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Rating: First of all, considering that before the PlayStation I played with cheap, fun but rather basic consoles, I never imagined I would find a racing title as complete and sophisticated as this! Really, this is not just about racing to finish first and set records; here we are truly facing a real automotive adventure. The player experiences a real career as a driver where they purchase cars, test them, modify them, maintain their cleanliness and setup, enter races, earn money, and try to advance in an adventure full of obstacles where races become increasingly difficult and rewards increasingly substantial. Also, the way of driving the cars seems to adhere to the laws of physics in terms of grip and stability, with the only limit being the cars' intactness (probably a choice). In short, we are faced with pure realism (as widely highlighted in the title)!
It is precisely these elements of realism that have led the game to be considered a masterpiece and at the same time become an example to follow for anyone wanting to produce a racing game. Another fundamental element is the possibility of driving REAL cars from the best Japanese, British, and American manufacturers. Also worth noting is the replay mode, considerable in its contribution to the title's fame: absolutely realistic replays, enjoyable from different angles, and even savable on memory cards! What more could you ask for!?
The game's high longevity then seems purposefully designed to keep the player glued to the screen for a very, very long time! In fact, there are two game modes: Quick Arcade and Gran Turismo. The quick arcade mode is a normal game speed, more in the classic video game style: the player simply has to choose a car to race with, the circuit, and the difficulty level, then race, choosing between single race (a normal 2-lap race against 5 cars), time-trial (a time trial on a track free from other cars, aiming to improve one's time on a circuit), and a 2-car race (a duel between two players with a split-screen). The objective in this mode is simple: at first, only four circuits will be available (out of the 11 in the game): winning on each of the four circuits with all three classes of available cars unlocks another 4 circuits, and by continuing to win with all three classes on these new circuits, new, undoubtedly more powerful cars will be unlocked. Completing all tracks on "normal" difficulty will unlock the end credits video, and doing the same on "hard" difficulty will unlock the Hi-Fi mode, i.e., time-trials on night tracks but with high-resolution graphics! A mode that is definitely fun and educational.
But the real game mode is Gran Turismo: here the driver truly experiences a real professional driver's adventure! They have a garage to store purchased cars, an initial financial budget to increase by winning races, and access to various dealerships to buy cars. Each dealership is scattered across the home map and offers used models (obviously affordable for beginners), new models (logically acquirable as the financial situation improves), and special models (real racing cars, all covered in markings with special tuning and logically very expensive) and has a "tuning" section for purchasing engine upgrades, new tires, enhanced brakes, or even creating a sports setup. There is also a car wash (!) on the home page that is absolutely convenient and ideal for making the car more presentable after a certain number of races.
For training for races, there are various possibilities such as testing speed over 400-1000 meters and trying to push the accelerator to the maximum to beat the km/h record. Or you can also take time-trials on each of the 11 circuits (also drivable in reverse).
And don't think participation in races will be so straightforward! Indeed, you'll need to take 3 licenses! The B license allows participation in the simplest races, the A license for medium-level races, and the International A license for access to professional races.
Then the list of competitions is truly interesting! There are some sporting races that are more like training (in fact, they don't require licenses), there's the two-memory-card battle (two players compete using cars saved on their respective memory cards), the time-trial (already mentioned earlier), and two sections of races: in the Gt League there are four official championships (Sunday Cup, Clubman Cup, GT Cup, Gt World Cup) to win to unlock the hi-fi mode here as well; and then there's the Special Events section where there are championships reserved for specific categories such as cars with a particular type of traction, nationality, the lightweight championship, the superfast championship, the normal cars championship, and the tuned cars championship... And there are also endurance races lasting 30 or even 60 laps! The lengths of the championships can vary based on the difficulty: from the 3 races of 2 laps each up to 5 races of 3 or even 5 laps each (the GT World Cup even has 6 races); up to the single race, as already mentioned, of 30 or 60 laps! The prize also varies according to this criterion: the higher the difficulty, the higher the cash prize! Each race includes a qualifying lap where the player will be alone on the track to determine their position on the starting grid. Before or after qualifying it will be possible to take free practice laps to test the car's condition to then give your best. Winning a championship earns a new car.
In short, everything is true! Everything a racing game should have is here! All the enthusiasm we feel from driving in a video game is experienced!
And why not say a few words about the music? Truly an excellent choice! We race with the company of rock by Feeder, Ash, Garbage, and Cubanate! And even the music included in the navigation menus is truly excellent and stimulates the player!
In short, we are faced with an undisputed masterpiece! Perfection made reality! I honestly can't understand anyone who disdains this title, it simply means not being a fan of the genre!
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