As gaming technology advances and develops, so do the demands of the gaming populace for ever different and genre challenging games. One of the ways in which developers try to meet these demands and make a name for themselves is to combine different types of game and sell the result as a hybrid product. Some of these attempts in the past have been ill advised, and some have been creative masterpieces. However, this latest attempt from Bizarre Inventions to give players a new experience takes the hybridisation process to whole new levels of, well, bizarreness.


It's Alive!

Deep in the bowels of Bizarre Invention's offices, some mad developer, who may have been but probably wasn't called Frankenstein, came up with splicing together the previously totally incompatible sporting pursuits of motor racing and cricket. Whether this developer turns out to be a mad genius, or just plain mad (and out of a job), is yet to be seen, but the product of their gaming surgery is certainly unlike anything before witnessed by the gaming public. You can almost imagine the conversation that would have occurred at Bizarre HQ:

Developer A: "We need to create a new game. Something totally new and fresh, yet something that will be instantly popular."

Developer B: "What about a sports game, they're always popular."

Developer A: "No, they've all been done before. It has to be something original."

Developer B: "Well, how about we create a sport?"

Developer A: "You mean, mix elements of sports together to make something completely new?"

Developer B: "What do you think?"

Developer A: "Brilliant! What shall we pick?"

Developer B: "Umm..."

After ten minutes of sticking bits of paper to the nearest wall and blindly throwing pencils like darts...

Developer A: "Cricket and motor sport? Uh, are you sure about this?"

Developer B: "Don't question the darts! They never lie!"

And so Project Botham Racing was born. But, strange as the concept sounds, have Bizarre Inventions uncovered a hidden gem of an idea? Let's find out.


The Method to Their Madness

The knock of a cricket ball on wood, and "Project Botham" drops into view, followed by "Racing" from the side of the screen with a screech of tyres and some smoke effects. Then, with a quick fade, we are presented with an in-game shot of one of the cricket grounds in the game, which then pans out to race around a few roads in the area, populated by a few sports cars racing each other. It nicely sets the tone of the game to come.

The story, supplying us with the practical reason for this bizarre spots hybrid, is fairly straightforward. Ian Botham, who officially licensed his name and personal likeness to appear in the game, is running late on his way to a cricket match. Fortunately, he has his trusty sports car, and with you at the helm, he just might make it to the match on time. Thus begins a global campaign of street races and other such challenges. Of course, once you get to the stadium, the match begins and you have to help Botham win the day on the cricket pitch, as well as in the car.


Realism For The Unreal

If claims of unrealism could be levelled at the rather thin plot, then the presentation of the game attempts to make up for this. The developers have put a lot of attention to the realism of the game, modelling in great detail fifteen different stadiums in such varied locations as England, Australia, India, and others, and have mapped out mile upon mile of roads and cities around them. The graphics are nothing short of stunning.

Botham's digital persona sits in the passenger seat as a generic character - 'you' - drives him around at breakneck speeds. Ian himself reputedly spent several hours in the studio doing voiceovers for the game, including various comments on your driving ability, driving mission briefings and such. He's easy to listen to, and the samples are clear, which is more than can be said for the commentaries over the cricket portion of the game. A dreadful selection of voice talent, who most of the time sound like they've never seen a cricket game in their life, guarantee that you'll be reaching for the commentary off control very soon after beginning to play.


Driven to Distraction

The driving segment of the game is fairly well polished. The streets are mapped out exactly as you would find them if you were to visit the stadiums for real. You start out the game in the amateur leagues of cricket, and so your car selection is limited to a few everyday saloons and hatchback. Do well in the cricket sections, though, and your ranking will improve, until you are finally playing the international leagues, which come with some seriously fast vehicles.

Every driving 'mission' is detailed to you in a TV-style briefing, voice by Mr. Botham himself. Objectives start as simple as 'get to the stadium in two minutes', which is a simple matter of driving the course as fast and accurately as possible (someone forgot to include traffic - perhaps everyone is at the match waiting for Ian to arrive?). However, by the middle of the game, you'll have been introduced to such objectives as 'race the spectators' (street race), 'beat the paparazzi' (a one-on-one race), 'impress the fans' (stylish driving challenge), and 'scenic route' (a multi-lap timed run). There's plenty of variety, multiple routes around each stadium, and the selection of cars, all well modelled with varying handling and performance levels, will keep you busy for a long while as you attempt to unlock everything.


Howzat?!

The cricket section of the game, unfortunately, proves to be much more tedious than the relative action of the racing stages. The game transforms into a bog-standard cricket simulation, albeit a very pretty one, but the problem with cricket games is that they are nothing like the real thing, and what is a fairly slow affair in real life only become slower in the digital world.

Having to play game after similar game against teams that look the same, but with different uniforms, just to reach the next ranking so that you can access some new cars simply takes too much effort and patience. The rewards for doing so, even heading towards the level at which you access the true super cars, never quite seem worth the investment of your time.

Overall, the controls for the cricket are poor, there's no real feeling of variation in the matches, and while it looks and sounds good (bar the commentary), there's just no escaping the tedium of it all, as each racing section requires you to play a cricket match at the end.


Hit For Six or Out For A Duck?

This game could have turned out either way. The concept was ridiculous, but the way it was implemented could have turned things around. The license, admittedly, might be a little weak, as Botham hasn't played professional cricket in a while, but still, it's a big name that at least would strike home with the British and cricket-following crowd. The racing is really not too bad at all, but in the end, it is the enforced cricket sections that kill the game off, reducing the game to a crawl and making it too much effort to play.

The lack of any multiplayer mode also harms affairs, as few games these days feel quite complete without one. Perhaps bringing a friend along to share the tedium would have eased matters, but alas, it isn't possible. Plus, after subjecting them to this, you'd probably run out of friends pretty quickly anyway!

If only Bizarre Inventions had stuck to a racing-only game, this could have been a real contender. It looks great, races well, and with the addition of multiplayer and a few more racing game-style options, this could have really been another story. Unfortunately, as it turns out, this is one to avoid.

And the moral of the story is: Sometimes, darts lie.

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