Temporary change of tyres

With restraints on my budget and a whole host of great games soon to be released, along with the fact I'm still working on Forza 2, PGR 4 has not been the center of my attention throughout its development. However, I am not going to sit idly by while the demo is floating about the 360 Marketplace waiting for me to test the treads.
As popular and enjoyable as PGR 3 was, I could never claim to be all that enthralled by the game. Although when released the graphics of the game were quite stunning, and the most recent Project Gotham has made the same impression with new weather affects involving varying degrees of rain and snow. Along with the visually fabulous changeable weather, it provides as much of an affect on handling as you'd hope. And not by simply lowering the traction level a few notches, but by actually going to quite a considerable length to make the snow feel as if you are driving across the powdery snow of fresh banks and the slushy tarmac of racing lines, instead of the universal sheet of ice that many games use.
Along with the previously featured London and Tokyo, the latest incarnation of Metropolis Street Racer introduces Shanghai and Leningrad among others, expanding the game to what looks to be a very nicely diverse set of tracks. Despite expansion usually being a thing to rejoice, the inclusion of motorbikes acutely denies any possibility of me becoming truly excited about this game, as I am very much subscribed to the opinion that cars and bikes are simply too far removed for them to seriously compete in an even standing. Yet in saying that I did thoroughly enjoy Test Drive: Unlimited, which while not featuring motorbikes as heavily as PGR 4, were far less unrealistic and thus much more unbalanced.
Arguable assets and drawbacks aside, the game generally plays much more like an arcade racer to the preferred Forza, though nothing like to the degree of Sega Rally. With more lax and charitable handling and the acquisition of 'kudos' by performing maneuvers like wheel spinning and powerslides, the whole game is going to be much more inviting and easier to jump in and out of. But I can't yet decide if I am attracted to that fact or not, as fun as it seems I did find the rounded edges of realism to be slightly irritating.
With the long and expansive list of other games and things in general I would rather spend my money on, I can't see myself buying PGR 4 in the near future, while that does not mean I necessarily dislike the game, I certainly won't be lifting myself up by the ankles to get my hands on a copy.

Following today's theme of motorsports, the World Rally Championship has returned with the recent Catalunya stage! And in a few days I will be watching Rallye de France, soon followed by the Japanese stage before the WRC comes to visit us, first in Ireland and then in Wales, at which point Paul and I will be standing at the side of dirt tracks in torrential rain cheering on Marcus Grönholm in his last ever rally event, and hopefully last ever victory.
I can't wait.