gran turismo 4

Gran Turismo 4 Hints & Cheats

Gran Turismo 4 Unlockables

Unlockable Cars in License Centre

Unlockable How to Unlock

VOLKSWAGEN Lupo 1.4 '02 Complete Domestic B License

MAZDA KUSABI '03 Get All Silver in Domestic B License

HONDA S500 '63 Get All Golds in Domestic B License

PONTIAC Sunfire GXP Concept '02 Complete Domestic A License

HONDA DUALNOTE '01 Get All Silver in Domestic A License (Japanese Version)

NISSAN SKYLINE GT-R '01 Get All Golds in Domestic A License

NIKE One 2022 Complete International B License

MAZDA RX-8 Concept (Type-II) '04 Get All Silver in International B License

JENSEN HEALEY Interceptor Mk.III '74 Get All Gold in International B License

NISMO 270R '94 (S14) Complete International A License

NISSAN GT-R Concept '01 Get All Silver in International A License

DOME ZERO '78 Get All Gold in International A License

MERCURY Cougar XR-7 '67 Complete Super License

PONTIAC Solstice Coupe Concept '02 Get All Silver in Super License

FORD Model T Tourer '15 Get All Golds in Super License

Acura DN-X '02 A License - All Silver or better (US Version)

Unlockables

Unlockable How to Unlock

Autobianchi A112 Abarth '79 Get all gold in all the races for the Sunday Cup

Audi Nuvotari Quattro '03 Complete 25% of game

NISMO Skyline GT-R LM Road Going Version Win the Race of the Red Emblem

Triumph Spitfire 1500 '74 (Special Color- Maroon Metallic) Win the Spitfire Cup at the Triumph dealer.

Mini Marcos GT '70 Get gold in Mini Mini Sports Meeting

Jaguar XJ-R9 Race Car Complete 50% of the game

Polyphony Formula Gran Turismo 04 (Black Version) Complete 100% of Gran Turismo Mode

Unlockable Cars in Endurance Hall

Unlockable How to Unlock

FORD GT40 Race Car '69 Win Laguna Seca 200 Miles

MAZDA RX-7 LM Race Car '01 Win Roadster 4 Hours Endurance

MITSUBISHI FTO Super Touring Car '97 Win Tokyo R246 300km

HONDA NSX-R LM Edition Race Car '02 Win Super Speedway 150 Miles

POLYPHONY Formula Gran Turismo '04 Win Nurburgring 24 Hours Endurance

AUDI Abt Audi TT-R Touring Car '02 Win Nurburgring 4 Hours Endurance

LISTER Storm V12 Race Car '99 Win Suzuka 1000km

HONDA NSX-R LM Edition Road Car '02 Win Motegi 8 Hours Endurance

NISSAN SKYLINE GT-R Race Car (CALSONIC) '93 Win Tsukuba 9 Hours Endurance

AUDI R8 '01 Win Sarthe Circuit 24 Hours I

BENTLEY Speed 8 Race Car '03 Win Sarthe Circuit 24 Hours II

NISSAN R92CP Race Car '92 Win Fuji 1000km

FORD GT LM Edition '02 Win Infineon World Sport Car Trophy

TOYOYTA 88C-V Race Car (MINOLTA) '89 Win El Captain 200 Miles

DODGE Charger Super Bee 426 Hemi '71 Win New York 200 Miles

Auto Union V16 Type C Streamline Win Grand Valley Speedway 300Km

Chaparral 2D Race Car ('67) Win Nurburgring 4 Hours Endurance

Unlockable Cars in Beginner Hall

Unlockable How to Unlock

AUTOBIANCHI A112 Abarth '79 Win the Sunday Cup

MAZDA Atenza Concept '01 Win the FF Challenge

NISSAN SKYLINE 2000GT-B '67 Win the FR Challenge

TOYOTA Motor Triathlon Race Car '04 Win the 4WD Challenge

LOTUS Esprit Turbo HC '87 Win the MR Challenge

GINETTA G4 '64 Win the Light Weight K Cup

CHRYSLER Prowler '02 Win the Spider & Roadster

CHEVROLET Silverado SST Concept '02 Win the Sport Truck Race

MAZDA 6 Concept '01 Win the FF Challenge (U.S Version)

Unlockable Cars in Professional Hall

Unlockable How to Unlock

MAZDA Mazdaspeed Atenza '05 Win Clubman Cup

NISSAN OPTION Stream Z '04 Win Tuning Car Grand Prix

HONDA NSX-R Concept '01 Win Race of NA Sports

MAZDA BP FALKEN RX-7 (D1GP) '03 Win Race of Turbo Sports

RUF CTR Yellow Bird '87 Win Boxer Spirit

MERCEDES-BENZ Daimler Motor Carriage '1886 Win World Classic Car Series

HONDA S800 RSC Race Car '68 Win World Compact Car Race

CIZETA V16T '94 Win Supercar Festival

FORD GT LM Edition Spec-II '04 Win Gran Turismo World Championship

MAZDA Mazdaspeed 6 '05 Win Clubman Cup (U.S Version)

Unlockable Cars in Extreme Hall

Unlockable How to Unlock

BMW MacLaren F1 GTR Race Car '97 Win Gran Turismo All Stars

NISSAN GT-R Concept LM Race Car '02 Win Dream Car Championship

OPERA PERFORMANCE S2000 '04 Win Polyphony Digital Cup

VOLKSWAGEN W12 Nardo Concept '01 Win Like The Wind

POLYPHONY Formula Gran Turismo '04 Win Formula GT World (Japanese version)

NISSAN GRAN TURISMO SKYLINE GT-R (PaceCar) '01 Win Real Circuit Tours

FORD GT '05 Win Premium Sports Lounge

Mercedes Sauber C 9 Race Car '89 Win Formula GT World (US version)

Unlockable Cars in Mission Hall

Unlockable How to Unlock

DMC DeLorean S2 '04 Complete Missions 1-10

JAY LENO Tank Car '03 Complete Missions 11-20

PAGANI Zonda Race Car '01 Complete Missions 21-24

TOYOTA 7 Race Car '70 Complete Missions 25-29

NISSAN R89C Race Car '89 Complete Missions 30-34

Unlockable Cars in American Hall

Unlockable How to Unlock

CHEVROLET Corvette Convertible (C1) '54 Win American Championship

CHEVROLET Camaro LM Race Car '01 Win Stars and Stripes

CHEVROLET Chevelle SS 454 '70 Win American Muscle Car Championship

PLYMOUTH Super Bird '70 Win Classic Muscle Car Championship

Unlockable Cars in European Hall

Unlockable How to Unlock

JAGUAR XJ220 LM Edition '01 Win European Championship

JAGUAR E-Type Coupe '61 Win British GT Cup

LOTUS Europa Special '71 Win British Light Weight Car Race

MERCEDES-BENZ AMG CLK-GTR Race Car '98 Win German Touring Car Championship

ALFA ROMEO 155 2.5 V6 TI Race Car '93 Win Italian Festival

CITROEN 2CV Type-A '54 Win French Championship

MERCEDES-BENZ Benz Patent Motor Wagen '1886 Win European Classic Car Championship

VOLVO 240 GLT Estate '88 Win European Hot Hatch Car Championship

ALFA ROMEO Giulia Sprint Speciale '63 Win 1000 Miles

BMW M3 GTR Race Car '01 Win Schwarzwald League A

MERCEDES-BENZ AMG 190E 2.5 16V Evolution II (DTM) '92 Win Schwarzwald League B

Unlockable Cars in Japanese Hall

Unlockable How to Unlock

NISSAN Fairlady Z Concept LM Race Car '02 Win Japanese Championship

NISSAN MOTUL PITWORK Z (JGTC) '04 Win Japanese GT Championship

NISSAN SKYLINE Hard Top 2000GT-R (KPGC10) '70 Win Japanese 70's Classic

MITSUBISHI HSR-II Concept '89 Win Japanese 80's Festival

NISMO 400R (R33) '96 Win Japanese 90's Challenge

HONDA LIFE STEP VAN '72 Win Japanese Compact Car Cup

Unlockable Cars in the Easy Special Condition Hall

Unlockable How to Unlock

CADILLAC CIEN '02 Win Rally d' Umbria

TOYOTA RSC Rally Raid Car '02 Win Rally d' Capri

FORD RS200 '84 Win Grand Canyon

TOYOTA RSC '01 Win Ice Arena

INFINITI FX45 Concept '02 Win Chamoni

ALPINE A310 1600VE '73 Win George Paris

MITSUBISHI CZ-3 Tarmac '01 Win Swiss Alps

RENAULT 5 Turbo '80 Win Tahiti

MAZDA RX-8 Concept (Type-I) '01 Win Tsukuba Circuit

LAND ROVER Range Stormer Concept '04 Win Cathedral Rocks (Trail I)

HYUNDAI HCD6 '01 Win Cathedral Rocks (Trail II)

Unlockable Cars in Normal Special Condition Hall

Unlockable How to Unlock

LANCIA Delta HF Integrale Rally Car '92 Win Rally d' Umbria

SUBARU IMPREZA Rally Car Prototype '01 Win Rally d' Capri

MITSUBISHI CZ-3 Tarmac Rally Car '02 Win Grand Canyon

MITSUBISHI Lancer Evolution IV Rally Car'97 Win Ice Arena

SUBARU IMPREZA Rally Car '01 Win Chamoni

RENAULT 5 Maxi Turbo Rally Car '85 Win George Paris

TOYOTA CELICA GT-FOUR Rally Car (ST205) '95 Win Swiss Alps

FORD Escort Rally Car '98 Win Tahiti

MAZDA Atenza Touring Car '02 Win Tsukuba Circuit

SUBARU IMPREZA Rally Car '99 Win Cathedral Rocks (Trail I)

TOYOTA CELICA GT-FOUR Rally Car (ST185) '95 Win Cathedral Rocks (Trail II)

MAZDA 6 Touring Car '02 Win Tsukuba Circuit ( U.S Version)

Unlockable Cars in Hard Special Condition Hall

Unlockable How to Unlock

LANCIA Delta S4 Rally Car '85 Win Rally d' Umbria

FORD RS200 Rally Car '85 Win Rally d' Capri

MITSUBISHI STRAION 4WD Rally Car '84 Win Grand Canyon

NISSAN BLUEBIRD 1600SSS Rally Car (510) '69 Win Ice Arena

LANCIA STRATOS Rally Car '77 Win Chamoni

PEUGEOT 205 Turbo 16 Evolution 2 Rally Car '86 Win George Paris

NISSAN SILVIA 240RS Rally Car '85 Win Swiss Alps

MITSUBISHI PAJERO Rally Raid Car '85 Win Tahiti

FORD GT Concept '02 Win Tsukuba Circuit

SUZUKI ESCUDO Dirt Trial Car '98 Win Cathedral Rocks (Trail I)

MITSUBISHI PAJERO Evolution Rally Win Cathedral Rocks (Trail II)

Arcade Tracks



Play through X amount of days to unlock listed track in arcade mode.

Unlockable How to Unlock

Circuit de la Sarthe 2 (Unchicaned) Days Complete = 351

Tsukuba Circuit Wet Days Complete = 337

Fuji Speedway 2005 F Days Complete = 323

Chamonix Days Complete = 309

Autumn Ring Days Completed = 281

Infineon Raceway Stock Car Course Days Completed = 309

Circuit de la Sarthe 1 Days Completed = 267

Costa di Amalfi Days Completed = 253

George V Paris Days Completed = 225

Cathedral Rocks Trail I Days Completed = 239

Twin Ring Motegi Road Course Days Completed = 211

Cote d Azur Days Completed = 183

Tahiti Maze Days Completed = 197

Apricot Hill Raceway Days Completed = 169

Fuji Speedway 2005 GT Days Completed = 141

Ice Arena Days Completed = 155

Suzuka Circuit West Course Days Completed = 127

Hong Kong Days Completed = 113

Grand Valley Speedway Days Completed = 99

Suzuka Circuit Days Completed = 71

Twin Ring Motegi Road Course East Short Days Completed = 85

Special Stage Route 5 Days Completed = 57

Fuji Speedway 80s Days Completed = 43

Deep Forest Raceway Days Completed = 15

Opera Paris Days Completed = 29

View Ending Movie



Win the Gran Turismo World Championship in Professional Hall.

Showroom Unlockables

Unlockable How to Unlock

BMW M3 GTR '03 Win Club "M" at BMW in the German Showroom

BMW 2002 Turbo '73 Win 1 Series Trophy at BMW in the German Showroom

Dodge VIPER GTSR Concept '00 Win Crossfire Trophy at Chrysler in the American Showroom

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C2) Race Car '63 Win Vette! Vette! Vette! at Chevrolet in the American Showroom

Daihatsu Midget '63 Win Midget II Race at Daihatsu in the Japanese Showroom

Daihatsu STORIA X4 '00 (Special Color - Emerald Green Metallic) Win Copen Race at Daihatsu in the Japanese Showroom

Toyota Vitz RS Turbo '02 (Special Color - Orange Metallic) Win Vitz Race at Toyota in the Japanese Showroom

Opel Calibra Touring Car '94 Win Speedster Trophy at Opel in the German showroom.

Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Rally Car e85 Win 206 Cup at Peugeot in the French showroom.

Aston Martin DB9 Coupe '03 (Super Gold - Special Color) Win Aston Martin Carnival at Aston Martin in the British showroom.

Lotus Elan S1 '62 Win Lotus Classics at Lotus in the British showroom.

Lotus Elise Type 72 '01 Win Elise Trophy at Lotus in the British showroom.

MGF '97 (Yellow- Special Color) Win the MG festival at MG in the British showroom.

TVR Cerbera Speed 12 '00 (Chameleon - Special Color) Win Black Pool Racers at TVR in the British showroom.

Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA 1600 '65 Win GTA Cup at Alfa Romeo in the Italian showroom.

Audi Le Mans quattro '03 Win Tourist Trophy at Audi in the German showroom.

Audi Pikes Peak quattro '03 Win A3 Cup at Audi in the German showroom.

Toyota ALTEZZA Touring Car '01 Win Altezza Race at Toyota in the Japanese Showroom.

Honda MUGEN MOTUL CIVIC Si Race Car '87 Win Civic Race at Honda in the Japanese Showroom.

Acura HSC '04 Win Type R Meeting at Honda in the Japanese Showroom.

Isuzu 117 Coupe '68 (Special Color - Maple Orange) Win Isuzu Sports Classics at Isuzu in the Japanese Showroom.

Mistubishi Lancer 1600 GSR Rally Car '74 Win Evolution Meeting at Mitsubishi in the Japanese Showroom.

Mitsubishi i '03 Win Mirage Cup at Mitsubishi in the Japanese Showroom.

Renault AVANTIME '02 (Special Color - Jaune) Win Megane Cup at Renault in the French Showroom.

Shelby Mustang G.T. 350R '65 Win Shelby Cobra Cup at Shelby in the American Showroom.

Mazda 110S (L10A) '67 Win Club "RE" at Mazda in the Japanese Showroom.

Mazda MX-Crossport '05 Win NR-A Roadster Cup at Mazda in the Japanese Showroom.

Mazda RX-8 Concept LM Race Car '01 Win NR-A RX-8 Cup at Mazda in the Japanese Showroom.

Suzuki CONCEPT-S2 '03 Win Suzuki K-Car Cup at Suzuki in the Japanese Showroom.

Clio Renault Sport Trophy V6 24V Race Car '00 Win Clio Trophy at Renault in the French Showroom.

Hyundai Clix '01 Win Hyundai Sports Festival at Hyundai in the Korean Showroom.

Suzuki GSX-R/4 '01 Win Suzuki Concepts at Suzuki in the Japanese Showroom.

NISMO GT-R LM Road Going Version '95 Win Race of the Red "R" Emblem at Nissan in the Japanese Showroom.

Nissan mm-R Cup Car '01 Win March Brothers at Nissan in the Japanese Showroom.

SILEIGHTY '98 Win Silvia Sisters at Nissan in the Japanese Showroom.

Nissan 240ZG (HS30) '71 Win Club "Z" at Nissan in the Japanese Showroom.

NIKE One 2022 Win Saleen S7 Club at Saleen in the American Showroom.

Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z Concept '88 Win Camaro Meeting at Chevrolet in the American Showroom.

Citroen 2CV Type A '54 (Peche - Special Color) Win 2HP - 2CV Classics at Citroen the in the French Showroom.

Alpine A110 1600S '73 Win Renault Alpine Cup at Alpine the in the French Showroom.

Mercedes-Benz CLK Touring Car '00 Win Legends of the Silver Arrow at Mercedez-Benz in the German Showroom.

Mercedez-Benz 300 SL Coupe '54 Win SL Challenge at Mercedez-Benz in the German Showroom.

Volkswagen Beetle 1100 Standard (Type-11) '49 Win Beetle Cup at Volkswagen in the German Showroom.

Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Coupe (Type-1) '68 Win Lupo Cup at Volkswagen in the German Showroom.

Volkswagen Golf I GTI '76 Win GTi Cup at Volkswagen in the German Showroom.

Subaru SUBARU 360 '58 (WR Blue Mica - Special Color) Win Subaru 360 Race at Subaru in the Japanese Showroom.

Subaru IMPREZA Super Touring Car '01 Win Stars of Pleiades at Subaru in the Japanese Showroom.

Honda HSC (Honda Sports Concept) '03 Win Type R Meeting at Honda in the Japanese Showroom. (U.S Version)

Chevy & Shelby Unlocakble Cars



To unlock the cars below, simply goto the Hall/Dealership(s) mentioned in the How To Unlock Tab

Unlockable How to Unlock

CHEVROLET Corvette Convertible (C1) '54 American Championship (American Hall)

CHEVROLET Camaro LM Race Car '01 Stars and Stripes (American Hall)

CHEVROLET Chevelle SS 454 '70 American Muscle Car Championship (American Hall)

PLYMOUTH Super Bird '70 Classic Muscle Car Championship (American Hall)

SHELBY Mustang G.T.350R '65 Shelby Cobra Cup (Shelby Dealership)

CHEVROLET Corvette Stingray Coupe (C2) '63 Corvette Festival (Chevrolet Dealership)

CHEVROLET Camaro IROC-Z Concept '88 Camaro Meeting (Chevrolet Dealership)

Gran Turismo 4 Easter Eggs



*

2022 Nike One Morse Code



If you look really close on the side of the Nike One, you can see a small area near the front of the car of morse code. If you go into photo mode, this will become clearer. The morse code is written backwards as to be seen correctly from inside the car. Spelled out, it is " www.Phil-Frank.com " the website of the Phil Frank Automotive and Product Design Company. Phil Frank was paid to design the futuristic Nike car specifically for Gran Turismo 4.



Gran Turismo 4 Secrets



*

Licence Guides



To get a Blue (acceleration) and Red (brakes) Licence Test Guide simply push R3 during 3,2,1,Start. It shows you the best route to go and where to start braking. This only works on the B and A license tests and tests where there is no pace car.

*

Speed up replays, and turn off BGM



To speed up your replays simply press down L3 and to turn off the background music simply press O.

*

Stay in same gear in Automatic transmission



When using the automatic transmission option, hold R2 to make your car remain in the same gear. This is great for remaining at a given speed through a corner, or stretching the top end of a gear for a little extra speed/performance.

*

Hidden Black Cars



On days 694-700 in the used car lots you can buy special black versions of:

1.Toyota GT One Race Car

2.Mazda 787B

3.Nissan R390 Race Car

4.Nissan R92CP Race Car



To Buy them all it comes to roughly 9,000,000 credits



Gran Turismo 4 FAQs & Walk-Throughs

Other Nurburgring Speed Guide by DyingFetusMike 60K

FAQ/Walkthrough FAQ/Walkthrough by Widgeon Infantry 390K

Other Power Walkthrough by WaynStock 80K

Other Beginner's Guide by lmhansen 28K

Other Tuning FAQ by NightmareHunter 71K

Other Driving Mission FAQ by fphjr01 77K

Other Race Events Guide by spliff2005 64K

FAQ/Walkthrough FAQ/Walkthrough by TheeMikester 183K

Other Endurace Race Competitor Guide by lmhansen 34K

Other Used Car List by RSX 25K

Other Minimal Buys FAQ by Havok3595 34K

FAQ/Walkthrough FAQ/Walkthrough by eolsunder 68K

FAQ/Walkthrough FAQ/Walkthrough by Da Hui 482K

Other Formula GT World Championship FAQ by Psyco Monkey 31K

Other Endurance Race Guide by Warlord_Tsumego 32K

Other B-Spec Guide by mindlessoath 25K

Other Race Checklist by AlaskaBlueCat 132K

Other License Test Guide by FFBeowulf 190K

Other Car Spec FAQ by spliff2005 160K

FAQ/Walkthrough FAQ/Walkthrough by Ebony Ivory 257K

Other Prize Car List by Ebony Ivory 16K

Other Car List by Ebony Ivory 28K

Other Tuning Guide by kwixx 27K

Other Coffee Break 4 Map by Carter12 15K

Other Coffee Break 5 Map by Crazyreyn 26K

Other 10.0 KM Used Car Special FAQ by Glowing Ice 18K

Other Prize List by shin8 10K

Other Car List by shin8 21K

FAQ/Walkthrough FAQ/Walkthrough by kyriian 62K



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Gran Turismo 4



* SCEA

* Polyphony Digital

* GT / Street Racing

* Release: Feb 22, 2005 »

* ESRB: Everyone



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Gran Turismo 4 for PlayStation 2 Cheats - Gran Turismo 4 Codes - Gran Turismo 4 Cheat Codes, FAQs, Walk-Throughs, HintsGran Turismo 4


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Gran Turismo 4

Gran Turismo 4.jpg

North American box art

Developer(s) Polyphony Digital

Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment

Designer(s) Kazunori Yamauchi

Series Gran Turismo

Engine Gran Turismo 4 Prologue

Aspect ratio 16:9 or 4:3

Native resolution 1080i (HDTV)

480p (EDTV)

480i (SDTV)

Platform(s) PlayStation 2

Release date(s) JP December 28, 2004[1][2]

NA February 22, 2005[1]

EU March 9, 2005[1]

Genre(s) Racing

Mode(s) Single-player, LAN multiplayer

Rating(s) CERO: A

ESRB: Everyone

PEGI: 3+

Media 1 DVD-9

Input methods Dual Shock 2, GT Force, Driving Force, Driving Force Pro

Question book-new.svg

This article needs additional citations for verification.

Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008)



Gran Turismo 4 (also known as GT4) is a racing video game for Sony PlayStation 2 which was developed by Polyphony Digital. It was released on January 10, 2005 in Japan and Hong Kong (NTSC-J), February 22, 2005 in North America (NTSC-U/C), and March 9, 2005 in Europe (PAL), and has since been re-issued under Sony's 'Greatest Hits' line. Gran Turismo 4 is one of only two titles for the PlayStation 2 that is capable of 1080i output, the other being Tourist Trophy which was also created by Polyphony.



GT4 was delayed for over a year and a half by Polyphony Digital, and had its online mode removed (later added in Gran Turismo 4 Online test version). The game features over 700 cars from 80 manufacturers, from as early as the 1886 Daimler Motor Carriage and as far into the future as concepts for 2022. The game also features 51 tracks, many of which are new or modified versions of old Gran Turismo favorites, with some notable real-world additions.



The Chinese, Japanese and Korean versions of the game were bundled with a 212-page driving guide and lessons on the physics of racing. A limited edition, Gran Turismo 4 Online test version, was released in Japan in summer 2006. A PSP enhanced port entitled Gran Turismo Mobile was originally planned for development, but was later replaced by Gran Turismo (PSP), which was released October 1, 2009.

Contents

[hide]



* 1 Alternative versions

o 1.1 Prologue

o 1.2 Online test version

o 1.3 Gran Turismo (PSP)

* 2 Game modes

o 2.1 A-Spec and B-Spec game modes

o 2.2 Driving missions

o 2.3 Hardware compatibility

o 2.4 Photo mode

* 3 Vehicles

* 4 Tracks

* 5 Qualifications as simulator

* 6 Criticism

* 7 Awards

* 8 Sales

* 9 References

* 10 See also

* 11 External links



[edit] Alternative versions

[edit] Prologue

Gran Turismo 4 Prologue

Developer(s) Polyphony Digital

Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment

Designer(s) Kazunori Yamauchi

Series Gran Turismo

Engine Gran Turismo 4

Platform(s) PlayStation 2

Release date(s) JP December 4, 2003[1][2]

EU May 26, 2004[1]

Genre(s) Racing

Mode(s) Single-player

Rating(s) CERO: A

PEGI: 3+

Media 1 DVD-ROM (single layer)

1 DVD-Video (single layer)

Input methods Dual Shock 2, GT Force, Driving Force, Driving Force Pro



'Gran Turismo 4 Prologue' (グランツーリスモ4プロローグ, guran tsūrisumo 4 purorōgu) is a racing video game of the Gran Turismo series for Sony Playstation 2 which is published by Polyphony Digital. It was released on December 4, 2003 in Japan and Southeast Asia, January 15, 2004 in Korea, and May 26, 2004 in Europe.[1] For undisclosed reasons, the game was not released in the North American market.



This short version title preceded the release of the full-length version Gran Turismo 4 in 2005 and was followed by Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in 2007.



In Japan a limited "Signature Edition" featuring the signature of the series producer Kazunori Yamauchi on the front cover package preceded the release of the regular edition. The regular edition was also bundled with a white ceramic PlayStation 2 console in a Christmas limited SKU called "PlayStation Racing Pack" released in Japan on December 4 2003.[3]



In Europe, the game was bundled with a promotional "Making Of" DVD-Video. While intended to be a limited content, the DVD-Video was also included in the Platinum re-release. The DVD was later included in the limited Gran Turismo 4 "Special DVD Set" released in Japan on January 10, 2005.



The regular edition was discontinued and the game was re-issued under Sony's 'Greatest Hits' line in Japan ("PlayStation 2 the Best") in August 5, 2005[4] and Europe ("Platinum").



As Gran Turismo 4 was intended to be released in time for the worldwide 2003 Christmas release but was delayed, in consolation, Polyphony brought out Gran Turismo 4 Prologue as a sneak preview (including a documentary bonus disc in Europe) to the full experience of Gran Turismo 4.



Though it was necessary to limit the number of cars and courses included, this product still included some of the main features of the Gran Turismo franchise such as races, time attack and license tests. The sneak preview also expressed the latest technology Polyphony Digital had accumulated over the past two years. Featuring 50 of GT4's then-planned 500 cars as well as five courses, this expanded demo was designed as a stop-gap until the complete version was released.



The game includes a Driving School (License Tests), Free Run and Time Attack as well as early version of some circuits, like the New York track which was modified in the full version.



A new Gran Turismo official steering wheel, the Driving Force Pro known as GT Force Pro in Japan and supporting force feedback, was released by Logitech (Logicool in Japan) to coincide with the Gran Turismo 4 Prologue launch date[5].



As of April 30 2008, Gran Turismo 4 Prologue has shipped 790,000 copies in Japan, 410,000 in Europe, and 160,000 in Asia (which includes 110,000 in Southeast Asia and 50,000 in Korea)[1] for a total of 1.36 million copies.[2].



The European version came with an extra car not included in the Japanese version; the BMW Concept M5.

[edit] Online test version

Gran Turismo 4 Online test version

Developer(s) Polyphony Digital

Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment

Designer(s) Kazunori Yamauchi

Series Gran Turismo

Engine Gran Turismo 4

Platform(s) PlayStation 2

Release date(s) JP June 1, 2006

Genre(s) Racing

Mode(s) Single-player, online multiplayer

Rating(s) CERO: A

Media 1 DVD-ROM (dual layer)

Input methods Dual Shock 2, GT Force, Driving Force, Driving Force Pro



Gran Turismo 4 Online test version (グランツーリスモ 4 オンライン実験バージョン, guran tsūrisumo 4 onlain jīken bāshyon) is a free 2006 PlayStation 2 game by Polyphony Digital.



This is a limited edition of the 2004/2005 racing game Gran Turismo 4 (GT4) featuring extra online services that were removed from the standard game due to some issues and a lack of time as the game had been delayed several times.



Selecting the extra "Online" mode leads to the "Online Home" that features additional game modes, "Quick Race", "Tuned Car Race", "Private Race" (that requires a password) and "Time Attack". "News" inform about the availability for the online courses or special events, with limited date and time.



Public online services ended on September 1, 2006.



This public beta for Gran Turismo 4 Online (GT4OL) was freely shipped to 4,700 selected "GranTurismo.com" members from Japan[6] and 300 from South Korea to collaborate as "test players"[7].



Online services lasted three months from June 1 to September 1 2006 and included 6-player "Competition" (対戦, taisen), Time Trial, chat (mail message and microphone communication), and an Internet ranking chart was available in the game's website.[6].



This test was not intended to precede a Gran Turismo 4 Online full scale release but instead to be used as a way to develop and test online features and structures for the upcoming Gran Turismo 5 on the PlayStation 3 system.



Besides the 5,000 test players, seven special guests were invited to test Gran Turismo 4 Online.



First, a special event named "Top Racer Battle" (トップレーサーBATTLE) was staged in the Polyphony Digital headquarters in August 17. Six drivers from the JGTC Japanese championship entered the game's online multiplayer "Competition" mode.[8]



Motoyama won the test round, a 5-lap Fuji Speedway 2005 race with the drivers' respective JGTC GT500 cars. The actual Top Racer Battle though, a 10-lap Tsukuba Circuit one make race onboard a Mazda Roadster 1600 NR-A '04, was won by Ryo Michigami.



Later from August 25 to September 5 2006, Kazunori Yamauchi the Gran Turismo series producer (re)invited two Japanese and two European professional racing drivers sponsored by PlayStation to enter GT4OL's Time Attack mode Internet ranking chart and, either to challenge him or another guest in a versus race, either to compete with five test drivers in a 8~10 rounds multiplayer online competition called "trophy"[6].



The first guest was Super GT GT500 Nissan Motul Pitwork Z driver Satoshi Motoyama (Top Racer Battle challenger), he entered the dedicated "Motoyama Trophy", a 2-lap 10 races online multiplayer competition, and won three rounds.



Second guest specially came from France, Sébastien Loeb, LeMans 2005 PlayStation Pescarolo C60 Judd LMP Race Car '04 driver and WRC champion, he set a new Time Attack Internet record on the 24 Hours of Le Mans' Circuit de la Sarthe I ("Loeb Special Attack") and defeated Kazunori Yamauchi in their Pescarolo Online Time Attack duel on the same circuit (Internet rank 10th vs 11th).



The last guests were both Top Racer Battle challengers, one is Ryo Michigami, Super GT GT500 Honda Takata Dome NSX driver, the other is Michael Krumm, GT500 Nissan Motul Pitwork Z driver. They competed with each other in a versus battle then entered a special trophy similar to Motoyama's.[6][9]

[edit] Gran Turismo (PSP)

Main article: Gran Turismo (PSP)



Gran Turismo is a PlayStation Portable game developed by Polyphony Digital. The game was announced at the E3 Sony press conference on May 11, 2004, the same conference where Sony announced the PlayStation Portable. It has since been delayed repeatedly and its completion has been pushed back. At E3 2009, Gran Turismo PSP was finally confirmed for an October 1st, 2009 date, and is to be a launch title for the PSP Go.[10] The game is intended to be an exact port of the PlayStation 2 game, Gran Turismo 4, although it could include cars from the PlayStation 3 game, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue..[11]

[edit] Game modes

A field of Formula GT cars on Tokyo Route 246

[edit] A-Spec and B-Spec game modes



Players now accumulate points by winning races in the normal first-person driving mode, called A-Spec mode. Each race event can yield up to a maximum of 200 A-Spec points. Generally, a win using a car with less of an advantage over the AI opponents is worth more points. Points can only be won once, so to win further points from a previously-won event, it must be re-won using a car with less of an advantage over the AI. There are also the 34 Missions which can yield 250 points each. Despite this, A-Spec points cannot be redeemed for anything.



The new B-Spec mode puts players in the place of a racing crew chief: telling the driver how aggressively to drive, when to pass, and mandating pit stops (by monitoring tire wear and fuel level). The speed of the time in the race can be increased up to 3x, allowing for Endurance races to be completed in less time than would take in A-Spec mode. The 3x feature, however, must be turned on after every pit stop because it resets to normal time. The game manual says that the player may speed up B-Spec mode by up to 5x, but this is believed to be a typo.



B-Spec points are given out for each race completed in B-Spec mode. This increases the skill level of the AI driver in the categories of vehicle skill, course skill, and battle skill. Players can thereby use B-Spec mode in harder races as the game progresses.

[edit] Driving missions



Another new addition to the game is the Driving Missions, which are similar in experience to the license tests, but award successful completion with 250 A-Spec points and 1000 or more credits. Each mission takes place with a given car on a given track or section of track, and a given set of opponents.



There are 4 sets of missions: The Pass, in which the driver must overtake an opponent within a certain distance; 3 Lap Battle, in which the driver must pass 5 opponents over the course of 3 laps; Slipstream Battle, in which the driver must overtake opponents by way of drafting; and 1 Lap Magic, in which the driver starts with a significant time penalty against much slower opponents and must overtake them all in the space of a single lap. Completing each set of missions earns the player a prize car. There are a total of 5 prize cars available to be won.

[edit] Hardware compatibility



GT4 supports 480p/1080i (NTSC only) and widescreen modes, however 1080i is only supported in single player races.



Despite the lack of online gameplay, GT4 does support use of the PlayStation 2 Network Adapter, which can be used to communicate with additional PS2s to create a multi-screen setup. In addition, the Network Adapter can be used to play games on a local subnet for up to six players, though player customized cars cannot be used in a LAN game.



Support for the Logitech Driving Force Pro and GT Force steering wheels is continued from Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec. Other "PC" steering wheels previously (and unofficially) supported in GT3 were explicitly disabled for GT4.



New support is given for USB storage and print devices used in Photo Mode.

[edit] Photo mode



The new Photo Mode is included in the game, which allows the player to control a virtual camera, taking pictures of their cars on the track or at specific locations, including the Grand Canyon. This game is able to produce a selection of screenshots with variable compression rate (Normal/Fine/SuperFine) and size (up to 1280x960 72dpi), and the user can choose to save or print to supported USB device.

[edit] Vehicles

A Sileighty as depicted in Gran Turismo 4



GT4 continues in its predecessors' footsteps by offering an extremely large list of cars; the PAL version, for example, features 721 cars from 80 manufacturers. There are differences in the car lists between the different GT4 regional versions, and some cars have different names, e.g. the JDM Toyota Vitz is known as the Toyota Yaris in places such as Europe and Puerto Rico and the second generation Mazda Demio is known as the Mazda 2 in the same places (PAL version only). Some of the cars are multiple variations on a single base model; there are 20 different Subaru Imprezas, 25 Mitsubishi Lancers, and 48 Nissan Skylines, including the Nissan GT-R Proto, thus becoming the first video game ever to feature it. It is possible to win it by achieving all silver medals in the International "A" license. One vehicle, another Skyline, is in pace car form, in the "Guide Lap" licence tests. It is also a prize car. There is also the GT Edition, which was the pace car without the pace car lights, and even more power. You win that by getting all golds on one of the licences, and even buy it in the Japanese version. Each vehicle model has over 4000 polygons.[12] Car prices range from about 2500 credits for basic 1980s Japanese used cars up to 4,500,000 (450,000,000 in Japanese version) credits for the top end (mostly Le Mans) race cars. Some special prize-only cars (such as the Pagani Zonda LM Race Car '01) are not visible in the vehicle showrooms, and a few do not have corresponding dealerships, and thus are unmodifiable, for example, the Formula Gran Turismo (F1 car).



GT4 is responsible for a few vehicle firsts in the Gran Turismo series. It is the first to feature pickup trucks, such as the Ford Lightning, Toyota Tacoma, and Dodge Ram. It is the first game in the series to feature the Delorean, using the stage II spec engine (developed in 2004, hence the 2004 designation). It is also the first in the series to feature a diesel powered car, the BMW 120d. A special edition of GT4 featuring the 120d (and the rest of the 1 Series line), and three tracks were provided to BMW customers who purchased their 1 Series automobile before the release of GT4. While Gran Turismo 2 did have a one-off F1 engine version of the Renault Espace, GT4 was the first of the series to feature a production minivan, the Honda Odyssey (JDM version). A first generation Mitsubishi Pajero Paris-Dakar rally car, a winner of the 1985 rally, makes an appearance as the first SUV in racing trim; the first SUV to appear in the GT series was the Subaru Forester in GT2.

The 1886 Daimler Motor Carriage, on the Grand Valley Speedway



The game includes some prize cars of historical interest, such as vehicles from as far back as 1886 at the dawn of the automobile. These older cars require the user to purchase turbo kits and nitrous oxide in order to remain competitive with newer machinery (for example, Daimler Motor Carriage has 1 horsepower in stock form, whereas a Castrol Tom's Supra has 464 horsepower). Even some modern cars with complex body shapes cannot be raced against opponents, such as the Caterham Seven Fireblade.



Comedian Jay Leno, an avid car collector, is listed in the game as a manufacturer; one of his custom cars, the Blastolene Special or "Tank Car", is included in the game as a prize car, available after beating missions 11-20.[13]



The 2022 Nike One has Morse code on the right hand side of the car. When reversed, this reads "www.phil-frank.com", the artist commissioned to design this car for GT4,[14] There is also some Morse code visible on the inside of all four tires, but is not decipherable.



GT4 retains all the familiar tuning parameters from the previous games in the series, but also allows weight to be added to the car. This can be positioned to affect handling or used as a form of handicapping. Another new vehicle tuning addition is nitrous oxide injection.

[edit] Tracks

See also: List of Gran Turismo courses



The game features 51 tracks, many of which are new or modified versions of old Gran Turismo favorites. Notable real-world track inclusions are the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Suzuka Circuit, and Circuit de la Sarthe (le Mans). There are also tracks modeled after world famous attractions such as New York City's Times Square, Hong Kong, Paris, and the Las Vegas Strip.



The Hong Kong course is located in the Tsim Sha Tsui district, which in its clockwise configuration, starts at Salisbury Road, passes through the city's waterfront and then Nathan Road.



The Cittá d'Aria course follows actual roads in Assisi, Italy. The race starts/finishes in the piazza in front of the temple Minerva. Just before the start/finish line on this course, written on the tarmac is an inscription in broken Italian: "Dio lo benedice — fate il suo guidare il più sicuro e divertirsi" which translated means: "God blesses him; make his driving the most safely and to have fun".



On the Seattle circuit, the Kingdome, previous home of the Seattle Mariners, is visible next to their current stadium, Safeco Field. Kingdome was demolished in an implosion on March 26, 2000.[15]



A section of the Opera Paris course passing through Place de la Concorde was traversed by Claude Lelouch in the short film C'etait un rendez-vous.

[edit] Qualifications as simulator



The Gran Turismo series has been modeled on a realistic racing experience. 500 to 700 parameters define the driving characteristics of the car physics model.[citation needed] According to the developers, a professional driver was invited to set times using the same car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, and the GT4 lap times were within 2% of the real life equivalent.[citation needed]



Jeremy Clarkson, host of the Top Gear television program, performed a head-to-head test of real life versus GT4 on an episode of the program. He ran Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in real life in an Honda NSX for a lap time of 1:57. His GT4 lap time was 1:41:148.[16]



Clarkson also had to be shown by a race driving instructor where the line was between the game and reality. He pointed out that adjusting one's braking mid-turn in a real car could cause loss of control, and also mentioned that in the game, he is compelled to take bigger risks than he would in real life, and that in the game, the car did not suffer from brake fade.



Despite the apparent discrepancies, in a column for The Sunday Times, Clarkson had this to say about GT4:

“ I called Sony and asked it to send me a game chip already loaded with the 700 computer cars. And I am in a position to test out its claims because, unlike most people, I really have driven almost all of them in real life.



There are mistakes. The BMW M3 CSL, for instance, brakes much better on the road than it does on the screen. And there’s no way a Peugeot 106 could outdrag a Fiat Punto off the line. But other than this, I’m struggling: they’ve even managed to accurately reflect the differences between a Mercedes SL 600 and the Mercedes SL 55, which is hard enough to do in real life.



There’s more, too. If you take a banked curve in the Bentley Le Mans car flat out, you’ll be fine. If you back off, even a little bit, you lose the aerodynamic grip and end up spinning.



That’s how it is. This game would only be more real if a big spike shot out of the screen and skewered your head every time you crashed. In fact that’s the only real drawback: that you can hit the barriers hard without ever damaging you or your car. Maybe they’re saving that for GT5. Perhaps it’ll be called Death or Glory.[17]

”



Karl Brauer of edmunds.com performed a similar test, also at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, in which he and two others — professional race driver AJ Allmendinger, and IGN gaming editor Justin Kaehler — set times in GT4 and real life in a variety of cars. Brauer's best time in a Ford GT in the game was 1:38, and his best time on the real track was 1:52. In the four vehicles the trio tested, none was able to duplicate his game times on the real track.[18][19] Brauer suggested the main differences between the game and reality:

“ Which brings up the single biggest difference between reality and virtual reality — consequences. A mistake on Gran Turismo 4 costs me nothing more than a bad lap time. A mistake with a real exotic car on a real racetrack is... a bit more costly.



The other major difference between virtual racing and the real thing is feedback from the car — or an almost total lack thereof. Yes, the force feedback steering wheel does its best to let you know when you're veering off the track, or sliding the rear end, but none of this comes close to the kind of information you get while driving a real vehicle. And in a car like the Ford GT, that's vital information.[20]

”

[edit] Criticism

This article's Criticism or Controversy section(s) may mean the article does not present a neutral point of view of the subject. It may be better to integrate the material in those sections into the article as a whole.



Reviewers criticize the game for its continued lack of rendered damage. Instead of actual damage, the cars (depending on the speed and angle in which the collision occurred) simply bounce or spin off of the car, wall, or obstacle.[17][21][22]



Reviewers complained of the continued ability to take unrealistic short cuts,[21] such as the ones on Fuji Speedway 90's, Driving Park Beginner Course and Circuit de la Sarthe I and II, where the driver can cut right across the chicane, allowing a player to win by cheating. They also complain that the steering is unrealistic and the cars do not have enough grip.[23]



The game has also been criticized for lack of online play which had been promised during early development, but was announced as being removed at the time of release.[24][25][26]



Many reviewers expressed disappointment in the game's AI system,[12][23] noting that "virtual racers will follow their (driving) line with little concern for where the human driver is at any one time."[22] This is more evident during rally races and missions in which a 5 second speed penalty is given for hitting the other cars or the barriers, regardless of who initiated the contact.



Some critics found B-Spec mode to offer little to the overall experience.[21][23]



This game has also been criticized for the high percentage of disc read errors. It is believed that many of the older PS2s have problems, as well as early slim models.[27]

[edit] Awards



* E3 2003 Game Critics Awards: Best Racing Game[28]



[edit] Sales



By April 30, 2008, Gran Turismo 4 had shipped 1.24 million copies in Japan, 2.9 million in North America, 5.77 million in Europe, and 150,000 in Asia for a total of 10.06 million copies.[2] As of June 2008, Gran Turismo 4 has shipped 1.25 million copies in Japan, 2.93 million in North America, 5.85 million in Europe, 70,000 in Southeast Asia, and 80,000 in Korea.[1]

[edit] References



1. ^ a b c d e f g h ""Gran Turismo" Series Software Title List". Polyphony Digital. April 2008. http://www.polyphony.co.jp/english/list.html. Retrieved 2009-05-05. An earlier version of the page included separate sales figures for Korea and Southeast Asia; however, the current version of the page combines sales from the two regions into one figure (Asia).

2. ^ a b c d Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-05-09). "Gran Turismo Series Shipment Exceeds 50 Million Units Worldwide". Press release. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/080509e.html. Retrieved 2009-05-05.

3. ^ GT4 official website - Racing Pack

4. ^ Gran Turismo 4 Prologue official website

5. ^ Amazon.co.jp - "GT Force Pro" product page

6. ^ a b c d Gran Turismo 4 Online official website

7. ^ GT4 Online Beta 본격 시동 Jinoopan, July 8, 2006

8. ^ Top Racer Battle event in the game's official website

9. ^ Gran Turismo 4 Online (Sébastien Loeb) - video (English version)

10. ^ "Feature: New features for Gran Turismo 5: Prologue; PSP version still in the works". 2007-10-03. http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/features/137948.shtml. Retrieved 2008-02-27.

GamePro: Is the team still interested in working with the PSP on a GT game?

Kazunori Yamauchi: Probably after GT 5. We are working on it, and we will get around to it eventually.

11. ^ "E3 2004: GT4 PSP Is Real". 2004-05-11. http://psp.ign.com/articles/513/513565p1.html. Retrieved 2008-02-27.

12. ^ a b Pavlacka, A. (2005-02-17). "Gran Turismo 4 - Playstation 2 - Video Game Review", page 2. Retrieved 2007-02-26.

13. ^ Leno, J. (2005-08-26). "The Jay Leno Column: Tank Car". Retrieved 2007-03-02.

14. ^ Gamespot http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/driving/granturismo4/hints.html?mode=eastereggs

15. ^ Versus Books Official Gran Turismo 3 A-spec Official Perfect Guide, Empire 21 Publishing, 2001, ISBN 0970347383 and 978-0970347381 p.94

16. ^ Top Gear, Season 7, Episode 6 2005.12.27

17. ^ a b Clarkson, J. (2005-08-07). "Pass the joystick, sonny, this is the future of driving". Retrieved 2007-02-26.

18. ^ Brauer, K. (2005-10-06). "Inside Line test Virtual Racing: Gran Turismo 4 Part One". Retrieved 2007-10-03.

19. ^ Kaehler, J. (2005-09-23). "IGN: Laguna Seca Wrap-Up". Retrieved 2007-10-03.

20. ^ Brauer, K. (2005-10-06). "Ford GT versus Gran Turismo 4 Intro". Retrieved 2007-10-03.

21. ^ a b c Sapieha, C. (2005-03-15). "globeandmail.com - Gran Turismo 4". URL accessed February 5, 2007

22. ^ a b Lewis, E. (2005-02-22). "IGN: Gran Turismo 4", page 3. URL accessed February 5, 2007

23. ^ a b c Ekberg, B. (2005-02-22). "Gran Turismo 4 for Playstation 2 Review", page 3. Retrieved 2007-02-26.

24. ^ Lewis, E. (2005-02-22). "IGN: Gran Turismo 4", page 4. Retrieved 2007-02-26.

25. ^ Fahey, R. (2004-09-24). "Sony drops online from Gran Turismo 4, hits Christmas release". URL accessed February 5, 2007

26. ^ Ekberg, B. (2005-02-22). "Gran Turismo 4 for Playstation 2 Review", page 4. Retrieved 2007-02-26.

27. ^ Ekberg, B. "Many threads on GTPlanet with GT4 disc read errors".

28. ^ Nihei, W. (2003). "www.gamecriticsawards.com: Past Winners". Retrieved 2007-05-22.



[edit] See also



* Music of the Gran Turismo Series



[edit] External links



* Gran Turismo official site

* Gran Turismo 4 at the Open Directory Project



[hide]

v • d • e

Gran Turismo series

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Gran Turismo · Gran Turismo 2 · Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec · Gran Turismo 4 · Gran Turismo PSP · Gran Turismo 5

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Concept · 4 Prologue · 4 Online · HD Concept · 5 Prologue

Related games

Tourist Trophy · Motor Toon Grand Prix · Motor Toon Grand Prix 2

Other

Courses · Music

Official wheels

GT Force · Driving Force · Driving Force Pro · Driving Force EX · Logitech G25 · Driving Force GT

Official kits

Racing Cockpit · Racing Cockpit Pro Fighter · Racing Cockpit Pro · Racing Seat Pro · Racing Seat Pro Sprint · Racing Seat Pro Siena

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Turismo_4"

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Guitar Hero 5


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Guitar Hero 5

Gh5-cover.jpg

Developer(s) Neversoft (Xbox 360/PS3)[1]

Vicarious Visions (Wii)

Budcat Creations (PS2)

Publisher(s) Activision, RedOctane

Series Guitar Hero

Platform(s) PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360

Release date(s) NA September 1, 2009[2]

EU September 11, 2009[3]

AUS September 16, 2009[2]

Genre(s) Rhythm game

Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Rating(s) ESRB: T



BBFC: PG

Media Blu-ray (PS3), DVD (PS2/Xbox 360), Wii Optical Disc (Wii)

Input methods Guitar controller, drum controller, microphone, gamepad, Wii Remote



Guitar Hero 5 is a rhythm video game and the fifth main entry in the Guitar Hero series. The game was developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision, and released internationally in September 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, 3 and Wii consoles. Similar to the preceding title, Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero 5 is geared towards playing in a four-person band experience, including lead and bass guitar, drums, and vocals. The game is available as a standalone title, allowing players to use existing compatible instrument controllers, and as a bundle that provides these controllers. Guitar Hero 5 adds several new features, such as drop-in/drop-out play, bands composed of any combination of available instruments, a Rockfest competitive mode consisting of several various scoring mechanisms, and both song-specific and general Challenges to unlock new avatars, clothing, and other extras in the game. Many of these changes were added to make the game a more social experience, allowing players across a range of skill levels to be able to play cooperatively and competitively against each other both locally and online.



Guitar Hero 5's track list contains 85 songs by 83 separate artists, and like previous Guitar Hero games, several musicians with works in the game have been modeled through motion capture for avatars in the game, including Johnny Cash, Carlos Santana, Shirley Manson, Kurt Cobain, and Matthew Bellamy. The game continues to support the user-created music studio introduced in World Tour through GHTunes, and additional downloadable content for the game will be made available. A majority of existing downloadable tracks from World Tour are forward-compatible with Guitar Hero 5, along with selected on-disc tracks from World Tour and Guitar Hero Smash Hits. This content will also be available for Band Hero.



The game was well-received by reviewers who appreciated the improvements in the accessibility of the game, allowing players to immediately jump in and play without spending excessive time in the game's menus. Improvements to both the Career and competitive multiplayer modes were also highlights of the game. However, the game's track list was considered to be too broad, and controversy arose over the ability to use the avatar of Kurt Cobain to perform in any other song within the game.

Contents

[hide]



* 1 Gameplay

o 1.1 Game Modes

o 1.2 Career mode and Challenges

o 1.3 Music studio

o 1.4 Characters and customization

o 1.5 Console-specific variations

* 2 Development

o 2.1 Promotion

* 3 Soundtrack

* 4 Reception

o 4.1 Controversy over Kurt Cobain

* 5 References

* 6 External links



[edit] Gameplay

See also: Common gameplay elements in the Guitar Hero series and Gameplay in Guitar Hero World Tour



Gameplay in Guitar Hero 5 is similar to previous games in the series. Using a special game controller, players attempt to match scrolling notes as they appear on screen along a note track to mimic the playing of rock music and other songs. Hitting correct notes in time with the music increases the player's score and builds up the performance meter, while missing notes will cause the meter to drop. Should the meter fall below a certain threshold, the song will end prematurely with the player booed off the stage by a virtual audience. Correctly hitting ten consecutive notes will add to the player's score multiplier by one, up to a maximum of four times the original multiplier. Specially marked sections of the song, if completed correctly, help to build up Star Power, which can then be activated through an action with the controller to further double the current multiplier (up to 8x).



As with Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero 5 supports the playing of lead and bass guitar through guitar controllers, drums through a drum controller, and vocals through a microphone. Players can also play in groups of up to four local or remote players to form a band, co-operatively playing through a song. Whereas in World Tour, a band could only have one of each instrument, Guitar Hero 5 allows players to arrange for any combination of instruments, including all four players on the same instrument if they so choose.[4] While playing in a band, Star Power is now tracked separately for each player, as opposed to collectively for the band as in World Tour.[5] A new play mechanic called "Band Moments" will require all members of the band to play sections of a song successfully to gain rewards, both in a temporary scoring multiplier and visual effects on screen.[6][7] The Band Revival meter will appear when a player fails out of the song, requiring the other band members to play well as a group together in order to bring the failed player back into the game. Failing to do so will end the song prematurely.[7]

[edit] Game Modes



Guitar Hero 5 allows players to start in a Band Lobby from where they can then launch into any of the game's modes, add other local and remote players to a party, and switch between the game modes without having to leave the party or lobby, a significant change in response to the difficulties players found in World Tour.[8] The game supports a Career mode (described below), a Quickplay mode, where players can create a set list of numerous songs and play through them. All songs on disc and through downloadable content are immediately available to play in this mode. The game also carries over the competitive modes from previous Guitar Hero games.



Two new multiplayer modes are in the game. The first is a "Party Play" mode, which is immediately launched once the game in started. During "Party Play", the game will automatically play randomly through the available songs. At any time, players can jump in with any instrument and start playing that song after selecting their difficulty and handedness; additional players can also jump in, drop out, or change their difficulty levels once someone is playing in this mode. The second feature is a "RockFest" mode, which can be played by four players locally or eight online, with several sub-modes that influence how the game is played and scored. In general, each song is divided into roughly 30-second long sections, and players earn points for their performance over that section based on the specific mode. These points are shown to all players to know how they are fairing against the others. Players are able to create a playlist in Rockfest and assign a different mode to each song.[8] The RockFest submodes include:[8][7][9]



* "Momentum": Starting at Medium difficulty, players can increase their difficulty and score more points by hitting twenty consecutive notes, but will fall back in difficulty if they miss three notes in a row.

* "Streakers": Points are awarded for making "streaks" a series of consecutive notes, with the value further increasing for longer streaks.

* "Perfectionist": For each section of a song, players are ranked by the percentage of correct notes hit, with the top player getting the most points.

* "Do or Die": A player is forced to wait out until the next section if they miss three notes in the current section of the song.

* "Elimination": After each section of a song, the lowest scoring player is eliminated. However if the scoring player decided to stay in, they may do so.

* "Pro Face-Off": A standard score attack mode, with the highest score winning points.



[edit] Career mode and Challenges



Guitar Hero 5 features a combined single- and multi-player (both off- and on-line) Career mode similar to Guitar Hero: Metallica. Songs in the game are distributed across 13 venues, with all but the first locked at the start. Each venue contains 5 or more specific songs and 1 or more special sponsored gigs, each with Challenges that can be completed along with playing through the song. To unlock the other venues, the players must collect a number of stars based on their performance playing individual songs, with each song offering up to 9 stars: up to 5 for the general scoring performance, an additional star for a perfect performance, and up to 3 for completing the song's Challenge. Players share the benefits of earning stars for their own respective profiles, thus, a player that may have difficulty completing one song on their own could join with a band that is able to complete it, benefiting from the gain in stars should they then play by themselves or with another group.

Guitar Hero 5 introduces both song-specific and open-gig Challenges that offer the player more rewards for completing certain feats while playing a song.



Guitar Hero 5 introduces Career mode Challenges, that are either tied to specific songs, or allow players to select a song to meet the Challenge requirement in "open gigs".[10] These were created by Neversoft to allow the developers to take advantage of unique features of many of songs and provide another layer of gameplay, according to Neversoft's Brian Bright.[11] Each Challenge features three possible completion levels—Gold, Platinum, and Diamond, mimicking the music recording sales certification levels—with Diamond being the most difficult to complete. The song-specific challenges include both instrument-specific challenges, such as correctly vocalizing the repeated "Fame" lyric at the end of David Bowie's "Fame" as it moves down in pitch, and more general scoring or performance challenges on either specific instruments or for the whole band. Open gig Challenges are presented by sponsors within the game, and are based on performance aspects such as scoring a certain amount of points using Star Power or using the guitar controller's whammy bar continuously for a length of time. These allow the player to select any song to complete, with some songs potentially being better suited for completing that challenge. The progress towards these Challenges is shown in-game by a record meter that appears when the challenge is active, and fills up similarly to the overall scoring meter as the player successfully completes towards the challenge. Higher completion levels, particularly Diamond, may only be possible by playing the Expert difficulty of a song, but players can take advantage of the mid-song difficulty adjustment feature to complete these if needed.



All players are awarded for completing a challenge if one of the members is able to do so, and will be reflected in the individual players' career progress. in addition, players can unlock new avatars, outfits, and other content by completing challenges. The rewards of the challenges are used to replace the previous in-game money reward in previous Guitar Hero games.[11]



However not all versions have this challenge feature, most notably the PS2 version, which is lacking in challenges of any kind. Rather than doing the challenges to unlock avatars/content, all one must do is complete the gig by successfully completing all songs. Not all gigs have content to unlock, rather just those which seem to have that unlockable pertaining to them (for example the Johnny Cash gig allows you to unlock Johnny Cash as a playable avatar)

[edit] Music studio



The Music Studio feature, which allows players to create their own songs and distribute them through the "GHTunes" music service, has been improved.[6] The service now allows for songs as long as ten minutes, and up to fifty songs from a single user to be uploaded to the service. The GHMix2.0 mode allows one to precisely create songs, and includes pre-defined sample tracks that can be modified on a note-by-note basis as desired. The new Jam mode lets the players select one of several standard pre-set rhythms and then play along with it on the instrument controllers in a free-form mode; however, players can then capture any segment of this music and move it to the Mix mode to compile a song. User songs are then uploaded and downloaded through the GHTunes mode of the Music Studio. While songs that violate copyright will still be removed from the service, Neversoft will be less aggressive about this and will rely more on user feedback on such issues.[12]

[edit] Characters and customization

After three years of negotiations, Kurt Cobain is a playable character in Guitar Hero 5.



Avatars of famous musicians are part of the game, performing for songs by that artist and available as unlockable characters. Notably, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana is a playable avatar; Activision had sought to gain permission to use Cobain's image for the game for three years, including obtaining the necessary agreements with Courtney Love, who controls Cobain's estate, and Dave Grohl and Universal Publishing, who control Nirvana's catalog.[13] Cobain's avatar was designed with input from Love, who provided photos and videos for the design team to use, and emphasized how she would like Cobain to appear, starting from his appearance in "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and modifying it from there.[13] The avatar includes the t-shirt design based on Daniel Johnston's "Frog" that Cobain had popularized.[14] Johnny Cash is also a playable character, with tribute artist Terry Lee Goffee helping to provide motion capture for his character.[15] Carlos Santana, Shirley Manson (of Garbage), and Matthew Bellamy (of Muse) are also playable avatars, all of whom performed motion capture for their own avatars.[16][17][18] Though Activision approached Jon Bon Jovi to appear in the game, Bon Jovi turned down the offer.[19] While the standard character creator is available for all versions of the game, the Xbox 360 version allows players to import their Xbox Live Avatar into the game,[20] while the Freestyle mode on the Wii version of the game allows use of the players' Miis in the game.

[edit] Console-specific variations



The Wii version of the game, developed by Vicarious Visions, is "full feature parity" with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, including support for up to eight players online, each possibly on their own console. Guitar Hero 5 is the first Wii game to support high capacity SD cards, allowing up to about 800 songs to be stored on a 32 GB card.[21] While existing Wii Guitar Hero games allow players to purchase downloadable content one song at a time, Guitar Hero 5 includes the ability to download complete albums and song packs.[22] Players are also able to manage the content of their Wii memory cards through the game's interface.[23] The game does not require players to enter game-specific Friends Codes, but instead uses the global Wii address book to locate friends. The "Mii Freestyle" mode, introduced in World Tour, is also present, and with changes to address some of the issues with less-skilled players trying to play well together. A "Guitar Hero Nintendo Ecosystem" is introduced in Guitar Hero 5, letting the Wii version communicate with the Nintendo DS, including a stage manager/video editor DS controller feature in conjunction with the Mii Freestyle mode, and a new game mode called "Roadie Battle".[24] In Roadie Battle, four players play as two teams; each team has one player performing on an instrument through the Wii, while the other player uses a DS to connect to the Wii and act as the roadie. During play, the roadie players attempt to sabotage the other team by completing mini-games on the DS that affect the other team's music performance in a manner similar to Guitar Hero III's Battle Mode. These can only be cleared by the other DS player performing another mini-game.[25]



The PlayStation 2 version of the game, developed by Budcat Creations, features less functionality in comparison to other versions. Besides lacking online play or downloadable content, the game does not include drop-in/drop-out play, multiplayer "RockFest", nor song challenges. A multitap cannot be used to expand the number of controller ports, limiting the game to two guitars, one drum set and one microphone.[26]

[edit] Development

Four player gameplay where all four are playing the same instrument on three different difficulties.



The fifth main entry to the Guitar Hero series was announced in December 2008,[27] with confirmation of its release by the end of 2009 coming in May 2009, along with the announcement of other new Guitar Hero titles.[28]



The Party Play mode was inspired by recognizing that past Guitar Hero games made it difficult to jump into without maneuvering through a number of menus and selection screens. The mode was designed to be used at social gatherings, and was adopted to use whatever instrument controllers that players already had available, thus allowing for various other combinations beyond the standard four-person band. This aspect of the game was then brought to the other band modes to allow the game to remain flexible.[7]



A new guitar controller was developed for Guitar Hero 5, sold with bundles with the game though the option for standalone versions has not yet been determined. Like other Guitar Hero controllers, the guitar-shaped unit features five colored fret buttons on the neck of the guitar, a strum bar to mimic the act of strumming, a whammy bar to alter the pitch of a note, and additional buttons specific to the game console for maneuvering through the game's menus. The unit is mostly a redesign of the World Tour model with a new red finish and includes the touchpad that is farther up the neck of the controller, allowing the player to play notes via tapping or to slide along its surface for specially-marked sections on the note track. The Guitar Hero 5 unit features a more accurate and responsive touchpad due to it being tracked digitally and with added tactile responses, a more accurate strum bar, and a controller finish that makes it easier to handle with sweaty hands.[29] The game remains compatible with previous Guitar Hero game controllers as well as those from Rock Band and selected other rhythm games.

[edit] Promotion



As part of the game's early promotion, a scavenger hunt contest was announced in the last week of May 2009. Players would need to search for articles on specific game-related sites to find information on the bands that are to be in Guitar Hero 5, and then enter those bands at the game's official website for a chance to win a series of concert tickets in their area. Through this promotion, a large number of artists in the final track list were revealed.[30]



A viral video in late July 2009 announced the last handful of songs for the game features four naked women walking down a public street, with black censor bars used to cover their bodies but also used to announce the song names.[31] The video attracted the anger of Bill O'Reilly, calling the video "shameless" and the models as "pinheads".[32][33]



For the month of September 2009, players in the US that purchase Guitar Hero 5 would be able to redeem a code with the game to receive a free copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen prior to its retail release with the packaging's offer sticker (printable if lost), a copy of the receipt and a barcode received upon registration. Also in the UK, when pre-ordering Guitar Hero 5 on various websites you would receive a free copy of Guitar Hero: World Tour when requested.[34]



A television commercial was filmed at the Playboy Mansion and was featured in the 29 November 2009 episode of The Girls Next Door[35]

[edit] Soundtrack

Main article: List of songs in Guitar Hero 5



Guitar Hero 5 features 85 songs by 83 different artists. Tracks from 30 artists represent their "music-rhythm video game debut".[4] Brian Bright, project director for the game, has called the track list "fresh", with 25% of the songs released in the last 18 months, and more than 50% from the current decade.[9] Unlike previous versions of the Guitar Hero series, where players must work through a career mode to unlock all the songs in the game, all songs in Guitar Hero 5 are unlocked and available to play in any mode from the start,[36]



Bright noted that previously, while "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie was always a song they wanted in Guitar Hero, they could not find the masters for it.[37] However, for Guitar Hero 5, the masters have since "magically appeared" and are part of the game's tracklist.[38] For Nirvana's "Lithium", the master recordings did not have the appropriate tracks to build the note track from, and they opted to use the live version of the song from the 1992 Reading Festival, notably famous for Cobain appearing on a wheelchair at first amid rumors of his failing health, but shown to be a ruse as Cobain took the stage and celebrated the recent birth of his daughter Frances Bean.[13] The song "You and Me" by Attack! Attack! was a result of the band winning a competition to be included in the game.[39]



In addition to on-disc songs, Guitar Hero 5 is the first game in the series to reuse content from previous games. All but 6 (the Jimi Hendrix songs) of the 158 World Tour downloadable content songs can be imported into Guitar Hero 5 at no cost.[1][4][10][40] Additionally, 35 songs from World Tour, 21 songs from Guitar Hero Smash Hits, and 61 songs from Band Hero can be imported into the game after paying a small transferring fee; more songs from these games may be made available to Guitar Hero 5 at a later date (including World Tour tracks.)[40][41][42][43] The importing process for World Tour and Smash Hits content requires downloading of the content, as these tracks have been recreated with support for Guitar Hero 5's new gameplay features such as Band Moments. All such imported songs are also be playable in Band Hero.[40] Sixty-nine of the Guitar Hero 5 tracks can be imported into Band Hero.[43]

[edit] Reception

[hide] Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator Score

GameRankings 86.75%[44]

Metacritic 86/100[45]

Review scores

Publication Score

1UP.com A[46]

Eurogamer 9/10[47]

Game Informer 8.5/10[48]

GameSpot 8.5/10[49]

GameSpy 4.5/5 stars[50]

IGN 8.9/10[51]



Guitar Hero 5 was well-received and has been considered the best post-Harmonix Guitar Hero game to date, as well as one of the top Guitar Hero games overall.[46] Seth Schiesel of the New York Times called Guitar Hero 5 "the most enjoyable Guitar Hero game in several years" and "generally well-tuned, often exhilarating rock ’n’ roll experience".[52] Keza MacDonald of Eurogamer commented that there is "just nothing wrong" with Guitar Hero 5, given the various stumbling blocks the developers had made from previous iterations of the game, and the way the developers have continued to find new additions to the game.[47] Reviewers greatly appreciated the new features in the game to make it easier to jump in and play music, from the simplification of the menu system to the availability of every song in all the game modes from the start. Erik Brudvig of IGN considers the menu change to be "one of the best things that Neversoft has done", although the menus are a minor part of the game, it removes much of the frustration with the World Tour and other previous Guitar Hero games' menu systems.[51] Arthur Gies of Gamespy noted that by simplification of the interface, "Neversoft stripped Guitar Hero down to what works and built up from there".[50] Reviewers appreciated the immediate launch of the game's Party Mode once the player put the disk in the system and the ability to jump right into that song through the new menus, and considered this to help make the game enjoyable for social gatherings.[46][50] Chris Watters of Gamespot considered this mode to be "accessible, welcoming, and delightfully low key".[49] The changes in Career mode, in which the players need not stick to the same instrument or difficulty throughout, was well appreciated. Brudvig appreciated how this allows the player to complete the Career mode without getting stuck on a song, having to go back to replay the Career mode on other instruments, and that with the addition of song Challenges, provides enough incentive to return to the songs to improve one's performance.[51] The new multiplayer modes in Rockfest, which replaced more "arcadey" competitive modes, were considered a welcome replacement, as it allowed players of various skill levels to compete fairly against each other, making the game more friendly to the multiplayer experience.[50] However, Matt Helgeson of Game Informer noted that despite the various RockFest modes, it "all comes down to hitting the notes correctly".[48]



The track list, while well received for the most part, was found to be one of the weaker features. While Helgeson and others noted that the track list was "extremely diverse and for the most part well selected",[48] this diversity was found to work against the game as well. Justin Haywald of 1UP.com noted that with the diverse track list, there would be a good chance players would find songs they liked, but at the same time, would also find songs they loathed.[46] Brudvig noted that while "the goal was to include a bit of everything", the diversity of the track list ensures "that nobody will like everything on the disc".[51] Gies noted that while the guitar difficulty progression in the Career mode was strong and better than in previous games, it leaves the vocals and drummer progression "all over the place",[50] while Schiesel considered the vocals parts "somewhat rough" in comparison to The Beatles: Rock Band.[52] Haywald noted that the singing portions of the game were still weak, with poor indicators to help the player's performance, and with the possibility of multiple vocalists performing at the same time, would make it hard for a player to keep track of his pitch.[46] While reviews appreciated Activision's efforts to allow the importing of songs from previous games,[51] the small amount of tracks that were available at launch felt at odds with the impression that Activision had made of the process prior to the game's release.[50][49][47] The improvements made in GHTunes were seen as "leaps and bounds" above the original offering in World Tour,[48][49] though was still considered to be too unwieldy for average players.[51][46]



On its week of release in the United Kingdom, Guitar Hero 5 was the most purchased title across all game systems, beating The Beatles: Rock Band which was also released during that same week in the country.[53] United States sales of Guitar Hero 5 for the Xbox 360 reached 210,800 units on its first month of release, making it the 9th best selling title for the month,[54] and 499,000 units total across all platforms were sold, comparable to World Tour's first month sales of 534,000 units.[55] The total revenue for United States sales in September 2009 was $33 million, driving primarily by sales of the standalone copy of the game.[56]

[edit] Controversy over Kurt Cobain



The inclusion of Kurt Cobain as a playable character in the game has been considered a "strange concept" by some reviewers, reflecting on the possible influence of commercialization pressures that played into Cobain's suicide.[50][57] Shortly after the game's release, it was discovered that once players unlocked the Kurt Cobain Character Pack (as well as that for any other of the included famous musicians), they could use that character for any other song on disc, leading to what some have considered to be awkward virtual performances of Cobain singing songs from completely different genres;[58][59] user-created videos of these performances that had attracted the attention to this issue have since been removed from video-sharing sites like YouTube by Activision.[60] Previous games in the series that feature known musicians also allow for the use of their characters, once unlocked, in other songs, except for the case of Jimi Hendrix in Guitar Hero World Tour, the only posthumous artist to appear in the series prior to Guitar Hero 5. Some have seen this as a scar on Cobain's legacy;[48] Jeff Gerstmann of Giant Bomb commented that "it's the near-mythic legacy he left behind and the way the Nirvana catalog has been protected from commercial interests over the years that makes this stuff so harsh" on his observation of such performances.[61] Tim Walker of The Independent contrasted Cobain's "posthumous humiliation" to the appearance of virtual characters based on living artists that have appeared in rhythm music games, noting that deceased artists do not have the same fair consideration as live artists that can opt to license their images for such rhythm games.[62] Seth Schiesel of the New York Times countered these arguments, noting that as long as no legal contracts were broken, Cobain and the other artists in the game "are too big and too important to be damaged in a cultural sense by mere inclusion in a video game".[52]



On her Twitter account, Courtney Love expressed her anger at Cobain's representation in the game and threatened legal action alongside other companies that represent Cobain's intellectual property.[63] Love further stated that she received no monetary arrangements for Cobain's appearance, in response to comments that believe Love had "sold out" to Activision and from a statement by Activision CEO Dan Rosensweig claiming that the Cobain estate has "cashed the cheque".[64] Both Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic have made statements disapproving the inclusion of Cobain as an unlockable character in the game and have requested that he be locked to only Nirvana songs,[65] and Jon Bon Jovi, who had denied Activision's offer to include him in the game, supports their concerns about having his image be used to sing other artists' songs.[19] In response to these statements, Activision claims it had secured all the proper publication rights for Cobain's image for the game.[65] However, according to attorneys for Love, the contract was not meant to allow Activision to "denigrate his image".[66] Joystiq noted that the crux of the legal issues revolve around the "right of personality", which is defined at the state level within the United States; these rights are presently held by Love due to her ownership of Cobain's estate, but may have been overridden in the contract with Activision.[67] Band Hero suffered a similar issue, as the group No Doubt, avatars in that game, filed a lawsuit against Activision due to having their avatars be usable to play or sing any song in the game.[68]

[edit] References



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31. ^ Milian, Mark (2009-07-28). "The new model: Naked girls shill for Guitar Hero?". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/07/guitar-hero-5-naked-girls.html. Retrieved 2009-07-31.

32. ^ Mastrapa, Gus (2009-07-30). "Guitar Hero 5 Counter-Programs Against Beatles: Rock Band". Wired. http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/07/guitar-hero-5-track-list/. Retrieved 2009-07-31.

33. ^ Shaw, Patrick (2009-07-30). "Bill O' Reilly calls new naked women-filled Guitar Hero 5 ad 'shameless'". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/211474/bill-o-reilly-calls-new-guitar-hero-5-ad-shameless/. Retrieved 2009-07-31.

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38. ^ Faylor, Chris (2009-06-11). "More Guitar Hero 5 Songs Revealed 'Under Pressure'". Shacknews. http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/59111. Retrieved 2009-06-11.

39. ^ Stuart, Keith (2009-09-09). "Why Bill Wyman is wrong about guitar games". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2009/sep/09/gameculture-games. Retrieved 2009-09-12.

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