Gran Turismo 4
2004
- racing
- simulator
- action
- single player
- multiplayer
- split screen
The story
Gran Turismo 4 is a racing video game, and the fourth installment in the Gran Turismo series. It is also the final game to support the Sony PlayStation 2. Gran Turismo 4 is one of only four titles for the PlayStation 2 that is capable of 1080i output. GT4 was delayed for over a year and a half by Polyphony Digital, and had its online mode removed. The game features over 700 cars from 80 manufacturers. The game also features 51 tracks, many of which are new or modified versions of old Gran Turismo favorites, with some notable real-world additions.
What it’s like
Clean, sun-washed daylight on glossy paint, with a sharp, slightly synthetic polish that belongs to the PlayStation 2 era: polygonal cars that gleam under bright skies, dusty rally stages, rain-slicked grand prix circuits, and the soft haze of a Tokyo or Mediterranean road in late afternoon. The soundtrack leans on licensed rock and electronic tracks that loop quietly under engine noise, while the cars themselves growl, whine and crackle with a mechanical honesty. Photo mode turns a parked car on a clifftop into a still life, and the menus have the hushed, catalogue-like patience of a showroom. Its pace is methodical rather than frantic: long stretches of lapping, tuning and saving up credits, with bursts of focused competition and the small thrill of a new car in the garage. Tone is earnest, calm and quietly obsessive, low on tension and free of violence, with cruelty or danger reduced to a crash reset. It suits a slow weekend afternoon, a background session while working on something else, or a long-haul flight on a handheld-free sofa. It is for people who love cars for their shapes and sounds, enjoy collecting and tuning, and want a racing game that rewards patience.
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