July 17, 2003 - In the simplest of worlds there are two kinds of racing games -- simulations and arcade racers. The sims re-create the handling, physics, cornering, sense of speed and require the skill base that generally only extremely dedicated fans desire. Nearly any Formula 1 racer serves as a good example. Arcade racers, on the whole, can be picked up and played instantly. And sometimes, the drunker the player, the better their skills. Cruis'n USA exemplifies this notion best.
But things just aren't that simple (nor should people drink and drive), and gamers like more than the two shades, black and white; they like variants, gradients and they thrive on the depth that falls in between. Dozens of racers fall in between these two polar extremes and Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo 4, perhaps more than any other racing game, threads that fine line with more finesse than any other.
Polyphony President and Producer Kazunori Yamauchi is the man behind what has become the most popular, in-depth, addictive and ambitious racing game in the history of videogames. It's sold millions of units across the world and it's breached not just the gaming hard-core and the casual player, but it's reached out and hooked real race drivers and car collectors with its impeccable handling, attention to detail and the ability to fine tune and, moreover, collect an amazing assortment of vehicles. This fourth iteration, plainly titled Gran Turismo 4 (as opposed to the more technically dubbed Gran Turismo 3 A-spec) is aimed at once again driving hard-core gamers to the retail store, but also gathering in even more of a general market.
The Feature Set
Due sometime in 2004 (no month has been designated yet), the fourth game in the series boasts an excellent roster of new features: Players can go online to vie with as many as five others (six in total); the vehicle roster is currently swelling to more than 500 cars, which range from the earliest race cars ever made to the fastest, newest games on the planet; it offers new circuits, many of which are based on real world circuits from across the world; and last but not least, it will feature better, more human AI.
At the Electronics Entertainment Exposition in May 2003, Yamauchi confirmed numerous things that previously had been bandied about on fan sites and boards: GT4 will NOT feature car model damage, to the dismay of many long-time fans. While GT4 is online, it will not feature USB Voice-Over Online support, and, at least at this point, there are still no human models driving these cars. While we expect the customization features to expand over the GT3 offerings -- such as more parts, more combinations of parts, etc. -- Yamauchi declined anything specific, at least for now. The 500-plus car roster includes a glut of licensed cars (one of the series' biggest and best trademarks), and we've got confirmation on many of them (see the list below); but vehicles such as Ferraris, Lamborghinis and other European streets cars have yet to be confirmed for GT4.
Given the game's production cycle (it's due in 2004), we're still in for numerous surprises. For example, we don't know about the kinds of online play it'll offer (though we know up to six can play simultaneously). Will there be online tournaments, one-offs, rally races? We don't know yet. While we played on three courses at E3 -- The Grand Canyon (rally), NY, and Tsukuba Circuit -- we expect dozens more tracks to appear. Since there were about 30 vehicles available in the E3 demo that means at least 470 more are to come. Weeee!!!
Generally, sequels equal more and better stuff. In other words, if it was good in the first, expect it better the second time around; and if it wasn't so good the first time around, expect it to be fixed or deleted. Polyphony plans to improve GT4 in several key areas, including the breadth of car kinds, AI, physics, graphics, handling, online and course design. That's quite a handful of areas.
"Gran Turismo 3 was easy for us on PS2 because it was the first GT game on PlayStation 2," said Yamauchi. "GT4 is harder because we have to outdo own our work on the same system. We have been re-thinking and working hard now to create a better game, and we have set our goals and objectives for GT4."
The Cars
Let's start at the top, shall we? GT4 will feature more than 500 cars. What other racing game even offers one tenth as many? None. So, suffice to say, the range of cars will be fantastic. The team plans to acquire licenses for hundreds of vehicles, makes and models from the past to the present, including standard style models, convertibles, modified street cars, street/racing cars, and historical vehicles. As Yamauchi says, "We want players to re-experience the history of cars, from the birth to the present, in a way only possible with GT."
There were about 25 cars shown in the E3 demo, many of them entirely new. They range from old classics to current hot rods to old American muscle cars to current sports cars and rally cars. There will also be Formula Type Cars in GT4. The full demo list includes:
Alpine Renault 1600S
Nissan Fair Lady 240AG
Subaru Impreza Rally Car
Subaru Impreza WRX Sti
Mitsubishi Evo VII Rally
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII
Chevrolet SSR
Lotus Europa Special
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 350
Chevrolet Camaro Z28 302
Isuzu Giulla Spirit 117 Coupe GTA
Toyota Corolla Levin 1600 GT Apex
Plymouth 'Cuda 440-6
Pontiac GXP
Toyota Supra 2.5 Twin Turbo
Honda Prelude Type S
Suzuki Cappuccino
Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454
Pontiac GTO
Chrysler Prowler
Pontiac Vibe GT
Chevrolet SS12
Nissan Z Unlimited Edition
Honda RSX-R Unlimited
E3 Hands-on Demo
From our nearly 45 minutes of playing the early version of the game (at E3), we've discerned several things. GT4 plays a lot like GT3. The cars handle similarly, they drive realistically, and they generally handle in a familiar fashion. Underneath the pretty surface, however, the cars handle with an incredible level of newly enhanced physics. The cars all feel heavier, though they still drive fast. And the weight of each car seems to have been distributed with an impressive sense of realism.
The new courses I played are a mixed bag. The NY course is an American classic racing track. It comprises several long straight lines, interrupted by several sharp 180-degree turns. The famous Japanese course, Tsubuka, is re-created with an excellent eye for detail. Its wide turns, even surfaces and long straight-aways are punctuated with perfectly placed turns and smooth, sleek turns.
A few racing notes might clarify what the racing was like. I played with the TCS and ACM on and off, and I preferred the assists off. Taking turns and handling lines is exactly the same as in GT3: Players need to approach each turn with a turning line in mind. Hitting the brakes hard before a sharp turn will indeed result in your car sliding uncontrollably into the grass, so play smarter than that and use the brakes gradually. Bumping other cars will indeed anger human competitors but it won't piss off the computer AI. The AI will, however, not lose too much sleep or speed from the hit, as the competitive edge has been increased with these interesting new AI enhancements.
In essence, TCS and ASM help experienced players in straight-aways and in turns. But more importantly, because they function much the way steering assist works in many other games, these changes will certainly make the game easier for beginners and casual gamers.
Players can see an onscreen speedometer and a tachometer. On the tach, there is a little light indicator showing off a pit crew, which would back up the video showing a pit crew tuning your car during a race. The replays are great. There are two views from which to view your replay: In-car and set cameras. The set cameras actually zoom in and out (just like in GT Concept), providing a healthy amount of simple fun just goofing around zooming in and out on your moving car.
The car physics have subtly but substantially improved. "This is the first major refinement we have made to the car physics in GT since GT1," explained Yamauchi. His team has evaluated insanely minute differences in human versus AI driving styles. For instance, the time differences between real cars driving a particular circuit and their own GT versions on the same circuit are now more realistically replicated; the in-game cars now re-create the speed and handling of their real-life counterparts far better than before.
There are more driving styles. Players can choose from ASM (Assisted Stability Management), which minimizes skids, TCS (Traction Control System), which assists cars from spinning out in straight-aways, or they can decide to select neither of them. TCS affects the differentiation of power to each wheel. For example, in all-wheel cars (like rally vehicles), players can see and feel a wheel spinning faster when one single wheel hits another surface such as grass, dirt or gravel. More power is actually generated to that wheel to get it back on track and the results is a genuine difference in the way it's played.
While the artificial intelligence was still in its early forms of development, Polyphony plans to improve them further. Yamauchi points out that players will notice the AI behaving in more considerate ways -- not smashing or bumping into you, for instance; they will make fewer mistakes, and there are more likely to catch up near the end of a game. In other words, second and third place vehicles will never be too far behind again.
"GT Universe," which is essentially Simulation Mode, enables players to select cars from a variety of places including museums, new car manufacturers, and of course, players are free to purchase cars from used manufacturers.
Visually Stunning
The game is stunning looking. The Grand Canyon course in particular is flat out gorgeous. The entire level is photo-realistic, showing off the best clouds ever seen in a racing game, incredibly life-like mountains, canyons and rock formations, and a huge variety of high-resolution textures on the course, from the trees, the dirt road and the flat 2D crowds to the incredibly detailed, picturesque cars.
"We had not extracted all there is from the PS2," said Yamauchi. "We have re-thought the procedures and re-built our technology to create an even better looking game. We spent 10 days photographing and studying the nature of the Grand Canyon. We studied a 40 km diameter area to create our course. As you can see, the rally course is narrower. Because our technology is better and because of our physics engine, the game is easier to control.
"We have been able to increase the quality of the graphics because our designers' skills have evolved, not the hardware," Yamauchi pointed out. "We have created an all-new car design procedure which helps to create better looking and easier to create cars."
Lastly, the Logitech Steering Wheel, which demoed at E3, will ship simultaneously with GT4 (sometime in 2004). The wheel is impressive. It enables 900 degrees of rotation, which means two and a half times around, exactly like a real car steering wheel turns. The friction is heavier, giving players more resistance on turns, and it features a standalone brake and acceleration pad, as well as a standalone gearshift. It's highly desirable.
In short, Gran Turismo 4 will deliver one of the most compelling reasons to own a PlayStation 2 to date; and yes, in every way, this will unswervingly impress your non-gaming friends. While in no way careening away from its hard-core past, this Gran Turismo also looks to be the most accessible yet. Polyphony is looking to find that balance between simulation and arcade perfection, and given the popularity of the series and its new online component, that magic balance will be more crucial than ever. It's an absolute visual stunner (even at this early stage), and with Polyphony at the helm (well, since...always), we're guaranteed an ambitious, impressive, and over-the-top racing experience bound to continue the tradition of excellence the series has always delivered.
Photo Gallery:
http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/489/489327/imgs_1.html
