Sony's Gran Turismo 4 - A First Look

It's finally out! Was it worth the wait? Yes! Is it better than GT3?
Yes! Are Sony's sachems mugwumps for having squidded out on online play?
You betcha!

In truth, it's not that much different from GT3...which is to say, it's
still the best console racer...ever...and can still give all but the best PC
sims a run for their money. It's just bigger: 500 (or whatever) cars, a
seemingly inexhaustable supply of tracks (altho only a handful of real-world
tracks, albeit including a totally believable Nordschleife), a sound track
that a lot of MP3 players would die for, and better graphics than anything
powered by a dinky little CPU like the PS3's has any right to be.

GT4 has a credible--if not totally convincing--physics model (and a gorgeous
photorealistic look; when you stomp on the brakes hard, for example, the
discs glow red). Driving most of GT4's stable of exotic cars--including a
perfectly rendered Ford GT40, AC Cobra, Bentley Speed 8, Mazda 787B, McLaren
F1 GT, Chaparral 2J, Cizeta V16, Pagani Zonda C12, Gillet Vertigo (my
favorite car in GTR), Jaguar XJR9 (my favorite car from N2003's GTP mod),
Mercedes CLK, Toyota GT1, and Jay Leno's "Tank" car--feel almost like
driving cars in the real world...and subtle enough that you can clearly feel
the difference between front-, rear-, and 4-wheel drive.

GT4's greatest strength, however, is in its gameplay. It hooks you right
away with how much fun it is in the Arcade mode to jump in a little, er,
shoe box and go blasting around like your butt's on fire, then entices you
with the risks and rewards, carrots and sticks of the Gran Turismo (full-on
simulation mode), where you work your way up the ladder from a lowly Amuse
Carbon (I kid you not) to a one-of-a-kind Le Mans GT prototype. What GT4's
developers have nailed better than anybody else--PC or console--is that
elusive quality known as "play balance." That is, it's easy enough to suck
you in, challenging enough to get you motivated, and rewarding enough to
keep you coming back for more.

The AI is still clueless...or is it? I think Kaz (Yamauchi, the "godfather
of the Gran Turismo franchise) and his krew are making your opponents down
n' dirty on purpose. In my first few entry-level races, I saw some big
bully in a Hemi-powered Dodge pickup deliberately sideswiping the little
Toyota Voltz, Daihatsu Midget, Hyundai Clix, Nissan Micra, and Suzuki
Cappucino rice burners. Naughty.

There are improvements over GT3, some significant (you can output to
HDTV--480p or 1080i--and there's support for Dolby Pro Logic II surround
sound) and some not (you can take shapshots during replays...and what?
Submit them to your local newspaper?).

I siezed the opportunity to try out Logitech's new-ish Driving Force Pro
wheel,which was allegedly developed specifically for GT4 (a USB device, it
also works fine with PCs). It's a little gritty (gears, not wires &
pulleys) and the rim is a little thin, but I was able to place the cars
accurately and the pedals worked well.

Sony has sold 38 million copies of the first 3 iterations of Gran Turismo
(which, if it was a movie series would be the most successful of all time),
and GT4 looks to keep the ball rolling...all the way to the bank.

But it ain't no GPL.

--Steve Smith