Prologue: GT4: Price: £24.99 Players: 1 Widescreen: Yes DTS sound: No 60Hz: No For many months, Gran Turismo 4 has been hyped here, there and everywhere, but while I enjoyed its 2001 prequel, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, it was a title that was fun to play with a while but the basic elements of the game did start to repeat themselves on further playings. Options, options, options. Yes, these kind of games are full of them and if I was to list them all here they wouldn't be much different from the last time and you'd find more variety in a student's shopping list. Two basics - a School Mode where you get to try all the licence tests from 'GT4' and then use the skills and any cars won into the Arcade Mode and play about on there until you grow tired of it. When the full game comes out, it will include online play - except that I never was able to get the PS2 Network Adaptor to work. Perhaps it's because I'm on Pipex? Who knows. I tried many times to get it to work and sourced help here, there and everywhere. I can easily get Xbox Live up and running on that one and it works instantly so given the choice...

Since I played the third game in the series, we've been treated to the Xbox and the wonders it can behold graphically, and this does put the PS2 at a disadvantage. Sure, for the PS2, it does look superb, but after being spoiled by such racing treats on the Microsoft console as Project Gotham Racing 2 and the jaw-dropping Moto GP 2, I already get the idea of what a shiny track looks like as the sun glistens down and I know what New York looks like having raced down there and similar streets in other driving games that have come along since, but each new game that comes along next must try and improve upon that in whatever way it can so as to generate the interest and, more importantly, fun. Given the Xbox experience, things like jaggies on the car wheels are more easily noticeable and, as such, do make for a bit of a disappointment by comparison.

Aurally and gameplay-wise, things don't feel any different - especially the Charlie Brown-esque game intro music. Perhaps I'll feel like things have changed noticeably by the time the proper 'GT4' is released in October but I doubt it. After three years I haven't seen much change here, and may as well go back and continue where I left off with 'GT3'. There's only so many times you can flog the same game over and over. Then again, look at all the sports sequels which are rehashed year after year with few changes and people continue to snap those up. This review may come across as really negative. Maybe it's that since last time I've turned 30? No, that can't be it since there have been other games which really did excite me. Maybe Polyphonic Digital need to pull their finger out? Who knows. All I do know is that I play this disc and I just feel.... not very much at all, and I just need something more to the title that'll make it stand out from what's gone before. If you've only got a PS2 and you've a hard-on for the 'Gran Turismo' range then go for it, either for the full-on version when it arrives, or in this prologue edition which comes complete with a bonus disc containing a GT4 trailer, gallery and "Making of GT4" movie with behind-the-scenes footage. I say "it comes complete with..." although only the game disc was supplied for review purposes.

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Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2004.