After being wowed by GT4 footage at Sony's E3 press conference on Tuesday, we were gagging to know more about PS2's hottest game. And in a special demo to select members of the press yesterday afternoon, we got to take a closer look at the game in action and find out more about GT4's killer features.
Kazunori Yamauchi, head of Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo team, confirmed that GT4 will feature 500 different cars, including standard models, convertibles, modified motors, souped-up racers and "historically significant" vehicles.
As well as realistic environments from locations around the world including New York, Paris, London and the Grand Canyon, GT4 will also feature licensed circuits from every corner of the globe, including tracks from Japan, Europe and the United States, bringing the total number of courses to over 100.
Yamauchi-san also elaborated on his press conference claim that GT4 features a completely new physics engine that makes the cars perform in a more realistic manner.
He revealed that GT4 had been tested against real-life trials on the Tsukuba race course in Japan, and that professional drivers had clocked times which were virtually identical to the performance of expert GT4 players, proving that the game is as close to real racing as possible.
Yamauchi went on to say that the new physics engine also makes the cars easier to handle, and that players new to the world of GT won't find themselves spinning out of control so easily as they try to master the controls.
The AI of the rival drivers has also been tweaked to make them seem more 'human', with computer controlled racers showing more consideration for other racers on the track and avoiding slamming into the back of other vehicles as they burn around tight corners. He also said that the computer controlled cars would learn from their mistakes this time, making for an incredibly tough challenge on the harder difficulty settings.
Off the race track, Yamauchi also says that GT4 will offer gamers a more rewarding experience. Players will be able to visit virtual museums to take a closer look at GT4's classic cars (and take them for a spin, of course), and second-hand car dealers will also be available where players can test drive motors that are five or ten years old to see how they compare to their shiny new counterparts.
Yamauchi also gave more details on the special GT4 steering wheel that's being developed by peripherals supremos, Logitech, in association with Polyphony Digital.
The GT4 wheel will feature 900 degree rotation lock-to-lock, just like most modern motors, making for more natural steering and allowing players complete control when tackling tracks in dangerous conditions. The wheel will also feature stronger force feedback that reflects different cars and driving conditions in a more convincing manner, along with improved steering precision, all the buttons you'd normally find on a Dual Shock controller and an independent gear stick.
As far as online gaming is concerned, Yamauchi revealed that up to six cars will be able to compete at the same time. Unfortunately, he also revealed that the game will not support Sony's forthcoming PS2 Headset for car-to-car chat as he didn't want to risk compromising graphical quality or car physics.
He also hinted that the finished game will allow players to modify their car's appearance as well as it's engine, but he wouldn't be drawn any further on what customisation options gamers will be offered.
The presentation ended with a video that showed Yamauchi and his team visiting locations around the globe to take measurements which were used to make the tracks as realistic as possible. Amazingly, when the game footage kicked-in it was almost impossible to tell the difference between real-life video pictures and the in-game action. Without a doubt, it's the best looking driving sim. in the history of videogames.
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