Product Description

11 Highly Detailed Tracks. 140 Authentic Sports Cars. Rated "E" for Everyone.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4133 in Video Games
• Brand: Sony Computer Entertainment
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Platform: PlayStation
• Dimensions: 1.00" h x 4.90" w x 5.60" l, .15 pounds

Features

• 1-2 Players
• Dual Shock Controller Compatible
• Analog Controller Compatible
• Revolutionary 3D Graphics
• Simulation and Arcade Mode

Editorial Review
Gran Turismo is the new definition of a great racing game. With wonderful graphics, TV-like replays, and an entire host of cars to chose from, this instant classic goes beyond a driving game into the realm of driving simulator. You can choose between the arcade version (featuring classic cars such as Corvettes and Aston Martins) or the simulation, which is the true heart of the game. The simulation starts you on an entire racing career beginning with a cheap used car and second-rate tracks. You will find yourself longing for the Dodge Viper as your sad $10,000 starting fund puts you behind the wheel of a used Honda Prelude or Mazda RX-7. As you win races, acquire money, and earn advanced licenses, you are able to buy better cars and race in more competitive matches right up to the GT World Cup.

Complete with cunning renditions of actual car models and a very playable interface, this game is great for the serious racing simulation fan and the casual gamer. It promises instant action and the kind of gradual advancement that keeps gamers playing for weeks. While the license tests can be hard, the fun track design and sheer number (140-plus) and variety of cars to choose from makes this an exciting race experience. --Allen Stewart

Pros:

• Great graphics
• More than 140 accurately modeled cars
• Awesome replays--actually looks like a TV race

• Steep learning curve

GameSpot Review
The US release of Gran Turismo has been a much-awaited event. Sony made some changes to the domestic release, but for the most part, it's still the same game. Gran Turismo is about as close to driving a car you can without, well, actually driving a car. Whether that's a blessing or a curse, however, depends on your point of view.

There are two main modes to choose from. The arcade mode is a quick and dirty race, which lets you pick from a number of cars right off the bat and features slightly simplified physics for more arcade-style play. There is a two-player split-screen option in arcade mode, but the frame rate takes a horrible dive, making it almost totally useless. The arcade mode easily rivals most arcade-style driving games, but the simulation mode is where the meat of the game is. You start the simulation with enough money to buy a used car that should be good enough for the first few races. Of course, you can't actually enter any races until you've earned your license. There are three licenses in the game, each one more difficult to attain than the last. There are eight segments to each license test. Most of the segments involve taking a set of turns in a certain amount of time. These segments are supposed to teach you the proper way to corner and make you a better driver. Unfortunately, all they really do is block your path to the interesting races and tracks in a very frustrating way. You'll probably have more than one episode involving you wanting to place your foot through your TV, all because you're half a second above the required time to pass. The worst part about it is that half the time you don't even know what you're doing wrong. A post-test critique of your performance would have helped greatly here. The license portion of the game would have been better as a tutorial segment that wasn't a requirement to race.

Once you've toiled through the licenses, you're cleared to race. From here you can select from an array of races, ranging from the fairly easy Sunday Cup all the way up to the GT World Cup. There is also a collection of special event races, such as US vs. Japan and front-wheel-drive cars only. Racing earns you money, which you can use to buy one of over 140 real-life cars. Several different manufacturers are represented in the game, including Nissan, Chevrolet, Honda, Dodge, Toyota, and Mitsubishi. The only glaring oversight is the lack of any Fords, but I assume there's some grisly licensing story behind that. Once you've found a car worth sticking with, you can purchase parts for your car, including new engines, brakes, tires, suspension, and turbo. You can also have your ports tuned and undergo different weight reduction techniques to further streamline your ride. Whenever you fit a custom part to your car, the change in horsepower is displayed, keeping you from accidentally installing worthless parts. Lastly, there is the car wash, which gets rid of the road grime accumulated in everyday use.

The graphics in Gran Turismo are unmatched on the PlayStation. The replays look especially realistic. There are a few problems with polygons dropping out at the beginning of the race (the camera does a wide swing around your car), but once you're off, there's rarely a problem. The sound effects are perfect, and each car is represented with accurate-sounding engine noise. The music is pretty good and includes a track from the band Garbage, among others. However, I miss the goofy car wash music from the Japanese version. The game's control is very good with the Dual Shock controller; the standard pad doesn't do the game justice.

All in all, Gran Turismo is the most complete driving game on the market. The license tests may be extremely annoying, but behind them is a pretty realistic driving game with scads of options. Fans of arcade-style racers will probably become easily frustrated with GT, but it will surely satisfy people looking for more of a simulation-styled approach. --Jeff Gerstmann
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Customer Reviews

Gran Turismo 2 WAIT
Gran Turismo is an awesome game no doubt, and one of the best racing games ever. Although Gran Turismo 2 has been released for a week now, it still is the second best racing game. Since i already have a copy of GT2, I spell out the differences. GT2 has 500+ cars and 20 tracks, but GT only has 165 cars and 11 tracks. This is a huge difference, but for most racers, GT is enough. There isn't a huge improvement over graphics in the newer version but it has been improved slightly. There are double the license tests, but if you are used to the old license tests, you'll do fine. For advanced racers, you'll opt for GT2. GT is much easier to race compared with GT2 because SONY made the computer racers race harder. The tracks are plenty challenging in the latter version and can at times be frustrating. All old tracks carry over with an addition of a few more new tracks. There is also a rally racing mode which is awesome. There really isn't that much more difference. My advice to all people getting ready to buy the old Gran Turismo: This isn't a bad choice but purchase the second version. It triples the fun and triples the challenge.

Best Racing Game Ever!
As many have said, Gran Turismo is the single best racing game ever. Actually, I wouldn't even call it a game, it truly is much more of a simulator. The graphics, handling, speed, sounds and cars are all 100% realistic. It even gives the correct horsepower and weight of each car. It lets you choose from many different car companies, and in the Arcade mode, different classes of cars from A (best) to C (worst). The game is extremely fun and has an endless replay value. You can choose between Arcade Mode, where you can choose any car you want and race, or Simulation mode where you have to buy cars and earn money from races. The game truly is amazing. If you're thinking it sounds easy, you're wrong. Realstic handling and brakes make running the tracks a real strategy and getting licenses very challenging. There isn't much more you could possibly want out of a racing game. Plus, the documentation is pretty impressive.

Gran Turismo
This is the ULTIMATE in circuit racing! If you buy this, you will throw away your other racing games and never look back!

You may want to wait a few weeks for the realease of Gran Turismo 2. Hundreds more cars from dozens of manufacturers, European, American and Japaneese alike, not to mention more tracks and even dirt trails!