Review of Gran Turismo 4

Gran Turismo 4 is the greatest driving game of all time. I still remember getting it and turning it on with my buddy and being just absolutely speechless at how great looking it was. It is still one of the best looking games on the Playstation 2. It also happens to be one of the most in-depth and complex games as well. Every little detail of the game has been built on over four successful iterations, and it is nearing perfection. That being said, this is a difficult game. That "Real Driving Simulator" part underneath the title is true. There will be no hundred mile an hour drifts here, and keep your flames and funky paint out of here, this is a serious game dammit. To drive properly you need to finally learn where that brake button is on your control, and just leave the handbrake out of it.

The makers of Gran Turismo have spent a LOT of time crafting their physics engine and making painstaking measurements on each of the 400 plus cars and several tracks. It certainly shows. Countless tests have been performed between the cars in the game and their real life counterparts and consecutively the game has only been a handful of seconds faster, but that gap has been explained by nearly everyone as well as simply a sense of fear on the actual track. Driving in this game is like driving in life. Going too fast and trying to turn results in a crash. Poor throttle control through a turn results in a crash. Losing focus for one second results in a crash. You get the idea. It's as unforgiving as life. Don't let that discourage you, though. The game is a challenge, but not a horrible challenge. If one so wishes many great cars are available from the start and there is even a computer to drive for you, a first in the series. (It was intended for the lengthy endurance races, some as long as 24 hours. It also helps teach basic driving principles, like slow in fast out and how to take a corner properly. It's no substitute for real life instruction however.

The graphics on this game are simply phenomenal. It really looks... Real! I've seen countless photos where somebody took a picture of a track or a car in game then went and set that same shot up in real life and the only thing that gives it away is the lack of litter in the game photos. I could easily just pick one of the prettier tracks and cruise through, never going over fifty, and have a wonderful time just looking at all the detail included in the tracks or on the car. Hell, one person even found a fire extinguisher, fully detailed, on the other side of a barrier that one could only see if you creep up to the wall, in reverse, looking behind you. It's simply amazing.

We can't forget the audio of Gran Turismo. I personally don't like the song list that much, but of course there is always one or two gems. My personal favorite was "Machine Gun" by the Commodores. High five to whoever made the decision to include that one. There have been some complaints as to the reality of the sound of the cars, but get a good ole American big block and crank up the volume and you won't be complaining too much then. I usually end up turning the music off and the sound effects way up and listening to the engines roar around the track. Of course, though, that's just me.

The tuning of this game is easily the most advanced and in depth of any racing game ever. Want to tune precisely how much nitrous to inject? Or exactly how many degrees of toe in, or pounds of the springs, or what the EXACT gear ratio is? The possibilities are literally limitless. Everything can be upgraded and adjusted. However, the only body mods that can be made are of the rims (with no effects whatsoever except styling) and rear wings (with major effects, mostly positive). You can change the exhaust system, which thus changes the note the car produces. You can adjust precisely the suspension and thus precisely decide how a car will react under certain conditions. It is truly a tuners paradise.

Creativity. I can't say it's an entirely creative concept, it's on it's fourth game. However, the one area the game does get props is the car selection. There is EVERYTHING here. Want an old seventies Fiat Panda? Or a Mazda 787B? How about every Skyline ever made? (Or so it seems, there's something like 25 different skylines in the game) A somewhat major disappointment is the lack of major super car builders like Ferrari, Lambo, or Porsche (Porsche is somewhat accounted for by RUF, a company that takes Porsches and tunes them. There is some dispute over whether they can actually be counted as car manufacturers or just tuners) It's always exciting to finally win that tournament, or that last race, and see what car you are going to get, and in what color!

There are some negatives to this game. One thing I disliked were the "special cars" These are cars that can only be raced on certain tracks and/or not in actual races. You also could not sell these cars. You could get rid of them, to make space, but you can not sell them and get money back. This is somewhat of an annoyance, especially if it's a very valuable car you don't want and you don't want to sell anything else for the money for that NA tune up. Some people disliked the "B-Spec Bob", which is the computer driver that you can use in races. Though it must be admitted that before he is worth enough to use in a serious race he must be trained and built up through repeated use. Hmm... Can't really think of anything else... Oh! The sound effect, when switching through menu items. That is a pretty annoying sound. I hope the man who chose that one has to listen to it forever in hell.

Other than that my friends this game is a must own, a certainty in the collection of favorite Playstation 2 games. It is realistic, huge, detailed, and absolutely gorgeous. Just go get it.