Gran Turismo 4
Posted April 10, 2005
The Gran Turismo series really does not need an introduction. Between the original PlayStation console and PlayStation 2, Gran Turismo has established itself as the king among kings of racing games. The throne for best racing game was GT’s for the taking and Polyphony Digital did not seem ready to relinquish it without one heck of an effort. I cannot choose one part of this game that is the most impressive, either in terms of new content, revamping of old content, cool little features, or awesome gameplay.
Gameplay:
GT4 introduces a tweaked physics system that is supposed to make each of the 700 cars drive and feel more realistic. I actually had some trouble getting into the system at first, although I admittedly have not played a GT game for a long time. Initially, the game seems inordinately hard, but this difficult makes victory and mastering the driving system that much more satisfactory.
The Gran Turismo mode of the game is the meat and potatoes of the game. This is where you earn new courses, cars, tweak your car, and compete in lots of fun. For those of you who do not wish to get too in depth with the cars, there is the arcade mode. This mode also allows you to race against the computer, do a time trial, race against a friend, or do a LAN race. I will focus more on the Gran Turismo mode, but arcade mode is an obligatory and worthy contribution for people with friends. Although I never found GT games as satisfying against others as I did games like Need for Speed.
The Gran Turismo starts with you getting your driver’s license. There are five total licenses, you start off trying for the B License. The license tests offer a great way of getting acclimated with the controls and with some of the more advanced driving moves. I really appreciated the license aspect of the game. After passing one of the five tests (they are not automatic at all, after a week with the game and I still can’t pass most of the A License tests), you receive a car and are eligible to participate in real races.
As you progress through races you earn credits that can be used to upgrade your car, or buy bigger and better cars. You will also be rewarded cars for beating certain races, or series of races. You will also unlock different and more difficult races. Most races have a different requirement of the cars from front-wheel-drive only to trucks, etc.
I love the way car shopping and maintenance is handled, forcing you to travel to the country that manufactures whatever car you’re looking to buy or upgrade. The whole Gran Turismo mode smacks of high presentation value and just navigates and presents itself wonderfully.
GT4 boasts over 50 tracks, which is a huge beefy number and the courses are all very different. They are divided into four categories: World Circuits, Original Circuits, City Courses, and Dirt & Snow. Each of these categories offers a unique experience. My personal favorites are the dirt courses where speed is secondary to technique, which is an angle not often explored in racing games.
Besides A-Spec, or driving mode, there is also B-Spec and Picture mode. B-Spec is called the director mode, but in reality is just a way to get free credits. You set your car’s pace (slow, cruise, steady, fast, and push it) with options to pass and pit. B-Spec offers you a chance to watch how the game’s AI would handle the course, or just look at the pretty graphics.
The photo mode is exactly what you might imagine, you get to take pictures either during races, or you get to go on specific drives just to take pictures of the course or the car. These pictures can actually be exported using a USB memory card.
Graphics:
The graphics are breathtaking in this game. Digital Polyphony went back and looked at a bunch of the real life tracks to make them even more realistic. The courses all have amazing details in them from sponsor signs to realistic textures on the asphalt. The cars themselves look awesome as well.
GT4 supports 480p and 1080i modes for those of you with HDTVs, I do not have one so I cannot comment on just how good this would look.
Audio:
The audio for racing games is always a little repetitive with the whining of engines and whatnot. I am never too focused on sound when driving though. Digital Polyphony included a pretty good soundtrack though, with some random classics like "Oh Yeah," which you all remember from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Conclusion:
This game is just an amazing experience. Sony also offers it with a Driving Force Pro for $130. I did not test the wheel, so I cannot say if it adds or detracts from the experience. I definitely recommend this game for racing aficionados. Even if not, you might be surprised at how much you can become immersed in the Gran Turismo mode.
Gameplay:
GT4 introduces a tweaked physics system that is supposed to make each of the 700 cars drive and feel more realistic. I actually had some trouble getting into the system at first, although I admittedly have not played a GT game for a long time. Initially, the game seems inordinately hard, but this difficult makes victory and mastering the driving system that much more satisfactory.
The Gran Turismo mode of the game is the meat and potatoes of the game. This is where you earn new courses, cars, tweak your car, and compete in lots of fun. For those of you who do not wish to get too in depth with the cars, there is the arcade mode. This mode also allows you to race against the computer, do a time trial, race against a friend, or do a LAN race. I will focus more on the Gran Turismo mode, but arcade mode is an obligatory and worthy contribution for people with friends. Although I never found GT games as satisfying against others as I did games like Need for Speed.
The Gran Turismo starts with you getting your driver’s license. There are five total licenses, you start off trying for the B License. The license tests offer a great way of getting acclimated with the controls and with some of the more advanced driving moves. I really appreciated the license aspect of the game. After passing one of the five tests (they are not automatic at all, after a week with the game and I still can’t pass most of the A License tests), you receive a car and are eligible to participate in real races.
As you progress through races you earn credits that can be used to upgrade your car, or buy bigger and better cars. You will also be rewarded cars for beating certain races, or series of races. You will also unlock different and more difficult races. Most races have a different requirement of the cars from front-wheel-drive only to trucks, etc.
I love the way car shopping and maintenance is handled, forcing you to travel to the country that manufactures whatever car you’re looking to buy or upgrade. The whole Gran Turismo mode smacks of high presentation value and just navigates and presents itself wonderfully.
GT4 boasts over 50 tracks, which is a huge beefy number and the courses are all very different. They are divided into four categories: World Circuits, Original Circuits, City Courses, and Dirt & Snow. Each of these categories offers a unique experience. My personal favorites are the dirt courses where speed is secondary to technique, which is an angle not often explored in racing games.
Besides A-Spec, or driving mode, there is also B-Spec and Picture mode. B-Spec is called the director mode, but in reality is just a way to get free credits. You set your car’s pace (slow, cruise, steady, fast, and push it) with options to pass and pit. B-Spec offers you a chance to watch how the game’s AI would handle the course, or just look at the pretty graphics.
The photo mode is exactly what you might imagine, you get to take pictures either during races, or you get to go on specific drives just to take pictures of the course or the car. These pictures can actually be exported using a USB memory card.
Graphics:
The graphics are breathtaking in this game. Digital Polyphony went back and looked at a bunch of the real life tracks to make them even more realistic. The courses all have amazing details in them from sponsor signs to realistic textures on the asphalt. The cars themselves look awesome as well.
GT4 supports 480p and 1080i modes for those of you with HDTVs, I do not have one so I cannot comment on just how good this would look.
Audio:
The audio for racing games is always a little repetitive with the whining of engines and whatnot. I am never too focused on sound when driving though. Digital Polyphony included a pretty good soundtrack though, with some random classics like "Oh Yeah," which you all remember from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Conclusion:
This game is just an amazing experience. Sony also offers it with a Driving Force Pro for $130. I did not test the wheel, so I cannot say if it adds or detracts from the experience. I definitely recommend this game for racing aficionados. Even if not, you might be surprised at how much you can become immersed in the Gran Turismo mode.