Gran Turismo 4

""The Drive of Your Life""

First off, let me say that I was not a racing game fan. I was not a driving game fan at all. In fact, the only other "racing" games I have are the Mario Kart series...and those are more like Super Smash Bros. on wheels. However, after playing Gran Turismo 2, and 3, I wasn't taken away by those games. I stuck with my Mario Kart. Then my friend got Gran Turismo 4 and showed me. I played it for a few minutes, thought it was OK, then went back to doing whatever else it was I was doing. Then I went back for more. I still don't like Gran Turismo 2 or 3, but now, I love Gran Turismo 4. There was something different about it, but hey, I'm not complaining. After all, it got me to buy the game!

Graphics - 9/10

Simply beautiful. They are stunning. The cars look absolutely fantastic, and I would have to say the same about the tracks. The original circuit "El Capitan" really caught my attention and I did a leisure drive around it just to take in all the detail from that mountain course. The only thing that lowers the score from a 10 to a 9 would be a bit of screen vibration which happens every now and again at the beginning of races, and at pit stops. Other than that, there are no complaints from me in the graphics department.

Sound - 9/10

Engine sounds are fantastic and crystal clear. Your tires screeching is another one that sounds just like the ones I heard on the freeway the other day. The music is also nice ranging from classical to hard rock to r&b. You can make your own playlist from the game's tracks (easily over 30). The menu screens have sort of a laid back "elevator music" feel to them, but who listens to fast paced music when choosing whether or not you want to buy an American car or a British one? Music wise, there is something for everybody here. My only complaint is that when you're driving you don't hear the music as loud as you might want. It's there just to be there, but if you took the music out of the game entirely, you would definitely notice something big missing. Most of the songs you hear driving are what I call "driving songs." And me being a rocker, I appreciate tracks by Van Halen, Joe Satriani, and Jeff Beck.

Gameplay - 10/10

The meat and potatoes of every game. And let me assure you, Gran Turismo will fill you up with plenty of meat and potatoes. I'm not going to lie, you start this game off slowly...if you don't have a Gran Turismo 3 save on your memory card. You start the game with 10,000 cr. and you have to work your way up. If you have a GT3 save on your memory card, then you can get an extra 100,000 cr. to get you started. Not much, but having 100,000 more certainly helps out early on. The licence tests are back, and are still challenging, the races do seem a bit tough at first, but you have to learn your car, and learn the tracks. A FF car handles much differently than a FR car, and you will definitely notice that, and have to use it to your advantage in certain situations. A great new feature to the game is the B-Spec mode which allows you to let the computer AI control your car, and you can influence that driver telling him to take a pit stop at the next available opportunity, overtake other cars, and drive at a certain pace ranging from a conservative pace to very aggressive on the road. The beauty of this is that you can participate in races that you don't have a licence for yet by using the B-Spec mode. Also, in B-Spec mode you can switch to a race monitor and speed up the race to 3 times the normal speed. It's great for the endurance races unlocked after you have a game completion of 25%. If you have the licence for the race though, you can switch from B to A-Spec mode and back should you want to when you enter the pit.

Controls - 9/10

Acceleration and braking are pressure sensitive, and should be. The tracks in this game demand precise handling, and this game delivers, as long as you're precise. What a lot of people who aren't realistic racing game fans don't understand is that in real life you can't take a 90 degree turn at 180 MPH (Burnout anyone?). The Square button if your friend in this game...just as important as that beloved X button. While in the A-Spec mode of this game, you are in complete control of your car, and every button you press can matter at one point or another.

Replay Factor - 10/10

You can ALWAYS race more. Also you can now win cars over and over. While this may be considered "cheap" you can make serious money in the game by exploiting a few easy races and selling off the car you win. If you want to race in a series race you've already completed, you can still select the race, and if you want, clear the records for that race or series without a loss in your game progress. Enter the two player mode if you want .

Rent or buy?

Buy. This review came from someone who wasn't a fan of GT2 or 3, and fell in love with GT4. Why? Because it delivered exactly what I wanted in a game like this. If the selection of cars spanning from 1886 to 2022 doesn't get the car fan in you out, then maybe the racing will.

Final Score 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/04/05