Previous Gran Turismos on the PS2
Although brilliant Gran Turismo 3 was sadly a little tired, fewer cars than the previous game and the classic tracks where gone. This was of course forgiven due to the spectacular graphics. GT Concept provided little more but nevertheless was fun due to the very cool concept cars you drove. GT 4 Prologue provided us with a small taste of GT4 but with the £30 price tag many decided to wait.
The new Gran Turismo
With the success of the series Polyphony could have chucked out a repackaged Gran Turismo 3 but no, this GT is a true revolution in all aspects . As it says this is a driving simulator not a driving game so those looking for quick thrills try Burnout 3 or on the PS3 try Ridge Racer or Motorstorm.
Gameplay
Gran Turismo now comes in three different flavours two completely new, A Spec mode: you control the car with your controller or steering wheel. The all new B Spec mode directors mode: you act as race director and relay commands to the cars AI driver, this mode is perfect for people who can't quite manage to drive themselves. Also new we have the Photo Drive: You do a hot lap in your favourite car and take pictures which you can save to memory card or USB flash memory.
The game although has 2 choices to play Arcade mode where you get a feel for the cars and drive the ones you can't afford yet and of course the mighty and my favourite mode the Gran Turismo Mode.
In the Gran Turismo mode you start out as a rookie driver with little money and gradually you build up your reputation by getting A Spec points ( A Spec points simply show you how good a driver you are ). Getting licenses by completing licence tests allowing you to compete in the races, there are 5 licenses to get National B, National A, International B, International A, and S. A substantial chunk of the game is adding to your car collection by visiting car show rooms all over the world, now in GT3 there were 200 cars in Gran Turismo 4 there are a whopping 700 + cars from manufacturers such as Aston Martin, BMW, Mercedes, Bentley, Ford, Dodge, Volvo, Toyota, Mitsubishi. Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche only stand out because they aren't there ! Now comes the real fun tuning the cars, to tune a car you can visit many tuning shops you can make a modest Mini into a true monster by adding Turbos, Superchargers, Nitrous Oxide, Exhaust filters, Triple plated Clutches, Racing Tyres, LSDs, NA Tuning, if it exists they have thought of it. New to GT you can add wings to your car to increase the downforce and buy shiny new wheels.
All the tracks from the previous games have been included which means welcome back to such oldies as the High Speed Ring they could have left it at that but oh no, we get some great new tracks such as the Nurburgring.
The main meat of the game is the driving and driving is what the game is all about. Gran Turismo has always used the same physics until now, a totally new physics engine which replicates the handling of the cars to 99% accuracy. With the new physics engine the small cars such as a Ford Focus are just as fun to drive as the supercars. You will also be pleased to know you can now see the speed in MPH and the power in BHP.
Sound
The previous GTs have featured kick ass sound tracks and this out does them all with over 80 licensed music tracks from well know artists such as Feeder and Franz Ferdinand. Also Polyphony has thought about the people that don't like all the rockers by including some classical music from the likes of Debussy and J S Bach.
Graphics
The graphics on Gran Turismo 3 where very good but somehow Gran Turismo 4 improves on them. The cars look just as tasty looking uncannily identical to the real thing. Now when you have tuned up your car when you flick down through the gears your exhaust will emit a small blast of fire and sparks. The wheels on your car will smoke if you floor it and the dust and gravel effects are brilliant. It’s also nice to see the crowd as they turn to face the action and in Dirt and Snow races photographers jump on and off the track, furthermore we have the addition of a person in the car ( well the convertibles ) who will tilt their heads and turn the steering wheel.
Now the bad stuff
The latest Gran Turismo was set to have an online mode allowing racers all over the world to compete in their cars, this has been stripped out at the last minute. There is also still a lack of any damage to your cars so you can hurtle into a wall at 200 MPH and drive straight off. Apart from that the game is flawless, a true PS2 gem. 9.5/10
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Subject: Gran Turismo 4 Review 
Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:13 am
