What is Gran Turismo?

What is Gran Turismo? Don't take this in any offensive manner. This post is meant to be a commentary piece after thinking of my many Gran Turismo experiences. Loyal readers are encouraged to offer their input to my post here. When I think about the Gran Turismo series and after playing Gran Turismo 5, I've recently taken away a different mindset in thinking about the Gran Turismo series and what all it is about. Maybe my thoughts are a bit different from most casual fans of the series. However, I do have thoughts I'd like to share. And with Gran Turismo 6 being in the works, I really wonder how PD would respond if they were to read my comments and respond to them in the making of Gran Turismo 6.

--- What is Gran Turismo? ---

We all know what Gran Turismo is- a racing game franchise created by Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital. We know it is a simulation racing game. We know it is one of the greatest and most successful racing game franchises in gaming history. However, this is NOT answering the main question: what IS Gran Turismo?

Why do I ask this question? I ask this question because when I think about my Gran Turismo experience, I don't have a complete idea of what Gran Turismo is and what it really brings to the table. Many critics would lovingly say that the Gran Turismo series is a hot mess of cars, and an even hotter mess in tracks and racing. Critics may even call the series mostly misguided and lacking a real sense of focus, especially on the racing front.

My biggest hope for this blog post is that I am able to talk about how to structure Gran Turismo 6 in hopes of giving the series some new life and to move it in a more favorable direction than what GT5 has provided. To know what I'm talking about, read my review of Gran Turismo 5 along with my second opinions of Gran Turismo 5.

--- Critical Thoughts on Gran Turismo ---

This is the point where the focus is on the deeper elements of the Gran Turismo franchise.

What is Gran Turismo? Cars.

The Gran Turismo series has always been about the cars. Three nationalities of car and ten or eleven makes comprised the first Gran Turismo. Subsequent editions of Gran Turismo have featured many more nationalities of car and many more kinds of cars ranging from street cars to race cars to concepts.

That all sounds great, right? Haphazardly dropping in cars would be great in offering more than enough automobiles for the GT gamer to enjoy. Most Gran Turismo games seem to offer so many cars to where it doesn't seem like you're racing the same cars in too many races.

Many who criticize car selection in Gran Turismo games often think there are too many clones of cars, or even too few of cars most people actually care about. I think most people who play the Forza Motorsport games feel like these are cars that COULD be in Gran Turismo games as opposed to what Gran Turismo titles put out in titles. Another aspect of cars featured relate primarily to finding certain car companies... but missing out on certain interesting cars. For example, take Marcos in GT4 and GT5. Most people would have liked to have seen the Marcos LM600 race car from the mid-late 1990s. However, only the Mini Marcos was featured. It was for a reason like that as to why some GT fans flocked to the Forza Motorsport series because the first Forza featured Ferrari and Porsche among others. It was almost as if people thought Polyphony Digital was too gun-shy and passive at pursuing big-name car companies and major automotive marques.

I always tell people that Polyphony Digital DOES listen to its fans. There are machines we want to use in the Gran Turismo series and in Tourist Trophy. Our input matters along with whatever PD wants to include as well as what certain other auto makers and race teams want to see be featured. Some people are still reluctant to say that PD doesn't care about its fans or that PD doesn't listen to what fans want on the car front. But if that's what you think, then it's entirely your call and your reasoning.

What Is Gran Turismo? Locations.

It would be a bit vague to just say tracks here. We all know that there are various locations for which things in Gran Turismo games can be done, and not all are necessarily tracks. Each Gran Turismo has some sort of proper world tour of locations. These range from real-world locations, real-world tracks, real-world locations with fictional tracks, and the fair share of fictional locations with fictional tracks.

Gran Turismo doesn't necessarily disappoint in the locations department. However, I would like to see more venues in more locations. There are some places where the Gran Turismo series hasn't yet showcase on a track or Photo Mode perspective, including:

• Canada
• Mexico and Central America, the Caribbean, and South America
• Scandinavia
• Africa
• Middle East
• Australia and New Zealand

Or maybe Gran Turismo is great with original tracks in original locations... which doesn't hurt.

What is Gran Turismo? Racing.

Gran Turismo is a RACING game franchise, and you know there is something DEFINITELY wrong if the racing aspect falls flat or could be much better. I don't necessarily think the racing itself is flat. It's more along the lines of not enough creative and fun events. Gran Turismo 1 had a number of exciting concepts like the Megaspeed Cup and the nationality races. Gran Turismo 2 was very diverse with the different kinds of races devoted to different kinds of cars. GT3 started having more races divided up by difficulty. GT4 had a vast number of different races, but not really many fun events. Gran Turismo 5 almost completely lacked real fun or diversity.

The on-track action is debatable among many a GT gamer. The most common complaint is on "bad AI." Let me tell you something as a racing game fan- "bad AI" is VERY vague. I mean, are we talking about non-competitive AI? Are we talking about AI that lacks personality? Really define bad AI. When I think of bad AI, I think back to some of the ToCA Race Driver games I've played. There were times where I damn near wanted to throw my DualShock at the system or at the TV having to deal with the sometimes overaggressive AI. I've played worse.

If you're a reader of John's Gran Turismo Space, you may have seen some of my "Motorsports Makeover" posts. These are posts talking about specific elements of Gran Turismo that I think can use improvement. I am now starting to believe that Gran Turismo should have a more realistic racing approach rather than a bunch of casual races. My influences come from the ToCA Race Driver series and from the Forza Motorsport series. Both of these games have a realistic racing feel (especially the ToCA games). You have various suites for practice, qualifying, and racing. Some series even have special rules and formats. For example, you could have in the ToCA games a sprint race followed by a feature race. You may even have multi-race weekends. I want to express championship formats in a future JGTS post in thinking of GT6. So stay tuned if you're a fan of my blog here.

I personally think Gran Turismo 5 was completely lazy on the racing front. There were some good racing events offered, but it almost felt like PD wanted to focus more on online gaming and Seasonals more than offering a solid non-online package. Still- GT5's single-player racing may be the most disappointing in GT history.

What Is Gran Turismo (to me)? In Review...

So what is Gran Turismo? Here it is based on what you've just read:

It is a varied list of cars of many walks of life, racing around the world on many kinds of tracks, and with a racing character that is mostly casual but leaves lots to be desired. Gran Turismo is the premier racing game franchise of the modern era. However, its long-term future has dark clouds in its horizon if it wants to continue to be that premier racing game franchise. Some inventive thinking and entertaining new ideas will help keep the Gran Turismo series king for a long time to come. Will we see these changes when Gran Turismo 6 is in the pipeline? Or will Gran Turismo slowly fade based on the disappointments of Gran Turismo 5? Only time will tell...





Of course, these are all my own opinions. I just think the Gran Turismo series can be better and still improve in a number of categories so that the series can remain strong and enjoyable. Gran Turismo 5 has its disappointments, but I still enjoy the Gran Turismo series. I just wish, as a GT fan, that some new steps can be taken so that the series can remain that top-tier racing game franchise. I am starting to think that Gran Turismo needs some new life and some fresh ideas to enhance the series. My suggestions are only one of what millions of other people think can help improve the Gran Turismo series for a long time. As long as you're reading my blog, you know most of my own thoughts. I am not saying anything to pander to any audience. I am being truthful and real with my comments. Always have.

Anyhow, I think Gran Turismo has lots of work to do to remain atop the racing game mountain if you're judging on Gran Turismo 5. What is Gran Turismo to you after you've read my post? Comment away! Thank you for reading!

"Like" me on Facebook, Follow JGTS, and/or Contact Me via E-Mail!
Subscribe to John's Blog Space (JBS)	Subscribe to John's Shop Space (JSS)	Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space (JGTS)

read more...

GT5 NASCAR Thoughts

NASCAR in Gran Turismo was something you either wanted or didn't want. Some love NASCAR for the hard-fought racing; others disliked it for monotonous oval racing. Gran Turismo 5 basically introduced people to NASCAR. It introduced the cars and style of NASCAR that makes NASCAR so iconic in its own right. Despite its appeal in Gran Turismo 5, nobody said GT5 was the provider of the next best NASCAR simulation. Some people seemed disappointed in NASCAR in GT5. Even in the Extreme Series of races, the championship is called "NASCAR Series."

BEFORE I BEGIN:

This post officially marks my 100th post on John's Gran Turismo Space! I do all I can to keep this blog going strong. Thanks to everyone whom have viewed and contributed (in some way) to JGTS!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have another post to make for my viewing audience! :P

What Changes I Would Make.

Here are some changes I'd make (and I'm speaking as a casual NASCAR fan):

• Dodge!
There are absolutely NO Dodge stock cars in GT5. None. Mopar fans must have felt screwed to not see any Dodge stock cars. You don't want to have your Dodge NASCAR fans hanging now, do you, Polyphony Digital?


• feature Nationwide and Truck machines
When I first got into NASCAR in about 1999 or so, the Nationwide Series was known as the Busch Grand National Series. I still call it the Grand National series to avoid sponsorship mumbo jumbo. The NASCAR Truck series feature some hard-fought racing as the lower rung of NASCAR's top three touring series. Having these NASCAR trucks would be great. I wouldn't mind being Ron Hornaday Jr. or (Houston's own!) David Starr in GT.

If you're going to have and introduce NASCAR to the GT masses, why not introduce the other two series? Expand the NASCAR profile some.


• a few more tracks NASCAR races
Daytona and Indy are great, but I'd be interested in a more balanced amount of tracks. No short track? No mile-long? No intermediate? What about more road courses NASCAR races? Many people just get the feeling that NASCAR only does ovals. However, a true fan knows that NASCAR does do road racing. You do some road racing in GT5 with NASCAR stock cars.

But back to Daytona and Indy for a moment. Both of these are high-speed ovals. I think Gran Turismo 5 could have benefited from having a few more kinds of ovals. Which leads to this:


• Should Twin Ring Motegi Superspeedway been included in GT5?
The reason why I mention Motegi's oval is because it would provide that intermediate oval for the array of ovals in NASCAR. It wouldn't break up the oval array for Gran Turismo. Not all ovals are built equally.


• better specifications and capabilities of NASCAR stock cars?
Those more technically advanced with NASCAR can help me here. Some say that NASCAR stock cars in GT5 are fairly unrealistic in certain respects. Some talk about how unrealistic speeds and drafting are with NASCAR stock cars. Again- some of you are more qualified to discuss this element than I am, so feel free to comment.


• historic NASCAR stock cars?
It would be interesting (and wouldn't hurt) to see some classic NASCAR stock cars. Many people would look to cars like the black #3 cars of the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. or even the Richard Petty #43 Plymouth Superbird during NASCAR's Aero Wars. I wonder what historic NASCAR stock cars would be nice to include as part of looking back in time.


These are some of the things I'd recommend in enhancing NASCAR in future GT titles.





Regardless of whatever posts get deleted or whatever, this is officially my 100th post on "John's Gran Turismo Space!" I still want to keep this blog rolling. Someone suggested I discuss more things on here, but I am trying to keep this blog post of and about the Gran Turismo series as well as about Tourist Trophy. Trying to keep this as much of a niche blog as possible.

Thank you for reading!

"Like" me on Facebook, Follow JGTS, and/or Contact Me via E-Mail!
Subscribe to John's Blog Space (JBS)	Subscribe to John's Shop Space (JSS)	Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space (JGTS)

read more...

GT5 Karting Thoughts

Gran Turismo 5 debuted kart racing as part of a number of different motorsports disciplines in GT. Its execution, however, leaves lot to be desired. The racing all takes on mostly generated tracks that don't entirely feel like proper karting tracks. Perhaps there are some limitations to try to make the kart tracks feel more like twisty and complex karting tracks. As for the karts themselves, I learned that there are only rear brakes for karts as opposed to cars having front and rear brakes. The karting dynamics are very fun.

I want to see the kart racing perhaps expand itself. Why not maybe come up with superkarts? Superkart racing will blow your mind with their immense speed. Imagine racing something with no suspension and some aerodynamic body work and goes as fast as certain sophisticated race cars. They would be insane to race! Superkarts usually race on much larger race tracks. It may be likely that if PD were to try out this class of kart racing, they may likely make their own superkart.

I think karting in GT is fun regardless... except when trying to do that Autumn Ring Mini event. I just wish karting could be expanded upon and enhanced for more karting fun. Maybe even include that Piazza del Campo track that was the primary course for kart racing as part of its big reveal for GT5.





These have been my thoughts on kart racing in Gran Turismo. What are YOUR thoughts on GT5 karting? Feel free to comment. Thank you for reading!

"Like" me on Facebook, Follow JGTS, and/or Contact Me via E-Mail!
Subscribe to John's Blog Space (JBS)	Subscribe to John's Shop Space (JSS)	Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space (JGTS)

read more...

High-Speed Racing Advice

Racing at high speed is what almost any fan of motorsport wants to be able to do. However, there is a proper science to high-speed racing. Anyone can floor the throttle and go full speed. What if you're racing, though? You really need to learn high-speed racing technique to excel in high-speed racing. This blog post mostly concerns racing tactics rather than setup advice or anything. The use of drafting is mostly apparent especially in GT titles since GT3. So here are some talking points to help you out.

Drafting/Slipstreaming: One-on-One.

One of the most basic racing tactics is drafting. When the leading car is running full speed, turbulence is generated. Making a timely pass means that you have to get into your opponent(s)' slipstream. You must try to take advantage of the trailing car's wind resistance to draw in closer. Get as close as possible to the opponent you are trailing without getting right into the back of your opponent. When you generate enough speed after getting sucked into an opponent's slipstream, your next course of action is to pull a slingshot pass. This is where you aggressively pull out of the slipstream and make a pass. You are basically using your own momentum to make a bold pass after being engaged in an intense slipstream battle. A successful slingshot will vault you ahead of the car you were previously trailing. The opponent you just passed could possibly pull the same move on you, so be on the ready if indeed that driver wants his/her position back! As a dirty trick, you can block the opposition as much as you like. No penalties for blocking!

Drafting/Slipstreaming: Multiple Cars.

It is best to try to get a push from other drivers in the draft when slipstreaming against a lead pack of cars. Try to join the lead draft rather than try to pull some bogus moves outside of the draft. Use momentum from other cars' slipstream to climb your way through the pack quickly and effectively.

High Speed Battle in Tunnels.

Do you realize you go faster when going through a tunnel? The reason why is because there is not as much wind resistance as you're battling at full speed. You can sense this as you go through the tunnels of courses like Special Stage Route 7. Take advantage of even less wind resistance by taking part in the same slipstreaming battles you're used to on an average high-speed track or high-speed section of track.

High-Speed NASCAR Racing.

If you know NASCAR, you know of tracks like Daytona and Talladega. You do get to race Daytona in Gran Turismo 5. Especially when racing with stock cars, a more delicate approach is needed when doing high-speed racing on long ovals. The racing cliché is that you can't win the race in the first turn, but you can definitely lose it. Evenly-matched cars will not have such a time you pull away to a victory. You need to plan your attack accordingly. The first thing to keep in mind is to try to stay in the lead draft. Don't immediately try to go straight to the lead as you would in some road races. You need to use the other cars and carefully jockey for position. The biggest thing to be careful of is either losing too much speed or getting involved in a spin or wreck. You may as well retire or restart the race if you find yourself in a wreck or a spin on a track like Daytona or Indianapolis (the oval). Careful slipstreaming (and a little luck) will go a long way in making sure you win your high-speed battles.





All of this was just a little advice to help you through your high-speed racing. Thank you for reading!

"Like" me on Facebook, Follow JGTS, and/or Contact Me via E-Mail!
Subscribe to John's Blog Space (JBS)	Subscribe to John's Shop Space (JSS)	Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space (JGTS)

read more...

Gran Turismo 5 - A Second Opinion

On June 19, 2011; I reviewed Gran Turismo 5 exclusively here on John's Gran Turismo Space (JGTS). The time between that post and this one has left me with impressions of GT5. I began thinking about GT5 and began to develop second opinions about GT5. This blog post, then, is a look at GT5 based on the latest thoughts I've had about GT5.

About the Label: "Second Opinion"

While I may make my own initial reaction to things, I am entitled to make Second Opinions if I have to. This series of post features updated opinions on things as opposed to initial opinions on things.

I may make more Second Opinion posts on a number of related topics. These Second Opinions are their own blog posts devoted to certain topics I've previously covered.

--- Gran Turismo 5: A Second Opinion ---

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: If you haven't read my review of Gran Turismo 5, I want you to click on this link so you can know of my initial thoughts of GT5 prior to you reading my second opinions of GT5: "Gran Turismo 5 Review" - John's Gran Turismo Space.


Have you read my initial review of GT5? This was when I was first playing around with Gran Turismo 5. Why do I have these different thoughts now? It all began with me thinking long and hard about Gran Turismo 5 after I let my brother borrow GT5. Away from Gran Turismo 5 got me to think about GT5. So what do I take away from my new thoughts of GT5?


Even as I was still wanting to get my PlayStation 3 and GT5, I read a lot of reviews on GT5. Many of which claimed that GT5 seemed incomplete and a constant work-in-progress. This had me worried about the GT5 experience. In actuality, Gran Turismo 5 is a great game that can be better. The many strides towards a better car lineup, a damage model, impressive visuals, and more... still leaves me with somewhat of a feeling that Gran Turismo 5 could have equated to much more.

Second Opinion: Cars.

We all are enamored with the quality on Premium cars in Gran Turismo 5. They basically seemed to be the reason why you should enjoy racing in Gran Turismo 5. Each of the cars were amazingly detailed inside and out. You could tune them up in ways you couldn't with most other cars. Oh, and their damage was more brutal than their Standard counterparts. Oh, and what about the Standards? It used to be that the Standard cars were much less restricted in how you can really modify them. Recent updates have allowed you to equip Standard cars with wheels as well as have interior views for Standard cars, albeit silhouette views. Some open-top Standard cars have great in-car views while not as detailed as their Premium counterparts.

Gran Turismo 5 features the most glittering lineup of makers in series history. Constant complaining by some people have hinted that Polyphony Digital would never get Ferrari and Lamborghini. We got BOTH in the game. Maserati is even in GT5. NASCAR and WRC cars joined the car list as well. Sense a missing company? For many people, Porsche would only complete the cycle. If you've been on GTPlanet as I have been since 2003, I have remembered so much about how people criticize Polyphony Digital for not getting big-name manufacturers; and even more so when the "big-name manufacturers" are car companies other than Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini. Almost as if those car companies are REQUIRED to make a racing game great. And of course, you'll have the ones who will complain about too many Skylines and Lancers than most cars that the average fan cares about. Ranting aside, GT5 has the best lineup of manufacturers and cars in series history.

Let's look at the other issues of cars. Standard cars can be bought at the Dealership. The Dealership allows for detailed and expressive views of the cars. You could even view the cars in four different light settings. Two jazzy songs play when you go to the Dealership. It is just a romantic experience to see the cars in such exquisite detail.

However, look at the Standard car shopping experience- you have to go to the "Used" car dealership. Rather than a lovely list of cars, you get this list of cars in two columns with a looping rock song in the background. Then try and view the cars- the Standard cars are apparently too ugly to be viewed as romantically as the Premium cars, so you have to make due with the view you're given of the Standard cars. And unlike the four different light settings of Premium cars, you are given only one light setting.

Some people talk about Premium vs. Standard on the basis of certain cars being made Premium or Standard. I disagree with anyone who thinks certain cars are Premium on choice alone. EVERY car would be Premium if it were up to PD. My problem, however, is the diversity of Premium cars. Let's look at this in deeper detail for a moment. The Audi R10 TDI is the only LMP that is Premium. Both of the Ferrari F1 cars are the only formula cars with detailed interiors. Before the Spec 2.0 updates, you had no detailed view of the Formula Gran Turismo cars. No trucks or SUVs are Premium. I just think there could be a bit more variety among Premium models.

When you make a racing game, you celebrate all of the cars featured. You try to make every car as presentable and as vivid as possible. Don't make it seem like the Premium cars are the only cars worth featuring. If that was the case, this game would have significantly less cars and probably wouldn't be as fun to race.

Second Opinion: Tracks.

I began to think about the tracks to an extent. A lot of the past favorites of GT games were nowhere to be found. Two of the biggest misses were two that have been in every GT since GT2: Mid-Field Raceway and Apricot Hill. Then too, you could make the case for Seattle Circuit as well. I probably would argue that the older Rome Circuit should have been in the GT5 lineup of tracks as well. On the real track front, I've been surprised that not one Motegi course returned for GT5. NASCAR in GT5 could have benefited from Twin Ring Motegi Superspeedway. It would have given NASCAR that decent Intermediate oval to compliment Daytona and Indianapolis.

I was disappointed with some of the tracks in GT5. Take Clubman Stage Route 5 and Special Stage Route 5, for example. Can you tell where the Start/Finish line is? Where are the fans and the grand stands? The track just seemed extremely lifeless. Beautiful locale, but it severely lacked the character and charm of a real race day (or race night in this case). And of all the courses, only one original location debuted- Cape Ring. Another unique locale for GT5 is the non-practical Special Stage Route 7. This track was primarily designed for fans of Tokyo highway battle a la Wangan Midnight. It leads me to believe that the creative energy of Polyphony Digital is lacking. To make up for it, Polyphony Digital came along with Special Stage Route X, a very long oval course in an industrial setting that could be thought of as a replacement for Test Course.

Gran Turismo 5 is the first Gran Turismo is which NONE of the previous rally courses return. Yes, Chamonix is back, but it is not the same Chamonix from GT5. Tahiti Circuit has been gone since GT3. The Tahiti Maze course from GT2-GT4 is nowhere to be found. Swiss Alps? No- but you can race Eiger Nordwand and its courses. Smokey Mountain has been gone since GT3. Basically, the old rally favorites have gone AWOL in GT5.

While you can't make tracks from start to finish, you can generate them and edit their parameters. I generated a tarmac course to practice my tarmac rally skills. I probably generated a few more courses just to practice rallying. Other than that, the Course Maker could mean so much more i you could really refine and edit generated courses completely.

More tracks could have benefited from time and weather changes. I think Gran Turismo will eventually come to a point where any track can be raced in any time of day. Weather will be a different situation altogether. A fair assessment would indicate that if you could race the Nürburgring and Circuit de la Sarthe with time and weather changes, how come you can't race the Daytona Road Course with time and weather changes?

Downloadable content (DLC) helped generate some more tracks for GT5. However, the non-DLC material was sufficient enough to make GT5's lineup of tracks serviceable and fun. From the previous paragraph, you could also make the case for a model that would allow for Spa-Francorchamps to have time cycles in addition to weather.

Second Opinion: Racing.

I think the non-online racing aspect of Gran Turismo 5 is one of the biggest disappointments. My own theory is that Polyphony Digital wanted to make GT5 less about the offline racing and more about online racing. However, you should NEVER let your non-online racing suffer. The depth of racing in Gran Turismo 5 is one of the worst. Each of the series is a pack of nine races.

While online racing is much more open and free, it doesn't mean you have to let the single-player aspect not be as fun as online play. Compare GT4 to GT5 for a moment on the racing front. The One-Make races had a series of events. In GT5, the featured One-Make races are just one race around a certain track. Where's the fun in that? Why not make the races feel like a series or a championship instead of just one race?

There still is no real drag racing. People still use one of the backstretches of Special Stage Route 7 for drag racing. I see it as a missed opportunity to have true drag racing on a true drag strip rather than use some other track.

Again- it just feels like Gran Turismo 5 wanted to make the single player action to not be as exciting as online play. Then again, I feel the Seasonal events help save the racing variety in GT5. Otherwise, it would be completely stale to just have the lackluster single player racing and variably enjoyable online racing. Single player racing shouldn't have to suffer regardless of what the online experience provides.

Second Opinion: Music and Sound.

Gran Turismo 5 is the first GT to allow for custom soundtracks to be used. These soundtracks can play for some of the menu and race themes. It is the first Gran Turismo to allow for such full-length songs to be played for menus. Gran Turismo 5 features perhaps the BEST classy music.

Its music selection, however, is an example of what happens if you give certain people what they want- especially if what they want (or wouldn't mind) is vastly different from what you are accustomed to and love in a GT game. For one thing- My Chemical Romance to open a Gran Turismo game? Thank goodness the soundtrack changed to that one Daiki Kasho song (Soul on Display) when the 2.0 update came out! I think one of the most creative songs was "The Entertainer," which played when you visit GT Auto. I know most people are opposed to anything that isn't rock music, but I think that song perfectly fits the lighthearted tone of GT Auto.

Some of the looped songs in GT5 could have been better music choices. Places such as the Tune Shop, the Used Car Dealer, and the Online Car Dealer could have had better-sounding songs. I do like listening to the theme when you purchase/receive a Standard car. I wished being at home in GT Mode had that classic theme we've heard from GT2 through GT4. I would rather hear certain looped songs rather than full-length music for menus. On the other hand, I could listen to most of the songs from Yudai Sato or Satoshi Bando all day if I could. Some of my favorite lounge or jazz songs include "Farewell," "Current of the Times," "Like a Bird," all among others. I also love "Soul on Display" by Daiki Kasho as well as "You're On My Mind Baby." There are a good number of songs I like among the 190 or so available songs in GT5.

Again- it seemed like the classic formula of lounge and jazzy music for the menus were replaced just to make certain other people happy. If you don't like lounge music or jazz music, that's fine. It's still sad that you have to shy away from using looped lounge or jazz music just to appease to those who'd rather listen to whatever they want in the menus. That is one of the things that can happen when you try to please EVERYONE- not everyone can immediately love and cherish certain long-standing values and features. It ultimately leads to ticking certain people off and leaving them disappointed.

The sounds have become a huge improvement in GT5. However, more work can be found to make it better. I still cringe a bit at the in-car sounds. You hear a loud boom when you hit something hard in the in-car view. For a lot of in-car audio I've heard in races, I don't think I've EVER heard a loud boom sound whenever an in-car view has somebody getting hit or takes a hit.

One last note on music- "Moon Over the Castle" is and should always be the theme for Gran Turismo. You don't need to pander to certain international regions by putting a different song in place of GT's original theme.

Second Opinion: Interface.

GT Mode is a hot mess of scattered images to represent the world map in GT5. Every GT/Simulation mode since the first one was some sort of city map. Even Tourist Trophy had a stylish mode. What PD was thinking for GT5's GT Mode is beyond me. Did they listen/read the fans who thought the classic formula of GT Mode was to cumbersome and massive that it had to be simplified the way it was in GT5? Another disappointment as I make these second opinions of GT5.


If I think of any more, I will feature more second opinions in future edits. I didn't mention online gaming in this initial blog post because I don't really do online racing in GT5.

--- Gran Turismo 5: Second Opinion Final Thoughts ---

Some people complain that Polyphony Digital doesn't listen to people. Well, Gran Turismo 5 would make you think otherwise. I think a good deal of GT5 was created with various insight from many different fans of the series. Polyphony Digital even admitted that the push for damage was mostly generated in part by GT fans in North America. Many of the cars chosen for GT5 were a combination of what we'd want to see along with what certain manufacturers would want to be featured in GT5.

GT5, then, is an example that PD DOES listen to you and read your text online. I wish most people would stop complaining about how PD don't seem to listen to its fans. PD obviously listened to the fans who wanted to hear My Chemical Romance start a Gran Turismo game. They've listened since prognosticators believed Gran Turismo would NEVER receive Ferrari and Lamborghini as part of its car lineup.

Aside from fan reaction, I think Gran Turismo 5 seemed like it could be much more than what the retail version provided. I still think GT5 kind of seems like that butterfly still in its cocoon waiting to emerge and flutter away. While that may have seemed like a fruity expression of Gran Turismo 5 for some of my viewers, how else can you describe a game that can really be better than what its retail version ultimately ended up as?

So to me, Gran Turismo 5 seems like a method of giving certain disgruntled and discriminating GT fans what they want. GT5 was such an experience to them apart from what salty GT veterans (like myself) wanted in GT5. I think with the new Seasonal events, more life is added to GT5 for those looking for an experience other than what the single player experience offers. However, how much longer can most Gran Turismo fans enjoy GT5 before they feel like some drastic change is needed down the road to propel Gran Turismo further into the future? Just something to think about for my GT fans.





Now you know about some of my second opinions of Gran Turismo 5. I might make more second opinion posts on the other GT games (and maybe a second opinion on Tourist Trophy). I hope you've enjoyed this blog post. Remember that you are free to share and comment on my work here on "John's Gran Turismo Space." So please have a great day and take care! Thank you for reading!

"Like" me on Facebook, Follow JGTS, and/or Contact Me via E-Mail!
Subscribe to John's Blog Space (JBS)	Subscribe to John's Shop Space (JSS)	Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space (JGTS)

read more...