Gran Turismo 4 harkens back to an age where you got everything you wanted in games from the get-go, no downloads, no DLCs and no fixing things as they go, you paid for one game and got about three games worth of content, great balance between quality and quantity that you'll ever see in a racing game and that's hard to beat

The progression is almost RPG-like, and the enormous numbers of cars, tracks and events creates near infinite replay possibilities

It's not perfect with the mountains of content disorganized in a great sprawl that you can refer to as a "mess", it shows it's age like any other PS2 era game in terms of technical aspects, but the quality and quantity of the races and single-player content is unmatched by modern iterations of Gran Turismo

Takes a much more streamlined and linear approach to its gameplay design than the only other FF game I've played, X, and in favor of a more direct and cinematic experience toeing the line of avant-garde

In terms of its narrative, the world of Pulse stands out as remarkably unique, providing an excellent backdrop for the unfolding story and character development.

Though, the story itself falls short in some aspects, and the biggest the issue lies in the fact that within a game as linear as this one, the pacing is remarkably uneven, managing to feel both too slow and too fast simultaneously. It heavily relies on its characters and their internal conflicts, which are intricately woven and complement the narrative style. However, character development is rushed and lacks depth due to the rapid-fire exposition, leaving little room for genuine connection with the characters before they undergo significant transformations. Additionally, crucial plot developments and world-building information are crammed into the final hours of gameplay, resulting in a rushed narrative. These shortcomings are exacerbated by unexpected difficulty spikes, the amount of context-specific terms, the character Snow, further elongating already overstretched moments in the game.

The characters are generally likable, and it's commendable how their relationships evolve convincingly throughout their journey. Sazh, in particular, shines in many scenes, stealing the spotlight with his presence.

I liked Lightning's character shift from distant and cold, to the self-revelation hits that she had been blinded by her anger and loss all along, and in-turn fueling Hope’s self-destructive anger, to the person in the group who lifts people’s spirits up and encourages them back to their feet

Although the main antagonist may not leave a lasting impression by Final Fantasy standards, they do offer a few notably challenging boss battles.

The music really carried the game by a few standout tracks like "The Promise"; a heartfelt track that is used for some of the more pensive moments of downtime in the game and does a good job making you empathize with the characters, and "Blinded by Light"; very unique and goes through a nice range of emotions throughout the song that keeps it fresh no matter how long the battle lasts, the main violin part is just beautiful

The uniqueness of the setting, coupled with some memorable character moments and excellent presentation, helps compensate for any narrative shortcomings. The sensation of awe upon arriving at Gran Pulse, after navigating through hours of long, linear sci-fi corridors, is a testament to the game's masterful design and well worth the wait IMO