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Rating: There are simulation games on four wheels, some interesting, others less so, and then there is Gran Turismo.
GT is part of a world unto itself, fearless of comparisons, and currently, unless someone invents something better, which I find highly unlikely if not impossible, it remains the unrivaled, simply splendid, and spectacular "The Real Driving Simulator".
Exaggerated! What's the big deal?
I have dozens of responses ready to sew your mouth shut stranger, but I'll give you just two: an almost infinite car collection, although much lower than that presented in its predecessor, a choice linked solely to programming times, and over three hundred races to tackle.
Is that enough? No?
Then either you are not a fan of car games or you don't know how to make the most of your play, given that in front of you is the best product for real-time graphics, that is you can shoot comfortably seated on the couch at over 10 million polygons and 60 frames per second without your black box batting an eye, thanks to programming and a graphics engine that you'll want to lick your whiskers, beard, and ears simultaneously.
If you're looking for a way to drive a Porsche (or Ruf), a Dodge Viper, a Zonda C12 or a Toyota GT One, a terrifying and ungovernable Suzuki Escudo, and you don't have the liquidity to do it in person, unless you are filthy rich or have friends equally filthy rich, this is the game for you. You won’t feel your back stuck to the couch, for goodness sake, there's a limit to everything, but the sensations linked to the virtual reality of controlling these graphically perfect speed machines, perfect in every single detail, are already widely satisfying.
A piece of advice: if you're looking for European cars, this is not the place for you, because little space has been given to the old continent in terms of dealerships, but it doesn't really matter, the fun is guaranteed nonetheless, considering the fact that you can't damage the cars (if not, you'd know how much it costs to fix these gems?) or overturn (it's already difficult, so I think they didn't want to exaggerate further). Therefore, even the less experienced drivers will find this fantastic Polyphony Digital product easy to approach and will soon gain experience for more important and challenging races (also because as you progress, you’ll be able to unlock incredibly fast Formula 1 cars but shhh.. It’s a secret!).
To start, you can engage in the beginner races, you’ll have a meager budget so, before you can afford truly performance-oriented vehicles, the journey will be long and arduous. When you think you have become good enough, there is an obstacle that stands in your way. The following races, the slightly more important ones, are accessible under one condition. Those who have already dealt with previous versions of GT know it well: you’ll have to get the licenses! Category "B" - "A" - "International B" - "International A" and "S", in addition to what’s necessary to access the rallies (yes, there are those too!).
So arm yourself with patience, because you really need a lot of it, along with a good dose of inner calm (maybe ten minutes of yoga and meditation wouldn’t hurt before starting) so you don't throw the joypad and destroy it against the wall (and the original one costs a lot!) in a fit of rage. If you manage to get the gold medal in every license test (if there is any crazy out there who managed to do it, pass me the memory card immediately, I’ll pay any amount), the game will be grateful to you by giving you bonus cars with which you can start racing seriously without having to break your piggy bank...
If you can't, like in my case, you'll have to scrape the money slowly, but you'll see that by continuing to win races, the game will be just as generous and will reward you with increasingly performant cars. You’ll have a garage where all your hard-won cars are parked, which you can change at any time depending on the race you need to tackle (front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, 4WD, spider & roadster, rally, etc..), and where you can save your progress or load the previously saved game if you’ve messed something up.
Every available vehicle can be modified in various phases in the appropriate dealership workshops: from a sport tuning (yes, exactly like that rascal at the traffic light revving up next to you with his Citroen Saxo with attached stove pipe at the back!), so even just a good muffler and short gear make a big difference if you have little money to spend, to an extreme elaboration that will triple your horsepower and performance (everything is actually modifiable manually, every single mapping, but if you're not an expert, I don't recommend it, unless you want to make some adjustments to the gears).
Eighteen tracks, proposed in various available races even in reverse, will be ready to await you in the most intricate realism, from the splendid sunsets (including annoying disturbing light on the windshield), to the light filtering through the trees in Deep Forest, from the Colosseum you'll skim by at over 200 km/h in the beautiful Roman circuit, to the urban track in Seattle, or if you prefer racing at night, Special Route 5 awaits you or if you want to try the difficulty of the very tricky "corkscrew" in ups and downs there’s also Laguna Seca (watch out for tailspins!), in addition to the prestigious Monte Carlo circuit, faithfully reproduced here. Even the rally tracks are noteworthy and better realized compared to the previous version, so you’ll have a lot of fun!
When you have completed all the so-called "normal" races, a marathon awaits you that few will have the courage to undertake: the endurance races, averaging 300 Km. per race in one go, so put on the hardest tires, watch your consumption and throttle up, always! (Anyway, I’ve never understood if there is a way to pause and resume the game later, saving progress, because such a race is suicidal!). Once everything is completed, if you haven’t had enough yet, to see the sought-after 100% on the progress bar, you’ll have to finish the arcade mode (I only told you about Gran Turismo so far!), where there is also the possibility of fierce challenges thanks to the split screen both horizontal (4:3) and vertical (16:9) as well as the multiplayer game via i.LINK connection.
With this chapter, Polyphony marks the decisive point in its favor as the best producer of four-wheel simulation games and lays the foundation for the development of what will be the absolute masterpiece of the series (i.e., GT4, but give me the time to play it since I just put my paws on it!). A true revolution in the world of racing.
Nothing from now on will be the same again..
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