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Grand Prix 4

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grand Prix 4
Developer(s)Simergy[4]
Infogrames Chippenham[5]
Publisher(s)Infogrames
Designer(s)Geoff Crammond
Composer(s)James Hannigan
SeriesGrand Prix
Platform(s)Windows
Release
Genre(s)Racing simulation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Grand Prix 4, commonly known as GP4 is a Formula One racing simulator game co-developed by Geoff Crammond's development studio Simergy and Infogrames' Chippenham development studio, and published by Infogrames. Released for the PC on June 21, 2002, it is the last entry in Crammond's Grand Prix series, and the last entry released under the MicroProse label. Based on the 2001 Formula One season, GP4 is a graphical and physics update from the previous version, Grand Prix 3, which was released in 2000.

Modifications from version 3

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Grand Prix 4 featured a heavily revised graphics engine and updated physics, including wet weather driving:

  • While it is possible to play the game on a LAN, multiplayer internet gameplay was not possible, due to licensing restrictions. Some individuals managed to circumvent this limitation later using the Free Tunngle Network.
  • The locked framerate and CPU-heavy graphics were still a big issue with the series despite a completely revised graphics engine. However, the graphics engine proved to be very scalable, supporting models and textures multiple times the detail of the original shipped materials.
  • The mod community faced similar frustrations with the track format and it took fully two years before the track format was truly "cracked". The first add-on tracks to be released for the game included Shanghai, Istanbul and Jerez.
  • When the game was initially launched, it had a large number of bugs. Many of these were addressed by a patch which was later included with the retail game, though the project was canned when Microprose closed and no further official fixes were forthcoming. To compensate for this, some third party programmers addressed some of the remaining problems, and included enhancements which allowed the game to follow the updated rules of the Formula One championship.

Release

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Although the game could be considered a relatively modest commercial success, the chances of a further entry to the series could be considered slim to none because MicroProse's parent company Infogrames dissolved the developer shortly after the game's release. In addition, the Sony Computer Entertainment brand's exclusive licensing deal for Formula One games rules out an update with official stats. An Xbox port of the title was planned for release in late 2002, before being cancelled in October that same year.[6]

Much like its predecessors, Grand Prix 4 continues to garner a strong modding community long after its launch, with numerous non-Formula One racing series, such as Champ Car and the IMSA SportsCar Championship, and Formula One seasons, including the recent 2024 season, being represented in the game by dedicated modders.

Reception

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Grand Prix 4 received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[7]

The game won the award in the Sports category at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards in 2002.[18] It was also nominated for Computer Gaming World's 2002 "Sports Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Madden NFL 2003. The editors called Grand Prix 4 "one of the better racing games in years past".[19] It was also a runner-up for GameSpot's annual "Best Driving Game on PC" award, losing to Rally Trophy.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Geoff Crammonds Grand Prix 4". Game Nation. Archived from the original on August 16, 2002. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  2. ^ "Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix 4". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 22, 2002. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  3. ^ Parker, Sam (September 10, 2002). "Grand Prix 4 ships". GameSpot. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  4. ^ "Geoff Crammond in Autumn". 10 May 2002.
  5. ^ "Grand Prix 4 details". Eurogamer. February 2002.
  6. ^ "In the chair with Geoff Crammond". Retro Gamer. No. 69. Imagine Publishing. p. 88.
  7. ^ a b "Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix 4 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  8. ^ "Grand Prix 4". Computer Games Magazine. No. 146. theGlobe.com. January 2003. p. 77.
  9. ^ Smolka, Rob (December 2002). "Grand Prix 4" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 221. Ziff Davis. p. 124. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  10. ^ Bramwell, Tom (July 7, 2002). "Grand Prix 4". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  11. ^ Ajami, Amer (September 11, 2002). "Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix 4 Review [date mislabeled as "September 12, 2002"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  12. ^ Fryman, Avi (October 18, 2002). "GameSpy: Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix 4". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  13. ^ Lafferty, Michael (September 16, 2002). "Grand Prix 4 Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on January 25, 2008. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  14. ^ Magruder, Randy (September 12, 2002). "Grand Prix 4 Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  15. ^ Jihem (June 21, 2002). "Test: Grand Prix 4". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  16. ^ Mahood, Andy (December 2002). "Grand Prix 4". PC Gamer. Vol. 9, no. 12. Future US. p. 98. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  17. ^ Presley, Paul (August 5, 2002). "PC Review: Grand Prix 4". PC Zone. Future plc. Archived from the original on June 30, 2007. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  18. ^ "Interactive | Games - Sport in 2002". British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
  19. ^ CGW staff (April 2003). "Computer Gaming World's 2002 Games of the Year (Sports Game of the Year)" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 225. Ziff Davis. p. 94. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  20. ^ GameSpot Staff (December 30, 2002). "GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2002". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 7, 2003.
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