PC Gamer Review GP4!

This months PC Gamer has a 4 page review of GP4. Im not gonna type it all out here but i'll give some extracts on the box outs (Ive not read the entire thing yet). Warning though, there is quite a lot of detail, so if you don't wanna know, don't read

For those who want to get to the point here is the score:

92% - Consummately executed and ultra-realistic driving experience. Another masterpiece.

Grand Prix 4 is:

- The best F1 sim ever
- A visual treat
- A masterpiece of coding (Neil: Well done Geoff & Co)

Grand Prix 4 is not:

- Difficult (Neil: I suspect it handles like GP3 then)
- Reality, but its close
- To be missed

Other areas of interest are:

Setups: Like in GP3 2000 each track has a default setup so you don't have to lap Hockenheim at 180mph because the setup was designed for Monaco.

Quote: "GPS-created tracks are a quantum leap in realism"

Pitstops: Very realistic and they make mistakes which you can see!

Weather: Tweaked weather system. Rain drops can now form on the camera lens in external views (Neil: Why not on in in-car view?)

AI: "Drivers will react to the pressure you put on them"

Collisions: There are more detachable parts than ever, all having their own physics to how they slide along the track. Like in GP3 2000 you can collide with them.

And finally, how well does it run? Well here is what the system miser says:

- Supported resolutions: 640x480 up to 1200x1024
- Scaleable options: Lighting, enviroment maps, bump mapping, reflections (Neil: From looking at the screenies the car do have too much reflection of them), shadows, car and trackside geometry, texture detail, pit crew
Verdict: GP4 quite happily ran on our low-end PIII 500 system at 800x600, and the game has a very effcient auto-detail system that only draws elements your PC can handle. You can, of course, go down the manual route and switch off the effects one by one to get a big performance gain with little noticeable loss in detail to the tracks and cars.

Min Sys: PII 400
Rec Sys: PIII 750

So overall then it seems like it is a good game. PC Gamer also reviewed F1 2002, and like everyone expected it isn't as good. It still managed 80%, with the moral of the review being its a great improvement over the last game, but compared to GP4, well they just got their release date timing wrong. I'd say both are fair reviews really.

who wrote the review?


if it was trevor witt, then only believe 75% of what is written






LS's Tip of the week
ESSENTIAL OILS aren't essential unless you're an engine, a gearbox or a twat

It will be Trevor Witt, so I'm not willing to listen to anything he says. They don't know what they're talking about.




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Trust me, GP4 ROCKS. It's a bit different in the handling but once you get used to this little difference, it's amazing. Graphics are way better than GP3 or F1 2002. I kept thinking the pavement was turning white cause of a video problem but that wasn't the case. What was happening was the sun was reflecting on it from different angles and that is why is changed to such a bright white.

The only thing I don't like so far is always starting in the pits. Also, the put crew all wear the same face and they look ugly. But they are fluid in movement.

As for GPS data tracks, it's nice but you won't be able to take all those corners the same.

IE: Imola, 1st left corner I used to take in high 2nd gear, now I have to slow down more since it's a bit sharper. Imola top chicane where the cars ride over the curbs is a bit sharper also. All of this will effect your game but once you know how to take it, it wil rock.

I'm soooo in love with this game. yes I know what you guys are thinking and it's true, I didn't pay for this version but I can't wait till mid augugst to get it. But I will buy it once it gets here. I just hate waiting over 1 month when it's already out in Europe.



Beta tester for;
Descent 3, C & C Generals, Independance War 2, Starfleet Command 2,
Settlers IV, Tzar, Allegiance, Starfleet Command,
MAX 2, Defiance

Sorry Neil I didn't read your post particularly. I skimmed over it and thought it said PC GAMER gave Gp4 80% - but you said F1 2002 did. Cool. So Gp4 got 92%. Brilliant. Any demo?

CDN_Merlin have you got the game?




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There I go again. Not reading the posts. I'm a bit excited at the moment, so forgive me.

In other words Merlin, you have a WAR3Z version...




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No demo i'm afraid. We'll probably see one after the games release like with GP3.

The review was by Trevor Witt, but he got the GP3 and GP3 2000 reviews spot on, and from what other people say I think he has got this one right too. Don't mock Trev!

Yes I have the game. I ahve to go out this AM and it pisses me off, I want to play play play.

The instant it's in stores here I'm buying 2 copies, one for me and one for my best friend. Trust me, I will do this.



Beta tester for;
Descent 3, C & C Generals, Independance War 2, Starfleet Command 2,
Settlers IV, Tzar, Allegiance, Starfleet Command,
MAX 2, Defiance

The warez version is released on some binaries newsgroups. I'm not sure which ones. But browsing through the threads at rec.autos.simulators, you'd think they had re-released GP1. You find people deleting it after 3 laps of Suzuka before going back to F1-2002.

Mind you, I'm still convinced that GP4 will ROCK. CDN_Merlin, I'm taking your word that it'll be fantastic!

Just a quick note from Mr.Patronizer himself: Technically they can't really re-release GP1, since there has never been released before. The game you refer to was called F1GP or F1 Grand Prix. But maybe that's just splitting hair.

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REHAB IS FOR QUITTERS

Just wondering why you believe only 75% of my writing, I write exactly what I see, and what I see is the damn fine F1 simulation that GP4 is. Perhaps you can elucidate your comment further?

8-|

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It's only after we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Neil.

Well, my friend was up till 2am playing this game. He had problems with his wheel and had to use his stick but he is in love with it. I'm gonan play it alot this weekend as the wife is going away and my friend will come over with his PC.

All I can say is that GC has not let us down.



Beta tester for;
Descent 3, C & C Generals, Independance War 2, Starfleet Command 2,
Settlers IV, Tzar, Allegiance, Starfleet Command,
MAX 2, Defiance

[groups.google.com]

that is very LOL, cos that actually is trevor, nice one LS :P



Band of the week: Muse
Game of the week: Call of Duty

Beardless2

AMD XP 2700+ | Asus A7N8X nForce 2 Deluxe | 1 GB PC2700 RAM DC | ATI RADEON 9800 | WD 120GB 8MB | NEC 16x DVD | Lite-on 48x24x48 | XP

Hehe, if some1 isnt just having a laugh, then this is the second celeb from pc gamer posting on these forums, cool. I feel somewhat....special :P

what is a PC mag celeb compared to Mighty Vader, eh? Guess what ...

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REHAB IS FOR QUITTERS

How could someone be having a laugh with that IP address.

Trevor, sorry if my comments seemed inappropriate, because I think they were now. There was a bit of confusion after reading/skimming over Neil's post and I thought suddenly that you'd given the game of my dreams only 80%, so I hope you understand that I was a bit taken aback/angry and the natural reaction was: surely he can't know what he's talking about. Having actually read the post now, I feel a bit silly, and you've proved me wrong.




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I'm very excited about this. All you guys are gonna have some fun playing this....just don't abandon the gp3 forum, cos I can't play gp4 (sob sob)


It looks great....and f1 2002 got 80%! Shunted into the gravel trap.


Chris J



'I reserve the right to contradict myself' - Richey Edwards, 1994.