Why Play Each Gran Turismo
The Gran Turismo series has been the basis of "John's Race Space" as well as for my very first blog. Through my time gaming, I have played most of the major Gran Turismo games. What I decided to do for this blog post is share with you why should play each individual GT that I have played before. That is correct- not why play the series in general, but why play the individual ones. I will share each segment discussing each of the Gran Turismo games I have played and why you should too if you haven't already. The posts will follow reasons based on the following:
• General reasons why to buy/play
• Vehicles, tuning, and customization
• Locations, racing, and license tests
• Summary
With all of this said, let's begin with the O.G.
Why Play: Gran Turismo 1.
The biggest reason why you should play Gran Turismo 1 is to simply enjoy what no racing/driving game has ever done before its inception. This game brought a level of challenge to racing while also introducing a great car culture. Even while the lineup of vehicles is very Japanese-biased, there still were some quality American and British vehicles for some diversity. Modifying and tuning cars you own is also a great experience. You may also be able to turn your street cars into full-on race cars with the Racing Modification. If you do not want to take a street car into racing spec, then do window shopping with the six "Special Model" cars readily available at the Japanese manufacturers for 500K Credits. If anything, get Gran Turismo 1 simply to gauge the potential this game would have towards its future. Remember that this game impacted racing/driving games as a whole; not just for Sony or consoles. It helps you appreciate the humble beginnings of this franchise leading up to the status this franchise enjoys today. All of this... beginning with Gran Turismo 1.Why Play: Gran Turismo 2.
Gran Turismo 2 should be played because this began the maturation of the Gran Turismo franchise and further establish its identity to gaming and car culture. You can collect a variety of cars across different levels of performance and across different decades. The vehicles also come from many more car companies new to Gran Turismo. It further proves itself as an "encyclopedia of cars." The racing is faster and more intense than what you experienced in Gran Turismo 1. Since Gran Turismo 2 would be the swan song to Gran Turismo on the PlayStation 1, play this game to experience the evolution of the Gran Turismo experience before taking its appeal to the upcoming PlayStation 2.Why Play: Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec.
Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec offers one of the most exciting and intense racing experiences ever in a Gran Turismo game. What resulted from the "Gran Turismo 2000" project was a game with impressive visuals at a greater frame rate that would elevate the Gran Turismo experience to new heights. While this game has a lot less cars than GT2, Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec has most of its manufacturers return along with some new companies. Have you the money, you could race Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec with the new (at its time) Logitech Driving Force steering wheel for greater precision and realism. This game also debuted racing on wet tarmac. This provided both a new challenge but also some extra focus on the graphical capabilities of Gran Turismo on the PS2. GT3 is both a visual powerhouse and and a mind-blowing racing experience. While Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec may seem like a letdown in some departments compared to GT2 (and even GT1 to an extent), this game still is worth a play to see the evolution from PlayStation 1 to PlayStation 2. I later looked at Gran Turismo 3 as a prettier Gran Turismo 2. This also happens to be a more capable GT title than the others before it despite its faults.Why Play: Gran Turismo 4.
Get Gran Turismo 4 because it represented the biggest quantum leap in appeal and performance for the Gran Turismo series. Gran Turismo 4 was even becoming intriguing for having online play... until online play was later scrapped. A greater variety of this game's 600 or so vehicles and races means this game will keep you busy. You even can drive some of the very first motorized cars dating back to 1886! Variety in locations let you take on everything from original Gran Turismo tracks to a handful of real-world tracks and real-world locations. If you love your vehicles so much that you want to show them off to the world, try the new Photo Mode. Take pictures while racing or at a number of real-world locations exclusively for photography. While controversial, try B-Spec in most of the races if you are not a good racer or do not have the ability to complete a race on your own. You still have to send commands to your B-Spec racer to properly race. It essentially makes you play the role of race strategist. Races lasting from one lap on a long track to 24 hours on end await you in your quest towards immortality in GT4. The way future Gran Turismo games would shape up, Gran Turismo 4 represents the Gran Turismo experience at its peak. No Gran Turismo before it has delivered on so much hype and anticipation. You may not have online play. You may not have (certain specific auto makers). You still have no real damage. Even without these things, you still have a Gran Turismo experience in GT4 that is as complete and as in-depth as possible. These reasons alone are enough reason to give Gran Turismo 4 a try.Why Play: Gran Turismo 5.
For its foray into PlayStation 3 power, Gran Turismo 5 delivers on more impressive visuals, greater automotive detail, time and weather variable events and races, the first proper damage model for vehicles, and online play among reasons to play GT5. Influence from NASCAR, the World Rally Championship, and BBC's "Top Gear" play roles in the Gran Turismo 5 experience. The big news with the vehicles in Gran Turismo 5 is the inclusion of three companies finally making their first appearance in a major Gran Turismo- Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Bugatti. Some of the cars come from Gran Turismo PSP, released between the time of GT4 and GT5. For an exclusive experience, this game even features the Red Bull Prototypes offering the most incredible (and sometimes surreal) pure race car experience. You can experience much more docile vehicles like the series debut of go-karts. While your tuning options are deeper, guess what returns (to an extent)? Racing Modifications! Later enhancements to Gran Turismo 5 include collect racing suits and racing helmets to customize your appearance to the Gran Turismo world. Races range from short lengths to 24 hours of racing. A-Spec and B-Spec make a return. The latter now makes you take on the role of a race strategist rather than B-Spec controversially doing races for you. Gran Turismo 5 now let you save during longer races. This is helpful to try to win the long races. I personally think Gran Turismo 5 could have been a much greater game than what we ended up with. However, just to savor the experience of racing and tuning and car collecting, Gran Turismo 5 is definitely worth the purchase and worth wanting to play. The biggest fault is the discrimination of Premium and Standard Cars. It is otherwise still worth your time and money to play.Why Play: Gran Turismo 6.
Gran Turismo 6 did not do too much to set itself apart from GT5, but it mostly righted some of the many wrongs of GT5. This game delivers what seems to be a more elegant package than Gran Turismo 5. GT5 seemed like too many ideas without great execution. GT6 is not as detailed. I find Gran Turismo 6 to be more inviting to casual racing gamers as opposed to the more adept sim racing set. Now don't get me wrong- the sim-oriented crowd still will get a kick out of this game. It is just that GT6 provides an easier experience for the casual or inexperienced racing gamer. As an extra perk, you even can enjoy playing Gran Turismo 6 with a proper style of astronomical simulation for night races. Gran Turismo 6 is not as fixated on licenses as any other GT. Yet still, you have a bunch of races to choose from across multiple skill levels. You can even take part in events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The endurances are now way more condensed than in past GT titles. This may disappoint veteran fans of Gran Turismo but help out new and casual racing gamers. As with GT5, a lot of Gran Turismo 6's racing appeal mostly lies in online racing. If you want to try something unique, take part in the Lunar Missions, whereas you compete in different challenges simulating operating a lunar vehicle on the moon. You also could make your own generated courses like in Gran Turismo 5. Only now, you have just a bit more control than in GT5. Gran Turismo 6 basically is worth the play if you were disappointed with Gran Turismo 5 and wanted something better than what GT5 eventually became. Or if you are not as experienced as a simulation racer, this game is much easier in entry into the franchise than past titles. While this description does not sound too exciting from me, this is still a game that warrants a play and has room for your game collection. It just did not do too much to differentiate itself from the other Gran Turismo games before it. Even still, this provides a marginally better experience than Gran Turismo 5.Okay. So you made it this far. Congratulations! Let me give you a bonus "Why Play?" to close out this post.
Why Play: Tourist Trophy (BONUS!)
Let me see if I can convince you to add Tourist Trophy to your gaming collection. Check it...
For all intents and purposes, Tourist Trophy is basically Gran Turismo 4 with motorcycles. Despite this, Tourist Trophy operates a lot differently than any Gran Turismo. This game lets you ride and race a handful of motorcycles ranging from scooters to motards to many different sport bikes. Even with a maximum of four motorcycles to a track (including yours), the experience is still a challenging and engaging one. Learn proper riding technique if you intend to win. Remember that riding a motorcycle entails different techniques than in racing a car. You can even intricately set up your rider with elements like height and lean angle. You can also collect gear to outfit your rider. On street bikes, you can have some casual riding clothes to wear. If you're the racing type, collect the different racing suits and helmets. Each bike is featured in great detail from the in-bike view with working gauges and other intricate details. For the ultimate challenge and sense of accomplishment- try to win all five of the Eight Hours of Suzuka motorcycles featured in this game. While most of the tarmac tracks from Gran Turismo 4 return for Tourist Trophy, not all tracks allow for a full field of motorcycles. For the ones that do offer a full field, you still can ride the wheels off of your motorcycle across most of Gran Turismo 4's tarmac tracks. Some of the courses have been modified to include their motorcycle layout. You also get a course exclusive to Tourist Trophy- Valencia (the Ricardo Tormo Circuit). Even if Tourist Trophy is mostly Gran Turismo 4 with motorcycles, it is still a great game to play. This game will let you enjoy the thrill of motorcycle riding and motorcycle racing even if you are not as big a fan of motorcycles.
I tried to include most of the major titles. The ones I have not played or played enough of I didn't review. Those include:
• Gran Turismo PSP
• Gran Turismo SPORT (I may skip this title)
• Gran Turismo 7
Maybe if I get to play them more in depth in the future, I will provide my own thoughts on why you should play these titles.
This blog post is completed for the most part. You may either take part in the next section or skip it entirely if it does not interest you. Your call.
Finding These Games Online
If you enjoyed my post so much as to wanting to find the mentioned games online, use the links to material in this section. Your involvement here is voluntary- meaning it is not required but would be appreciated. Try searching for Gran Turismo games from these services and retailers:
• Amazon and Amazon (video games)
• eBay and eBay (Video Games)
• Walmart (video games)
• Target
• GameStop
• Gamefly
Happy shopping! :)
I hope I have convinced you on why you should play each of the aforementioned games in this blog post. If you liked this post or any of my other work, please Subscribe/Follow my blog(s) in any capacity if you love my work. Share my blog post(s) with others if you enjoy my work. Support me further by connecting with me on social media; and if you are inclined, feel free to donate to me (donations are voluntary but would be appreciated). Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.
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