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Simulation games strive for realism. Whether it is flying a plane, commanding a special task force, leading the final drive in the Super Bowl, or driving cars, we as an audience hunger for the best possible realism. Speaking of realism in driving, a certain game has been released that covets said realism: Gran Turismo 4. Yes, it's the fourth installment of the series, and yes, it's better than any of its predecessors.

It's hard to pick an area to start when it comes to reviewing a game that does so many things right. Why not the cars? The cars are the backbone of the game with more than 700 different models. All the big-name car companies are available, although Polyphony Digital needs to figure out a way to get Porsche and Lamborghini licenses. One of the best things to do in the game is to just go from country to country looking at the different cars. I probably spent a good two hours when I first got the game doing just that. GT4 also has an underlining theme of the classic car. There are historic showrooms where you can look at the Ford Model T or the first-ever Honda Civic. It's a great addition as you know later in the game you will be able to see what it was like to drive the Model T. Not only are there a ton of cars, but they look outstanding as well. The opening CG sequence will take your breath away. Even when the game starts to show off the real-time engine, the cars still look great. It's amazing how Polyphony can get so many polygons pushed on the cars to give them smooth curves and make them as real looking as you can get.

This is a nice little segue into how gorgeous the game is. This time the game supports 480p and 1080i. I have had the pleasure of experiencing 1080i, and it is simply jaw-dropping. Besides the added HDTV features, the game isn't dramatically different when it comes to graphics. In fact it almost looks identical to GT3, but you really can't say this is a bad thing as GT3 already looked very realistic. GT4 does have some added features, however. For instance, you can see your pit crew now, and the crowd is 3D rendered -- no longer are they just 2D boards. Also textures and the details of the environments you race in have nice little improvements. I noticed that the road was much more detailed than before. Seeing the sun shine on it as you're driving by in a Dodge Viper GTS at speeds of 150 mph just doesn't get better. Graphics is the probably the most celebrated part of the GT series, and it shows in GT4. Without question, there is no other driving simulator on consoles that looks this good. The number of tracks isn't stingy either. All the tracks from GT3 are back, plus new ones. You'll be able to explore parts of Europe that you weren't able to before. The cities are captured as they are in real-life.

The audio has always been overlooked when it comes to GT games. Everyone is so amazed at the realism of the look and feel of the game, they rarely notice the sound of it. In fact, I'm going to say that there were more improvements to the audio than the video. I did get to experience the Dolby Pro Logic II feature in the game, and it surprised me. I didn't think the surround feature could have the impact that it did: GT4 really makes you feel like you are inside the car. The air effects are perfection. Each speaker gives out sounds exactly the way the inside of a car feels. When you start racing on the speedways it gets even better. You race up to speeds over 200 mph and you can definitely hear the air rushing over your car. This is how amazing the sound is -- up until now I have been talking about nothing but how the air sounds. That leaves out how the tires screech, how each car has a distinct engine sound, and how there are 30-some songs in the game with customizable playlists. From James Brown to Jet, the game can't get any more diverse when it comes to songs. It does have an Earth, Wind & Fire song, and any game with a song from them automatically makes my most-loved list. The option to turn certain songs off during races prevents annoyance.

While we're on the topic of options, that's another factor of GT4 that I absolutely love. There are so many options and customizations. It's probably the biggest options menu I have ever seen. You can change the way your game sounds, looks, feels -- it's astonishing how many different options there are. And having this many options is something that should be in any game, because the player, just as with the play list, can change the game to exactly how they want. More options means there's more of a chance to satisfy the gamer.

GT4 basically features two main modes of play. There's arcade mode and Gran Turismo mode. Arcade mode is the pick-up-and-play mode, kind of like the quick-play mode in other games. Gran Turismo mode is the main mode. Here you will navigate a map where your garage is available as well as different country showrooms and events. You'll also find shops, licensing centers, test drive areas, etc. It's a well-laid-out map even if it takes a couple times to memorize where certain things are since it's a bit scattered. When actually racing, there's a new B-spec mode. This mode essentially puts you in the role of the coach. You can give orders to your driver, and he executes them. B-spec mode is something that is great to have, but it makes you wonder how much better it could have been if it was worked on more. The options to give to the driver are pretty slim. There's a 1-5 scale of how fast and aggressive the driver can be, there's a pit stop command and an overtake command. That's it. Also new is the photo mode. Now this is a feature I definitely got hooked on. At first it doesn't sound enticing, but once you get into it, you really get into it. Basically what you do in photo mode is take pictures from 64 different angles during replay. You can then take these pictures and make a slideshow to any of the songs featured in the game. I became insanely obsessed with taking cool shots of my cars. The slideshows are really fun to watch, too. You can save them and show them off to your friends later or just keep them for memories. Again you can save replays just as before. Replays are another part of the game that is really fun to experience. It's probably the most gorgeous thing to look at, too. There is a new dive-mode replay which does crazy camera angles with motion and coloring effects. There is definitely some great eye candy in the replay mode.

Now we get to the meat of the game, the actual racing. What people don't realize about GT4 is that it is realistic driving. You're not going to be able to take turns at 100 mph. You have to slow down to speeds of 30 mph or even 15 mph on some sharp u-turns. The skill level of GT4 is definitely high. Beginners will have a rough time adjusting to the realism. One part of driving that is especially hard to cope with is the concept of braking before a turn. Experience is the only way for one to understand when to brake for certain corners and turns. In order to master tracks, you're going to have to memorize them, but that's exactly how real life is. Each car's torque, horsepower, weight, suspension -- they all have affect on how the car will handle. As you tune your car up with new suspensions, turbos, engine upgrades, brake upgrades, etc., the car's handling and speed change accordingly. The great thing about this is that you'll have to customize certain features of your car to get the best performance on each track. A little tweak to the suspension and the type of tires you use will affect your performance. It's amazing how Polyphony was able to capture just how each car handles because every car does handle in its own unique way. Maybe a car with high horsepower isn't so great for the narrow streets of Seattle, so that means you should use a car with better handling and save that extreme-horsepower car for a speedway. The game makes you adjust to the tracks. The licensing feature can be a nuisance for veterans of the GT series, but it is very useful for beginners to learn how to handle realistic racing turns and braking. It's almost a good thing that GT4 makes you get through the licenses to race.

So you're probably wondering why this game doesn't deserve a 100% mark. Well, let me explain. Online mode was scheduled for the game but was canned about two months ago. This was really disappointing; online racing is almost a must nowadays in racing games. Especially, which leads me to the next problem, since the AI in the game is still poor. The GT series has never been able to get over the AI hump. It's not terrible, but could be a lot better. Opponents seem to just drive on rails and don't really react to moves you put on them. They don't try to cut you off or block your attempts at passing them. Damage is something that also has not been implemented. I actually find it good that the game doesn't have realistic damage because that would make the game way too difficult for anyone to play, but there should be at least some sort of punishment for ramming into other cars or walls. With 4 years of difference between GT3 and GT4, you would think that some of these issues could be fixed or worked on, but they haven't been at all. Polyphony is supposed to release an expansion pack that will have online play, but when you consider taht Polyphony is constantly late and delaying their products, who knows when we'll have that?

Realism doesn't get more realistic, and that's one of the disadvantages the GT series has. The game really can't get any more realistic when it comes to driving physics. That's why from now on, there won't be a revolution in the series like GT3 was. GT4 is definitely a more-perfected form of GT3. If you have a GT3 save file on your memory card, you can transfer your licenses over and up to 100,000 credits. This was a nice addition for vets as starting out with 100,000 credits is a lot better than 10,000, plus you don't have to go through licensing again. Another thing the GT series has going against it is just the idea of realistic driving. Many people won't find the game fun because of the realism. That's always been a problem that has hindered GT4 as a game. The fun factor is dependent on the gamer, but if you look at GT4 and you look at what it's trying to do, which is to simulate driving, it is near perfection. GT4 does have room for improvement, as all simulation games do, but as of right now, there is nothing like it. If you know and love the GT series, there is no reason why you shouldn't have this game already. If you're looking for something to simply show off your home-theater setup with a game, this is probably one of the best to do so.

Graphics: A+

Sound: A+

First Play: A-

Last Play: A

Gameplay: A

Overall: 96% A