Project Gotham Racing 2 E3 2003 Preshow Report

Microsoft and developer Bizarre Creations are currently hard at work on a sequel to the Xbox launch title Project Gotham Racing. The sequel will contain new cities, improved graphics, and online play via Xbox Live.

The game's tracks are set in real-world locations, such as Chicago, Florence, Moscow, Barcelona, and Edinburgh. Each city will have its own radio-station-style audio presentation. The kudos system is back in Project Gotham Racing 2, and you'll earn points for fancy driving, same as before. Earning kudos is the key to unlocking to races, cars, and skins for your existing cars.

The Xbox Live portion of the game will extend down to leader boards that let you see who is the best single-player-mode driver in the world. You'll also be able to download and race against ghost replays of the best drivers. Xbox Live will, of course, also allow for direct head-to-head racing against other players.

A racing game is only as good as its cars, and PGR2 has some real winners to tool around in. Expect to see cars like the Enzo Ferrari, Porsche GT2, BMW Z4, Pontiac GTO, Ferrari Dino GT, MINI Cooper S, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and plenty more in the final product.

Microsoft currently has Project Gotham Racing 2 planned for a fall release.