Gran Turismo 4

Maxim Online

You’re not going to get a more realistic driving experience without nicking the keys to dad’s Delorean. Is GT4 more fetish than game? Probably. But if this is a fetish, then put a leather hood on us and whip us till we bleed!

Gaming Age

The graphics have been improved, the physics have been improved, more cars and tracks have been added and there is even a B-Spec mode that lets you manage a racing team and a photo mode that lets you take ultra realistic photographs of your cars and print them using an Epson printer. It’s hard to believe but they’ve done it again.

Sydney Morning Herald

Its biggest strength is the realistic handling. You feel every nuance of the car's movements, weight shifts and suspension, particularly with a Driving Force Pro steering wheel. This is a peerless driving simulation that will test even professional drivers.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

After sinking nearly 20 hours into GT4, I'm still nowhere near seeing everything it has to offer. [Apr 2005, p.98]

G4 TV

Blows by the competition like it was sitting on jack stands, and is the new high-water mark by which all other driving games will be judged.

PSX Extreme

Without a doubt one of the most gorgeous videogames of this generation. Gran Turismo 4 is a masterpiece and there's no two ways about it.

Weekly Famitsu

10 / 10 / 9 / 10 - 39 platinum [Jan 2005]

Gaming Illustrated

The best racing simulator ever made. That goes for all platforms and systems back to the beginning of time - GT4 is simply the best ever. The cars are amazingly detailed, the courses rich and diverse, and the amount of things to do in the game is impressively overwhelming.

GameZone

Car enthusiasts and racing fans rejoice! Gran Turismo 4 goes beyond our expectations to deliver a racing game that’s destined to become a genuine classic and the main reason fans of this genre will not see any daylight anytime soon.

Next Level Gaming

The definitive racing game on the PlayStation 2 or any other console. It contains a degree of realism that is unrivaled, and it mixes that well with some of the best graphics that I have seen in a game.

TotalGames.net

Beautiful to look at, it's as rewarding as ever to play and, judging by the attention to detail that has been lavished on it, it's the most lovingly-created game ever. The chances are that you'll fall in love with it too, as only people who are obsessed with cars can fall in love with inanimate and soulless objects.

Gaming Horizon

Despite the fact that it plays just like its previous incarnations, the ballooned number of cars and the sheer amount of things to do easily makes this version the best of the bunch.

TotalPlayStation

If GT4 will be your first venture into sim racing, hold on, strap in and protect any valuable reproductive organs, as you’ll be blown away. It pushes the boundaries of realism and sim racing, while retaining the essential core of the franchise that has been built over the last 8 years. You won’t find a better value.

Game Power Australia

It is the best looking, best driving game (even if the racing is pretty ordinary) out there.

GameSpot AU

And while GT4 is not the massive leap from GT3 some were expecting, the sheer depth and variety of cars and tracks, great physics model and outstanding extras make it by far the best car game available on any system.

1UP

In a straight line the SLR feels like it has warp engines, and the feeling of real power is unlike anything I've seen in a racing game before. Burnout 3 and Need for Speed do a good job of scaring you with speed, but GT4 is still the only car sim to date that's done a convincing job of putting you behind a 5.4 liter V8.

IGN

There's no doubt that this game absolutely kills everything else around in terms of graphics, sound effects, and force feedback. The license tests, circuits, missions, hundreds of cars, and dozens of tracks all add up to what is still one hell of an addictive racing game... The only problem with GT4 being the perfect "GT3" is that after four years we were still hoping for more.

Computer and Video Games

The greatest driving game ever. On any console, computer, or arcade cabinet, ever. Even with all the problems, nothing even comes close to matching the sheer adrenaline GT4 offers when you're chucking a 700bhp beast around one of the game's beautifully crafted courses. As a game, GT4 is staggeringly huge, looks and sounds amazing, and features so many cars you're unlikely to ever see them all. [JPN Import]

Armchair Empire

Now, the computer-controlled cars are much better at making players work hard for a win. The only time a player can tear apart the competition is if their car has significantly more aftermarket parts on it.

Gamers' Temple

If you truly appreciate cars, though, and wanted to get just a glimpse of what it would be like to be behind the wheel of an exotic sports car or a Grand Prix racer, then GT4 will definitely deliver everything that you’re looking for and more.

IC-Games

The depth of the game, the amazing eye candy, the attention to detail and the gameplay are all top notch. When you get into it it’s a hard game to put down.

VGPub

Some professional race drivers even use the incredibly life-like tracks in this game to prepare themselves for the real thing.

DailyGame

Not a huge leap from the previous version, but definitely a finely tuned game.

GamingTrend

The control is simply phenomenal with the Logitech Driving Force Pro... A force feedback wheel where it pushes against you as you go into a turn at high speeds is just spot on.

Game Informer

A fabulously executed game that remains a consistent joy to play for many, many moons. But it lacks innovation. [March 2005, p.120]

Electronic Gaming Monthly

No other game comes anywhere close to replicating what it feels like to lay down two streaks of rubber in a '69 GT40 when the green flag drops, or hit 200 mph on the back straight at Le Sarthe. There are few games that can draw you in so completely that you forget you're playing a game in the first place, and this is one of them.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

It's as thrilling a drive as it's has ever been and just unlocking the decent motors will take you days of play - then you'll never tire of trying to shave seconds from your lap times. GT4 occupies the same place in our hearts today as "GT3" did in 2001. [PSM2]

WHAM! Gaming

The use of lighting, reflections and shadows give the cars and tracks an ultra realistic look and an illusion of depth that just hasn’t been present in other racers. One caveat to this huge leap in graphical prowess though is that by pushing the PS2 to levels thought incapable of the system, there is a glitch that arises, called "stuttering" by most that’ve seen it.

Gamer's Hell

The visuals are simply stunning, and you will be left wondering how the PS2 is capable of producing something some beautiful. The endless customization features and racing types will always leave you with something to do as well.

Pelit (Finland)

The most involving driving experience ever. Even without the promised improvements (online play, better AI) it still manages to impress and will offer gameplay for months. The photo mode is a blast. [Mar. 05]

Jolt Online Gaming UK

Yet again the series fails to become a proper racing game, with its rigid car physics and lack of decent opponents to face off against, but it’s still a fantastic and lengthy game in its own right.

BonusStage

It’s a great game, as long as you aren’t expecting more than cars, cars, and more cars... The big thing that kept us down is the frame rate issue, which we both ended up agreeing was the major drag about this game.

Gaming Target

No other racer – if not game, period – offers more depth and replayability than Gran Turismo 4 does, despite itself, sometimes.

Gamezilla!

If you can find the dedication to truly reap the enjoyment out of Gran Turismo, it’s every bit as addictive as the other games are. Racing perfection it is not, but it’s pretty close.

Cinescape

Logitech has done a lot to help out with this with its new force feedback steering wheel. With a full 900 degrees of rotation, the wheel will fight you around turns, and gives gamers the best possible control interface for this masterpiece of a racing simulator. I can’t imagine playing GT4 without it.

GameSpy

Represents the very pinnacle of PS2 racing games and lord only knows how long we'll have to wait for the next installment. Get it, race it and love it... One of the most comprehensive games of the last four years.

My Gamer

Combining the best in graphics, physics and sound, Gran Turismo 4 is nothing short of breathtaking.

PSX Nation

The emphasis on improved graphics, realism and vehicle/track variety come at the expense of a missing online component, better AI for the CPU drones and the return of the dreaded license tests. The good overwhelmingly outweighs GT4’s handful of tolerable negatives though.

Yahoo! Games

It may be short on innovation, which is surprising with close challengers like Konami's "Enthusia" and Microsoft's "Forza" in the pipeline, but racing enthusiasts won't be disappointed.

Stuff

It's also a tiny bit dry for our tastes. We prefer laying rubber, doing donuts, and crashing into exploding oil tankers to finesse driving and engine tinkering, but that's just us.

PSM Magazine

We all fell in love with GT the first time out because it was so unprecedented, but on your fourth visit, you'll really wish the damn thing would evolve and live up to its potential. Still, it's riveting racing, it has its own undeniable charms. [JPN Import; March 2005, p.68]

GamerFeed

Even with its lackluster Arcade Mode, and the lack of online play, Gran Turismo still conveys what it has always been known for: The Drive of Your Life. There is no question that this is the most expansive racing title available.

GamePro

Flawlessly paced progression keeps you playing for leaner lap times; a newfound sense of speed makes each race seem like protracted suicide; and down-to-the-nuts-and-bolts details assure authenticity--as the box says, this is the drive of your life.

Total Video Games

GT4 resets the benchmark for driving simulations, it’s not perfect but by definition we never expect a GT game to be.

3DAvenue

The AI is still shocking but we see it as a game that you buy to race cars you can't afford not a game you buy to race AI drivers with brains.

DarkStation

The only reason this game isn't perfectly fun is because it does once again leave us wanting more, and in that I am referring to online play.

AceGamez

There's not a game I can call to mind that comes anywhere near Gran Turismo 4 in terms of lifespan. Pound for playtime it must be the cheapest game ever made; the career mode is huge.

Play Magazine

No question, every game in the series has felt great, but this one is in another league. [Apr 2005, p.58]

AltGaming

Replays are like the FMVs of bygone years, cars sparkling with lensflare as they screech around a corner, just before you slyly knock them out of position and take the first place. Now all of your road delinquency can be recorded in some of the best graphics available in gaming today.

Worth Playing

The basic “buy, race, upgrade, race, buy, and repeat” routine is still there. There is no damage, no online, and the soundtrack is questionable. However, everything else so close to perfect, it’s hard to resent these shortcomings.

Gaming Nexus

Polyphony Digital delivers the most comprehensive and realistic simulation racing experience that the market has ever seen, it’s just a shame that the same boat and RV show has begun to run its course.

Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK

Unsurpassed, automotive beauty. The best driving game on PS2. [Jan 2007, p.106]

GameSpot

Though it suffers from a curious lack of evolution in terms of some of its central aspects, most notably its racing AI, when GT4 works to its strengths, it delivers like few games of this console generation.

Inside Gamer Online

No game on the PS2, sadly, features slower load times than Gran Turismo 4. So when playing—or rather, getting ready to play GT4, you might as well have some refreshments nearby.

Game Over Online

The game is massive. I could radically estimate that unlocking just a small tip of this iceberg could take around 100 hours.

eToychest

While the game excels at being a simulator, it falters a bit in being enjoyable. The game can feel a bit boring at times.

GameBiz

It may be a long full game, but other racing games on the market are faster and more action packed.

Game Revolution

Crash damage is also something we’ve been clamoring for. As it stands now, running into another car has all the impact of throwing a marshmallow against a pillow. It just doesn’t make sense for a title that invests so heavily in realism to let you hit a brick wall going 120 and then drive away.

Firing Squad

It does essentially everything that "GT3" does, but more. More cars, more tracks, better physics, better graphics, and better sound. Likewise, the combination of force feedback steering and Nurburgring makes for a potent combination. On the other hand, the "wow factor" that came with the original "GT3" isn’t here with GT4.

Cheat Code Central

Sure it may be "the" racing game but it's still "just" a racing game. It doesn't cover any new ground - literally.

games(TM)

If it weren’t for the fact that simply picking up the controller makes you by far the smartest racer on the course, GT4 would be perilously close to being the finest, most serious racing game ever made. [Feb 2005, p.8]

Gamer.tv

An absolute orgy of burning rubber with 700 cars and 50 tracks... Next time we see GT roll up, pray for the ability to take it for an online spin, but for now, it's everything else you hoped Gran Turismo 4 would be. [JPN Import]

Boomtown

GT4 has more limitations than previous games on what you can and can't do, too many menus locked until you'll reached certain criteria.

netjak

There is no damage in Gran Turismo 4. This to me was a colossal disappointment. It’s not like I was expecting it, but this is supposed to be the real driving simulator... not the real bumper-car driving simulator... There are absolutely ZERO consequences for slamming into another car around a corner or brushing a barrier.

Eurogamer

The AI is still taking the piss rather than pumping the lifeblood as it should be... After four games, it's shocking to discover that the AI cars still follow a clear line around each track, heartlessly cut back in front of you even when it's obvious you'll hit them as a result, ram your back end and allow you to crawl around the inside of them on corners you have no right to overtake on by using them as buffers.

The New York Times

While GT4 aims for realism, it occasionally falls short. Competitors drive like mindless automatons, seemingly unaware of your existence. Cars can take endless amounts of damage, allowing you to control your turns by bouncing off other cars like a pinball. If a track doesn't have walls, like one set in the Grand Canyon, then an invisible barrier prevents you from going off track.

PALGN

It’s technically fantastic, great fun for car fans, and will last forever (despite the lack of online), but we’ve seen the same flaws in the same game since the days of the PSX.

GameCritics

Unfortunately, the developers were so focused on reaching their goal they forgot that while accuracy is a noble goal to strive for, it doesn't hurt for games to be a little fun as well.

Detroit Free Press

GT Mode does a great job of organizing your choices on a large home map. You can leave your garage to race, or jump over to ogle new and used rides at domestic and foreign dealerships, take on special challenges and buy parts upgrades.

Edge Magazine

Gran Turismo 4 is fundamentally unconcerned with furthering the art of the videogame. This titanic franchise, this critical, load-bearing pillar of PlayStation, is barely even a videogame at all. It’s a hobbyist software suite, a racetrack tutorial, an encyclopaedia you can get in and drive off. [March 2005, p.78]

RealGamer

Whilst the game can offer a certain joy of ownership for a fraction of the cost, those who are not passionately interested in motoring in general won’t want to put the required effort in.

NTSC-uk

But lost among the vast raft of offerings is a game that has grown, but barely improved, certainly not at the rate gamers really deserve. In so many cases it will be irrelevant, with those that have waited for its arrival so eagerly lapping it up, and being washed away with all its new twinkling extras.

Times Online

Yes, there are tweaks, better graphics and further development on the cars’ physics, but nothing groundbreaking. For the most part it seems that the past four years have been spent improving the playback of your car whizzing around the track once you’ve finished the race.

Computer Games Magazine

A driving game with no damage model and no good reason to stay on the track. [July 2005, p.85]