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Written by David Thompson
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Friday, 15 August 2008 |
 When Gran Turismo 3 was released back in mid 2001, players were already
in awe of the game's design and were looking forward to the next
incarnation of this ultra realistic driving simulator. Could they meet and even exceed those high expectations' Could
Gran Turismo 4 maintain its status as the best driving simulator on the
market' The answer is a resounding YES!
Now I remember playing Gran Turismo 3 all those years ago and I was impressed by its graphics and game play. Even then it was still ahead of its time but even I didn't think they could develop anything that could top that.
The Cars
In the previous version of Gran Turismo, there were 150 cars available but GT4 surpassed that and more by offering more than 650 cars. The timeframe of the vehicles spans the 1940s up to 2005 with a few concept vehicles in the mix as well. All of the major automobile manufacturers are well represented here. This is a list of the them: AC Cars, Acura, Alfa Romeo, Alpine, Amuse, ASL, Aston Martin, Audi, Autobianchi, Bentley, Blitz, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Callaway, Caterham, Chaparral, Chevy, Chrysler, Citroen, Cizeta, Daihatsu, DMC, Dodge, Eagle, Fiat, Ford, FPV, Gillet, Ginetta, HKS, Holden, Hommell, Honda, HPA Motorsports, Hyundai, Infiniti, Isuzu, Jaguar, Jay Leno (Jay Leno'!), Jensen, Lancia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lister, Lotus, Marcos, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, MG, Mine's, MINI, Mitsubishi, Mugen, Nike, Nismo, Nissan, Opel, Opera Performance, Pagani, Panoz, Pescarolo, Peugeot, Plymouth, Polyphony Digital, Pontiac, Pronto Motors, RE Amemiya, Renault, RUF, Saleen, Scion, Seat, Shelby, Spoon, Spyker, Subaru, Suzuki, Tommy kaira, Tom's, Toyota, Toyota Modellista, Trial, Triumph, TVR, VW, Volvo.
From a 1954 Citroen 2CV Type A, 1968 Karmann Ghia Coupe, 1971 Plymouth Cuda 440 Six Pack, 1987 Buick Grand National, 1997 Chevy Camaro Z28 Coupe, 2001 Hyundai Tiburon GT, 2003 Dodge Viper SRT10 and even a 2005 Ford Mustang.
The Features
GT4 has many great features and options that you can adjust. From the chosen vehicle's specs right down to the viewing angles. You can either play head to head or versus the computer or you can play with up to six players on a LAN (local area network). Let me mention the 650 cars available to race in arcade mode. That's right, over 650 cars to choose from covering the timeframe between the1950s to the recent redesign of the 2005 Ford Mustang.
To provide the most realistic elements in driving these vehicles, the developer based each car's design on real world physics so you feel the full intensity of driving a racecar with the top down. You can even show off your mechanic skills by modifying your selected car to better suit your desire.
There's the regular GT Mode and the GT Arcade Mode. The standard GT mode requires drivers to obtain their driver's license first. After obtaining it and selecting the type of car, they can then join other racers in to drive a selected track. Only when you win a race do you receive any points which you can accumulate. The GT arcade mode is for those of you who just want a quick race with any car and track that you want. The GT arcade mode was very helpful to me because I wanted to try as many cars as I could get through.
GT4 also offers the GT Director Mode and GT Photo Mode. The GT Director Mode offers players the ability to serve as a manager of a race team. Make modifications to your team car, provide management direction like deciding on the number of pit stops to help enhance your driver and team to win the race.
GT Photo Mode's Photo Travel is definitely my favorite part of GT4. To hop into my 1954 Corvette Convertible and take a ride through Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy was extremely wild. It was very easy to take a picture and save my screenshot to my memory card. This is a great idea while adding some relaxing fun to the game. If you need to take a break from the grind of making the laps and outracing your opponents, then give these two modes a try.
The fast paced music tracks will keep your accelerator on the floor with tracks from van Halen (Panama), Joe Satriani (Summer Song), Papa Roach (various tracks), The Donnas (I Don't Want to Know) and even Johann Sebastian Bach. The music moves to the action and it'll keep you pumped up as you're trying to fight for first.
The Final Word
After playing with the Plymouth Prowler, Shelby Cobra, Land Rover, Dodge Charger and the new 2005 Ford Mustang, I was truly impressed with each vehicle's individuality. You can obviously feel the handling differences between using the Mustang and a Land Rover on one of those dirt tracks or racing a Shelby Cobra against the same Land Rover on a standard track.
If you were ever curious how well a Ford Focus would perform against a Shelby Cobra, then this game will provide you with the opportunity to find out. You can choose to play in GT mode or arcade mode. If you choose GT mode, you will need to earn your driver's license first by passing a number of tests. After earning your license, you can then enter the pro racing circuit, which will also lead to you unlocking some tracks for the GT arcade mode.
Even though you can play GT4 using the standard PS 2 game pad, you should consider purchasing the Logitech Driving Force Pro steering wheel with the force feedback. Racing on tracks like the Laguna Seca where you have to navigate some very tight curves, the steering wheel will help you tremendously.
After you finish a race in arcade mode, the game will automatically replay the entire race from a spectator's view so you can watch the action unfold. It's quite an experience viewing the replay because you get a true feel for the action. When you're driving, you only have a split second to take your eyes off the road to look at the map or at your rearview mirror to check on your opponents or consider your next driving maneuver. Take your eyes off the road for a second too long and you'll find yourself crashing into a wall or spinning out on the dirt roads.
My only issue with the game is a minor one at best. I would have liked to have an option where you could've chosen car damage. After running into a few walls and opponents, it would be great to still finish the race and win it even with my Shelby Cobra all banged up. This is just a personal preference and I guess they have to have something to shoot for in Gran Turismo 5, right?
Whether you're a racing fan or just a car enthusiast, Gran Turismo 4 will provide plenty of entertainment for everyone. The number of racing combinations, cars, LAN play and tracks are more than enough for anyone. The game may have taken a long time to ship but I can honestly say that it was worth it. Gran Turismo 4 isn't just a 'real driving simulator''it's 'the BEST real driving simulator.'
You can click HERE to purchase Gran Turismo 4 for the Sony Playstation 2.
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