Originally posted by V8Triker:

I know the series, and have given JC4 a fair shot. I have even completed the story line and the associated side missions.
All the negative reviews have pretty much said it all. My big issue was with the keyboard use. What key do yuou use for Map. "M"!!! everyone knows it is M. Maybe it could be Tab, in some instnaces. But no, in JC4 it is 1!!. Then there are an array of odd key assignments, and then it gets further mistified with the use of keyboard for some stuff, and mouse for others.
Oh, and ESC usually backs you out of screens? Not in JC4!

Driving. Tis still good fun, and most of the time trials are great too.
However. Who's bright idea was it to do away with freelook? You're on a time trial and running out of time. The last 90deg turn is ahead, all is looking good, you appraoch the turn go to look right, and............
Nope, you can only look forwards. Ya tug on the handbrake, on a wing and a prayer, and as the road ahead comes into view there is a Sunday afternoon driver in front of you and a lorry coming at you in the other lane.
What is the point? Even Noah's Ark, the game, had freelook!

I did finish it, and right at the end it delivers its final "insult".
There is a lot of cut scenes, but then there are quite a few through the whole game, that bring the story along. You can not escape though them, you have to watch them.
But the "piece de restisance" is to not allow you to escape from the credits!! They ran for nearly 10 minutes. In the end I was looking for my name, 'cos I'm sure evryone else in the world was mentioned.

I was really looking forward to JC4, and even splashed out for the Gold Edition :(

As said in the other reviews, if you are new to the JC series, get JC3.
If you want JC4, wait for it to be well under £20.

JC5? "Once bitten, twice shy" me thinks.