An obscure mobile port of the sadly dead Project Gotham Racing series that actually exists in two versions, both of which are frustrating to research information about so long after their release. The first version was developed by Glu Mobile (which as of 2021 is an Electronic Arts subsidiary) for Java phones, and released in December 2006. The second version was developed by Glu Mobile and Ideaworks Game Studio for the Symbian smartphone operating system and Windows Mobile, and released around April 2007, the same year that Project Gotham Racing 4 would come out.
PGR Mobile is the easiesr of the mobile PGR games to emulate, requiring only a Java or Symbian emulator and a game ROM. Interestingly, both of its versions were actually released before PGR 4, thus meaning PGR 4 is technically not the fourth PGR game.
The Java version was developed for older non-smartphone devices; the first iPhone was still half a year away at the time of its release. As such, it is a remarkably primitive-looking game: something that would have looked dated on the original PlayStation, except without the multimedia sound capabilities of that system. The scant few sound effects and chiptune music call to mind an early 1990s PC game. Its HUD is more similar to PGR 3's than the Symbian version, with PGR 3 presumably acting as inspiration for the game.
It features three cities: London, Paris and San Francisco. Of these cities:
London is a series mainstay, appearing in every single game in the series except PGR 2
Paris only appeared as DLC for PGR 2 that was taken down after Xbox Live 1.0 went under in 2010, though the still-active Xbox softmod scene lets you play it with a little technical knowhow
San Francisco only appeared in Metropolis Street Racer and the first PGR
The Symbian version was made to take advantage of early smartphone technology and boasts noticeably improved graphics, now on the level of...a high-quality PlayStation game. The few YouTube videos that are available show a game that looks something like the first Gran Turismo with more anti-aliasing, or an early Need for Speed title. Its sound effects are also improved to the point of replacing the Java version's music, but it lacks the online leaderboards that the Java version had.
It retains the Java version's three cities, and interestingly enough it also adds Shanghai and Cairo. Shanghai would appear in PGR 4 months later, leaving Cairo as a PGR Mobile exclusive, the only African city in the series and the most obscure location in the entire franchise. In fact, it may be one of the more obscure street racing game locations in general.
Both versions of the game have only eight cars, forming one of the shortest car rosters in the series:
2004 Aston Martin Vanquish
2003 Cadillac Sixteen (a concept car that also featured in PGR 3 and 4)
2006 Chevrolet Corvette
2005 Ford GT
2006 Honda NSX (the starting car)
2004 Lamborghini Gallardo
2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Klasse DTM
1998 Toyota GT-One (the most expensive car)
PGR Mobile was well-received for what it was in its day, but is it actually worth playing today? Most likely not, unless you're simply obsessed with the long-gone series it's a part of. Even then, you're likely better off playing PGR 3, or going back to the roots with Metropolis on the Dreamcast. Hell, smartphones in the 2020s could probably emulate an entire Dreamcast with little issue. Technology is amazing, isn't it?