PRETTY COOL
Visually, there is no other. Simply said, GT4 is in a league of its own. Going back and comparing GT4 to GT3, a few things are instantly noticeable; the cars are definitely sharper looking and more vibrant in detail, the environments are downright stunning, the atmospheric colors look almost drab and boring in comparison to GT4's, and overall image is cleaner in GT4 than GT3. GT4's framerate is rock solid and is the only sim racer among the console market to run at a full 60 frames per second -- no other game is, or will, be doing that anytime soon (Konami's Enthusia is still up in the air). The older tracks that made their last appearance in GT3 have seen facelifts here and there; surrounding textures have been beefed up a little, the colors have been made much more vibrant and pleasing to look at, the out of bounds sand and grass doesn't look quite as messy as it did before, the trees have received some additional touches, and the roads have gotten themselves a nice new layer of pavement.
But what about all of the new tracks? Oh, man...a sight to see. Tracks such as The Grand Canyon, George V Paris, Opera Paris, Hong Kong, Citta di Aria, Tahiti Maze, Costa di Amalfi, Cote d`Azur, and Seoul Central are the most enjoyable, visually pleasing tracks I've ever seen in a racing game. But El Capitan would have to take the cake as the most downright, jaw-droppingly frigin' gorgeous track in a racing game ever. Seeing that mountainside is literally breathtaking. I've never been taken away by a videogame's environments quite as I have been with GT4's El Capitan. What's incredible is that El Capitan's environments are in-real time since you can drive right up to one of the mountains. The city tracks are every bit as breath taking, and seeing as how some city tracks are narrow, the game's new-found sense of speed increases ten-fold.
Since some complained about GT3's somewhat lacking sense of speed, Polyphony adjusted it just a bit to please the crowd; it's especially noticeable with the perspective in one of the first person views. Speaking of camera views; now when you're playing in first person view, and if you crash into a wall the screen will shake and get fuzzy as you crash - simulating impact. And if you brake really hard or accelerate really hard, you'll notice the camera either move down or up - simulating the car dipping and rising. Quite possibly the most shocking visual advance made in the GT series is Polyphony's surprise inclusion of progressive scan mode 480p, in addition to 1080i, a feat that everyone thought was impossible on the PS2. But the masterminds at Polyphony worked their magic and managed to get both 480p and 1080i running off the PS2 without a single visual sacrifice made. Though GT4's visuals aren't perfect and the game does have some weird little issues that need to be noted. First off, the shimmering in the background is still present, thankfully the game's road signs in the distance are very clear and easy to spot -- so unlike other racing games where shimmering is an issue of gameplay (Need for Speed Underground series), it doesn't really hurt GT4 that much. Secondly, there is a weird visual glitch in the game where the game screen would just start jittering and the visuals get slightly distorted. It almost never happens during gameplay, but it happens often during the rolling-start fly-by intro, and always on the Las Vegas drag strip -- very weird. But, it doesn't change the fact that visually, GT4 cannot be toppled; as it's still boasting the most meticulously detailed vehicles with the most extravagant lighting details. Witnessing GT4 makes you a believer...it'll make you believe that Polyphony Digital was assembled by God himself.
It's baffling when you think about it, but GT4 has finally arrived after a long and excruciating wait. Only with the GT series can I sit down and plug away 10 hours straight and not realize where the time has gone; no other franchise has that effect on me. The Gran Turismo series is by far my most favorite gaming series of all time and there are no amount of ‘thank yous’ that can describe how much I love every iteration. GT4 is no exception and it is easily the best of the series, the most refined, and without a doubt one of the most gorgeous videogames of this generation. Gran Turismo 4 is a masterpiece and there's no two ways about it.