Gran Turismo 4

Product Description

Gran Turismo 4 has the enhanced racing simulations that hardcore racers crave! Whether you want to race closed circuits or specially designed city courses, you'll experience intense racing action on up to 100 tracks. Advanced behavior captures real-life racing and the unpredictability of finishes

Customer Reviews

Best sim racer on PS2
If you're a racing fan, chances are you've heard and played GT series. Needless to say, this series has been the benchmark since its debut! I've been a loyal fan since day 1. GT4 adds so much in terms of staggering number of cars (~750), amazing graphics (even compared to PS3 games), amount of detail and customization to setup your favorite ride, photo mode and B-spec mode adds so much more to the game. Even after 5 years, it's still a fun game to go back to! Time to get back to work on getting 100% completion!

---

Very Solid Simulator
The Gran Turismo franchise was my first venture into simulation console racing and from the onset I was fascinated with its depth and challenge. By the time 4 came out, I was desperate to acquire it, so when I received it as a Christmas gift I was elated.

The first thing I did upon opening this game and popping it into the drive was to scroll through the car dealerships and ogle all the vehicles that had been added since the iconic GT3. "Karmann Ghia, say WHAT?"..."Jay Leno Tank Car...uh...cool?" But seriously, there are some amazing rides in here (and I really do like the Ghia, AKA VW Typ 14). Amazingly awesome vehicles include, for a very short list, the road-going BMW M3 GTR, Mercedes CLK-GTR race car, and the Lancia Delta S4 rally car, which, when modified, has the most explosive acceleration you will ever see.

Then...gameplay. The license test thing has always been a love/hate situation. On the one hand, it presents a linear challenge that familiarizes you with segments of tracks (and whole tracks, for the good ol' S license) and various cars. Unfortunately, some of the "sage racing advice" given is simply rubbish if applied in real life, and having a game judge whether you are qualified to play it seems a bit ridiculous. Regardless, I pushed through the license tests and felt increasingly successful each time I achieved a gold medal, then moved on to the racing.

Ah, the racing. Some of the races are simply atrocious. Let's take an inside peek, for example, at the "24 Hours of Nurburgring." Oh, Friday night! What to do, what to do...I know! I'll sit on my duff and drive a single simulated car on a single simulated track for literally 24 hours straight! Sounds like a blast! Things like carpal tunnel, sleep deprivation, starvation, and console overheating will surely NOT be a problem! Let's get to it! Oh yeah, and the track is the most challenging not only in the game, but in the whole real world. And if you don't place first on your first try, enjoy repeating it until you do. Oh, and take a hint, Polyphony Digital. In real life, 24 hour races are generally not completed by a single person.

Fortunately, the folks at Polyphony Digital who received the game after the folks who decided putting in 24 hour races (yes, plural...more than one) would be bomb, forsaw the above mentioned problems (except console overheating...good thing the GT franchise has never been for XBox 360) and included a B-spec mode! So.....ok so the term "B-Spec" means absolutely nothing to you? Fair. Basically, the affectionately named "B-Spec Bob" is a race slave...ha, ahem, I mean, driver, who really enjoys driving for you and would never ask for any money, who will dutifully complete races lasting 24 hours, and will EVEN let you speed things up by 3x so that the race only takes 8 hours! Of course, B-Spec Bob is not you. He will not use opponents as devices to aid in cornering. He will not cut across the grass because it is clearly faster. He will not pit if you told him to go fast, even if his tires have completely melted away and he is driving on bare, sparking rims with only fumes rising from the petrol tank. But he will do races for you for free, and for that we must all thank B-Spec Bob.

GT4 did not attempt to venture into any new territory as far as racing goes. Yes, superbly realistic physics are still here (and who would want them removed? It's a SIMULATOR). We still have a variety of real and fake tracks, including all the "GT Classics" and several super slick new layouts such as the stunning Amalfi Coast, which you will want to drive around at 5 MPH to enjoy the scenery. There are still rally stages, albeit with a SUPER ANNOYING "5 second penalty" of computer-controlled throttle cut if you biff a wall or opponent (OR if an opponent hits you like a complete jerk...there is no justice in this game). You can even race along the Grand Canyon now. Oh yes, and the clincher. You can STILL plow violently into six opponent cars, a tunnel wall, a cliff, three barricades, and a flimsy orange nylon fence which behaves like a stone wall to protect the jeering fans behind it, all at 200 miles per hour in a single radical collision, and never lose a chip of paint or risk rollover. It will slow you down a bit though, so try to avoid it. However, your car can get dirty over time (although you'll never be able to see that), and washing it for a few quid can improve your lap times! Okay, GT4, thanks for that. AT least the new GT5 is reported to include damage, so we can all stop whining.

There are some cool new additions, though. New cars and tracks, nitrous oxide, a drag strip, a really slick photo mode (both in and out of races), and a clean, white background layout make this a great refresh on the successful old formula.

Here are the cons of the game; the pros are that it is a super realistic racing simulator with tons of cars and neat extra features.

-No damage (GT trademark, until the new one)
-Irritating penalties for rally contact (even when it's not your fault)
-Audaciously long races
-Slightly obtuse B-Spec Bob is free to use, but what's the fun in that?
-No Ferraris, Porsches, Maseratis, or Lamborghinis (EA had the license, or something like that)
-Considerable amounts of trippy music not available elsewhere (but you can turn it off)
-Upgrade system could be improved (who really wants to pay 50 grand for "frame straightening" when there IS NO DAMAGE?)

All in all, although I'm now a Forza fan, I still hail GT4 as a wonderful and immersive game that certainly occupied hours of my time (including 8 hours directing B-Spec Bob around the "Green Hell" AKA Nurburgring Nordschliefe).

[Oh. P.S. We get it, Polyphony Digital. You guys love Nissan cars. They are pretty sporty, yes. But including 100 of them in your game was not exactly necessary. Seriously, you must have had like 92 and then came up with 8 new Skylines to round up to that nice even 100.]

---

disappointed with glitch- won't load. again
We had a copy of this game for ps2 and thought it was the disk. So we bought another one and found that it will not load either. Complete waste of money. We were very disappointed. Anyone having trouble with this game on PS2 system should be cautious in ordering this ps2 version. After we bought it 2x we went to the trouble of reading the blogs and discovered this is a frequent issue. not just us. Buyer beware.

---

GREAT GRAPHICS AND GAME
This is a great game!!!The race tracks are amazing, one second you're racing in Hong Kong,the next second you're racing in Paris!!!Its so cool!!There are about 50 race tracks in the game (somewhere in there. Oh yeah and the cars, WOOOOOOWWW!!!!Every detail, every light on the car stands out for itself. And don't get all "awww, there's no more cars to buy," well forget that idea there are more than 200 cars in the game!!!The only bad thing is that when you get to the extreme races it gets really hard. I've had it for about a year and I'm only about 50% in. You can get a good start in the beginning by getting a good car with good horse power, like 200-300 mph and just save up your money then get a better car. But overall its a great game, anyone who's looking for the closest experience to driving should get this game,trust me!!!

---

so good that it's hard to spot the bads
gran turismo 4 is 1 of the best game i had for under $10. so what do you get? 800 cars umm alot of tracks and the best tuning! all the cars handle, good but some cars I think they just free balled. exm. a ford gt sound like a fast reving vw?!?! gt is not a light car and it's hard to turn.
tracks are much the same way laguna seca is as green as mtn dew?!?!


cool stuff
lan mode same as last year gt3
over 800 cars same as gt psp
great tracks not as good as pc sims like gtr gtl plus were is spa???
night racing
good handling
bad/need work stuff
glichy tracks green laguna
no body kits??!?!?!?!
no damage
8 skylines?????

---