The National Voices section features commentaries and reports on PGR 4 action throughout the world. The contributors have been chosen from the most active members of the PGR community and will provide a unique voice for current and upcoming events.

When Project Gotham Racing 2 burst onto the racing game scene a few years back, it changed the way I played racing games. Back in the days of Gran Turismo, I’d pile on the engine mods, whack up the boost pressure, leave the suspension standard, and embark on a wall-scraping frenzy of messy driving. Sure, I was a lot younger and a bit of a rule-dodger, but thinking back I was certainly missing out on, well, real racing.

Given that I know perhaps an unhealthy amount about cars these days (down to the wheel stud patterns…oh dear) it’s unsurprising that I put a lot more effort into driving both in real life (as you’d hope) and also in the many video game worlds I’ve come to love.

Between owning PGR and buying PGR 2, I joined the Bizarre Creations forums, and was soon caught up in the hype. I bought a copy of Official Xbox Magazine purely because it had a demo of PGR 2 in it. After a few months, with the whole game done and dusted, challenges on the forums started appearing. I thought it was time to see how I shaped up with the competition.

And there it began. I became obsessive about getting the racing line spot-on, not applying the power too early, not braking too late, just getting everything inch-perfect. I can still remember some to this day—Porsche 911 in Washington, D.C., Honda Integra Type-R (DC5) in Hong Kong, and Nissan Skyline R34 in Sydney. Things were so competitive you had to put in hundreds of laps to be within a shout of the top leaderboard spots. In the 911, I managed to get a lap as good as perfect, only to find out when submitting the time that there were still a few tenths to find. So back I went, thumbs still slightly sore, for another shot. The remaining time was found by applying the power slightly earlier, pushing the loaded outside tyres into the curb, and skimming the car off the curb back onto the road. It took even more concentration than was needed for an event that was purely for fun, but I took great satisfaction in seeing my name at the number one spot.

So, two iterations later, how are things going? Well I’m certainly not out of practice. During testing I spent ages racing bikes round a variety of circuits to see how they felt to ride, and how they stacked up against cars. Spring Mountain Turns in Las Vegas was particularly memorable, thanks to a tricky hairpin demanding precise braking and getting as much power down on the way out as possible. This part of the track really sorted out which bikes were really worth your time. The MV Agusta F4 Senna in particular was an absolute delight, very pliable. It also spat flames, a winner in my book.

A few days ago I couldn’t help but indulge myself in some rigorous time trialling again, so after a quick check of the forums I was on the Yamaha R6 in Macau. The target was 1:16, the first lap was…1:23. Some work to do here, then. After a few laps it soon became clear where the trouble spots were: namely the very tight kink at the bottom of the hill. A good run through here would shave seconds off a lap, and after finally getting it right the ghost was starting to lag behind. Then, on the bumps before the tunnel, I go in a bit too hot and end up plastered against a wall, the bike tumbling into the distance.

After about 20 laps and plenty of frustration at nearly falling off, I turned in a 1:16.65, good enough (at the moment) to put me in third. I know where I can go quicker; I just need to get the balance right and stay on the damn bike.

The great thing about racers today for me is the sound, which makes doing endless laps of a track all the more enjoyable. Forza 2 was an absolute delight, and PGR 4 is one of the best-sounding racers I’ve ever played. The first drive of a Maserati 250F made me grin, especially as it hit the redline in a tunnel. Wasn’t quite as enjoyable when I was throwing it around a snow-covered Nürburgring, but with so little grip, it’s a wonder my brain didn’t explode from all the concentration.

Provided there’s no postal strike next week, I should also be back on Xbox LIVE. Maybe I should just drop out of university now and save myself the hassle of juggling gaming and work. In the meantime, I’m going to try and get the R6 into the 1:15’s at Macau before the challenge ends, perhaps destroying many objects in my house in the process.

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