I've been playing this game since the Japanese launch and here are some of my comments on (the JPN version of) the game:
The good:
- Better looking than GT3. Graphics look sharper, textures look cleaner, colors look richer.
- Tracks look wonderful and the real race courses are very accurately recreated.
- The new physics engine seems much more complex and accurate compared to GT3. Cars are much more fun to drive and their handling feels more real.
- There is finally a penalty system when you crash into a car or wall/barrier.
- Sound is improved. Engine sounds are better, but the major improvement are the sound effects of the wind noise when driving at high speed, and road noise when driving over different surfaces.
- Photo mode is actually pretty cool. Just check out some of the pictures in the official thread to see for yourself.
Minor problems:
- The game structure and progression are exactly the same as other GTs, which makes the game feels kind of old. Something new or a bit different in terms of progression wound make the game feel much fresher.
- The engine sounds, while improved, cound still be better. Some cars sound much better than before but some cars, like the Maclaren SLR, sound downright abysmal. I don't have a nice sound system so perhaps things wound improve with one. And I guess with 700+ cars, some inconsistencies are to be expected.
- The AI is better, but not much better.
More serious problems:
- No garage mode in 2P versus play.
- No save options for the 24h endurance race.
I can live with these problems since I don't really play versus and can use B-Spec mode for the endurance race, but I can imagine there are many who are, rightfully, expecting these options.
My personl beefs:
- The implementation of the A-Spec point system is botched
First of all, you have no idea how much point you are going to get until you actually enter a race or championship, which makes it really cumbersome if you are trying to earn more points or want an easier race. When this happens, you have to a) quit the race or championship, b) tune/de-tune the car or find a more suitable car, then c) re-entered the race or championship and hope everything works out for you.
Second of all, the system is supposed to be an indication of the difficulty of the race, but that's not always the case. Sometimes, you would get a pretty easy 150 pts race, while other times, you would get a pretty difficult 100 pts race. This wound be more tolerable had you at least know how many A-Spec points you are going to get, but, unfortunately, that's not the case.
- One other (related) complaint is that it is often a chore to find a race that is the right challenge. It usually is either too hard, if not impossible, or too easy. This is a problem in all the GTs and they tried to fix it, I think, with the A-Spec point system. It would have been a pretty good idea had the system been implemented better. As is now, if I want a challenging, winnable race against the CPU, I have to struggle to find it.
These problems don't happen all the time and can be worked around, but they are still distracting and annoying, and something that should be relatively easy to iron out before the release of the game. Hopefully, the US version is better.
Final comments:
With the new, more detailed physics engine and the beautifully and precisely modelled cars and tracks, this game, as someone mentioned earlier, makes a perfect hot-lap simulator. As a pure racer, the game is still a bit lacking. For that, the game would need better AI and better balance in terms of challenge.
With all that said, I still find the game immensely enjoyable, if flawed. If I have to give the game a score it will be something like an 8.5 or 9.0.