Downloadable content is a prized nugget we all not-so-secretly hope awaits us after taking any game home, but like the midday sun on a carton of fresh milk, it also has us spoiled. However, with Bizarre Creations now parking its ride in Activision's garage, the developer stated that it's closing the books on last year's Project Gotham Racing 4, adding that it will not be releasing any more new content for the stylish Xbox 360 racer.

According to a recent post on Bizarre Creation's official forums by a dev calling himself "Ben," the studio has washed its hands of the game. "Bizarre Creations won't be adding anything more to PGR4 in the future," he wrote. "We've completed the hand-over to Microsoft, so any further add-ons will come from them and not us I'm afraid." The news probably wouldn't sting so much had the last update not been so incredibly cool, leaving us now waiting to see what else the British studio has up its racing sleeves.

Project Gotham Racing 4 (or as we like to call it, the meaty, primitive husk which envelops and safeguards Geometry Wars: Waves) is going into the shop for a shiny new coat tomorrow, as Bizarre Creations is releasing a free update for the title which will address the concerns of some of their valued vehicular veterans.

A major feature of the update is the Cat and Mouse mode's change from a linear race to a free roam chase around the city of your choice. Now, each team will have only one "mouse" car, which must be at least one class lower than the other "cat" cars on its team. Teams earn points by keeping their mouse alive, by having their mouse perform style moves, and by hitting the other team's mouse.

Also scheduled for the update are four tournament modes: Daily Tournaments (Mon. through Fri.), Super Saturdays, Simulation Sundays, and the Global Cup (a grueling, 512-man event which takes two weeks to complete). Rumor has it that, for a fortnight, the winner gets to sit high upon a tower crafted from the bones of their fallen competitors, and declare supreme dominance over all of Xbox Live. Let us all hope for a merciful and benevolent ruler.

Read -- Cat and Mouse mode details
Read -- Tournament mode details

Update: Apparently, the newly renovated Cat and Mouse mode was late for the morning train, and will not be featured on todays update. However, a Bizarre Creations employee has assured us that the new mode will be "rolled out in a separate update in a few weeks."

Do you think a lean, green electric sports car can take on a noisy gas-guzzler? In discussing the invitationals planned for Project Gotham Racing 4, developer Bizarre Creations used "Electric vs. Petrol Showdown" as one example, where you in the Tesla Roadster face off against a Ferrari Testarossa.

Can full, unadulterated speed be met without exhuming fossil fuels? It should make for a fun, philosophical monologue while you maneuver around corners. We do warn you, though, that beating the Ferrari in a race may lead to an excess in smug emissions.

[Via AutoblogGreen]

A demo from Bizarre Creations' Project Gotham Racing 4 should be hitting Xbox Live soon, according to the developer (via Eurogamer). In addition to five playable vehicles (cars and bikes) that presumably will be in the full game, there will be an Arcade mode exclusive to the demo set in Macau, featuring exclusive challenges.
We're a bit perplexed about the exclusive content. If it's good, why not include it in the full game. Conversely, if the content is not good, or not on par with the full game, why use it to promote the title?

A time trial for Nurburgring Snow will also be in the demo. Project Gotham Racing 4 (with Geometry Wars: Waves) is due out October 2 in North America.

After recently commenting on the constraints of DVD, Project Gotham Racing 4 developer Bizarre Creations has a new post on their company website providing some clarification as to their opinion of ye olde disc format.

Citing the much larger number of environments (10 in PGR4, vs. five in PGR3), the article lauds the new lighting system over having two "fixed" times of day (and therefore two sets of textures). "DVD size is absolutely not [their emphasis] a factor that we consider when designing our games ... and PGR4 is no exception. DVD9 gives us more than we need to create a fabulous experience for you guys," it said, later adding, "we've never had to cut content to fit on the disc, and we probably never will." Maybe it wasn't cut, but we're pretty sure they would've planned for more environments on a larger disc.

The original comment, which sparked the discussion, was, "Whilst this wasn't a problem for our dev team, it was a problem fitting all this data onto a single DVD." While we applaud the ingenuity of a new lighting system, they did say the data for two textures could not fit.

Should the extra content situation ever arise, we're sure they could make it downloadable on Xbox Live, possibly for a fee. Bizarre's biggest concern right now should be including a new Geometry Wars onto the disc -- if it's not there, there's going to be heck to pay. Heck, I tell you.

While filming a commercial for the upcoming Project Gotham Racing 4, a Ferrari F430 drifted too wide out the corner and bumped into a concrete barrier. Did a massive explosion ensue? Screams of concerned mothers from the crowd echo in our ears? Well ... not really. Very little damage was done to the car, but considering that repairing the vehicle probably costs more than we make in a year, it kind of puts things in perspective. No Gizmondo executives were harmed in the crash.

The commercial is scheduled to appear in mid-August with PGR4 coming in September. Check out another video after the jump.

[Thanks, JimeneX]

Peanut butter and jelly.
Cookies and milk.
Cars and bikes.

Finally, Project Gotham Racing 4 brings two great tastes together. In a first for the franchise, the upcoming Xbox 360 racer will allow players to use both cars and bikes in the same race. Bizarre Creations is promising the same level of visual fidelity in the bikes as in the cars -- looking at the new screenshots released today, we're also equally impressed by the racer character models.

A new "Stunt button" will allow players to perform a "crazy move" that will earn the player the series' trademark Kudos. While some may find this move to be controversial, Bizarre Creations notes that the game "won't force you to ride bikes if you don't want to." Regardless, they think players are willing to try something new: "we expect 99% of players to take the bikes out just as frequently as the cars!"

"Dynamic." The coveted buzzword adds a Hemi-like boost to Project Gotham Racing 4's newly announced gameplay element: a weather system -- a dynamic weather system. Wipe out as you power around a corner into a rare Shanghai snow storm, or get pounded by a sudden downpour on your last lap through St. Petersburg. Expect the unexpected. That's next-gen, er, dynamic.

Of course, the stakes are higher while competing in the new career mode. As you act a fool, earning Kudos and dedicated fans along the way, you'll have to balance an addiction to flair with the unsettling fear that a freak weather occurrence could cut short your days of thunder-less glory. That or the "new" AI (the "dynamic" adjective was already taken) will just own your ass -- in style. Yes folks, Bizarre has promised virtual fist-pumping.

PGR4 is tentatively scheduled for a fall 2007 release.

[Via Microsoft media blast]

While these flashy Peugeot concepts won't buck the trend of sports cars resembling electric shavers, one of them will be coming to a Xbox 360 near you via Project Gotham Racing 4.

You may recall this contest from last September when it served as the unofficial announcement of PGR4. Not that anyone thought Microsoft's flagship racer wasn't getting another sequel, but hey, it was nice to know.

The winning entry itself will be chosen by Peugeot, but that doesn't mean you can't choose the winner ... of your heart. Not all the vehicles look better suited for proper grooming as there's even a three-wheeler amongst the like of off-road warriors and tricked out 360 logos running on marbles.

So which are you dying to take for a test drive? Do you think J Allard partakes in ghost riding his whip? Discuss.