the race in reverse, which changes the approach you need to take to the north end of the track—you're tempted to take it fast since you have a long straight stretch ahead of time, but unless you have a steady hand on the e-brake and a talent for drift, don't take it too fast.

Cornering like it's nobody's business.

The Whitehall Style Cup
This event runs through the heart of the city of London, and is the one that made me haul out my vacation photos, because I could swear I drove past the hotel I stayed in at least three times.

• Speed Challenge: This is one of the simplest kind of races in PGR 3. All you need to do is pass a radar gun at a certain speed, and you either do or you don't. But it's not as easy as it sounds, especially with the wide range of difficulty the game offers. In fact, the Speed Challenge gives us a perfect numerical way to show you how wide the range is. Check it out:
  
  

  Novice: 79.5 MPH

  Easy: 89.6 MPH

  Medium: 109.7 MPH

  Hard: 112.0 MPH

  Hardcore: 113.8 MPH

   

  "It's no surprise to find the accurately and lovingly
  modeled city of London front and center in PGR 3."

• Overtake Challenge: You've got a set number of cars to get past before the time runs out. The higher the difficulty, the more cars you have to leave in the dust. This mode makes getting style points and Kudos a challenge, because you can't afford to lose a second.
• Cone Challenge: A good cone race is hard to pull off in a satisfying manner when your game is built on speed. Fortunately, Bizarre has a lot of experience in this arena. This mode trains you in accurate placement of your vehicle and doesn't slow things down one bit—there's no weaving in and out like in a driving test. Promise.

Ah, the smell of exhaust. Refreshing!

These are just a few of the race types and challenges you face in the city of London, and they show how Project Gotham Racing 3 wastes no time throwing you into the mix at high speed. England might swing, but it also streaks past faster than you can say "bangers and mash."

Article by Ben Barker