Gran Turismo 4 Vs. Forza Motorsport

For many years different software companies have attempted to create a great racing sim for consoles. Ever since Virtua Racing appeared on the scene the racing sims have mostly gone in one direction, up.
It wasn't till Sony and Polyphony Digital released the first of a very successful Gran Turismo series of games. It is the first game to take driving simulation to a whole new level. With license tests that you had to pass to unlock races, the game really taught you how to race and drive a car at high speeds. It was a breakthrough indeed for Sony and soon became one of the top selling video game franchises to date. The most recent game, Gran Turismo 4 (Gt4, Pictured above) keeps the franchise strong.
The first thing anyone notices about this game is that it is absolutely gorgeous graphically. This has some of the most beautiful photo-realistic courses and cars I have ever seen in a video game. The intro alone blew me away the first time I saw it. I was literally saying "THIS IS A VIDEO GAME!?" Polyphony digital went the extra mile when they designed the graphics for this game. Now, some may argue that the fans in the stands aren't animated or what little gripes some may have, but the reality is, who cares about the fans? It's a racing game! Concentrate on the road people!

Then comes the most important part of the game, the actual gameplay. GT4 carries on in Polyphony tradition of being a very realistic driving simulation. This makes the license tests extremely crucial. Knowing how to take turns at the apex and at optimum speed will help you go very far in the game. The added Traction control, and driving aides (that can be modified) are handy to have around. Turning them off is not necessary and does not take away from the game play. For racing games, I like the PS2 controller set up over the XBox controller (XBox Controller S was used). The size and response of the analog controller on the PS2 is nicer for precise steering, acceleration, and braking. This game also delivers a driving AI option called B-Spec. This is handy for those lengthy endurance races that you don't feel like sitting down for a couple hours playing through. Your B-Spec driver will drive similar to you. In this mode you can also speed up the race and give your driver directions of how aggressive to drive. It's like having the radio connection to your driver that race crews have. This AI is also fairly adaptive. The better you drive, the better it drives, and the more races you let it drive and it wins, the better your AI gets. If you love real racing and real driving sims this is this the game for you. But what good is a driving game like this without the most important thing, The Cars!

Gran Turismo offers over 650 different cars that you can buy and unlock throughout the course of the game. Though some may argue that this aspect is only for the true car enthusiasts, I'd have to say that I partially agree. It's not exactly necessary to have all those cars, but it does give you one thing that Forza doesn't offer, a large variety of cars from a plethora of car manufacturers. This game has the widest selection of cars and manufacturers to date and believe me, Polyphony spared no expense at the realism of these cars. They meticulously researched every aspect of each car, and even went around recording real engine sounds to add to the realism. Though you may not be able to "pimp your ride" like you can in NFS Underground, you can certainly tune the hell out of them. This may be more reserved for the car nuts out there, but with a little tinkering, anyone can find a good set of values that works well for them and stick with it. Bottom line here, each car is beautifully rendered and looks extremely realistic. Sometimes you have to even double take to make sure it's still a video game. Game play, Visuals (including cars) thus far have all been pretty spectacular. But a game like this needs to have killer sound. Thank goodness that it does!.

GT4 boasts rich sound effects and a killer sound track to boot. Polyphony once again out did themselves by recording real life engine sounds and implementing them into the game. And your driving music, awesome! A large bank of music to keep you bobbing your head a little as you race towards victory.

Over all, this game will take some time to get really good at. Learning the tracks is important and so is learning how to properly drive. But this game will keep you race happy for a long time to come. I've been a fan of the Gran Turismo series since it's beginning and I have yet to be disappointed. I would definitely recommend this game to anyone looking for a great racing game and they're not afraid to put a little work into getting better.



In 2005 Microsoft released their answer [read competition] to GT4 called Forza Motorsport. This is Microsoft's first attempt at creating a realistic driving simulator. The result is a game truly worthy of being a successful racing franchise. It may not be GT4, but Forza still does not disappoint.
Like GT4, Forza Motorsport boasts brilliant graphics and smooth textures. However, this is one area that Gt4 dwarfs Forza. The cars and environments are not as photo-realistic as Gt4 and I found I had trouble sometimes seeing the track and its turns (without the best line indicator on ) but everyone knows that graphics aren't everything. Everyone knows game play is more important.

Forza doesn't disappoint here either. Forza succeeds in becoming another realistic racing simulator. However, the traction control and driving aides in this game don't seem to work as well as GT4 and are not adjustable like they are in GT4. So if you're used to GT4 style controls, be ready for a bit of a change in game play. Braking in this game seems to be a lot different. GT4 allows you to take some cars and control them as you are breaking into a turn. Forza makes you respond earlier and you can't really steer well at all (Even with ABS on, you still skid). Also, I personally was not a fan of the triggers for acceleration and braking. It works well, but I prefer the PS2 style analog better. For steering I also prefer the PS2 analog better because there is more travel on the controller allowing for smaller adjustments. So if you want to have better driving, you might want to go with a steering wheel controller for this game. One nice feature is that you can have on a "best line" indicator on while you drive. This is a great way to learn the tracks and also work on your driving. It's a nice feature, but can in some way be seen as cheating. GT4 makes you actually learn how to drive and tests you allowing you to gain more racing confidence. Like GT4 there is an AI driver option available. The difference with this AI mode, called Drivatar, is that you have to actually train your drivatar by driving on the courses themselves. From these races you drive, the Driveatar will mimic your driving abilities in each given driving situation (Different types of turns etc...) And now for the meat of any driving game, the cars.

Forza has to take a back seat to GT4 in this department as well. Forza doesn't boast nearly as many cars as GT4, but there are still a fair amount of cars to be won and bought. Customization of the cars is much more simplistic than GT4, and there isn't as much fine tuning that can be done. But that can either be viewed as a positive or negative aspect, you decide. Unlike GT4, the Look of your car can be customized more, but I still think that its not really what a racing game like this is really about, but it is a nice feature to have. As visually and gameplay rich this game is, it is definitely an ear-sore.

First off, the sound track is horrible! It's all instrumental versions of songs that some people might know, but they go the extra distance of butchering them. It's also all done with an overdriven electric guitar and a drum machine that doesn't sound all that realistic. The engine noises aren't bad but they still sound generic. The sounds of the tire screeching don't sound much like tire screeches at all! Microsoft needs to step up this department if and when they create a follow-up to this game.

Bottom line, Forza is a strong driving simulator/race game. It takes a little getting used to the controls (especially if you're used to the Gran Turismo Series) but regardless it is solid in its own right. The graphics and especially sound could have been better and there could have been some refinements in the controls. Regardless of its flaws, it still deserves to be hailed as good competition to GT4.

OVERALL:
Some might argue that Forza is better because there is actually car damage, but that is just preference. The one thing that is mainly griped about GT4 is that there still is no Online play (However, apparently there is a way to actually do it, if I ever find out I will post it here). I do agree, that is definitely a huge no-no in today's gaming world. Unfortunately as it stands now, the next GT game to come out for the PS3 might not have Online Play either (Let's hope this is not true). All these things set aside I would have to say that GT4 really is the superior game. This may be a PS2 and Gran Turismo Series bias on my part, but after playing Forza I still didn't feel there was enough behind Forza to keep me interested in the long run. The controls and realism of GT4 is a much better system in my opinion especially because of the controller itself. So while Forza may be a good first attempt for Microsoft, it's still not the grand daddy and reigning champion of racing games Gran Turismo.

Wired at the Hip

Being in Mexico recently has made me realize one simple thing. We (those living in a high-tech world) really do need/rely on/want technology in our lives at any point in the day. The reason my Mexico trip made me realize that is this: Where we stayed, The Costa Azul Adventure Resort in San Francisco, Nayarit, is a place where the most high tech thing in your rooms is the air conditioner. That's right, no TV, no Phone, no Radio in the rooms. The bar area was a little different. There was a radio and a TV there, but for the most part I never watched TV save for one night that I happened to catch the World Hot Dog Eating Championships on Mexican ESPN. Other than that, guests were pretty much all alone and virtually disconnected from the rest of the world. But being a person from the Silicon Valley, I began to realize how much I miss technology and noticed it among a few people.
The most high tech piece of gear that I had with me was my iPod. But during my five day visit there, I only really used it on the plane ride to and from Mexico. There were a few people there that were considerably more "wired" than I was. First there was Ernie, he had his iPod and PSP handy and when I first walked into his room one night I saw him watching the Final Fantasy movie on his PSP. But that was as wired as he was. One more of my brother's friends was just as wired as he also brought his PSP with some movies etc... with him. Then there was Ray. Ray you could say was the most wired individual out of everyone there. He brought his really nice Digital camera complete with at least 3-4 large lens attachments (which provided for some excellent pictures) as well as his G4 Powerbook and new Treo cell phone. He did have some work that he could potentially do, but mainly it was for downloading the photos from his camera on to his computer for viewing later. I had thought about bringing my laptop with me but in the end decided against it thinking I wouldn't have the opportunity to actually use it while in Mexico (boy was I wrong). His laptop came in handy on the day we were supposed to leave Mexico and got stuck in Puerto Vallarta for the night due to heavy downpour that ended up closing the airport for a few hours. Our plane simply could not land and got diverted to the nearest airport which was a 30 minute flight away. We at least were able to use the Powerbook to access the internet and contact people from the Marriott Hotel we ended up staying at for the night.
From that experience it dawned on me that we are far more reliant and used to having all this technology than I had previously thought. In fact, I was having mild cases of withdrawal from technology. As soon as we landed in San Francisco, I immediately hopped on my cell phone to check voice messages that I had gotten while in Mexico.
The next day I got in contact with a friend of mine living in Chicago who is always on her Sidekick. I then realized, "gee, she has that thing EVERYWHERE she goes!" And it made me realize more that our technology innovations have given us the opportunity to always be online in some way shape or form. In this case, the Sidekick allows her to be on AIM all the time no matter where she is. I know there have been countless amounts of times where she has been in other states like Wisconsin and Kansas and I would be surprised when she told me where she was.
All this has come together in my mind to form the conclusion that we really are "wired at the hip" in many cases. Our constant use of technology in our every day lives has made it clear that when you get taken away from it, you realize you start to miss it. I guess it's just the convenience factor that keeps pulling us back to technology. I guess it is mainly because technological advancements have made our lives much easier and allowed us to continue to communicate with people regardless of location. Technology can also be looked as a proverbial teddy-bear in that we sometimes find comfort and security in our technology. But, despite all that, it still never hurts to occasionally disconnect your self from the rest of the world. It can bring you some peace of mind and take away some worries that you may have if connected. I highly recommend anyone to occasional take a day or more to disconnect and get in touch with your thoughts and the natural world around you. You may just gain a whole new appreciation for it.

GTA: San Andreas, too hot for PC/Ps2/Xbox?

There has been much recent controversy over the content of Rockstar Games' newest installment of their Grand Theft Auto series of games. This one, titled San Andreas, takes you into a place reminiscent of the Southern California slums/ghettos. The game story line seems pretty simple to start: You are CJ a recently released prisoner coming back to pay his respects to his murdered "mother". You play the game working on getting respect, money, sex appeal, and other RPG type attributes that get built on during the course of the game. Other than being entertaining to play a gangster and blow things up this game is exteremely Vulgar and Violent (not to say I'm complaining or anything). These two areas can be cause for concern. First and formost, the concern comes in the form of little kids getting a hold of this game and playing it. This game got itself a M (Mature) rating by the ESRB. It got it with good reason. However, some might argue that an A (Adults only) rating would have been more appropriate. Especially with the emergence of a hidden mini game within GTA: San Andreas that is simply known as Hot Coffee. In the game, when you have a girlfriend, at the end of a date you can go inside for "Hot Coffee" which really is code for sex. Reports say that Rockstar Games initially did code that part into the game but later took it out for unknown reasons. Some speculate that it was to avoid and Adult Only rating. Whatever the reason, it was probably better left out. Of course, PC gamers found a way to reincorporate that part of the game allowing gamers to have sex in the game.
Appart from the sex, the game is really violent and vulgar. Cars are blown up, you shoot people, cops, other gangsters etc... And just about every other word that comes out of the mouths of the characters is a swear word. Now being a well educated individual and having more sense than a lemming, I don't get offended or taken aback by the content this game provides. However I do worry about other people. In my opinion this game is in many ways too violent and extreme for even most 18yr olds. Most people should not be playing this game until they can fully separate the game from reality. The truth is, even at 18 there is still an impressionable part of a person still active and playing a game like this can have a negative effect. (For the most part, video games and movies in my opinion are not responsible for violent behavior. Unfortunately, GTA: San Andreas might be one of the exceptions to the rule)
Bottom line: GTA: San Andreas is a fun and entertaining game complete with interesting story line, missions, and characters. I still have yet to go all the way through, but I'm enjoying it so far. The down side is that some really ignorant people might get influenced by the game somehow and end up doing some really stupid things that can cause someone to get hurt/killed. So if you do pick up this game, remember that it is only that; A GAME. Enjoy and play responsibly, then go out and do something active, like SURF!!!