MSR Modelling (Original ezboard topic 'MSR Modelling. Started on 17 January 2001)

Bizarre Creations's staff posts are in bold.

Original Archive.org Link

In reply to the question in the 'Meet the Bizarre Guys' thread, the modelling in MSR was done using SoftImage, with Photoshop used for the textures. The additional data for the game was done in our own package, MetGP, which allowed us to add in start/finish/split lines, cameras, AI data, start grids, etc...

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Merci Merci Stubette

So you DO use more SoftImage than 3DS Max...

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Hello!

What LOW POLY MODELING with SI? Or LOW POLY with 3DsMax *g*

I believe LW are better for this work! I use it every day, it's fast and great :) !

Try it!!!

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We've generally used SoftImage for most of our modelling and animation, but do evaluate other packages at regular intervals. We do also have our own in-house packages which can be used for large scale modelling, such as a complete game-creation system used to model Fur Fighter levels (known as 'tubby custard'!).

What we have to weigh up in changing to a new package is the time saved by the other packages versus the time it would take for all the artists to relearn the new software.

Thanks for the tipoff though - we'll get the artists onto it ;-)

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Modeling :)

Yeah, the time!!!

Do it fast and dirty or good and slow!

I know this. But work ervery gfx artist at BC with SI?

Whats are if a gfx-artist want a other programm (si, maya, 3dsmax.....)???

Can you tell me how much polygons one MSR car have, please?

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Once started - I'll never stop! S. started me up!

Yes -- but how did the team model the cars? I guess they have to follow strictly car manufacter guidelines (as stated in the license?).

The dashboard/in car textures and external badges are also done with great care... It's a product of quality!

Thanks in advance for your reply, and a great x to Stubbette!

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You can model a low poly car (for realtime games) very fast, about 2days for one car. Depends on the Poly Count! (I believe the other guys will tell you the same!)

I've read in the msr credits that only one guy modelt the car's!

But I must criticism that some cars not looks like the real one, sorry!!!

ok thtas enough. :)

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I'll get an artist to post about the 'how it's done', etc.!

As for why ALL SoftImage, imagine the nightmare of 10-15 artists on a team all working on different packages to each other - it would be a logistical nightmare! Not only do the programmers need to import the data in the same format from the artists (each program has a different data format which would need to be decoded), but the artists all swap around and help each other out too.

We work in the same was as the other games companies we know - generally they take a policy decision via their senior artists as to what package is being used across the team. So if someone looking for a job ONLY wants to use Max, for example, then they'd have to find a company that uses Max, I suppose. Most of our guys had no SI experience when they came to us, but are more than happy to use it now....

HTH, Stubbette

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I had also the feeling that the game industry was dropping 3DS, and using more SI. Their support for the programming world is better too.

But it's still painful for 3DS, 5 years ago I had a passion: 3DSR4 - those days are gone now. Thanks God! Without the evolution of these softs, we should'nt have a MSR! I'm lucky ;)

Don't forget to reply to my 'how it's done' post - I'm very interested!

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Please, don't use Max. I use it every day and it's a PAIN. Bugged to heck, etc. etc. Check out [redacted] to see what our entire Max-using office make of it! We're hoping to drift into Maya but that's never going to happen. Max is nice and cheap. :)

One thing I'm fascinated by is the fact the poly counts of the cars in MSR are roughly the same as the poly counts in GT3 on PS2, except, of course, GT3 cheats by having blackened windows and no drivers to produce as well.

Hmmm. I think I need to hint again..

*cough* MSR 2 *cough*

Keep up the ace work, gang!

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Hey [redacted]

that's quite a list of complaints!! Once again, I'm very sorry for mentioning 3DS - I think that Autodesk is still surviving because of AutoCAD.

Don't ask me how the PS2 will do!

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Re: MSR Modelling....

Hiya.

I noticed that some of the later car models in my MSR ("buggy" first PAL master) seem to be thrown together in a bit of a rush. Like the Celica GT Four, where the driver only has one arm (or was that some other car? my memory is slipping) and some other cars with missing polys on the driver... Was this a matter of deadline induced slips or are they (highly unlikely) 3Dengine draw bugs?

Also, did the "glowing brake discs" function get dumped entirely? I have yet to see it in the game... It must have been a late call anyway, since it's visible in the intro movie...

One last question. How do you guys feel about the CRI software Mpeg decoder that the DC uses? I mean, it basically makes all the DC FMV look like shite, since you have to compress it more to make it run better. I'm usually an FMV basher, since I think realtime intros and cutscenes are more suitable to display the machine's power and the coders abilities (I mean, even the MegaCD could show FMV), but sometimes when FMV is a better or cooler option, I think they should at least look good.

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Re: MSR Modelling....

Like we're talking in a realtime chat ;) Perhaps bizarre can start an official MSR IRC channel?!

Well, I'm driving the Clio V6 (my fav - a REAL race bomb - with REAL physics) with the steering wheel fixed in the passenger's airbag...

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Hi guys,

Just thought I'd give you some info on how we modelled some of our stuff. I worked on MSR for about 18 months and during my time on that team I got to model just about everything from buildings/cities to cars to statues to drivers. The cars were mainly the work of one guy but all told there was about 8 of us that built them, with one guy doing the textures. Initially, we rotascoped splines from schematic drawings provided by the manufacturers (in Softimage). We then had to turn these 2D splines of each view (side, front, back and top) into 3D splines. This was done by, for example, taking a spline from the front view, viewing it from the top view, and moving its points to make it line up with the corresponding spline in that view. We only work on half a car and then mirror it when its finished. The result is a 3D spline shape of the car, which then acts as a template for stitching in polys. Naturally, a lot of tweaking is involved and constant use of research photos to achieve the finished model. That's it for the high detail model. Then the other levels of detail are derived from that one by removing edges and vertices until the model falls under the relevant poly limit. Screenshots and renders of the high detail wireframe models were used to match the textures up perfectly. We also duplicated the car body so that the programmers could use that to render the specular highlights.

So now you know. I've just given away all our secrets. Well, maybe not all of them.

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Car modeling!

What!

You have model High poly cars for the textures!?

I guess you can finish a Car model faster if you create the car textures with a 2d paint programme (like photo shop!)!!!

Sorry but I would do it so!

But why can I nowhere read anything about the poly count, are this a secret?

regards, [redacted]

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Hello,

Im not sure if this has been said already,

But the textures on the cars where in fact hand drawn.

No high res model was constructed (other than for the front-end - using the same textures as the in-game cars)

The splines traced from the schematics were merely used as a guide for constructing the in-game meshes.

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So you did get a little help (in 2D) from the manufacturers - of course in SI format.

Again, you (and the team) modelled the cars with such precision. Anyway, the Clio V6 (which isn't an easy one to model) is simply gorgeus (read: better than the model used in GT).

Hey, what happened with the high detail renderings?! Desktop wallpapers? Can I have one? ;)

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Thx Max - keep posting

Yes, indeed, the front-end models are great. Better than the in-game cars... ;)

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I've forgotten...

... to give alot of Kudos to Stubbette, she's great!

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Hey, Stubbette are you a member of the oh so popular IRC channel (don't wonna name it - you know what I mean)?

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Re: I've forgotten...

Dang! Found out again!! Yes, I must admit I do pop in there sometimes when time permits....;)

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IRC channel

Ahaha... Seems like Stubbette's busted.

What IRC Network btw? =DDD

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See ya later in IRC chat... Don't name it, it's between you and me ;)

Thanks for your (and the BC team's) sympathy!

MSR Criticism (ezboard forum topic: 'Bizarre Creations We Salute You'. Created on 19 December 2000)

The critic's posts are in bold

Original Archive.org Link

This is for all the team at bizarre creations who worked on MSR. You guys and gals know what real gamers want and MSR proves that you people are the best at what you do and thats making brilliant games !

MSR this is a brilliant game and i've only bought it yesterday and i'm hooked ! the realism, graphics and gameplay is out of this world. This puts my faith back in the Dreamcast, i bought it when it arrived on the scene and since R2R [Ready To Rumble] came out i thought that was it.

PS2 around the corner and that the DC would be dead in the water, and now MSR have placed my faith back in the Dreamcast i'll be playing this game everyday throughout the holidays and after !

Just like to take my hat off to you guys at bizarre creations and let you know that someone really thanks you for your great skill and expertise in gaming, at least someone out there knows what we want !

bizarre creations for me is a symbol of great gaming ! Where ever i see your symbol behind game boxes i'll be willing to part with my money without question !

Cheers guys have a great christmas and new year and may your future games have the realism, clarity and proffesionalism as MSR !

over and Out !

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Oh by the way guys i forgot any chance MSR2 on the books ? I know you guys work on projects asap so is it likely to say we DC fans will be seeing for next christmas MSR2 ?

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I hope we do bizarre creations know when they're on a winner besides SEGA will be handing BUCKET loads of cash to you guys for REVAMP of MSR like it needs it !

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I was playing MSR today as usual and found what i think is a rare bug !

On chapter 6 i think with the track where you have to overtake 11 cars in under 4mins. I was going around a corner with brake/handbrake movement and the screen went black with the timer still ticking down but the mph read and wait for it -2147483648 ! wow back in time ! and the cars on the map were stood still !

Wondering if you guys at bizarre creations found a similar bug ? any testing jobs going on ?

Still getting cramp in me hands/fingers dam DC controller not designed with the human hands, to many straight box lines, PS has the best gaming pad !

Oh had trouble going online couldnt detect modem !

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I had that bug, but I have many more fun features with my version of the game...

Toyko is night time all the time. No daylight ever shines its beautiful bright ambience on the bright neon. Ever.

Championship bug - come any position in Championships, and you'll be congratulated for coming first. Yikes.

Disappearing cars - very handy, actually. I was playing a San Francisco course (the one with the huge hill which goes on for MILES) and all the cars except my car disappeared and I came first. Coo.

Still, at least the game itself is gorgeous - first class stuff, and everything else about the title shines - superb music (except the Country and Western.. :) ), beautiful graphics, incredible handling. The non-buggy MSR should be out now. But I'm keeping my buggy copy just for the memories... *sob*

Here's hoping for MSR 2 :)

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i got a bugged copy DOH

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[redacted] my man ! hello how are you! remember me? i had a bugged copy twice! i took the first one back and got another bugged one, but it is sorted now.

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Hiya, Mr. [redacted] 

Been good, still working at Jester Interactive on Hellgate for Dreamcast which should be out... at this rate... Summer 2005!! Only kidding. We're hoping for an Easter 2001 release, but if the game goes online - hooo, boy! Haven't seen you about for ages - you don't write, call or chat!! I'm still hanging around Yahoo Chat like a drunken bum, by the way...

Good to hear from you again!

Happppy Neew Year!

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cool man! i have had a lot of college work to do recently, still computergames1 ? i'll be there throughout the evenings 10-12 pm next week, jan1-8th. drunken bum lol! is it snowing where you are?

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MSR is Bugged to @#%$..very dissapointing....

how the hell it got so rated is unbeleivable..

the graphics are third rate compared to some of the more stellar efforts..

the car models reak of @#%$

and above all, what good is the game, when the most fundamentla aspect of the gameplay(the kudos system) doesn't work....

overal, i'm extremely dissapointed at how Bizzare managed this whole thing

Quite how it sold so many copies is beyond me. Sega reckon the new "bug free" copies are ready to role.....but seeing as the USA version still ain't out....the question is..how bug free is it?

The game just stinks in my opinion..any credibility it may have had, has long been flushed downb the toilet for me...

and 3 years in development?..hahahahahahahaha

what utter crap.

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so what if it isn't out in the USA yet? thats a good thing. then. i am assuming that all you have seen is the poor rolling version, where the cars did look a bit poor(dont tell em i said that) but since then, they cars have been given a more realistic look.

 i have the game and i had a bugged copy, but it was no biggie, i took it back and got a fixed one.

whats this..." the graphics are third rate compared to some of the more stellar efforts.." what stellar efforts are these? GT3? seen the backgrounds and locations in that??? good???!!! don't make me laugh, they are the same as in GT1+2, MSR is one of the most complete racing games i have played ever. the Kudos system is a great way of making you drive on the grey stuff instead of bouncing around the edges. and all the challenges and stuff make you want to play it more and more!

car models reak of @#%$??? the only bad thing is they have Opels instead of Vauxhalls

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I am no fanboy...never have been....

i rate every console by its own merits...

The dreamcast has some amazing games, and is the best console have ever owned..period.

oh i had the full version....

let us make no mistake. GT3 will piss all over MSR in terms of visuals...even the backgrounds are looking top in the latest biuld..

in comparison MSR's car models look like playstation efforts

MSR is probably an amazing driving game...but the 10000 of us who got a fucked copy..are still pissed...

you have a bug free copy?....just keep telling yourself that

I rang up sega europe....they only started sending out "bug free" copies last week or so..

for me Bizzares credibility has just taken a massive nose dive

what happened?

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i did have a bugged copy twice. but i have got a good copy i exchanged this week.

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I have a bugged copy too (they all are - SEGA still haven't despatched any of the new "bug-free" batch to anybody that sent their bugged version to them to be exchanged)

Bugs or not, I think MSR has been hysterically overrated by all and sundry.

For me, it doesn't have 128bit quality. The graphics appear nice at first, but after you play it for a short while you notice some alarming discrepencies (apart from the dull car modls) - the way the cars look when it's foggy or misty is almost embarrasing, and there is severe slowdown (particularly on night-time races) when there's a lot of cars onscreen at once. Rainy weather & tyre smoke slow it even further.

Another thing, the night races are far too dark - you can hardly see where the hell you're going!

This might be realistic..I dont know, because I don't live in London, San Fransico or Tokyo..but the gameplay shouldn't suffer at the cost of being realistic.

Even when playing MSR in daylight races, it appears very DULL - is there no sunshine in these cities for god's sake?!

Although MSR as a game, is quite playable, there is very little depth to it - because of the simplified physics employed in the handling routines, there are only a few ways to take a corner in the game.

That, coupled with the fact that all of MSR's roads are perfectly flat - there's no height variations, small bumps, or undulations - these are the sort of things (and realistic handling physics) that were introduced three years ago (on a 32bit console, not a 128bit one) in Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo.

After playing GT/GT2, MSR comes across as being a rather shallow game by comparison, and seems as if it was developed with "casuals" in mind.

Only the fact that there are hundreds of "tracks" and lots of races to take part in, saves MSR from total disaster in my opinion.

To play the real "Best Racer Ever", you still need a Dreamcast, but you need to buy a game that was made in Japan. Namely, AM2's Ferrari F355 Challenge.

This is everything that MSR is not. Gorgeous to look at - rock-solid 60fps with no slowdown WHATSOEVER, beautiful weather effects, stunning car models... And a dream to play - accurate models of some of the world's finest tracks, realistic physics and handling characteristics which allow almost limitless depth to the gameplay, network race mode...F355 is a true 128bit game, and one which MSR will never live up to.

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What the...?! So, obviously you've never driven down any of the tracks in San Francisco. Plus, there's plenty of small undulations in the St James Park areas of London including the bridge. Pah. Sour grapes.

GT3 may be looking all gorgeous and all that jazz, but don't forget the fact that a game like MSR which is incredibly texture heavy will be difficult to do on PS2. Evidence of this is the piss-poor Midnight Club (Street Racing - yuk, yuk) which car models are hilariously bad.

Also, where are the human drivers in GT3? MSR has humans driving the cars, which adds a lot to the game. And poly count wise, GT3 and MSR have more or less the same amount of polys per car, just that Bizarre had to model the interiors as well. GT3 cheats with windows which are pretty untransparent so you can't see other details.

Sure, the bugged version of MSR being released was a bit of an upset but it's been rectified now. You can't criticise the cities in MSR because they're all absolutely gorgeous to look at - 3 years development, yeah, but look at where it's gone into. I keep looking, but I haven't found a single texture balls-up in any of the cities.

PS2 relies too heavily on it's superb particle abilities and heat haze, and I have played GT3 and it was a surreal experience playing courses I knew on the PSOne version rendered in PS2 quality. But you take away all those nice effects, strip down the game to it's fundamentals, and it's still GT2. Only with nicer graphics.

Besides, the handling in MSR is superb - slick, responsive and although not as realistic as GT3, it's FUN!!!! For crying out loud!!! F355 may be great and all that, but you give a copy to Mr. Causal Gamer and watch him cry as his lovely Ferrari spins out for the 120th time...

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i have already read this today and i couldn't be arsed to write all that lol! also, the only pop up i can find is either a) in your mirror, or b) in multiplayer!

ok Mr [redacted]. lol

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I wasn't talking about slopes or hills like the SF races - I'm talking about small bumps in the road surface.

Gran Turismo & F355 both have this, and because they do, they are more demanding & rewarding to play.

eg: in MSR, there's no "driver involvement" - the roads are perfectly flat, with no small bumps or banked corners to throw your car off-line.

But, playing both F355 and GT requires you to constantly correct your steering and fight to keep the car under control - even on some of the straight sections. :)

That is why I like those games so much, and why I find MSR to be a bit of a sterile experience. ;)

Regarding GT3 - yes, it dissappoints me to see those "blacked-out" windows on the car models yet again.

But, if making them transparent meant the inclusion of a "human driver" that looked like the one in MSR...then, I'd prefer just to keep those windows blacked-out! :lol

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i supose everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but, lets not forget that the tracks are modeled down to the park benches and when driving around picadilly you dont have to wrestle with the steering wheel do you? remember this isn't a GT3 of 355 it is MSR. which does things in a different and refreshing way. not GT1 with tarted up visuals.

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I suppose Bizarre could always shoe-horn a rally section into MSR 2, like Sony did with GT2 :) Oh, and there were going to be drag racing sections in GT2 too, hence the stupidly fast drag cars you get which are only playable on the Test Track.

Play some of the tracks, feel the bumps in the roads! I reckon Tokyo has more bumpy roads personally :)

P.S. Sod it. Need to fix steering wheel. Broke during MSR play. Me unhappy :(

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off road rallying you can! in st james's park!

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This [drag racing sections ] was included in the Japanese version of GT2, but was removed from the US & PAL versions. ;)

It's removal from the US version caused the game to have a "100%" bug - you could win every single race in the game, and still only have a 98.XX complete rating...because the other (Drag) races were missing! :lol

Hey, fair enough, you guys obviously like MSR more than I do, so I won't try and convince you otherwise!

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and don't forget me!

i like it more than you :)

.... but I'm starting to play more and more f355

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Hehe

Oh, fancy seeing you here! :)

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I think you're forgetting that MSR is set in REAL cities, unlike Gran Turismo, and that means that if there aren't any lumps and bumps in the roads of the city, there aren't going to be any in the game either! Think about it.

Anyhow, no-one can deny that MSR isn't one of the funkiest racing games ever, if not for it's graphics, but for it's great handling, or for the novel kudos system or because it's gonna take you ages to complete!

That's my two cents :)

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I think anyone who says MSR is crap is crap at it. My dad is exactly that. He gets all pissy with the game and says the points system doesn't work. :rolleyes He also says "Ooh, there shouldn't be so much of the game locked away". Yeah, like, you are actually meant to play it. He never got past Chapter 1! Doh!

But, me and my mum are a lot more patient than he is, we got down to playing it, and we both love it to bits! So I think you guys deserve kudos yourselves for creating such a kick ass game! :D

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Just thought I had to add 'em...

So, some of us have not been playing the same game then?

In my US version, the cars are beautiful, there are height variations in the courses (was just playing the Tokyo tracks this morning, plenty of it - love that Shibuya Kita).

The ONLY bug I noticed, and I have been playing the game like an obsessed mofo, is related to the "Custom CD" you can create. In 1P mode, I have to enter and re-exit the CD Player option to "boot(?)" it properly; else, the "custom CD" that'll be playing will be one I didn't create, w/ tracks all mixed up (for the ones I put in there) or tracks I didn't even include. There's one about it in 2P mode too, but enough bugs, some people here are very good at reporting them. Slowdown? Only in 2P mode, only sometimes. Why? Because it is the only racer I've played which retains EVERY graphical element for that mode, every other game cutting down everything to just the track and borders.

I was just thinking, MSR is the best racer I've played, and I was a GT fan in the PS era...

Thank you Bizarre for the freshness, and please give us MSR2 cause I can't get enough. :)

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Don't listen to that 'mingle-mangle', just turn it off.

You should listen with good headphones to the effects produced by the car and enviroment! Like the reflections - genious...

Now, that's music!

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Yeh, I noticed that personal CD bug as well... I have to enter the CD player upon the first booting of the game and go into the "create CD" thingy and press "Store" again. All my selected tracks are still correct in there...

And [redacted], about that "All the roads are flat"-shite. Obviously, you have never played the Asakusa or Shibuya courses. So I think you should get a better overview of things before you start bashing the game.

Pah!

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Yep, the only bug in my non bugged copy which I got back from sega, is the personal CD. Its not that much of a prob, but it is annoying. Class game though.

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Hi Dudes i'm on the last level and its getting on my rubys big time. All i have is the 4.2 celica and i'm racing 3 5.0 litre monsters in rain ! this celica has the best traction out the lot but i cant beat them speed 5.0 freaks.

Anyone clocked it ? or know any tricks ? Another thing i still have the buggered copy and why is it that all the fast small cars have useless traction in the rain.

Making it impossible to control/steer the vehicle in wet never mind heavy rain !

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Hey [redacted].

I cleared it using the Celica GT Four. Wasn't exactly easy, but it's definitely not the hardest race in the game. I beat it after like 3 tries.

My best tip is to use manual transmission and switch off ABS.

It's also imperative to learn good blocking techniques using the rear view (maybe the most underestimated technique in the game), since the GTR's are much faster on the straightaways. If you block them good enough, they will either bump into your arse and lose speed, or spin out trying to avoid you. It's a win-win situation...

Good luck mate! ^_^

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The first of those three champ races is definatly the hardest. I beat it in bout 3 goes as well. Little tip -if your ahead of the others in that tricky bit in the park (zig zag), then youve got the lap. If they try to overtake just block em.

Bizarre Creations's original 'ezboard' forum available again to view at Archive.org

Bizarre Creations' original MSR message board (circa late 2000-early 2002) was hosted on the now defunct 'ezboard' service.  While it had been preserved at archive.org, it was sadly not viewable in recent years.  This probably due to legal/commercial issues with ezboards' successor companies (Yuku and now Tapatalk).  

However it seems this message board is now available again for viewing!  While it doesn't contain any information that isn't already widely known, there are some interesting topics that I have archived here. One is the full thread from where I obtained the 'critical MSR review' and others contained comments from Bizarre Creations' programmers about the modelling and graphics.  With the exception of staff members, I have excluded poster names however you can view the original message board topics in the links provided (see the topics in question for more  - you can see these listed under the All Posts column on the right).

MSR 'Hard Rock Cafe' promotion in Madrid, Spain

This promotion took place on 5 October 2000, about 1 month before retail release.  It seems the event used the pre-release 'Opel Challenge/Special Version'. 

Above pictures taken from the following forum: https://dcemulation.org/dumpcast/viewtopic.php?t=1359

Above picture taken from the Spanish Official Dreamcast Magazine (Issue 11 / November 2000 - Page 10).

MSR T-Shirt found again!

Never thought I'd see this again!   The only time I ever saw this t-shirt in person was at Southampton Sega Park back in August/September 2001 (the guy wearing it went to play the Gun Survivor: Code Veronica coin-op after me...funny the things you remember!).  Never saw it again, not even a small thumbnail picture online.....until now!  Just over 20 years later, an Ebay seller is advertising one for £30.00....

FRONT

 

BACK

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164550345663?hash=item264ff703bf:g:uP4AAOSwO~lfxiUk

The t-shirt is exactly as described by posters in an amusing exchange from the old 'uk.games.video.dreamcast' Usenet group back in late 2000:

"Hi,

I bought MSR today and got a cool MSR T shirt.

I really like it. It's got MSR on the front, the Dreamcast logo on the

sleeve, and a city skyline on the back.

I like the game too!"

Response 1:

"Be careful, that T shirt may have bugs in it.

You may find that the sleeve falls off. You can check with SEGA to see

if you have a T-Shirt from a bugged batch."

Response 2:

"And also receive a 'patch' for it." 😄

And in case you're wondering....no, I will not be buying it.  The size is XL and that's just way too big for me!

PGR 1 REVIEW DRAFT

Being a fan of Metropolis Street Racer (MSR), it made sense to research and complete a playthrough of that game's much more successful offspring: Project Gotham Racing (PGR1).  And I'm glad I did because I learned more about MSR itself and the transition period between the two games.  I can also state the following with conviction: PGR1 IS NOT A REHASH OF MSR!  Rather, it's a worthy successor that, unlike MSR, made good on Bizarre Creation's vision of a kudos-based racer. 

Before you read this review, please take a look at my old Metropolis Street Racer review topic from way back when: https://www.dreamcast-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=3880

First things first: the only thing MSR and PGR1 have in common is that they share some of the same London, San Francisco and Tokyo courses.  That's it....that is where the similarity ends!  PGR is a very different game from MSR in terms of kudos scoring and car handling.  Not surprising as PGR1 was more or less reprogrammed from scratch.  

BACKGROUND 

Just weeks after MSR has been released in PAL territories, Bizarre Creations announced they were working on something new under the tentative title of "Project Swingers"!  As that particular name brings to mind visions of "car keys in glass bowls", they decided to change it to something a little less controversial, "Project Gotham".  Around the same time MSR was released in the USA (January 2001), rumours began circulating about a follow-up being in development, firstly on the PS2 and then Microsoft's forthcoming XBOX console.  PGR1 was officially announced on 13 March 2001, at the XBOX "Gamestock 2001" event as an exclusive launch title for that console.  

Also in March 2001, we received the sad news that Sega had officially discontinued the Dreamcast console and then later on, the Japanese release of MSR was cancelled.  The latter, while sad, made business sense going by MSR's poor sales in Europe/US and the fact Bizarre Creations were devoting their efforts to PGR1.   

PRESENTATION / MENUS

The presentation of PGR1 is done well (although who are those people on the front menu screen??).  The intro video makes it clear you are expected to "be aggressive" when playing this game and the menu screen's "metallic jungle/drum& bass" music reinforces this.  Menu options are better laid out and much more user-friendly compared to MSR's cumbersome screens.  The only big criticism here is that you have to change the time attack options (weather/time of day) in the "game options" menu rather than within the time attack mode itself; no, I don't understand it either!  We also seems to be lacking a "view records" option; you can only see your best results at the end of each event.  I miss this feature from MSR and I see no reason it couldn't have been implemented here.    

GRAPHICS

While the majority of the course assets have been brought over from MSR, there is a definite upgrade in graphical quality.  Car models are much more detailed (due to higher polygon accounts), and show reflections as you race.  There are sunlight, water, and wind effects (leaves blowing) on each course.  The new stage, New York, even has water vapour rising from its manholes!  The real time day/night cycle found in MSR has been banished from PGR1; while this sounded great in theory, if you only played MSR at a certain time each day, you would never see certain cities in the daylight or night time (that's why MSR players used to change their Dreamcast clock or use the in-built Cheat mode to bypass this).  However the only downside is that some courses  are either set at sunset/sunrise or night; it would have been nice if PGR had MSR's morning/afternoon/evening/nighttime skies too.  Finally the frame rate has been doubled, now running at a smooth 60fps.   All in all, an excellent showcase for the XBOX's capabilities, especially for a launch day title.  

Incidentally this would be the only title in the MSR/PGR series to run at this frame rate; all the other games were 30fps. 

However not everything is perfect.  Night racing can still be too dark even though cars have more powerful headlights (compared to MSR).  Some of the night lighting effects (from buildings/street lights) also seem a little plain and lack subtlety; MSR's night lighting is sometimes better when compared side by side!  

SOUND

The biggest sound upgrade in PGR1 is in the music and radio department.  PGR1 has "real life" radio stations (Hot 97, Capital Radio, Live 105, InterFM) along with ficticious counterparts.  There are some actual DJs presenting, such as Paul "Trouble" Anderson on London's XFM and Angie Martinez on New York's Hot 97, with well written scripts to match.  We also have a licensed music soundtrack featuring hits and lesser known songs from the 2000-2001 time period.  Well-known acts include Gorillaz ("19-2000"), Iggy Pop ("Beat Em Up"), Timbaland & Magoo ("Roll Out") and Chemical Brothers ("Galaxy Bounce").  It's also good to hear Japanese language tracks in Tokyo!  As a result the overall presentation in this area is much more professional and realistic compared to MSR; you can really feel Microsoft's influence here.  

If there are criticisms to be had here, then it would down to the music itself.  While there is a nice variety of Punk/Rock, Hip-Hop, Pop and Big Beat Dance, the majority of them do not really suit the gameplay.  Granted, you could also apply this to the majority of MSR's soundtrack but at least there we had some uptempo numbers (Club Paris, Passion & Heartlands) that made you want to race and do well.  PGR1's soundtrack seems more suited to a skating game and while the new kudos system gives the game a "Tony Hawk's" vibe, the music doesn't always compliment the action.  Perhaps the licensing bods at Microsoft were more interested in compiling a "cool and credible" soundtrack rather than suitable driving music.  However if you don't like the soundtrack, you always have the ability to rip your own tracks to the XBOX hardrive and have the DJ's "present" them before they play, which is a very nice touch.  Sadly the console seems to play ripped tracks at a VERY low volume, although this applies to most original XBOX games that allow custom soundtracks.  Therefore I "amplify" my music before encoding it, and send it directly to the console's hard drive (yes, I have a modded original XBOX). 

I am not an expert on car sounds (engine sounds, break, skid effects) but they do their job accordingly.  They do sound more different compared to MSR though; somewhat more high pitched and "hoovery".  One thing I must point out are the excellent sound effects that play when you gain kudos.  There is a nice "clicky" sound when you accumulate kudos and a "swoosh" sound when they are added to your total score. 

DRIVING PHYSICS   

Car handling has also been drastically overhauled and while certainly not realistic, it's a lot more complex and nuanced than the physics found in MSR.  The biggest change is that cars now leave the ground on sloped sections.  In MSR, certain car manufacturers had insisted their vehicles remained "grounded" but in PGR1 they relented on this, probably thanks to Microsoft's muscle.  The cars also now have significant weight transfer, resulting in a lot of skidding/drifting during a turn, and this works extremely well with PGR1's overhauled kudos system.  However as cars now go airbourne and drift more easily, it means courses like San Francisco are a lot tougher than they used to be in MSR.  Where in MSR, it was easy to take a sharp corner onto the downhill section, PGR1 is a lot tougher.  It should be also noted that driving on the gravel surfaces in London St James Park (and the new Central Park location) now have a significant impact on your car's grip.  Expect quite a few spin-outs and crashes on these sections before you get the hang of it!    

Another very important change is the way you take corners in PGR1 when compared to MSR.  In MSR, you could get away with holding the break while accelerating into the turning and using the kerb to bounce off from the sides when you understeer.  If you try that in PGR1, you will lock the car wheels and spin out (similar to most other racing games).  Now you need to brake/handbrake before the turn while applying the right amount of acceleration to get through the corner itself (although you can get away with braking while turning in some scenarios).  Also, as the kerbs have either been flattened or replaced with crash barriers, you can no longer get away with understeer or too much speed during a turn.  Add in the aforementioned weight transfer/airbourne physics and PGR1 becomes a much harder and less forgiving drive than MSR.  As a result, a good PGR1 player will always be better than a good MSR player.  

For me, car handling is the most important difference between MSR and PGR1.  Overall though, the change in driving physics makes sense as it really compliments PGR1's rebooted kudos system. However, I personally miss MSR's unique handling.  While PGR1 certainly has arcadey style driving, the way you take turns in this game could be replicated in most other racing titles.  Incidentally, the handling in the "DreamOn Demo" version of MSR had more in common with PGR1 than it did with the released version of MSR itself!   

Finally, the cars in PGR1 can take damage showing broken tail-lights and bent bodywork if you crash or collide with other vehicles.  Although car damage is purely aesthetic and does not affect the driving physics, it was quite an achievement persuading car manufacturers to allow it in PGR1; most other racers at the time (including MSR) had to keep vehicles in pristine condition at all times.

GAMEPLAY 

A lot of reviewers at the time compared PGR1's kudos system to the scoring/combo system found in Tony Hawk titles and I can see why. Basically, PGR1 improves on MSR's kudos system in every conceivable way!  The original system in MSR was flawed due to its reliance on hard powerslides to gain the best scores, plus the lack of time limits.  As a result, any player (regardless of skill) could rack up massive kudos scores by simply driving up and down, performing endless 180 powerslides.  You were also not aware of your kudos score until after an event had finished.  In PGR1, everything has been improved.  Now you can now see how many kudos you are awarded in realtime and what feats you are awarded kudos for (powersliding, overtaking, riding on two wheels etc).  You can also perform kudos "combos" by pulling off feats in quick succession.  Expert players can even keep combos going from the very start of an event to the very finish, racking up some crazy scores!  Put simply. comparing the kudos system between MSR and PGR1 is likely comparing Street Fighter 1 to Street Fighter 2; it's that big an upgrade!

The main mode is, of course, the Kudos Challenge, with over 100 events to complete (divided in 13 chapters).  While the same event types make their way over from MSR (Street Racer, Hot Laps, Overtake Challenge), there is a new event in the form of Style Challenges.  Basically these are "slalom" events that involve driving through certain cone gates while avoiding the normal red cones on the track.  Cone events in racing games may not be new (I remember the Gymkhana section on Racing Jam, an old Konami coin-op from the late 90s) however they are probably the highlight of PGR1 and really compliment the new kudos system (see below).  They are also the cause for much frustration particularly in the later levels, but we will come to that later!  Similar to MSR, you can also adjust the difficulty before each race which affects the number of bonus kudos you are awarded.  For example, if you select your finishing position in a Street Racer as 3rd place (the lowest position allowed) you will get a minimal bonus while conversely selecting 1st place awards the maximum bonus.  There is also return of the Joker card that doubles your points if you win, however this can only used once in each chapter.   We also have "quick race" mode that's basically a succession of street races (finish in the highest position while driving stylishly) and "arcade" mode which involve a series of Style Challenge cone events.  There is also Medal Pursuit, a gloried time attack mode that awards new car colours for beating set lap times.  

Each event in PGR has a kudos/lap time target for either a Bronze, Silver or Gold medal.  While you must complete each event with at least a Bronze medal to succeed, more rewards can be gained if you go for a Silver or Gold medal.  As you progress, you unlock new cars and courses either by gaining the appropriate medals or by clocking up a target play time.  Unlike MSR though, you need to complete ALL the events in a chapter in order to progress to the next stage.  Although I understand the reasoning behind this, it does make completing PGR1 very time consuming!  Just like MSR, it's unlikely the majority of XBOX owners who bought PGR1 played it to the very end.  PGR1 also seriously ramps up the difficulty in the later levels; getting a Gold (or even sometimes a Silver) medal on these sections is VERY TOUGH!  Even MSR veterans such as myself struggled in this area; I even had to use a Joker during one event as I just couldn't work out how to get the necessary points.  Thankfully PGR1 has a quick restart option and believe me, you will need it!!  Also, a  much welcome addition in PGR1 is the ability to watch and save replays of your completed events.  You can view your best runs from a variety of different angles, along with the ability to fast-forward (but not rewind).  It's a little basic but it serves its purpose well.  Unfortunately this feature is not available in Time Attack mode.

Now let's talk about the cars themselves and it's clear that Microsoft/Bizarre Creations wanted to shift the emphasis away from conventional cars and into the shifting the of luxury sportcars.  Gone are the everyday European models from Fiat, Peugeot and Renault that were found in MSR.  In PGR1, we now have exotic vehicles from the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, Dodge Viper, Aston Martin and Lotus.  PGR1's box art is even emblazoned with the game's top vehicle; the Ferrari F50!  MSR's once mighty Nissan Skyline and that game's headline car, the Opel Speedster/VX220, make a return but are now relegated to a lower tier when compared to the supercars.  Other cars from MSR are also present (sometimes updated with a later model) however they also play second fiddle to the big boys.  In fact the only "normal" cars present in PGR1 are the Mini Cooper and Volkswagen Beetle.  Overall though, more people want to drive Ferraris than they want to drive Opel Astra's so I understand Microsoft/Bizarre Creations' thinking on this.  You also get to keep all cars you unlock unlike MSR's restrictive garage.  My only big criticisms here are the lack of fast 4WD cars (more on this later) and that the Ferrari F50 resounding trounces all the other cars in PGR1, however at least that car's not available until the latter part of the game.    

I should also point out that the CPU cars are very docile at the start but get become very aggressive in later stages.  While you no longer docked any kudos points for colliding with them, they can force you into the wall with ease; something to think about when going for Gold on the final chapters!

Onto the courses now and it's safe to say that all of the London, Tokyo and San Francisco courses in PGR1 originated from MSR.  Not all 262 tracks from MSR are present though; only around 150 made the journey across.  It's amusing to see the same courses in MSR have different names in PGR1; for example, Tokyo's "Nishi Sumida-Gawa" course from MSR (made famous in the DreamOn demo version) is now called "Beer-Biru Mea" in PGR1.  The biggest change however is the addition of a new city, New York.  The Time Square courses are very narrow and filled with numerous sharp turns, Central Park has a long gravel surface section that makes using high speed RWD cars very challenging and Wall Street is a faster course with a mixture of chicanes, tunnels and tight corners.  While some more straight sections would have been welcome, New York is a worthy city to stand alongside the MSR originals.  It wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft had a hand in choosing another American city for PGR1!  Another big change is that all the railings from MSR have been replaced with crash barriers, and some of the road furniture (such as traffic islands in London) has been removed entirely.  MSR's turn signs are replaced in PGR1 by well-lit giant LED versions so there is less chance of "missing" a upcoming turn.  While all this does make courses more suitable for racing, it does feel like you're driving on a race track rather than the city streets.

Finally I should point out that PGR1 has NO online functionality.  Being a launch title, it was a little too early to be part of the XBOX LIVE collection (although this would be rectified later on with the subsequent sequels)  Besides, very few people used MSR's online functions so PGR1 being completely "offline" is no big surprise.   

TIME ATTACK 

Unfortunately PGR1's Time Attack mode is very underwhelming compared to MSR's Time Attack/Time Trials options.  For example, PGR1 saves the best ghosts cars for all weather conditions and time of day on each track (so 8 different ghost cars are possible).  However they is only ONE record board for each course and nothing to differentiate what ghost/record raced under what condition.  There is also only one car in PGR1 you can use for the best times: the Ferrari F50.  This car is just too dominant and once you unlock it in PGR1, there's point using any other vehicle.  While MSR's Nissan Skyline was the best overall car, there were ocassions where the Toyota Supra, Toyota Celcia GT-4 or Lancer Evo VI ended up being the fastest choice.  There is also distinct lack of fast 4WD cars in PGR1: the game really needed something like a Lamborghini Diablo VT or Murcielag to go alongside the wild RWD handling of the F50 (although licensing issues at the time would have made this impossible).  At it stands, the best 4WD cars are the Nissan Skyline or the prototype Delphino Feroce.  If the developers had included best time boards for each car, this would have gone some way to alleviate the problem.

One positive addition in PGR's Time Attack mode occurs on the Free Roam courses.  You now have the option to drive around, knocking down a set number of cones in the quickest time possible.  This gives an extra purpose to these courses rather than just driving around and taking in the sights.

Fundamentally though, PGR's handling and car selection are here to compliment the game's kudos system and high speed/time attack racing is really an afterthought!  While time attacking in PGR1 can still be fun, it doesn't have the "close to the code" feel that makes time attacking in MSR so special in this area.         

CONCLUSION

So what are my final thoughts?  Well, Project Gotham 1 basically succeeded where it should have succeeded: providing a great kudos driving experience, atoning for MSR's poor sales and becoming a smash hit launch title on the XBOX's selling well over 1m copies.  However for me, MSR succeeded in an area that ironically both it and PGR1 were trying to get away from: time attack racing.  MSR's handling and time attack options give the game an infinite replay value; PGR1, while a great game, just doesn't have this hook.

It's very difficult to discuss PGR1 without comparing the game to MSR, even though in reality they are two very different titles.  It's a shame that in PGR1's credits there is no mention of MSR, Dreamcast or even Sega (although MSR's producer Kats Sato does get a mention) but as MSR was a commercial failure on Dreamcast and Sega refused to port the game, perhaps I can understand why.  People have stated rather crudely that "PGR1 was the game MSR should have been in the first place", but this is wrong: MSR was a necessary step on the road to the Project Gotham games.  In an IGN Xbox interview, Bizarre Creations Martyn & Sarah Chudley confirmed why PGR1 could not have existed with MSR:

IGN Xbox: What was the number one thing you wanted to accomplish with Project Gotham that you feel didn't come through in MSR? 

Martin and Sarah Chudley: I think it's probably the whole idea of the Kudos system. In our previous game (MSR), we had the idea for Kudos, but to get something like that 100% right, it needs a lot of tuning and usability testing, which just wasn't available to us then. We hoped we'd come up with something that was going to be playable, but until it got on the shelves, we'd got no idea to what extent and that's when the flaws were found. Luckily, Microsoft have an excellent and extensive playtest and usability group, which we're making the most of in order to get the Kudos system and game balance just right in Gotham [PGR1].          

Project Gotham is the name that will be remembered by most gamers.  It was after all a huge success for Microsoft and Bizarre Creations (although never reaching the dizzy heights of the Gran Turismo series), spawned 3 more sequels and its legacy can be found in Microsoft's own Forza brand and various other modern racers.  What was Microsoft's and Bizarre Creations' gain however was Sega Europe's loss as they were left with nothing more than a loss-making project and the rights to the Metropolis Street Racer name.    

To the masses, MSR is probably considered nothing more than a glorified PGR tech demo.  And in some ways it is.  However MSR will always be special to both Dreamcast & Bizarre Creations fans (the latter closing down for good in 2011).  They take pride in the game's legacy and revel in the knowledge that the MSR/PGR story started here, on Sega's magical white box!

FINAL SCORE FOR PROJECT GOTHAM RACING: 8 OUT OF 10.    

Metropolis Street Racer: Opel Challenge/Special Version Demo

CARS: Vauxhall VX220 (red)/ Opel Speedster (grey).  Automatic gears only

RACE THE CLOCK COURSE: Tokyo - Asakusa - Long - Nishi Sumida-Gawa (same course as DreamOn Vol. 13)

RACE AN OPPONENT COURSE: London - St James' Park - Short - St James' Park Bridge North

TWO PLAYER ONLY COURSE: San Francisco - Pacific Heights - Short - Buchanan North

Notable features

* Cars leave the ground on the San Francisco hills!  Not as high as Project Gotham 1 though and has no affect on the driving physics.

* Sega/Sonic, Sprite, "Perfect Blue", Dreamcast Yukawa, cigarette & alcohol adverts in Tokyo (non-playable rolling demos).

* Slightly better lighting (yellow tinted streetlights at night).

* Drift dynamic not present.

Description

This "white label" version was released around Summer 2000 and predates the demo found on DreamOn Vol. 13.  It lacks any drift dynamic and so handling is more simplistic; simply break/handbreak before turning or just hard steer into corners.  MSR Opel Challenge/Special Version was used at trade shows, publicity events and possibly even DC demo units within video game stores.  This version makes an appearance on Volume 11 of the US Official Dreamcast Magazine's playable demo disk (February 2001 edition).  Going by comments found on the old Usenet archive at groups.google.com, it may also have been included with pre-ordered PAL copies of Virtua Tennis 1 (that was released on September 8 2000). 

If you want to obtain a lawful copy of MSR Opel Challenge/Special Version, it is available as a PAL "white label" or on the US demo disk mentioned above.

Related links

https://dcemulation.org/dumpcast/viewtopic.php?t=1359 (pictures of Spanish inserts alongside this version advertising a forthcoming promotion event at Hard Rock Cafe, Madrid in October 2000).

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/uk.games.video.dreamcast/haoS0ZpXWOw/BNTpUfUp0pIJ (player impressions of MSR Opel Challenge/Special Version- early September 2000).

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/uk.games.video.dreamcast/F4WgYeKxNyU/v19cmUwxOD4J (player mentioned MSR Opel Challenge/Special Version included within pre-orders of PAL Virtua Tennis 1).