Visually, Project Gotham Racing 2 looks like a much more polished version of the original game. The game runs at a super smooth and fast 30fps framerate, and the lighting, effects and textures are of a higher quality than previously. It's actually difficult to even notice that the game is not quite pushing 60fps, until you pop in a racing game which runs at 60fps to make the comparison.

The environments and vehicles are easily as, detailed or more detailed than those in Gran Turismo 3, though it's definitely a toss up as compared to GT4. The environments in Project Gotham Racing 2 look absolutely stunning, with huge and detailed roadside structures, gorgeous water, and some beautiful photo-realistic textures. There are plenty of important landmarks to see while racing through the streets of the big cities featured in the game, and most are entirely different than what was found in PGR1. There are way more cities this time around including Barcelona, Edinburgh, Florence, Chicago, Moscow, Hong Kong and quite a few others. Gone are most of the sawhorse barriers that created the track layouts, which is a huge improvement in my book. The races, while still taking place in several variations of the city streets, are more along the lines of proper racecourses. One small issue that still plagues the game is the sterility and lack of movement or life around the courses. Every once in a while a flock of birds will fly by in the distance, but other than that, nothing moves or animates. These are supposed to huge cities with millions of people working and living in them, and PGR2 somehow leaves out that little detail. At least throw in some garbage blowing around, graffiti, dirt and grime, or some other little ambient details found on a city street.

The audio is actually not all that was expected. Each city is graced with a real-life DJ as well as tunes in a variety of genres, which originate from that same region. Most of the music is unfortunately pretty forgettable, and besides the intro, the DJs don't speak much or say anything worth listening to. PGR1 had a much better music selection, and thankfully your custom ripped soundtracks can be utilized.

The vehicles are as perfect as you would expect from a next generation racing title, with gorgeous reflections, realistic lighting, and a nicely animated driver in the seat. Even the small portion of the vehicle's interior you can see through the windows is super detailed. The newly updated vehicle roster includes quite a few fun to drive and exotic vehicles. Bizarre Creations even tossed in an SUV class (no Lexus 330RX, Nissan Murano or Infinity FX, booo!). Other big name additions include the Enzo Ferrari, Porsche GT2, BMW Z4, Pontiac GTO, Ferrari Dino GT, MINI Cooper S and Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and they look just like their real-life counterparts. The cars take damage, unlike those in GT3, though only in an arcade-like fashion. T-boning another vehicle or the side of a building or barrier at 150+MPH doesn't affect your handling or speed at all. Besides killing your Kudos chain combo, careening off a barrier to slip by your competition can be advantageous in some situations.

PGR2 controls very much the same as the original Project Gotham Racing; Responsive and occasionally slippery. Powersliding play a huge role in the game, but unless the vehicle is heavy and has highly rated handling stats, expect to fishtail on more than one occasion. The game still has more of an arcade-like feel than the Gran Turismo series, and first-timers and racing fans should have no problem jumping right into the action and earning Kudos. Besides being no way to adjust or upgrade any of the vehicles in any way, the game provides absolutely no information on the vehicles, such as engine size, drivetrain, front/rear wheel drive, weight, etc. You can take almost any car out for a spin on the test track, but you must trade some hard earned Kudos first.

The Kudos system has been refined for Project Gotham 2, but has not changed much. Driving smoothly and with style, earns Kudos Points and Kudos Tokens, which in turn upgrades your status and provides you with more Kudos Tokens, which are then used for unlocking vehicles in the class you are racing, or in the garage. Like before, Kudos are earned during a race or challenge in one of several ways. Driving a clean line, having a clean race, catching air, driving on two wheels, performing a 360 (the latter three don't occur often), powersliding, and new to PGR2, drafting behind the competition.

The primary two single player modes, Kudos World Tour and Arcade Challenge are both organized fairly typically. In Kudos World Tour, you start off with simple courses and challenges, and of course slower cars, and work your way up to other classes with more challenges on other more advanced courses. Each race or challenge has 5 difficulty levels to choose from which respectively can earn you an increasing number of bonus Kudos. Besides group and one-on-one races, PGR2 features other challenges such as the Speed Race (obtaining a specified top speed) and the Cone Challenge (negotiating a slalom-like course while earning Kudos). I found Cone Challenge to be especially annoying, as in order to earn the silver, gold or platinum medals, you need to find ways to slide and spin constantly while navigating the course. Hitting one wall or touching one cone can usually cause you to break the chain of Kudos and fail the challenge, though it is more forgiving than the first game. The Arcade Challenges are straight up races, which take place on a predetermined course with a specific vehicle. Kudos are also earned, but mostly just for placing well in each race. Both modes have an insane amount of races and challenges to take on, and will undoubtedly provide 50 plus hours of racing for even the best racing fans.

The multiplayer modes include system link, 2-4 player split screen, and of course the all important Xbox Live. There was not much competition online at the time of this review, but needless to say, the experience will be an awesome one. Driving games lend themselves very well to online play, and PGR2 will be no exception.

Now for the bad news. The A.I., yet again, is guaranteed to cause a few controllers to be flung. While taking part in a group race or any kind, the CPU racers are entirely too dumb. They are wholly dedicated to driving their line no matter what it takes, and will take out a whole pack of racers due to some stupid decisions. If you merge into a line with the rest of the CPU racers, and one is out of line to the left or right of yourself, expect to be pushed right towards the barrier in the opposite direction. If you drive a tight line through a corner with a CPU car tailing you, 90% of them time they will make contact on the inside and send you spinning into a barrier. They bump and push like bumper cars, and seem to not see you nor react to your position or driving ability. Combine that with the somewhat slippery control and frustration frequently ensues. You need to either trade up to the very best vehicle in a class, so you can blow them out of the water, or just go for the easiest medals. This occurs in nearly all racing games everyone once in a while, but it is way too frequent in Project Gotham 2 for my liking.

Even besides the A.I. issue, Project Gotham Racing 2 is an excellent racing title for the Xbox. The Xbox Live support is probably worth the price of admission alone, and the polished visuals, generally fun racing action, and slick selection of exotic vehicles and locales should be enough to satisfy.