Pros: Motorcycles, cars, good single player races.
Cons: bad cameras with bikes might throw you off
The bottom line: Get it if you like arcade racing with style.
Adding motorcycles to the mix
I first thought that adding motorcycles to the game would ruin this racing franchise, but when you actually use the bikes in this game you will love playing it. So if you are a big fan of MotoGP racing and you want to give bad drivers who abuse walls a run for their money get on a motorcycle. Racers in cars will be able to run you over, but in smaller tighter courses you have the advantage to overtake corners while their big V12 supercars are smashing into the walls. The developers at bizarre creation have made bouncing on walls much harder than it was on Project Gotham 2. So if you know how to play MotoGp style you can beat your opponents to a pulp in this game. I ended up liking the overall idea of motorcycles in this game.

Sound Department
I didn't enjoy the soundtrack at all in fact I either am wearing headphones listening to my MP3 player or turning off the in game music because its more distracting than motivating. I have heard other Project Gotham soundtracks and this just didn't seem to please me. Some of the house music tracks were OK, but that's it.

Now the sound effects make up for it because they sound pretty realistic plus the sound of tires peeling and squeaking is more like music to my ears. The engine sounds of vehicles revving up is also noteworthy. It sounds like they have a good audio team that used their mics very well.

Controls
The controls feel as good as any other game. It doesn't feel too wacky like an rcade racer, yet it's not too stiff like a racing simulation. So think of the game controls being relaxed when you need to be and tight in other situations. It feels like no matter what car or bike you pick it has a balanced feel like that.

Gameplay
This game is like any other racing title out there. You have three main modes which are arcade, career, and time trials. You will be playing all three at one point or another in order to unlock the achievements. Speaking of achievements, this game makes getting achievements fun and attainable.

In order to get all the cars you will be playing both arcade and career often to get more kudos points which is the currency in the game used to buy more vehicles. Don't think of it as simply level grinding, but practice for online racing. Most of the fun after career and arcade are finished are in the online racing mode. Its one thing to overtake a driver online, but it looks so much cooler when you overtake other racers as you are drifting through the corners.

I love collecting all the cars and achievements in this game because I have been a fan of the series since metropolis street racer on the dreamcast. This is the type of game where I don't mind putting in all the hours in single player mode because it is a fun racing title. The gameplay may seem repetitious, but getting that perfect stylish lap is the reward. The racing style is the core of this game and so are the tracks they put on every title. I have never seen any of the tracks in real life except Las Vegas which seems to be 90% accurate. When it comes to one of the nicest tracks/race venues France is eye candy and drifting through the streets feels cinematic to me. I always though tracks in a racing game weren't that important, but once a nice track is made you will be recording tons of your race replays trying to be like a movie director. Once you unlock all the cars and bikes, this game is also great for parties and entertaining your friends via split screen.

Vehicle Selection
I am always amazed with Bizarre Creations because even during development they listen to their highly demanding message board members and they deliver the goods. I remember way back when Project Gotham 2 was under development there was a high demand for a DeLorean (spelling?) and they finally delivered the goods on this title. I have been a member of their message board for a while and other demands have always been met.

This is the type of game where if you want to jump into action there are already a good amount of cars unlocked so you can join in any race online. I was shocked to see a good amount of the cars I worked hard for in other games are ready to go. The selection of free bikes is also good for someone leaning towards trying the motorcycle racing aspect of the game. Now if you don't know what's a good bike to unlock go and get the Yamaha that costs 100,000 kudos and you will be a happy racer. The Ducati that costs over 150,000 kudos is also another favorite bike of mine. When it comes to picking out your car to drive in it will all depend on your driving style so try them all even if the vehicle doesn't look as stylish because you just might find a sleeper. A sleeper is simply an ugly looking car with better handling and speed compared to a sleekly designed car. I love cars in general so I will drive almost every car in this game.

Online
There isn't any noticeable problems when it comes to online racing. This game is a bit old, so there won't be as many racers as before. However, most of the people you race online love the series and good times can be had without all the elitist online talk. If you are a US racer wait for the other continents to wake up because you can get some good action from European and Asian racers.

Overall
I am liking the flow of the game offline and wish there were more players online. The graphics do look much better than part 3. The controls are great and a motorcycle class adds more replay value to this game. I would highly recommend checking it out.