Gran Turismo 4

"I finally found a decent racer."

I haven't been able to enjoy a racing game very much since F-Zero GX. I've tried several, and they have all disappointed me. I previously have avoided Gran Turismo because I didn't think I could enjoy a racing simulator; I tend to prefer arcade handling. But once I tried it, I found out it had all the racing depth I had been longing for.

Graphics: 10/10
The graphics are nothing short of gorgeous. If you ask for better graphics than this, you are simply asking too much.

Sound: 7/10
The sound effects are awesome. Very realistic. Engine noises greatly vary from car to car, and they also change when you tune them. I had to bump it down to a 7, however, because the music is just plain hurtful to my ears. I turned off every song but 6, and some of those I just left for variety's sake. Very few songs in the game I like. You may like the music, but I doubt it.

Gameplay:

Ok, I'm going to break the gameplay down into different categories, because racing games are special in this way.

Controls: 10/10
Controls are extremely realistic. Those of you used to arcade racers may hate the handling at first. Having to brake to turn is a hard concept for some people to get used to. I thought I would have a hard time, really. After trying it, however, I find I actually prefer it to arcade style handling because it adds a whole new layer of skill requirement and strategy.

Variety: 10/10
-50 tracks, backwards and forwards makes 100 if you wish to count them that way. Most tracks are designed from real life tracks.
-Over 600 cars. Don't kill me if I'm wrong, but I believe the car count reaches 720. You will not run out of cars to drive.
-5 licences to obtain without 16 exams each, special condition races, rally races, races requiring special cars or tunings, regular races, trucks only races, etc. Oh, it also has B-spec mode, which is a boring mode in which you give commands to a AI driver. Some people like it, I find it boring. The good news is that the game lets you choose between b-spec and normal (a-spec) before every race, so you don't have to use it.

In short, if you want more variety in a racing game than this, you are simply asking for too much.

Track Design: 9/10
Almost all the tracks come from real life, and they are designed well and are fun to drive. This being said, the little bit of Gran Turismo 3 I played with all original tracks seemed to have more fun tracks to drive than this. But the distinction is very small; and you can't really fault the game for it since they wanted to use real life tracks to make it as realistic as possible.

AI: 9/10
Imagine an AI that doesn't completely suck. Wouldn't that be nice? Is a good AI that doesn't have to use cheating mechanisms to be hard really too much to ask for? Of course not. Gran Turismo 4 has a very well designed AI. If there is "rubber banding" in it, it is very hard to notice and isn't very extreme. And yet, the game manages to remain difficult. Very nice. Last time I seen an AI this good was, yes, F-Zero GX.

Customization: 10/10
If experimenting with tuning to max your car out sounds appealing to you, this is the game for you. Literally half of the skill is figuring out just how to tune your car. There are many different parts to buy; different levels of each part to buy, and many of these are able to be tweaked and tuned to your pleasure. The customization options are endless.

To some, it may seem a crime that this game isn't a Need for Speed Underground clone. By which I mean, you can't really alter the looks of your car very much at all. You have a few choices of your car's color when you purchase a car, you can by rims, and you can buy a "wing." And that's about it.

Lasting Appeal: 10/10
This game is ridiculously long. Chances are you will get bored with it before you ever get 100%. Not that it's boring, it's just that it's long. The 24 hour races are back, and they are just what they sound like they are. You will never run out of things to do in this game. If the game is to your liking, you will enjoy it for a very long time. However, for 100%, it would probably take the average gamer at least a year to get that far. For those who take a week off of work to play 24 hours a day, it may take a couple months.

Final Score: 9/10
This is a very polished and deep racing game. If you like racing games, I highly recommend it. I caution those used to arcade racers though; you may want to rent it first. Many people are turned off by having to brake to turn. If you play for sheer sense of speed, this is definitely not your game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/15/05