Gran Turismo 4

We wrap up our huge GT4 coverage of the last two years with our definitive verdict on possibly the most realistic videogame simulation ever. Was it worth the wait?

	Version PS2	Developer Polyphony Digital	Publisher SCE	Genre Driving

By Ben S. Dutka

They call it "The Drive of Your Life." Known throughout the gaming community as being the premiere racing series, Gran Turismo is the standard, the measuring stick. It's quite different than any other racing experience you may have, and remains a significant and unique simulation challenge in a sea of Need for Speeds, Burnouts, and Midnight Clubs.

With each new installment, however, expectations skyrocket. What else can be done, and how similar will it be to its predecessor? Is it a ramped-up Gran Turismo 3 with slightly better graphics, or is it a completely new experience all over again? The answers present themselves quite clearly within the first few hours of gameplay, and Gran Turismo 4 separates itself from the pack as times goes on.

Among the several revolutionary aspects commonly associated with the series title, outstanding graphics is one of the cornerstones. The latest installment proves once again that video games can continue to produce enhanced visuals, even rivaling the exquisite beauty of real-life. The backdrops in Gran Turismo 4 are almost painfully picturesque, and the vehicle modeling is the best ever seen to date in the world of games. These two graphical wonders leap off the screen at you instantly.

When up close and personal with the unforgiving pavement of tough races, one will also notice the cleaned-up graphics on the tracks. There is less shimmering and noticeably more detail with a great dose of refinement. The only real flaw is in the form of an odd shaking or blurring effect during Full Throttle starts, which disappears as soon as the race begins. Without a doubt, most will be more than satisfied with Polyphony's graphical accomplishment, and most might even be awestruck. It may not be the best-looking game of this generation, but it just might be the best-looking PS2 game.

The sound effects are spectacular while the new soundtrack is solid without being stellar. A decent mix of alternative, rock, rap, and funk are available for selection at the Juke Box, and you can select whichever tracks you want to hear during races. Speaking of races, one of the best features of Gran Turismo is the nearly flawlessly simulated engine sounds. The car you select will sound exactly the way it would in real life, and the roaring of the engines and squealing of tires (somewhat exaggerated) will be with you in each and every contest. It's one of those setups that can benefit greatly from a top sound system.

When it comes to gameplay, the franchise always strives to sit atop the gaming world in terms of simulated racing. For the most part, the series has succeeded beautifully, but there have always been specific complaints by critics and fans alike. While no other game can claim to have recreated the process of racing a car in real life as well as Gran Turismo, nothing is perfect. Several significant quirks were noticeable in previous installments, among them, an odd phenomenon involving little consequence when hitting walls, and slightly robotic and mediocre AI. Beyond these complaints, GT remains a leader in true-to-life driving physics, capturing mechanical accuracy extraordinarily well.

So let's address what Gran Turismo 4 does well; the facets of gameplay most people fully expected to return. The way each vehicle controls on the racecourse is a complete accomplishment in and of itself, based on the huge set of deciding factors. It all plays a significant role, from horsepower and rear-wheel versus front-wheel drive to the more subtle, like frame rigidity, gear timing ratio, weight, downforce, clutches, flywheels, and limited slip systems.

Those who aren't car experts will have the benefit of brief yet complete descriptions of each mechanical upgrade, and they can practice with specific setups on some test courses. One of the more alluring aspects of GT is the fact that these upgrades aren't there just for show; the changes often go further than a simple horsepower boost. For example, added power isn't always a good thing without other upgrades that would complement the extra boost. A full racing transmission, which gives you access to the gear tuning (an absolutely essential aspect of racing), racing suspension, and triple clutch might be necessities for those valuable horses.

The consistency of this upgrading process is spectacular, as the meticulous detail given to each manufacturer and set of vehicle models reacts exceedingly well to mechanical upgrades. When you add a brake controller, you can tell immediately. When you adjust the gear ratio or downforce, you'll notice a marked difference in the way the car performs. When you add the full racing suspension, you'll be treated to the realistic feeling of a tight and tuned body. It's a pleasure to see these additions faithfully implemented in the gameplay.

Now, onto the changes and improvements, and we'll start with those issues I mentioned before. "Riding the rails" was a trick you could execute in Gran Turismo 3, and although it only worked on certain courses and in certain situations, it received a lot of flak from critics and gamers who found the decidedly unrealistic eccentricity, and exploited it. Therefore, I am happy to say that this phenomenon has disappeared in the latest installment.

Slamming into a wall will force your vehicle to rebound terribly in realistic fashion, causing you to lose partial or full control and slowing you down a great deal. Hitting walls in any situation is not an option if you want to win. Furthermore, when hitting anything, opponents included, a blurring effect has been added to throw off your sense of control even more. The blurring is a love-hate kind of thing, but it was a valiant attempt by the developers to give the real feeling of a crash.

And now that we're on the subject of crashes, no, there is still no vehicle damage. However, most fans who ask for it aren't fully aware of what their request means to designers. Because the game is a simulator, the simulated effect of each tiny damage occurrence must be instituted. Anyone who forgets to change the oil before a 200-lap endurance race will have their engine blown out on lap 183. Hitting a wall, which happens on countless occasions due to the steep learning curve in GT, would effectively end the race 95% of the time. Furthermore, any and all problems must be fixed. So the vicious circle of fixing a broken car without money, which can't be won with that broken car, presents itself. Only the most diehard hardcore driving fans would play a game like this, and it could very well be financial suicide.

The next logical step in the series would actually not be vehicular damage, but a driver with statistics. As that driver, you'd increase your skills in an role-playing type format, thus making the GT experience fuller and more robust. Damage may be a necessity for the next installment, but it will be a delicate issue for the developers, especially if they intend for it to be completely realistic.

The AI is better than it was, but not amazing. Cars will jockey for position and even slipstream with each other, as well as boxing you out around corners. You will see these maneuvers often, and this adds a little something to opponent AI that was somewhat lacking in GT3. It could be better, though, and in the complaint vein, I don't remember Rally races on dirt being so loose, nor do I think the differences between a Sports tire and Racing tire are that significant.

An all-new mode, B-spec mode, puts you in the Director/Manager mode, and you will help to pilot a driver down a course. This is a fresh new look on the sport of road racing, and much like that blurring effect, it appears to be a love-hate thing. You may find yourself hooked, or you might try it once and never bother again. Also, for regular A-spec mode, there are A-spec points that are now awarded for each race. The more competitive the race, the more points you can get; if you're racing a car that easily overpowers the field, you'll only get 1-3 points or something, but the supremely difficult Driving Missions will offer 250 points.

There is too much emphasis on the license tests - there are 16 tests for each license - and Golds are still all but impossible to come by for many of the tests. The difficulty balancing is more erratic than ever before, it ranges from absurdly simple to almost entirely undoable. However, this is in the interest of realism, so it can be accepted for the game. All in all, the game sparkles with a verve and realism, growing from the changes and improvements into a bigger and better GT. In the end, there's not much more we can ask for, but we can always ask for bigger and better with the next installment in the series.

When it comes to depth, no racer in history is deeper. Hundreds of race events ranging from simple street races, wet races, dirt and snow, endurance, sprints, Driving Missions, Special Condition races, and trials, 650 cars, just about every manufacturer on the planet, dozens of mechanical and cosmetic upgrades, and the simulated physics engine comes together to become a mind-boggling package. The arcade mode isn't as deep as it was in GT3, but I doubt that's a primary concern of most driving enthusiasts. In Gran Turismo Mode, in addition to what's listed above, you can add unlockable World Circuit, City, and Original Courses, and even participate in every manufacturer event in the world. There is a Photo Travel option as well, which allows you to become a photographer and place your favorite car in several beautiful locations around the world. In short, it's deep beyond belief.

Presentation-wise, GT has a glossy new look coupled with a slightly altered menu format. I can't say it's for the better, but it still works very well. The loading times seem to be a bit longer than they were in GT3, and unfortunately, tend to be quite numerous and frustrating. This is just about the only major complaint in the presentation category, as the rest of the production is polished to a mirror sheen.

Gran Turismo 4 has made the necessary changes to a few of the problems found in its predecessor, the depth and diversity of events is insane, and for the most part, remains the most physically realistic racing game on the planet. There seems to be an exaggeration for beginner cars when handling (those Standard tires are borderline useless), the license tests are more of a pain than anything else, and the spiking difficulty is a little unsettling.

But overall, it's quite simple - GT4 fixed what needed to be fixed, and presented a complete and total package designed for the car and racing lover in many of us. The lack of online play knocks it down a notch or two in this day and age, but in my humble opinion, Gran Turismo was always about the single-player experience. Gran Turismo mode is just that immersive, and no online play doesn't hurt that in the slightest. If you didn't like previous installments, there's no reason why you'd like the newest one, as a simulator is a simulator - you either like that kind of thing, or you don't. If you don't, look to Burnout 3. If you do, look no further.

It ain't perfect. There's plenty of room to grow. But Gran Turismo 4 is a beautiful accomplishment, inside and out.