Gran Turismo 4

"The racing game that all others dream to be in league with, let alone match."

The painful years of waiting are finally over. Gran Turismo 4 is now upon us, and yet again the newest installment to the Gran Turismo series raises the bar even higher than it was before. Gran Turismo 4 completely eclipses its predecessor in almost every aspect, from the selection of cars, to modes of play, to the enhanced physics that were already regarded in previous versions as being the best in the racing genre. GT4, continuing the series' tradition, is even more uncompromisingly realistic than GT3. The series has always been a game that doesn't make thrills right away for the player, and rather forces the player to master the game to acquire the wealth of fun there is to be had; this installment is no different. While maintaining the basic Gran Turismo tenants of modifying and tweaking your vehicles, GT4 gives you over 650 cars spanning the decades that look and drive like their real-life counterparts almost to perfection. The new courses, especially the new rally and city ones, are extremely well done. Their very well designed layouts make for good tense races.

GT4 finally shows some work done to the AI of competing drivers, who now make aggressive driving maneuvers during turns and attempt to overtake other cars. No longer do the competing cars simply drive on a static path to the finish, which was an issue that affected the first three games. Another very welcome improvement to the gameplay is the much-improved sense of speed. It's obvious that Polyphony felt the heat from other racing games to improve the sense of speed in GT, and they pulled it off nicely without having to resort to gimmicky effects. The sense of speed has a believable feel that greatly improves upon GT3's slow feel.

GT4 also marks the addition of a new play mode to the series: the B-Spec mode. This mode, allows the player to give driving commands to an AI driver. It basically can be summed up as watching replays that the player can control. The player can control the pace of their race car, by making the car speed up, slow down, stay at a steady pace, or attempt to overtake other cars. I personally feel that this mode is a great addition to the series, but it just isn't what people will go out to buy the game for. It's a nice relaxing way to see your vehicles in action and make credits, but actually racing in the events is where the core of the fun will always be.

The graphics of GT4 are quite exceptional, especially considering that they are generated from the five-year-old PS2. Every one of the 650 cars available is rendered in virtual form to the most delicate detail, improving even upon the work displayed in GT3. Textures look exceptional on all the cars, showing minute details specific to individual models such as decals and taillights. When the camera is brought close to the models, one can appreciate the hard work that went into the 3D modeling. The courses display the same dedication that went into the car models. While the courses that return from previous GTs have been altered and improved nicely, the new courses, especially Hong Kong and New York, steal the show this time around. They feature cityscapes with exceptional lighting effects, vibrant signs and logos, and numerous buildings that can be seen far into the distance. The racetracks themselves have been made more realistic, and now show realistic-looking skid marks and general tarnish that add a gritty racing look to them. Some textures do seem a little blurry here and there, and the game does have its share of jaggies, but these problems really do not detract from the visuals at all and probably were unavoidable technical hurdles that can be blamed on the PS2's aging hardware. Don't forget: if you can use progressive scan or 1080i, do make use of it.

The audio department is where GT4 suffers most. The soundtrack is…well…to say the least, not what anybody really expected of a game in development for so long. The bands and songs featured are mediocre at best and laughable at worst. The most bizarre inclusion would have to be Yello's “Oh Yeah,” which gives probably the most compelling reason to pass all the license tests, since the song is played every time you fail one. However, the music in the intro is quite nice, as are the tunes that play during the navigation menus. Car buying and customization is made a more relaxing experience by the jazz-inspired tunes playing in the background. The racing action is complimented with Dolby Pro-Logic II surround sound, which does a good job creating a racing environment with the sounds of racers all around you.

GT4 controls very well, but in all honesty it really can differ depending on what car is being driven, what driving view is being used, and what control device is being used (controller, wheel). The game definitely feels improved from GT3, being much tighter and more responsive. The game responds perfectly to the analog buttons and steering maneuvers. I feel that the third person view is obsolete now, with the first person views being the only ones useful for serious racing.

In summarization, Gran Turismo 4 has enough raw material and intriguing aspects to justify the long wait in development. It succeeds over its predecessor much in the way that GT2 did over the first game, if not more. Get it and immerse yourself in its glory.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/28/05