Gran Turismo (video game)

Gran Turismo (GT) is a racing video game series developed by Polyphony Digital for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable gaming systems. The producer for all four games is Kazunori Yamauchi. Gran Turismo is partially responsible for the US introduction of cars once available only in Japan and other right hand drive markets, such as the Subaru Impreza WRX, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution series, and the Nissan Skyline, under Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti as the G35. The game has also increased US awareness of such companies as Aston Martin, Ruf, Venturi, and Alfa Romeo.

The appeal of the Gran Turismo series is largely due to the meticulous detail evident in the simulation of driving and racing the licensed vehicles in the game, of which there are many. Every car sounds and handles according to real-life driving impressions. Vehicle tuning is similarly realistic, suspension settings affecting handling as they do in motorsports. Although Gran Turismo has a beer-and-pretzels arcade mode, the real heart of the series is its simulation mode, which guides the player through a circuit of increasingly difficult events—building up their cash, skill, and garage of cars all the while.

Although Gran Turismo is widely considered the best racing simulation available for the PS1 and PS2, it is not without its drawbacks. For example, the game contains no damage-modeling whatsoever—partly due to licensing agreements prohibiting car damage and partly due to the fact (as observed by developers) that many collisions during normal gameplay would completely destroy the cars involved. This lack of damage modeling has prompted many players to quip, "Who needs brakes? That's what my opponents are for!" Indeed, using the AI cars as impromptu barriers is a time-honored Gran Turismo tactic. This does not, however, undermine the realistic physics in simulating the actual driving.

Additional problems include the presence of only five AI cars in any given race, and the apparent lack of demonstrable "intelligence" in the driving abilities of the AI cars. The sparse number of cars creates a lack of variety and excitement in races; generally the five cars travel in close proximity, and if the player's car is even slightly faster than the AI, then there will be little dicing with the AI drivers, as the player drives off into the distance after the first corner. On the infrequent occasions the player does contest the AI for position, he/she often finds that the AI seems not to be cognizant that the player's car is even there, usually driving into the player from the side or from behind in an instinctive effort to keep on the racing line.

Also, there are certain glaring vehicle omissions (despite a vehicle count of more than 700 in GT4) that leave many enthusiasts upset. There are no Ferraris, Lamborghinis (despite a privateer JGTC Diablo in the Japan only edition of GT3), or Porsches to be found (although Ruf, which is available, builds its cars on Porsche chassis). Another aspect of the game that has been criticized is that many of the cars are variants of the same Japanese sports cars; there are 48 varieties (56 including race cars and other varieties) of Nissan Skylines and 20 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. Also, as evidently shown in first installment, as the game had a majority percentage of Japanese cars, Yamauchi as he had a long history of Japanese car ownerships, which makes him more of a Japanese car enthusiast.

The Gran Turismo series has been wildly popular over its lifetime, appealing to an audience spanning from the casual gamer across the spectrum to proponents of comparatively hyper-realistic PC racing sims. Also, the game helped to influence car sales and a mass influx of grey and parallel imports, especially with Japanese cars in Europe, and the United Kingdom, aided by the newly introduced SVA regulation; which the majority of people who brought one in the late nineties mentioned the game in reference to the car they brought. As a result, car manufacturers stepped in to offer free licensing, in return for advertising their cars within the game, which also explained why Polyphony did not feel the need to pay for licenses for other manufacturers. Also, during the production of GT4, Yamauchi was given a VW Golf R32 as a gift from the company.

Gran Turismo

The best selling game ever made for the original PlayStation, Gran Turismo contains eleven courses, three endurance courses, and multiple time-trial events. The game's simulation mode is not as fleshed out as in later releases, and the structure is really sort of formless, but the basic features of the game are present, including the ability to win vehicles for your garage by winning certain events. Also introduced the license-testing system, which qualifies the player to compete in certain events. The player starts with a certain number of credits, which are used to purchase used or new vehicles from a number of manufacturer-specific shops (e.g., one sells only Toyotas, one sells only Mitsubishis, and so on), or from used car dealers, and then can tune his/her car at the appropriate parts store for best performance on the circuit. Players may apply prize money won in events to further tuning their existing car or buying a new one. Certain events are open only to particular vehicles, or to drivers with a particular license earned. The opening song for the US and European versions is a Chemical Brothers remix of the Manic Street Preachers song "Everything Must Go".

The game itself had a somewhat limited selection of songs, none of which can be turned off. These include 'Lose Control' by Ash From the album 1977, 4 songs from the Swim era of Feeder (Chicken On A Bone Reworked instrumental, Shade Instrumental, Tangerine Instrumental, Sweet 16), 'As Heaven is Wide' by Garbage, 'Oxyacetalene', 'Skeletal', 'Autonomy', and 'Industry' by Cubanate.

Gran Turismo was recently inducted into Gamespot's The Greatest Games of All Time list, which is a feature run by Gamespot that highlights games that are considered great by the Gamespot staff. It is also one of the rare games to receive a top mark of 10 out of 10 from Edge (magazine).

Gran Turismo 2

Also for the original PlayStation. Gran Turismo 2 (GT2) contains 22 courses, 6 endurance courses, and the first rally event courses, including the famous Pikes Peak hill-climb course. GT2 comes on two discs: an arcade disc and a simulation disc, of which the PAL simulation disc has a "scratch and sniff" cover (supposed to smell like a pit lane), which disappeared when the game joined the Platinum range of best-selling games. The separate discs are testament to the amount of depth added to the simulation mode in GT2, nearly doubling the number of available vehicles, adding new tracks, and structuring the events in a more logical fashion. GT2 also reorganizes the license system accordingly and keeps track of the player's completion percentage. The game itself bears nearly 650 licensed automobiles. Early releases were noted for having many glitches.

Gran Turismo 2000

Gran Turismo 2000 is the early name of Gran Turismo 3, shown in E3 2000/2001. The name was changed because the game was delayed and could not be launched in that year.

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

The first installament of the Gran Turismo series on the PlayStation 2, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (GT3) featured vastly improved graphics and new gameplay features.

A new feature was oil changes. As the distance travelled on the motor oil accumulates, the vehicle engine's performance degrades gradually, until a notice light is lit on the dashboard during gameplay, signaling that an oil change is needed.

The Gran Turismo Mode has a reorganized layout, with a more structured and progressive arrangement of races and challenges. In addition, the car shops are now organized by country and then by manufacturer, which some find to be more intuitive than the East/West City method used in GT2. On the downside, far fewer vehicles are available in GT3 (just over 150) than GT2 (around 500). This is attributed largely to the work needed for the more detailed graphics and statistics for the cars, and the game's release being early in the PlayStation 2's lifespan.

Among the changes were the omission of the ability to "racing Modify" or add down force to production cars, removal of suspension damage and also re absent of torque limits to races. The developers collaborated with computer and game prepheral maker Logitech for the game, which resulted in the GT Force steering wheel, which featured force feedback and was highly fitted to the game.

The initial Japanese release of GT3 was bundled with a 179-page booklet called the "Gran Turismo 3 A-spec Reference Guide", featuring detailed tutorials on driving techniques for the GT Force steering wheel, a complete tune-up parts catalogue and a description of all the cars featured in the game. Later releases of the Japanese version, like the one bundled with a PS2, no longer included the guide.

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec is considered a commercial success for Sony in Japan, Europe, and North America. The game is highly praised by game reviewers and players as one of the finest racing games ever made and frequently appears on 'top 100 lists' (like IGN's Top 100). The music included an exclusive demo recording of 'Just A Day', 'Buck Rogers' and 'Seven Days In The Sun' all by Feeder from their Echo Park era.

Gran Turismo Concept: 2001 Tokyo Collection

Released only in Japan in the year 2002 for 3,200 yen. It first appeared in 2001's Tokyo Motor Show

Gran Turismo Concept: 2002 Tokyo-Seoul

Released only in Korea on April 9, 2002, this game featured Korean cars from Hyundai for the very first time. This game was based largely on the Gran Turismo Concept: 2001 Tokyo Collection and served as a launch pad for Sony Computer Entertainment Korea's Playstation 2 launch in Korea.

Gran Turismo Concept: 2002 Tokyo-Geneva

Released in Europe and Asia (Asian version DVD-9 was not released in Japan) in July 2002, this the most complete "Concept" version, giving all cars from others two previous versions adding a total of 65 new cars. The Asian version has a Tokyo Motor Show documentary.

Gran Turismo 4 and demos

Gran Turismo 4 Prologue

In December 2003, Sony released Gran Turismo 4 Prologue. It was a pre-release version of GT4. It was supposed to provide a preview of what would be in GT4 when it shipped (belatedly). GT4P had only a few cars and a small number of tracks. The simulation mode, which is normally the meat of a Gran Turismo game was missing and replaced by an extended series of events similar to licence tests. Only the a few of the events had any other cars on the track at the same time as the player. There was no multiplayer. GT4P was not a full enough to be considered a complete game, but yet was sold on store shelves in Japan and the rest of Southeast Asia. It was eventually released in other countries after GT4's production cycle was lengthened. It included bonus dvd's (with a ferrari featuring in 1 of the behind-the-scenes videos).

GT4P did have an improved driving model from GT3 and included the new GT4 HUD. However, the development cycle for GT4 lengthened even further and thus the final versions of GT4 don't bear a strong relationship to GT4P in-game. GT4P did not have the 480p or 1080i display features of GT4.

GT4P had a special event requiring the player to finish a track in a certain amount of time and under a certain level of fuel consumption in a Toyota Prius. All the functionality of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive was modelled in the challenge. This was probably the impetus for Toyota adopting GT4 demos as a promotional tool.

Toyota Prius demo disc

In the summer of 2004, Toyota sent a demo disc of GT4 along with a marketing brochure for its 2004 Prius hybrid car by way of customer request from their web site. The demo disc featured only two cars, namely the Prius and the Toyota MTRC concept car. Two tracks were included, Fuji Speedway 90's and Grand Canyon, but each was limited to two minutes of play time. Toyota stopped offering the demo discs when the requests for the marketing brochure became disproportional to the real interest in their cars. The disc became a collectible item for Prius owners and is still sometimes available via auction at eBay.

BMW 1-series demo disc

There is also a demo disc for the release of BMW's new 1-series. It features all four models of the 1-series (118i, 120i, 118d and 120d), and three of the Gran Turismo 4 tracks – including the Nürburgring (driving around this circuit was limited to three minutes).

BMW customers in the United Kingdom who ordered a 1-series before its official release date were invited to a private event at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in Northamptonshire. During the day, customers and their families were allowed to test drive pre-release models of the 1-series on the racetrack, and in a slick skid pan environment (to demonstrate the vehicle's near-perfect 50:50 weight distribution). Guests could also test drive other BMW vehicles including the X5 on specially constructed off-road courses.

On departure from the event, all guests were given a pack containing the demo disc.

Note: At the 2004 Sydney Motor Show, the New York track was only available to race in the BMW 1-series in either petrol(120i) or diesel(120d). It consisted of a 2 lap race versus a second player.

Volkswagen demo

Some people believe and say exists a customized Gran Turismo 3-engine demo in Volkswagen labs. In 2003, rumors were spread on the Internet about the fully playable and compatible with PlayStation 2. This was never confirmed or denied by Polyphony Digital, but it's known that they developed versions of the game for motor companies.

Nissan Micra Edition demo disc

With the release of Nissan Micra Roma, Nissan distributed a press kit for each concessionaire in several coutries in Europe to promote the car. This press kit included several photographs, a press information booklet and three discs. One of the discs included in this kit is an official Gran Turismo demo named Nissan Micra Edition.

Gran Turismo 4

Gran Turismo 4 (GT4) is the most realistic and comprehensive game of the series, with the greatest number of tracks and cars available. There are 720 different cars in the game (although it should be pointed out that this list includes cars with multiple small variations, such as 20 Subaru Imprezas, 25 Mitsubishi Lancers, and 48 Nissan Skylines) and over 50 racetracks. Features new to the series include the ability to install aerodynamic spoilers to increase downforce,(note that this differs from the earlier "racing modification" option of the PSX Gran Turismos, as that option basically turned the car in question into a racing model) the ability for tuned or racing cars to spit flames from unburnt fuel through their exhausts, and the controversial inclusion of nitrous oxide. There are also new Photo and B-spec Modes to cater for a wider variety of car enthusiasts.

The game was released for PlayStation 2 on December 28, 2004 in Asia, February 22, 2005 in the United States and March 9, 2005 in Europe. A version for PlayStation Portable, titled Gran Turismo 4 Mobile (or GT4 Mobile), is currently in development. An online component, originally intended, was removed. However, while there is a lack of online features, the NTSC version of the game has the option of being displayed in 1080i HDTV resolution. It is the first game for the PlayStation 2 that can be displayed in this resolution—and one of only a handful of games available for any console of its generation to do so. The final version was released in DVD-9 format.

In addition, the physics and AI have been completely reworked. The AI for the opposing cars can now be adjusted by the user with up to 10 settings in Arcade-mode. GT4 is also the first game in the series to model the drivers of the vehicles, which allows for convertibles to be driven with the top down, and the inclusion of antique automobiles such as open-top early Daimler-Benz Motor Wagen and Ford Model T.

Also, pickup trucks (like the Ford F150 SVT Lightning and Dodge Ram) were featured for the first time on GT4, and new models were added, like the 1987 Buick GNX and both the 1964 and 2004 versions of the Pontiac GTO. The series' first custom car, a Buick Special, was also featured.

The most significant improvement of GT4 over previous offerings, for most, has likely been the evolution in the physics. Players must learn even more about the subtleties of real life racing in order to be able to drive effectively in the game compared to previous racing games. However, traction and stability controls remain available to provide realistic driving aids for relative beginners while they learn by completing various licence tests.

Licence tests have been an integral part of GT games. Completing higher levels of tests will let the player gain entry to harder races, where victory earns more prize credits and faster, rarer prize cars. This in turn gives the player a better chance of winning the numerous other races as, the money earned will allow for upgrading existing cars in the garage, or buying faster and more expensive cars.

An advanced player will be able to judge his performance by the realistic lap times. According to the developers, a professional driver was invited to set times using the same car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, and the GT4 lap times were within 2% of the real life equivalent. However, in stark comparison, Jeremy Clarkson of the British automobile show Top Gear attempted to beat his GT4 time on Laguna Seca in a Honda NSX, but came up short. His real life time of 1:57 was greater than his GT4 time of 1:41.148. In actuality, Clarkson used a Honda NSX-R in the GT4 game but drove an Acura NSX at Laguna Seca. The NSX-R is a lighter and faster version of the original NSX, therefore, Clarkson's virtual and real-world comparison was flawed.

Vision Gran Turismo

Vision Gran Turismo will be the next game of the franchise that will run on the next-gen franchise, PlayStation 3. Not much info has been released.

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Gran Turismo HD

At E3 2006 it was announced that Gran Turismo HD (High Definition) would be released on the Playstation 3. It will supposedly come out shortly after the release of the PS3 and is designed to showcase the HD capabilities of the more powerful new console. During the launch ^* it was described as "assets from GT4 boosted in quality and resolution and converted to the PS3 platform." It will output at 1920x1080 pixels resolution and sixty fps. The menus have been optimised specifically for HD resolution. There will be four tracks: Tokyo R246, Nürburgring Nordschleife, Circuit de la Sarthe and Grand Canyon. Incorporating elements from the spin-off game Tourist Trophy, the user will also be able to select motorbikes. "In GT4 the average loading time was roughly ten to fifteen seconds. For Gran Turismo HD it has been optimised to use the hard-disk drive that is equipped in the Playstation 3," significantly reducing the time to about five seconds.

Trivia

Gran Turismo 2 - A remix of the song "My Favourite Game" from The Cardigans opens the PAL and US version of Gran Turismo 2. Curiously, the album-source for this music is Gran Turismo - this is because the band played the first installment of the series extensively while on tour and paid homage by naming their next album after it.

Gran Turismo 2 & 4 - While driving the Seattle circuit, which appeared also in GT2 and GT3, the Kingdome (previous home of the Seattle Mariners) is visible next to their current stadium, Safeco Field. Kingdome was demolished in an implosion on 26th March 2000 which according to the official strategy guide that it was added for nostalgia purposes.

Gran Turismo 4 - The Nike One 2022 has Morse code on the right hand side of the car. When reversed, this reads www.phil-frank.com, the artist commissioned to design this car for GT4.

Gran Turismo 4 - After the tunnel and subsequent long straight on Trial Mountain, as you approach the banked left-hand turn, if you look over the wall into the valley, an impossibly tall tree is standing.

Gran Turismo 4 - Just before the start/finish line on Rally d'Umbria, written on the tarmac is: "Dio lo benedice - fate il suo guidare il più sicuro e divertirsi" which translated means: "God bless you; drive safely and have fun".

Gran Turismo 4 - If you drive Apricot Hill in reverse, at the second turn just before you head downhill, grayish smoke is visible over the mountain.

Gran Turismo 1-4 - Currently every PAL edition has included BGM by the UK band Feeder

For all installments of the series, Japanese watch maker Seiko has been credited as the official time keeper of the games' races.

"Gran Turismo" was referenced in the The Streets song "The Irony Of It All" taken from the album "Original Pirate Material"

External links

Official sites

Fan sites

Game Archive and Review sites

MobyGames' entry for the Gran Turismo Series

Regional sites

Gran Turismo Polska - Polish GT community

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