Gran Turismo 4: Prologue

Ben takes-on this early rendition of Polyphony's latest...

More Images

Reviewing a game can appear deceptively simple at times and in a way I guess it is. However, is whether you think a game is good or not the only criteria you should be considering? Say you walk into a shop and see Pro Evolution Soccer 3 on the shelf for £39.99 and Fifa 2004 for £19.99. Pro Evo is clearly the infinitely superior game and my first reaction would be to ridicule and, quite possibly, slap anyone who chose to buy Fifa instead, but that's a narrow view. Games are pricey and 40 quid is a lot of money; so does the cost saving justify the purchase of the inferior game? I find myself juggling similar thoughts in my head when writing this review. GT4 Prologue is undoubtedly a brilliant game. After all, it's basically a glorified demo or taster of the forthcoming Gran Turismo 4 which, bar some sort of apocalyptic travesty, will undoubtedly be utter class. Knowing that this version will eventually be made more or less redundant by the release of the full game, can it really be recommended? Is the £24.99 RRP enough to offset this shortcoming? Endless questions, tricky answers.

Being basically a super cut down version of GT4, Prologue offers no career mode, no time trial mode, no 2 player options and certainly no online mode. What you do get for money is a five course arcade mode allowing you to race 3 laps of your chosen circuit, sometimes against opposition, sometimes not. With around 60 cars to play (over half of which are locked initially) this will manage to entertain for a while, but is ultimately short lived. The real beef of the title is the Driving School mode. It consists of over 40 lessons that aim to gently tutor you in the ways of high-speed precision racing. The long and short of this is that if all you're interested in is competitive racing, then Prologue will almost certainly not be your thing. But don't be so quick to write off the Driving School mode, however, as it actually offers far more fun that you may imagine.

If you're an avid console racer then unless you're a budding Michael Schumacher, your driving skills will undoubtedly improve through the course of this game - there's no question that I'm significantly better at racing games now than I was beforehand. The initial lessons are somewhat restrictive and will no doubt feel patronising to more experienced racers. The first, for instance, places a speed restriction of 50kph on your vehicle, the idea of which is to force you to concentrate on the racing line as opposed to screeching tyres and power slides, and in that respect it works successfully. The mothering nature of this lesson continues for a little while and it's a good few lessons in before you're let loose with an unrestricted vehicle that carries any notable power. Though this may frustrate some gamers, the truth is that by the time you are racing with some more juicy motors you'll most definitely be better equipped to handle them than if you had not taken the previous lessons.

If there's one thing that shines through more than anything else in Prologue it's a feeling of passion. Whether you believe that the game itself is a shameless money-making ploy designed to milk ardent fans of yet more cash or a sign of respect for impatient fans who've been forced to wait for years for the full GT4, there's no denying that a lot of thought and care has gone into Prologue. It's obvious from the start that the programmers genuinely want to help you improve your driving skills so that when GT4 does eventually appear you'll be far better equipped to deal with it. Typical challenges involve either tackling a series of corners within a set time limit or completing a lap without leaving the track. So much is the emphasis on improving your technique and not clocking the quickest time that much of the time there will not even be a time limit, so as long as you complete the challenge you'll be able to progress to the next. The female voice over is very pleasing to the ear; her relaxed and informative delivery is actually quite engaging and not once did I find myself skipping through without hearing all she had to say. There were times when I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as she urged me to "practice repeatedly until you can precisely follow the ideal line". Not only is this not actually essential to completing the game, but it suggests a level of obsession that I expect few gamers actually have. Still, as long as such comments are taken with a pinch of salt, they aren't at all obtrusive. >p>Fortunately, however, once you reach a certain stage of the school mode the challenge is really cranked up. Later lessons will grant you a stupidly powerful car and may require you to catch an opponent with a 10 second lead within 3 laps, or to reach a certain position on the track before your laps run out. Though the harshness of these challenges may seem a little unfair at first, by the time you get there your knowledge of braking points, overtaking manoeuvres and the true meaning of the racing line will mean that you're able to apply your knowledge to the challenge and eventually emerge victorious. One particular challenge required that I not only get up to 3rd place or better within 10 laps but also stay on the track. Considering that I was driving a McLaren F1 and that the ultra-realistic GT physics engine is not at all forgiving, this is a tremendous undertaking. Yet with effort I was able to do it, and what's more, I know that without the lessons it wouldn't have been possible. I certainly never performed as well in GT3.