tech.life@play | GT4 roars off the line in high style

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, March, 2005 | by Dennis Mccauley

Gran Turismo 4 Sony PlayStation 2. $49.99. Rating: E (all ages). www.gt4.playstation.com.

There are hundreds of video games released each year, but only a few qualify as genuine gaming events. Sony's Gran Turismo 4 is one of those few.

The latest version of the Gran Turismo series rekindles a digital love affair with the automobile that began on the original PlayStation in 1998. More than 38 million copies of the first three games in the Gran Turismo franchise have been sold worldwide, and GT4 has the polished look of a best-seller as well.

This is, in some ways, your father's racing sim, since Gran Turismo 4 cleaves tightly to the formula that earned the checkered flag in the past.

There are improvements, to be sure, but they are for the most part...