For those wondering about the building detail in game,
there is a newer video from Egames that shows off the detail fairly well. It is compressed and non-HD, but between 0:55-1:30 you can really see a lot of detail in the buildings.
And only a Youtube video, you can get a good feel for the game from this recent GC 2007 footage.
Kind of sad that you have to hunt down media (why no Marketplace stuff? Why is it the same old story with MGS marketing?). I did find a few previews though after some hunting.
Short Ars preview from X07
From the get-go, this is readily apparent. PGR4 is a noteworthy improvement in just about every area: the controls feel slightly tighter, the presentation sharper, the in-game GUI more stylish. Even in this demo build, everything just felt cleaner and more accessible.
Aside from the graphical differences and a more forgiving chaining length for Kudos tricks, PGR4 plays identically to its predecessor albeit with a slightly more responsive control.
My second race was arguably more interesting. A series first, the motorcycle proved to offer a completely different experience than the car while maintaining the important features that separate PGR from the pack. The Kudos system, in particular, is completely different for bikes. Bikes are obviously a different beast, so you can perform a variety of different tricks. After playing around for a bit on the track, I've come to the conclusion that a wheelie is the best trick in the game (especially when done so in succession with a powerslide).
Preview from Gaming Target
Quick: name the number one clutch player for Microsoft’s gaming console. If you said Bungie, you’d be wrong. Certainly Bungie and that Master Chief guy are the big stars, the ones who get all the press and ooze sex appeal. But as a clutch player, someone who consistently delivers when the pressure’s on and the deadlines are tight, it’s not Bungie Microsoft has turned to.
No, that honor goes to Bizarre Creations, who has been Microsoft’s number one launch developer since day one: the first Project Gotham Racing launched the original Xbox; the sequel launched Xbox Live; and PGR3 launched the Xbox 360 with Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved simultaneously launching the new Xbox Live Arcade. Whew! Best of all, they have proven time and again that they can deliver high quality products despite the tremendous pressure and deadline constraints of creating launch titles.
I know Moore was fond of BC... but this puts things into perspective: Why isn't PGR4 getting more of a push from MGS? PGR3 has broken 1M sales (albeit with the FM1 $20 bundles help) but BC has done a lot to help push the Xbox brand and PGR4 looks like their best effort yet.
The weather system is dynamic and will change during the course of a race but in a realistic manner; in other words, you won’t see dramatic changes like going from a sunny day to a raging downpour – instead, it may start off as cloudy and finish with a light rain. Fortunately, the weather isn’t too restricted by realism; for example, you can set conditions manually in Playtime Mode so you will be able to drive in the snow in Las Vegas (however, the weather is scripted in both Arcade and the new World Tour Mode). Also, just because it’s snowing it doesn’t necessarily mean the road has frozen over yet; the ten weather variations are not rigidly set and so there will be variations within the variations.
The weather conditions are:
Clear
Overcast
Light Rain
Heavy Rain
Storm (like heavy rain, but darker clouds, thunder, and lightning)
Wet (post rain, puddles everywhere)
Light Fog
Heavy Fog
Icy
Snow
Normally, slippery tracks are the bane of racers but this is PGR we’re talking about here: that loss of traction can help you rack up some big time Kudos scores. Sweet! The Kudos system has also been tightened up to be a bit more realistic, which means you will only earn drift points while sliding through a corner rather than purposefully fishtailing on a straightaway. It should also be easier to chain Kudos together thanks to a small timing adjustment. There is also a new Kudos type but this is still under wraps.
Driving at 150MPH in icy weather still seems foreign to me... but the fact the kudos have been improved is good to hear.
Team Racing is a brand new online mode where you compete in club races. You first create your character by choosing a gender, nationality and customize his or her liveries. You then create or join a club and compete in up to 4v4 team races like Cops and Robbers, Capture the Flag, and everyone’s favorite, Cat and Mouse. Driving as a team will let you to pull off team-specific Kudos like blocking opponents and letting a teammate draft off of you. And as your victories start piling up, you will notice that the fans surrounding the track will start wearing your colors.
There is also a new mode called "Bulldog" which is basically zombie. One zombie, whoever he tags becomes a zombie, too. The kicker: It is played in an open city (and not a predefined track). Championship series return (multi race series) as well.
Quick Hits: There are about 130 vehicles in the game, about 30 will be motorcycles from Ducati, Honda, MV Augusta, Suzuki and several other manufacturers....As with the cars, you will have a variety of camera choices including a first-person in-helmet view....All Kudos that you earn, either online or off, will be added to your bank. You will need to rack up those Kudos to unlock garages and vehicles...Similar to the new video capture system in Halo 3, PGR On Demand will allow gamers to share photos and videos to show off their elite driving skills, spectacular crashes, or even helpful tutorials... 10 courses and over 200 "tracks, 5 old ones retouched and 5 new ones--Macau, Quebec City, Shanghai, St. Petersburg, and Michelin test track... you don't have to use the bikes... there is a new arcade game packaged in... 2 player split screen, 8 players online... drives more like PGR2 than PGR3... Single player modes include arcade mode (like PGR2), Gotham Career, Race against the clock, and custom race versus AI.
Gamespot Preview
IGN's Coverage of the New Tracks (over 200 "tracks" on 10 Courses):
Quebec City
Macau
St. Petersburg
Shanghai
No preview of my most anticipated track, the Michelin test track which is a... ring. Call me boring, but I really like tracks that are simple and emphasize racing skill with an easy learning curve, but take time to master.
I was pretty sketpical about the bikes (still am to a degree), but this (bad IQ) "first person" video is great looking, even if the driver stinks.
Some more Youtube videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49qkpH6sl78
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP8oTaaOL5g&NR=1
And the really nice weather montage.
And still waiting for HD directfeed gameplay that isn't compressed to high heaven... Anyhow, I am excited about the game mainly because of the online modes and the driving model (not so over the top as most arcade games and it has a solid feel, although it is exaggerated).
EDIT: Another dev comment on their media:
Ben said:
I hear you... I'm going to get some gameplay videos put together this week fingers crossed.
However, don't kid yourself. Everything we've released so far has been rendered in-game. We don't doctor screenshots or videos, and we never have. The same accusations came up with PGR3 pre-launch, and now we're getting them again. Show a bit of faith.
Ben
Of course many screenshots use photomode...