For the last few months, PGR 4 has been my go-to "bored game". When I don't feel like playing any other video game in my collection, I pop PGR 4 into my 360. Not to say that PGR 4 is a bad game, but racing games aren't really my scene. I get bored quickly of any arcade racing game that isn't Mario Kart and realistic racing games such as Gran Turismo and Forza frustrate me to no end due to their demand of precision driving control skills that I just don't have. The only reason I even have this game is because it came free, along with a chat pad and headset when I bought last year's subscription to XBOX Live.
I am not one to be trusted for a definitive judgement on PGR 4 if you haven't already played it. I just wanted to write down a few impressions I have on the game after playing it for a few hours.
While not as demanding control-wise as the GT or Forza series, PGR 4 does demand the precise use of the gas pedal, brakes and emergency brake for drifting. There are a number of different cars and motorcycles for you to choose and unlock, which allows you to try and find the car that best fits your driving style. I much preferred to drive the motorcycles, though I still don't think I'm playing this game properly. I don't think it's so much a fault with the game as it is a fault in my ability. When I drive through corners, I almost never make a smooth turn, which usually ends in me either going too slow and having to smash the gas half way into the turn, or crashing into the wall because I approached it too quickly. I know that I suck at this style of gameplay and have accepted that. However, on easy difficulty, I have been doing at least well enough to make progress in the arcade and career modes.
Speaking of modes, the game comes with an arcade mode, a fairly extensive career mode and a number of online modes, which I haven't dared to attempt. I'm sure they're fun for driving fans, but I know that I'm not good enough to do any better than last place in any given race. With that said, I've spent most of my time in arcade and career modes.
Regardless of which way you go, you will encounter a number of different race types and cars the game rewards you with when you score enough "Kudos". Maybe I would get into it more if I had more of a vested interest in these cars, but unlocking cars isn't all that fun to me. It's just a mechanic I do in order to keep up with everyone else.
I've been having enough fun with the game to come back to it in short doses every now and then, but beyond my lack of driving skills, the biggest hurdle I'm running into is that the game lacks "soul". Everything about the game just feels so stock and standard that I couldn't pick PGR 4 out of a group of other major driving games. The presentation of everything is very bland and I just feel like I'm being shuffled along from one race to the other with no real excitement behind it. It's hard for me to personally invest in a game that isn't really doing much to grab me.
Once again, I am by no means an expert in this entire genre, so my opinion may be useless to you. I still think that PGR 4 is a good game to check out if you're into this genre thanks to its great graphics and relatively solid gameplay. For driving newbies like me, I don't think PGR 4 does anything to convert you into the next racing sensation. As a game I got for free, I'm glad to have it as a go-to "bored game", but it won't ever make my main rotation.