Since the time of the original Playstation there has been one franchise that has done wonders for auto enthusiasts around the world. The Gran Turismo series has always flaunted its realistic driving physics and a laundry list of cars and tracks from every nook and cranny in the world. Gran Turismo 4 marks the second time the series has received a sequel on the PS2. For the most part, the newest iteration is similar to the earlier games in the franchise but it is still damn fun to play.

As with the previous entries in the series, Gran Turismo 4 features an insane amount of cars numbering more than 650 cars from many different manufacturers this time. As you would expect, cars from America, Japan, and Germany make up a huge portion of the roster but you also have access to cars from some of the more obscure countries like Korea and Sweden. Even though the aforementioned car manufacturers make up the bulk of the car totals, GT4 also has older cars as well as concept cars. Ranging from Model T Fords to futuristic beauties, you would be hard pressed to not find a car that fits your liking.

As said before, GT4 is very similar to GT3 but of course there are some differences. One of the biggest changes I noticed was the new garage interface. Instead of having to go through a very long list of cars in your garage, you can now sort through them with drop down menus. Criteria for sorting range from country of origin to power to weight ratio. Needless to say, things will be simpler for you to deal with the ever-expanding size of your garage. This time around there are 3D crowd models, which you really don’t notice unless you are on a rally track. The onlookers will also occasionally run out on the course to take pictures of your vehicle. There are also the less active spectators that just sit there and cheer you on while you drive around. For test purposes I tried to see if I could tag one but my dreams were quickly shot down. The presence of the pedestrians work wonders by helping to immerse you into the world of GT.

Like its older sibling, GT4 brings a good deal of technical finesse to your PS2. Right from the start, you will notice the beautiful car models and the much-improved lighting effects. The GT series has always been there to push the PS1 and PS2 hardware to the limit and it seems that GT4 takes it a step further. Even with the upgraded visuals, there is zero slow down.

No matter what anyone tells you, GT4 is not all about the cars; the game features more than 50 courses for your driving pleasure. There are real world tracks like Laguna Seca, city courses through New York and Korea, and rally races; this little list here does not even scratch the tip of the iceberg. Also new this time around, is the inclusion of snow and ice courses. On top of the old mainstays, El Capitan and Nürburgring are welcome additions to the track roster.

Back in the day, before delay #15, there was talk of online play being included with GT4. Alas, the online portion was canned. I was a little disheartened at first but GT4 makes up for it by allowing multiplayer for up to six players via LAN. The LAN setup is a pain to get running. Seeing how almost all modern racing games have online support, I think that the omission of online play will ultimately deter some potential buyers.

After all is said and done, Gran Turismo 4 had some pretty big shoes to fill. Even though it was constantly hit by numerous delays and some feature omissions, GT4 will have a lot of airtime in your PS2. Not as big of a leap as seen from GT2 to 3 (due to hardware change), but there is plenty here for old fans as well as more than enough to reel in new autophiles. If you have not played it yet I highly recommend that you go pick it up.