With nearly 3 years in the making, Gran Turismo 4 is shaping up to be one of the most promising racers of all time. It is one of the few in its genre that is capable of catering to the harcore sim crowd, as well as the much more casual gamer. From circut racing to drag, and from technical to drift, Gran Turismo 4 offers up a healthy plate of content and crowd appeal.

Visually, this is one of the best looking games on PlayStation 2. GT4 has received many upgrades since its predecessor Gran Turismo 3. First and foremost, the car models have undergone a nice makeover, sporting much more attention to detail. The biggest improvements are definitely the tracks and the spectators. Tracks now benefit from excellent lighting, and all spectators are fully rendered 3D models, in place of the 2D "cardboard" cutouts that have been seen in previous installments. Even when going in for a pit stop during a race, you will immediately notice the new addition of a fully rendered Pit Crew that does everything from change tires to refuel the car. The sound is also something very noteworthy. From the throaty hum of the '69 GT40 Race car, to the high pitched scream of the Honda S2000, GT4 features some of the best car sounds seen in a racing game to this day. In addition, they will all be presented in the new Dolby Pro-Logic II.

Gran Turismo 4 also sports much more content than its three older brothers. Boasting over 700 cars, from around 80 different manufacturers, you will not get bored easily with the variety of cars, and there should be plenty of replay value. Of course, what would cars be without the tracks to race them on? GT4 will feature nearly 65 unique tracks (90 if you count the reverse courses). Featuring such legendary tracks as the Leguna Seca Race way, or the infamous 24km Nurburgring, and including all of the classics one would expect from previous GT installments.

In addition to stunning visuals and a large car selection, GT4 will feature considerably more options and modes to play. New to the world of GT4 are Travel Office, which is the new Photomode, Drift Mode, and Drag Racing. Details on most of the new gameplay features have not been revealed, however there is a decent amout of information on the Photomode. It will consist of two basic components, Photo Travel and Photo Drive. Photo Travel allows you to take your selected car to one of 15 different locations and place it anywhere in any way you like. From there you can adjust the camera angle, change the depth of focus, and add special effects, as well as many other photographic options. Photo Drive is a function that will allow you to take any existing saved replays and use them to generate live action photos. Special effects are available, from motion blur to color tones, and you will be able to chose from any of the 300 preset camera angles.

Sadly, GT4 will not feature an online mode from the start, however it will support LAN play as well as the standard split screen multiplayer. An online version of GT4, or something close to it, will release later in the year, possibly late in 2005. The inclusion of online play was scrapped due to technical difficulties between different regions around the world.

Stay tuned for more in-depth and up to date information regarding Gran Turismo 4.