[Games] Not Even A Game: A Review of “Gran Turismo 4”

by Nick Judin
Image Courtesy of Sony
April 6, 2005

I’ve always enjoyed racing games. They’re fast-paced and easy to get into. The environments and cars are often beautiful, and they lack much of the baggage that other games have. But in spite of all this, racing seems to have a worse “good game” to “bad game” ratio than any other genre. And, why is that? No innovation perhaps? What makes “Gran Turismo 4” different from “Gran Turismo 3”? Or “Need for Speed 3” different from “Need for Speed 2”? There are a few graphical updates and a couple new cars. And if that’s really all you need, feel free to shell out $50 left and right for each boring new clone. People tend to buy the newest racing game regardless of what’s been added, so … the developers don’t add anything.

This is the case with “Gran Turismo 4.” Yes, the graphics are amazing. Yes, there are hundreds of cars. But the painful cons in the core gameplay have more weight than the pros. Aside from a total lack of innovation, GT4 lacks one of the most important things in any game—computer AI.

All of your opponents have a set course through each track, and they will follow that course unless YOU knock them off, in which case they will struggle to return to it. Adding to the fact there’s NO sense of damage or danger—this “realistic” game allows you to ram into a wall at 150 mph, then veer off unharmed—it’s a perfectly good strategy to simply calculate their path and “bounce” off them, meaning you won’t have to slow down for turns. The “Real Driving Simulator” actually encourages playing bumper cars.

So where’s the realism, you say ask? Surely you’ll enjoy the sheer adrenaline as you spin out around every turn, the mind-blowing ability to slow down after touching the smallest patch of grass, and be amazed by the fact that 500 of your 1,000 horses will never be used. What a game! What a ride!

To make up for the gameplay (or lack thereof), several modes have been added. “B-Spec” mode is one, where you watch the race as a coach and give commands* (*commands will not be followed). Or there’s the highly exciting “License Mode” where you follow a little blue line through a course. Note that this mode is required to play the full game, and you better hope you’re good at watching that line, because if you misread it, you’ll fail. If you consider the “Special Condition” races different from the normal races, you’re going to be sadly disappointed.

Basically, it’s the same race, but you’re driving through dirt, or snow, changing your handling from “Old Volkswagen” to “Short Bus.” My God, I think I’m having a heart attack. It’s just too intense. In closing, “Gran Turismo 4” is a video game for people who hate video games. If you want to simulate driving around in a parking lot, get GT4. If you want a fun, interesting or exciting experience, get “Burnout 3.”

 
posted by on 04/06/05 at 02:41 PM. [printer-friendly version]