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Published
by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Developed by Polyphony Digital
Release Date: Out Now
Price: £39.99
Gran
Turismo 4, an introduction.
It's
not an overstatement to say that Gran Turismo is the most
popular series of driving games ever created. Since the
series first appeared on the PlayStation the popularity
of the game has been phenomenal. At the time of its release
the game was considered the closest thing to a driving simulation
on a home console. Gran Turismo 2 managed to surpass the
original game with masses of cars and features. The third
game in the series was released for the PlayStation 2 and
whilst the number of cars the game had was disappointing
(as was the fact you couldn't buy used cars) it was still
an excellent game. The first three games all had one thing
in common; they helped to sell a huge number of PlayStations
and PlayStation 2's.
What's
the game about?
I
could just cut corners here and say that many fans of the
series will feel that Gran Turismo 4 is what Gran Turismo
3 should have been. Containing a staggering 700 cars, 80
manufacturers and 50 tracks (including the historic Nurburgring)
this is one game that is simply bursting at the seams with
content. The game retains the basic framework of previous
GT games with the Arcade modes (including single races,
time trials, split-screen and LAN races) and of course the
Gran Turismo. You'll also have to earn your licenses again
too although in my opinion I found earning the licenses
at lot less cumbersome this time. On top of this familiar
framework though you also have 34 driving missions to tackle
and there's also a photo mode where you can either print
off a screen shot to a USB printer or save your picture
to a USB memory stick. Last but certainly not least is the
new B-Spec: Director's mode. This mode basically allows
an AI driver to drive your car and you issue orders to him
throughout the race such as telling him to speed up or overtake.
It's not a major addition and if truth be told many gamers
won't use it very often but it's interesting nevertheless.
What's good about the game?
It's
the best driving game on the PlayStation by a long way and
if you're a fan of driving games it's worth every single
penny. The number of cars, the number of tracks, the amount
of competitions you can take place in etc., all add up to
one heck of an experience that no other driving game to
date can match. We've already mentioned the number of cars
in the game but it has to be pointed out that the range
of cars here is truly impressive. Cars ranging from the
Ford Model T to concept models are all included and they
have all been lovingly recreated to the smallest detail.
The track variety is also amazing. Dirt tracks, city tracks,
snow covered tracks and raceways all look great and there's
even some tracks from the original Gran Turismo that have
had one heck of a makeover. The Gran Turismo mode gives
you the paltry sum of 10,000 credits to begin with and this
does confine you to purchasing a rather weak or used car
(yes used cars are once again available). Should you have
a GT3 save game on your memory card though, you'll have
the option to transfer up to 100,000 credits which will
give you a great car to begin racing with. If played the
GT4 Prologue Signature Edition and you managed to complete
the driving lessons you will be able to claim your B licence
which means you can begin earning your A licence straight
away which will means your time invested in the Prologue
version was not wasted. It's also worth mentioning that
Polyphony have done a great job in making the game more
accessible. The interface is much cleaner than in GT3. Customising
your car with new components is much more intuitive for
a beginner which helps to reduce the game's learning curve.
The game will now autosave your progress so if you happen
to just turn off your PlayStation 2 after a 3 hour driving
session you won't lose everything you've just done (something
I've done more than once on GT3).
What's
not so good about the game?
With
such a top quality game it feels like trying to find faults
is simply nit-picking. However, there are some elements
of the game that some would have hoped could be better.
If you are a fan of the series you'll remember how the AI
cars would adhere to the racing line. If you managed to
get in their way then the AI drivers would try and ram you
out of the way. Sadly this is still true in Gran Turismo
4 and it's probably the most disappointing aspect of the
game. There still isn't any damage modelling either which
compounds the aforementioned problem in that the AI drivers
suffer no penalty for ramming your car. The early part of
the game can still be a little repetitive in that you'll
probably have to race the beginner races over and over (because
they don't pay well) until you can afford to improve your
car to tackle more difficult races. Finally there's no online
play but then again, you already would have know that.
How
does it handle?
The
handling is all important of course and personally I think
GT4 handles better with a Dualshock 2 controller than GT3.
However, this isn't the best way to play the game. We were
fortunate enough to have access to the Logitech Driving
Force Pro steering wheel (that was designed for Gran Turismo
4 with the assistance of Polyphony) and it really turns
up both the realism and enjoyment of the game a few notches.
Being able to turn the wheel through 900° instead of
the standard 200° really helps, especially on those
city courses. The force feedback is also top notch and feels
more satisfying than through the Dualshock 2. Of course
those of you who have played GT3 to death with the Dualshock
2 may not want to play with a wheel but I found it a more
authentic experience and I wouldn't go back to playing the
game with the Dualshock 2.
How
does it look?
Quite
simply Gran Turismo 4 looks as good as possible on the PlayStation
2. Gran Turismo 3 pushed the console hard and Gran Turismo
4 manages to squeeze a little more out of the console. The
car models are superb and the attention to detail is quite
simply amazing. You'll notice a few extra visual effects
here and there such as the blurring when you hit an opponents
car. Lighting effects are noticeably better than in GT3
and the reflections on the cars are much more impressive.
There's no slowdown at all in the frame rate during the
races which given the extra detail is superb. Personally
I felt that GT4 gives a better sensation of speed than GT3
ever did and as a result is more enjoyable. During the rally
sections you'll notice the odd person rush out from the
crowd to take photos of your car which is not a major inclusion
but it's certainly the first time I've seen this in a game.
Overall I think Polyphony Digital have done a great job
of wringing every last drop out of the PlayStation 2's aged
hardware and this is as good as driving games are going
to look on the console.
How
deaf gamer friendly is the game?
The
Gran Turismo series has never been a problem for deaf gamers.
After looking at the Gran Turismo 4 Prologue Signature Edition
though it appeared there might be some problems as the instructions
for the tutorials were delivered via speech. Thankfully
though this is gone in the final game and GT4 has gone back
to traditional text instructions that you can read at your
leisure. In fact all the game modes rely on text instructions
so there are no problems at all for deaf gamers.
Final
thoughts.
It's
been a very long wait for Gran Turismo 4 but even with the
disappointment of the online section of the game being cut,
it's still a very impressive game. There are some negatives
mind you, such as the AI that cannot resist sticking to
the racing line at all costs and the lack of damage modelling.
Thankfully though the negatives are hugely outweighed by
the positives and the sheer amount of content and things
to do in Gran Turismo 4 mean you could well be playing the
game for many months to come. Without a shadow of a doubt
it's one of the biggest jewels in the PlayStation 2's crown.
Overall
Game Rating: 9.4/10
Deaf
Gamers Classification:
(Click
the letter or here
for details)
Gran Turismo 4 is an incredible
driving game that manages to top Gran Turismo 3 in style.
It's not perfect though and the old issues with the series
still remain but this is still a class act and without a
doubt it's the best driving game on the PlayStation 2.
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