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Gran Turismo
Where did the gameplay go?
October 16, 2009 | 11:21 PM PSTKombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.
What the Game's About
Gran Turismo PSP has been in development for what seems like forever. Promised when the PSP was still a new system, it has seen delay after delay but now has finally seen the light of day. Known for the most realistic racing simulation on the planet, GT strives to be the best in class with painstakingly detailed cars from manufactures across the world. You then have the opportunity to pit those cars against each other on world famous race tracks that will test your reflexes and driving acumen.
What's Hot
GT is known for tight controls and realistic driving physics. The PSP version doesn't disappoint in this department. The game also looks gorgeous to really sell you on the idea this is the next best thing to driving the cars of your choice. Screen shots can't do this game any justice; to experience the beauty of the visuals, you need to see it firsthand. All the controls feel refined, even in the face of the PSP's imperfect button layout. In no time at all you'll be cutting up the tracks with the grace of a dancer and the ferocity of a race car driver. You can take each car and tune it specifically for each race with a quick tune option for your 30 most used cars.
If 30 cars sounds like a lot, that is out of a possible 800. The vehicle list in GT is insane. You can find nearly any car you'd want to drive from all different time periods. How that car was built depends on how it drive on the courses. For the record, there are 35 tracks from locations around the world to test them out on. To get you started, there is a driving school that consists of challenges that you can complete and be rewarded with points to spend in the dealership to add more cars to your garage. Browsing the dealership and fantasizing about actually owning a car is part of the fun as you take it for a test drive on the virtual tracks contained in GT.
What's Not
For all the work done getting the feeling of driving just right, there isn't much attention paid to making you want to drive them. You have access to all these wonderful cars, but the way the races are presented, you'll be wondering where the rest of the game went. When you go to start a race, you'll pick a mode, a car and a track, and go. There aren't any circuits or other worthwhile modes other than the driving challenges to keep you interested and dipping back into the dealership with your hard earned credits to try and qualify for the next set of races. The difficulty is dynamic so how well the AI plays depends on your past performances on the track you select. With a four-car grid, the competition isn't incredibly fierce and careful racing will
The dealership brings up another giant problem with GT. Since the game is based on "days" only certain dealerships are open during certain times. That translates into neutering one of the biggest wow-factors GT on the PSP has going for it, a list of nearly a 1000 cars. You never see the list in its entirety. If you are saving up for a particular car, you'll have to wait longer than you might anticipate because you have to wait until the game says you can access that car's manufacturer, which depends on the game's internal cycle. Any racing game knows that part of the fun is not only looking at all the awesome cars, but also pressing your metaphorical face against the toy store to long for the car just out of your budget as something to aspire to.
Final Word
GT feels like a step backwards for the racing franchise. The driving feels great but there isn't much incentive to keep playing the game because it is sorely lacking any modes that you can get lasting appeal out of. In the end, there is a lot of dazzle but no substance. Don't let the impressive car numbers fool you, if you have been waiting for this GT, you'll be whole-heartedly disappointed at this wasted effort of a AAA franchise.
What the Game's About
Gran Turismo PSP has been in development for what seems like forever. Promised when the PSP was still a new system, it has seen delay after delay but now has finally seen the light of day. Known for the most realistic racing simulation on the planet, GT strives to be the best in class with painstakingly detailed cars from manufactures across the world. You then have the opportunity to pit those cars against each other on world famous race tracks that will test your reflexes and driving acumen.
What's Hot
GT is known for tight controls and realistic driving physics. The PSP version doesn't disappoint in this department. The game also looks gorgeous to really sell you on the idea this is the next best thing to driving the cars of your choice. Screen shots can't do this game any justice; to experience the beauty of the visuals, you need to see it firsthand. All the controls feel refined, even in the face of the PSP's imperfect button layout. In no time at all you'll be cutting up the tracks with the grace of a dancer and the ferocity of a race car driver. You can take each car and tune it specifically for each race with a quick tune option for your 30 most used cars.
If 30 cars sounds like a lot, that is out of a possible 800. The vehicle list in GT is insane. You can find nearly any car you'd want to drive from all different time periods. How that car was built depends on how it drive on the courses. For the record, there are 35 tracks from locations around the world to test them out on. To get you started, there is a driving school that consists of challenges that you can complete and be rewarded with points to spend in the dealership to add more cars to your garage. Browsing the dealership and fantasizing about actually owning a car is part of the fun as you take it for a test drive on the virtual tracks contained in GT.
What's Not
For all the work done getting the feeling of driving just right, there isn't much attention paid to making you want to drive them. You have access to all these wonderful cars, but the way the races are presented, you'll be wondering where the rest of the game went. When you go to start a race, you'll pick a mode, a car and a track, and go. There aren't any circuits or other worthwhile modes other than the driving challenges to keep you interested and dipping back into the dealership with your hard earned credits to try and qualify for the next set of races. The difficulty is dynamic so how well the AI plays depends on your past performances on the track you select. With a four-car grid, the competition isn't incredibly fierce and careful racing will
The dealership brings up another giant problem with GT. Since the game is based on "days" only certain dealerships are open during certain times. That translates into neutering one of the biggest wow-factors GT on the PSP has going for it, a list of nearly a 1000 cars. You never see the list in its entirety. If you are saving up for a particular car, you'll have to wait longer than you might anticipate because you have to wait until the game says you can access that car's manufacturer, which depends on the game's internal cycle. Any racing game knows that part of the fun is not only looking at all the awesome cars, but also pressing your metaphorical face against the toy store to long for the car just out of your budget as something to aspire to.
Final Word
GT feels like a step backwards for the racing franchise. The driving feels great but there isn't much incentive to keep playing the game because it is sorely lacking any modes that you can get lasting appeal out of. In the end, there is a lot of dazzle but no substance. Don't let the impressive car numbers fool you, if you have been waiting for this GT, you'll be whole-heartedly disappointed at this wasted effort of a AAA franchise.
February 8, 2010
