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GRAN TURISMO 4 PROLOGUE (PS2)
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Publisher: Sony.
Developer: Polyphony Digital. Released: May 2004. Genre: Racing. Posted 7th October 2020. By Tom Clare © 2020 |
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How do you define Gran Turismo 4 Prologue? It’s not a demo. You don’t pay £20 for a demo. It couldn’t really be described as a mission pack either, as strictly speaking, it doesn’t offer much in the way of unique content. As is so often the case with major endeavours, the hotly-anticipated Gran Turismo 4 couldn’t make good on a planned 2003 release window. The short-term solution was for Polyphony Digital to release Prologue as a stop-gap; a taster. A means of placating restless fans and of covering GT4’s ballooning development costs. Its rather unfortunate purpose was then, in effect, to heighten expectation for a forthcoming game that would soon render it redundant.
It did the trick though. Despite the rather underwhelming reality of Prologue, it would sell almost 1.5 million units. In a slightly self-indulgent message splashed across the game’s cover, Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi introduces Prologue as “an opportunity to prepare for the imminent challenge of GT4”. It goes without saying, there were already plenty of viable opportunities for such preparation, most obviously Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec. With this in mind, could Prologue deliver enough to act as a credible stand-alone in the meantime?
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Prologue whets the appetite for GT4, but license tests alone fail to make for a compelling package.
That’s debatable. As an appetiser, there’s a certain allure for fans of this excellent racing series. For starters, you get to appreciate how promising an engine GT4 is harnessing. It runs like a dream and looks glorious, with cars and circuits appearing more realistic than ever. The handling has tremendous feel and the three-tiered medal system will provide an itch to return and improve your times.
Prologue has two overriding problems. Firstly, like Gran Turismo Concept before it, the game offers questionable value for money, even factoring in a reduced price-point. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec was already a fixture of the Platinum range and you get a heck of a lot more for the same price. Of the 51 circuits that would eventually feature in GT4, Prologue showcases just five. Of the labyrinthine, 700 car library, just 50 or so make an appearance here. There are none of the championships, endurance races or tuning options that are a hallmark of the series. Of perhaps greater concern however, is the decision to structure almost the entirety of Prologue around an advanced driving school. The license tests have always been the series’ most divisive aspect. Something of a novelty in the original game, the increasingly numerous challenges would become something of a blight as the series developed, as the humdrum of over-familiarity sapped the enjoyment.
Prologue has two overriding problems. Firstly, like Gran Turismo Concept before it, the game offers questionable value for money, even factoring in a reduced price-point. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec was already a fixture of the Platinum range and you get a heck of a lot more for the same price. Of the 51 circuits that would eventually feature in GT4, Prologue showcases just five. Of the labyrinthine, 700 car library, just 50 or so make an appearance here. There are none of the championships, endurance races or tuning options that are a hallmark of the series. Of perhaps greater concern however, is the decision to structure almost the entirety of Prologue around an advanced driving school. The license tests have always been the series’ most divisive aspect. Something of a novelty in the original game, the increasingly numerous challenges would become something of a blight as the series developed, as the humdrum of over-familiarity sapped the enjoyment.
FOCAL POINT: GT IN THE BIG APPLE
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The most interesting of the five new courses is the New York Street Circuit. It’s a lot of fun, harking back to the series’ earlier Seattle circuit, with overtaking opportunities aplenty and a dizzying fusion of skyscrapers, billboards and video screens. Based around Times Square and running along Broadway, it’s distinguished by an extremely lengthy start/finish straight that’s followed by a more technical middle section, comprising a sequence of ninety-degree corners, leading up to a tricky, semi-roundabout near the end of the lap. The layout bears some similarities to the Phoenix Grand Prix circuit, which hosted three Formula One races between 1989 and 1991.
Given that Prologue targets a more committed fan base, it’s a stretch to think many would learn a great deal from the 41 tests that make up the driving school. The vast majority of the challenges were covered in GT3: the basics of cornering, racing lines, braking, overtaking, driving on dirt and so on. It’s not all bad, though. The series’ renowned attention to detail is evident as the completion of each lesson unlocks the car in which you attempted it. Former Top Gear presenter and motoring journalist Vicki Butler-Henderson is on hand to talk the player through each of the lessons with some snappily-delivered monologues, lending things a fitting vibe.
Prologue’s five new circuits cover a little bit of everything. Two real-world tracks are the heartland of the GT experience: Tsukuba, a smaller, national circuit ideal for touring car racing and the Toyota-owned Fuji Speedway, which briefly hosted the Japanese Grand Prix during the period. Grand Canyon Rally Course represents one of Gran Turismo’s more expansive and ambitious dirt routes, lasting several minutes, whilst the Citta di Aria proves an exciting, car versus track experience as you thrash it along some impossibly tight Italian streets, holding your breath as you fly down alleyways. The pick of the bunch is New York, one of the most remarkable-looking courses in the series’ history and a throwback to fun, technical street courses that first made their presence felt in Gran Turismo 2.
Prologue’s five new circuits cover a little bit of everything. Two real-world tracks are the heartland of the GT experience: Tsukuba, a smaller, national circuit ideal for touring car racing and the Toyota-owned Fuji Speedway, which briefly hosted the Japanese Grand Prix during the period. Grand Canyon Rally Course represents one of Gran Turismo’s more expansive and ambitious dirt routes, lasting several minutes, whilst the Citta di Aria proves an exciting, car versus track experience as you thrash it along some impossibly tight Italian streets, holding your breath as you fly down alleyways. The pick of the bunch is New York, one of the most remarkable-looking courses in the series’ history and a throwback to fun, technical street courses that first made their presence felt in Gran Turismo 2.
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Outside of the driving school, the only outlet of play is a very cursory Arcade mode. It’s essentially a single-race mode, with little in the way of options. Two of the courses offer no A.I. options whatsoever, and so serve as little more than practice runs. There’s a slightly clinical, drab feel to proceedings, not helped by the innocuous elevator music and the depressingly naff “Coffee Break” events. Presumably in place to provide respite from the lessons, it rather has the opposite effect, with driving round hitting cones feeling so despairingly aimless as to make you want to switch the game off.
Thus it’s a bit of a non-entity. Like Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Resident Evil: Director’s Cut, Prologue feels like it exists to placate fans faced with a longer-than-expected wait for a new instalment. The problem is, Gran Turismo’s biggest strengths lie in its depth, and the possibilities brought about through tuning and tinkering. There’s no escaping the fact that driving school challenges, on their own, aren’t especially edifying. Gran Turismo is a lengthy endeavour, something you should be able to chip away at, improving as you go. Certainly, it shouldn’t be something to blast through in a couple of days. Prologue looks great, plays great and will have offered fans a lot of encouragement for the series going forward, but ultimately, it’s defined far more by what’s missing than what’s on show. It wasn’t worth it then, and it isn’t worth it now.
Thus it’s a bit of a non-entity. Like Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Resident Evil: Director’s Cut, Prologue feels like it exists to placate fans faced with a longer-than-expected wait for a new instalment. The problem is, Gran Turismo’s biggest strengths lie in its depth, and the possibilities brought about through tuning and tinkering. There’s no escaping the fact that driving school challenges, on their own, aren’t especially edifying. Gran Turismo is a lengthy endeavour, something you should be able to chip away at, improving as you go. Certainly, it shouldn’t be something to blast through in a couple of days. Prologue looks great, plays great and will have offered fans a lot of encouragement for the series going forward, but ultimately, it’s defined far more by what’s missing than what’s on show. It wasn’t worth it then, and it isn’t worth it now.
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VERDICT
"Prologue looks incredible, handles superbly and will have offered fans a lot of encouragement for the series going forward, but ultimately, it’s defined far more by what’s missing than what’s on show. It fails to justify its price tag." OVERALL: 5/10 |