Review: Gran Turismo 4

Gran Turismo 4

Platform: Playstation 2
Developer: Polyphony Digital
Publisher: Sony
Players: 1-2

As the original Gran Turismo on the Playstation was a genre defining (and crowning) game of the driving simulator niche, the fourth title in the series fails to disappoint. Even with the now-archaic Playstation 2 hardware (hey, it’s old!) Gran Turismo 4 shines in almost every aspect.

With a nod to fans and critics alike, Sony has shoveled 700 cars into this game, unbelievably almost too many – even a Ford Model-T is in here. But who said selection is bad? Truth of the matter is, you’ll probably stick to your favorites anyways. But still, an amazing amount of cars!

Graphics are, as expected, pushed to the maximum. The cars look great, while the backgrounds look even better. For those with HDTV (like myself) GT4 actually supports 1080i, which is nice. I don’t have ANY Xbox games that can run at 1080i.

And the game? Levels have been increased, pushed to over 50 driving tracks. I still have issues with some of the car/weight controls (for example, when heavily drifting) but it’s probably as tight possible (with a PS2 controller) and is adjustable in game, per car, a nice feature.
The biggest feature still missing from GT4 is in-game car damage. If I smack my WRX into a stopped Acura NSX at 90mph, nothing happens. Similarly, if you try to drive off the road into a ravine (sometimes I’m suicidal), you’ll be stopped short by an invisible wall.

Game difficulty is still average, since, after all, it’s just a driving game, but even then, this will take a while to finish. If you like driving beyond Burnout-type games, buy Gran Turismo 4.