The Sport of PGR 3

Some claim that video gaming has already infringed upon the boundaries of sport, but there is something to be said about the compelling level of competition now available in games. The current generation of games has already made leaps and bounds toward legitimizing online competition, and has made efforts to create a more sport-like atmosphere.

Project Gotham Racing® 3 aims to revolutionize this "real sports" angle and set the standard for next-generation racing games by creating a new organized sport with real heroes, villains, and abundant opportunities for global fame and recognition. The goal is to make every race, every competition, and every tournament a real sport with real champions.

Crack the top 100 players on Project Gotham Racing 3 and you earn a spot on the World Leaderboard. Your name and a video clip your performance are broadcast around the globe via GothamTV, the channel that makes players into heroes.

Race through incredibly realistic cityscapes.

Imagine the satisfaction of realizing you're skilled enough for folks around the world to jack into your races using GothamTV to check out your moves, look for tips to improve their own game, or simply enjoy the show you put on.

PGR™ 3 uses a variety of different elements to shape this idea into reality. Let me explain ...

Immersion
It takes more than highly detailed cars and beautifully rendered routes to truly immerse you in the "real sport" experience, and Project Gotham Racing 3 delivers in every area. From the start, the development team focused on making the cars, cityscapes, environments, and even crowds breathtaking. The PGR 3 spectators "look as realistic as the city environments," according to a manager on the dev team.

Special audio lets you feel each moment of crowd interaction as onlookers cheer for you and your competitors. This isn't just a group of stick people gathered around a light post, it's a writhing mass of fans who are wholly engrossed in the proceedings. Literally thousands of individual spectators have been modeled for the game, and crowd reactions change depending on which city you drive in. Unique trackside commentators also call out the action at each different location.

Feel the Crunch
Also boosting the immersion factor is an increased focus on accurate damage modeling for the cars. The competition intensifies when you hear the crunch of steel as another driver smacks into your side panel and your windshield cracks in response to the impact.

A.I. opponents will keep you guessing.

You may even hear the sound of your exhaust pipe dragging on the tarmac when your car takes a hard hit. PGR 3 audio has also been thoroughly customized to reflect the makeup of your car. You can easily identify a bumper's crunch into carbon-fiber material, metal, plastic, or glass.

Human-Like A.I.
Your A.I. opponents will be more fallible and more human in their decisions as they react to aggressive driving or other situations in the race. Instead of you against the machine, PGR 3 becomes you against other drivers. And online play makes that a reality.

Online Tournaments and Competition
The real sport element is heightened even more by the global competition you face when you race against real people on Xbox Live®. PGR 3's online career mode delivers all the drama and excitement of a real sport.

Head online for global competition.

Project Gotham Racing 3 is set to deliver on its promise to create a real sport with real champions, and will help define the nature of competition in the next generation of gaming.

By Alex McLain