By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune

"Project Gotham Racing 4"
For: Xbox 360
From: Bizarre Creations/Microsoft
ESRB Rating: Everyone (mild lyrics)

Every gym class has that one kid who finishes the mile run three minutes after everyone else. If you'd like to know what that kid feels like, a couple hours with "Project Gotham Racing 4" should do it.

Fundamentally, "PGR4" falls in line with its predecessors. The racing action blends arcade- and simulation-style elements, and the Kudos points system encourages you to take risks _ powerslides, drifts, sharp corners _ while also winning the race or completing whatever objective is at hand.

But few games go to such lengths to undermine their core concepts like this one, and the result is a disastrous first impression that will send many scrambling for the eject button before the good times begin.

Eventually, "PGR4's" licensed cars _ and, for the first time, bikes _ become fun to drive. But before you can fully utilize those vehicles, you'll have to endure a couple hours with cars that steer like boats and purr like shopping carts with 2 missing wheels. That might be okay if "PGR4's" track design was more open, but the roads are almost comically narrow for the most part. Instead of racking up Kudos points, you'll be bouncing off walls, zigzagging down the road and drifting into unintentional 180s while opposing racers embarrass you.

With patience _ and enough Kudos to purchase some respectable wheels _ the experience improves exponentially. But even when it hits its stride, "PGR4" never hums. Every time you assume the bad times are over, a lousy track design awaits with some cold water, and the love/hate relationship continues.

It doesn't end on the track, either. Beyond the bikes, an improved multimedia editor and a dynamic weather system that makes a pretty game slightly prettier, "PGR4's" other big news is the reorganization of the career mode.

Again, the changes undercut the concept. "PGR" fans who've grown accustomed to repeating events and perfecting their scores will be dismayed by the season-style makeover, which requires you to cycle through the entire calendar before taking another crack at an event. Realistic though that may be, it undermines the pursuit of perfection that made previous "PGR" games so cherished by its fanbase. A new arcade mode replicates this pursuit, but on a much smaller scale.

All told, it's arguably the best-designed game you'll ever possibly hate. It's also, for that reason, impossible to universally recommend in spite of its merits. Rent it, endure the dark period, and see how you feel after that.