PSP World

Gran Turismo 4 impressions - Part I

Yes, it's that time again. Time to test our skill, patience, and eyesight endurance: a new Gran Turismo has arrived. Time to lust after cars that we can't afford, and marvel at, win, and then drive cars that will probably never see production. As we previously reported, the PSP version should be very close to a direct port of the PS2 installment - so we are covering the PS2 version to give you an idea of what to expect from the PSP port. There will be some differences, and we will try and point those out when possible.

As soon as you boot the game up, you'll notice that the load times seem to have greatly improved over GT3. Let's hope it stays this way on the PSP. Before starting the game, it prompts you to create a save file. You don't have to do this, but then again if you purchase any Gran Turismo just for arcade mode you might want to consider a different game. You had better hope you've got an ample Memory Stick by the time this baby comes out - on the PS2, the save file took up 1.4 megs, and we don't see it being any different on the PSP. As soon as your game save is ready, it's time to play - or is it?

You start the game with the GT requisite of 10,000 credits with which to purchase your first car. You have to do this before you enter a race, and getting started on your license tests isn't a bad idea either. The license structure is similar to previous installments, with the progression going from B all the way up to Super. Speaking of licenses, this is going to be a big deal when the mobile version launches - since the PSP has USB, will it be able to upload your licenses earned on the PS2 like GT4 can with GT3 licenses? We certainly hope so.

There are many good choices for a first car, almost all of them used. We went to Used Car Showroom I and purchased the 246HP '92 Lancer Evolution GSR for 9,582cr. Once you have your car purchased, you'll want to go to Home on the map and save. In fact, you'll find that many functions are accessible from the Home menu. We then headed to the "B" License test. Depending on your skill level, this 16-part test will take anywhere from 30 minutes to a full hour. With this out of the way, it's time to race (finally)!

At this point, it's time to start exploring your racing options. The main navigation of the game takes place on a map-esque screen, with many destinations. The destinations can be broken down by their general purpose.

General

• Home
• Photo Travel
• Jukebox
• Replay Theater

Car Shopping

• Australia
• Belgium
• France
• Germany
• GT Auto
• Historic Showroom
• Italy
• Japan
• Korea
• Netherlands
• Spain
• Sweden
• UK
• USA
• Used Car Showroom I
• Used Car Showroom II

Racing/Practice

• American Events
• Beginner Events
• City Courses
• Dirt & Snow
• Driving Missions
• Driving Park
• Endurance Events
• European Events
• Extreme Events
• Japanese Events
• License Center
• Original Circuits
• Power & Speed
• Professional Events
• Special Condition Events
• Tuner Village
• World Circuits

Whew! As you can tell, there are quite a few options. The country selections house the car companies native to the country, and there some One Make Races hidden within these individual car company pages. The "circuits" selections allow you to run courses for practice, at a cost of 5cr. each. You can find races in many spots, so feel free to explore your options before moving on to get the next license. You can move through the license tests all at once, but since you won't be winning any Super license races with a starter used car, we don't recommend it.

As you move through the races and win more cars and money, you can start thinking about upgrading cars you already own. This is where we are heading with our own game, and so this will wrap up the introductory business. As we move along in the game, we will be posting more impressions leadiing up to a final review (of sorts). Thus far, the game is meeting all our expectations, and gives us a very promising look at what the PSP version could be.