Ridge Racer Type 4 Songs Ranked

Ridge Racer Type 4 had some great music. As a blog all about all elements of racing/driving games, including music, I take an unusual and different route regarding racing/driving games. The music will be rated by me here in this post. Remember that all posts since going from an exclusive Gran Turismo blog to all racing/driving games, ANY topic is fair game. So let me rank RRT4's songs for you all. My opinions, of course.

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Ridge Racer Type 4: Song Rating

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Ridge Racer Type 4 was the swan song of Ridge Racer on the Sony PlayStation 1. Of all the Ridge Racer titles, this one exhibited the most mature soundtrack of any of the PS1 Ridge Racer titles. Many of the songs can be classified as chill. Some songs have some rocking elements to them for a little edge. A lot of the songs even have a bit of drum 'n bass beats to them. Only thing lovelier than RRT4 is its soundtrack.

While I am showcasing the soundtrack of Ridge Racer Type 4 in this blog post, it is not to say every song is great. What I will do here is offer my thoughts on individual songs that make up Ridge Racer Type 4's great soundtrack.

The Songs.

Here are all of the song names of the ones you can select in the game (excluding the Bonus Tune):

• Pearl Blue Soul
• Naked Glow
• Your Vibe
• Lucid Rhythms
• Thru
• Silhouette Dance
• Burnin' Rubber
• Revlimit Funk
• Quiet Curves
• Motor Species
• The Objective
• Move Me
• The Ride
• Movin' in Circles

The "Bonus Tune" in question is "Eat 'em Up!". It will not be part of this rating post. I will instead focus on the main songs you hear in races.

Now that you know the song names, you can hear them all for yourself here, including the non-racing songs. Have a listen if you have a lot of time on your hands:


^ R4 RIDGE RACER TYPE 4 BGM OST

Thank you to the uploader for allowing embedding. Anyhow, let me now rate the songs of R4!

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Ridge Racer Type 4: Songs Rated

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I will be ranking the songs in descending order. In other words, I am going from least favorite to most favorite. I will share why I ranked each song in their position. Also, I may share which events I usually play the songs I will make mention to in this blog post.

Let's get it!

14: The Objective.

I just didn't feel this song at all, so this was an easy choice. It was easy to dismiss and place at the bottom of my list of favorite Ridge Racer Type 4 songs.

13: Burnin' Rubber.

"Burnin' Rubber" is near the bottom of my list for most of the same reasons as the previous song I highlighted. While it is rather fun and funky, I don't like it all that much. It is one of the songs that is played back after races at times.

12th: Thru.

"Thru" is a very cool song with kind of a traditional Japanese vibe. A nice set of beats compliment this song. It also features a very nice melody from the instruments. I just don't really use this for any events in RRT4. A time I did remember using this song was with the "Heaven and Hell" event. "Thru" is a good song, but there are much better ones than this.

11th: Lucid Rhythms.

"Lucid Rhythms" is a very chill song with kind of a sensual vibe to it. However, I am not really feeling this song as far as going racing to it or anything. Just because I have this one ranked very low doesn't mean I outright hate it. It just does not hit me enough to say it is one of the best songs to go race with or listen to privately.

10th: Motor Species.

"Motor Species" song has some good beats and instrumentals to it. It is a get-you-going kind of song. It pumps you up and motivates you to go for the race win. You might hear this song during race replays. It is tough to put a song like this at this part of my list despite the praise I've given it. Regardless, there is the song that is 10th in my list of favorite RRT4 songs.

I usually use this song in the Phantomile event. It also would be good for Edge of the Earth or Brightest Nite.

9th: Move Me.

The vibes of "Move Me" start off a bit romantic before transitioning into a rock-style song seasoned by drum 'n bass. This song isn't in my "enjoyable" range of songs for RRT4. I don't even really listen to this one privately. If I were to use this in an event, I'd play this in Wonderhill or Edge of the Earth.

8th: Your Vibe.

"Your Vibe" has a funky style to it along with some great instrumentals and beats. I don't have it as a go-to kind of song for when I am not sure what song I want to play. I do kind of listen to this song privately at times, just not as much. The song to me seems more for evening or sunset tracks, so I'd play this at Wonderhill. I also play this sometimes at Brightest Nite.


The bottom half of RRT4 songs have now been covered. Now for the better half of songs in this game, according to me...

7th: Revlimit Funk.

Despite its name, "Revlimit Funk" is not a song I would classify as "funky." What it does have is some gritty synths and some great beats. The only part of the song I can consider "funky" is the cooldown part of the song. I play this song more privately than in the game. I'd play this song in Helter Skelter.

6th: Quiet Curves.

"Quiet Curves" is a melodic and sweet song. The song is not dominated by fierce beats or any wild guitar riffs. I would kind of liken this song to living in the suburbs or shopping at upscale shops. It is a lovely song with airy and ambient instruments. The overall style of the song is more along the lines of a melodic drum 'n bass, though not your average drum 'n bass. As for what track(s) I would play "Quiet Curves" at, I think this song suits Out of Blue best. I would also play this song at Helter Skelter, Wonderhill, and perhaps even Heaven and Hell.


On to my Top 5 favorites!

5th: Silhouette Dance.

"Silhouette Dance" is as lovely a song as "Quiet Curves," but this one gets you going more. Drum 'n Bass style beats mostly dominate this song. This one is more about the beats than the instrumentals. The instrumental style is sweet and mellow, but it is all about the beats to this song. I listen to this at times privately. I think this song suits Out of Blue best. Though, you could also bump this around Edge of the Earth, Brightest Nite, and Heaven and Hell.

4th: The Ride.

No other song in Ridge Racer Type 4 exudes the kind of emotion "The Ride" offers. A very rocking song, this is the sort of song meant for when you are about to embark on a dangerous and risky journey. The song is bold while also being fairly melodic and full of character. Therefore, the way I described this song means this song can best be played at... Heaven and Hell. That is usually the only track I play this song at.

Now we get to the "podium" for my favorite Ridge Racer Type 4 songs. Which three round out my podium? Find out!

3rd: Pearl Blue Soul.

Simple and melodic, "Pearl Blue Soul" mixes in smooth instrumentals with a jazzy feel complimented by some sweet beats. It also has a get-you-going feel to it, but in a jazzy, lounge way. The hints of brass lend a unique appeal to this song and adds to its sweetness. It is really a fine song to listen to, and you might hear this song in replays. This song suits Helter Skelter best to me. You could even stay to its name and play "Pearl Blue Soul" at Out of Blue. Phantomile also is an event I'd play this song.

2nd: Movin' in Circles.

Let me stress something before I explain my reasoning of ranking this song where I ranked it. Even though "Movin' in Circles" is 2nd in my list, it isn't by much. "Movin' in Circles" is the only song in Ridge Racer Type 4 that has vocals to it. Those vocals I make mention of would be the vocals of Kimara Lovelace. It is the last song you can choose from the available 14 songs. As it is last in the song list, this song can best be played at one track- Shooting Hoops. "Movin' in Circles" has that feel of celebration and high emotion. I feel Shooting Hoops suits this song best and is really the only track I'd play this song at. I hate that I'm listing a great song like this as being second only rather than right at the top. However, you have to make some tough calls at times.


...which leaves one remaining song. My favorite RRT4 song is...

1st: Naked Glow.

"Naked Glow" is the song I listen to and play the most. This is the song I listen to most privately and mostly only use at two tracks. "Naked Glow" just appeals to me the most and has the best flow. It has some jazzy elements, it has a funky feel to it, its late part sounds sweet, and the overall melody is amazing. Don't get me wrong- I love listening to "Movin' in Circles." The reason why I put "Naked Glow" ahead of "Movin' in Circles" is because "Naked Glow" can best suit a number of events. I choose this song especially for Edge of the Earth and also Brightest Nite. One time, though, I did play "Naked Glow" at Shooting Hoops.


Feel free to agree or disagree with my picks. But... now you know, and knowing is half the battle. G.I. Joe! :D





If you thought it was easy putting this list together, think again! The only ones I had no problem choosing are 14th and 13th. Everything else was rather tough. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this post. Maybe I'll do some more song rating posts. This was a blog about the Gran Turismo series but has since been about racing games and driving games in general. Like it here? 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 (tips/donations are voluntary but would be appreciated). Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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"Gran Turismo" Movie Review

I will review "Gran Turismo" in this blog post. Previously, I had thoughts on this movie. It wasn't until recently I finally found "Gran Turismo" in a store. I can now review it for a blog post. So that is what I'm going to do here for you all. This is different from my previous post, as it is a review. I won't talk about any specific moments and won't spoil anything. However, I will use this space to discuss some specific thoughts on what the movie means overall.

A Note About "Gran Turismo"...

"Gran Turismo" was released in theaters on August 11, 2023 in the United States. I think it was released on August 8, 2023 in some other markets. This movie is rated PG-13 by the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA). It features intense action and some strong language.

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"Gran Turismo" Review and Thoughts

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Here is where I break down "Gran Turismo" by individual elements. Keep reading to get my thoughts.


^ from: (GRAN TURISMO | Sony Pictures Entertainment) - "Based on the true story of an impossible dream." Welcome to "Gran Turismo!"

"If you miss a line in the game, you reset. You miss it on the track... you could die."

-"Gran Turismo"

"Gran Turismo": Review.

While I will not mention actual content in the movie, "Gran Turismo" is a movie with an engaging storyline. It is based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough, an average Gran Turismo gamer who would go from virtual racing success to world-class professional racer. I think anyone who simply looks at the story like this having knowledge of Gran Turismo, they probably would think this is a silly story. "Gran Turismo" does a good job telling the story of Jann Mardenborough and the British gamer's journey from GT to real-life racer. No part of the movie seems overly dramatized or predictable. I felt connected to Jann, sometimes even to the level of being like a cheerleader for him. At no point of this movie does one would feel Jann makes some serious mistake he can't recover from. Or at least, have one thinking Jann is in over his head and writing checks he can't cash.

Since "Gran Turismo" is based on a someone going from gamer to reality, the movie has a lot of different special effects with a gaming touch. A good amount of 3D and certain other special effects really gives the movie its unique character. Some of the effects, however, seemed a bit cheesy but not unnecessary. The special effects in "Gran Turismo" are not overdone to where you remember this is a movie about a gamer experiencing reality. You even hear Gran Turismo game sounds at moments of the movie also to keep the Gran Turismo vibe going.

As for being any kind of racing movie, a lot of these in decent quality are far and between. It is tough to try to convey and express the full fury of motorsport in a movie like this. "Gran Turismo" does a great job at conveying the full ferocity of motorsports in this movie. Everything from drone camera views to dramatic slowdowns are done in an impressive way. You actually feel connected to the races in this movie.

"Gran Turismo": Impressions.

"Gran Turismo" brings a level of attention to the GT series that speaks to its level of character. Elements of the precision of the Gran Turismo games play into how effective playing Gran Turismo games ties into a lot of the personality of "Gran Turismo." Honestly, it also speaks to the importance and impact of learning of racing through simulation racing as opposed to arcade (or even "simcade"). Before the likes of Jann Mardenborough, I was reminded of NASCAR racer Ty Majeski in regards of going from iRacing to real racing. Jann's story, however (with all due respect to Ty Majeski), is much more exciting and detailed.

"Gran Turismo" gives the impression that anyone could go from virtual racing to actual racing and find a level of success. While we know that is not always true, it does make for an awesome story. Jann just seemed talented enough to hold his own in real racing after many hours playing video game racing.

Here is another thing to consider. "Gran Turismo" could have been some phony story acted and excuted to the quality of most 1990s movies that try to bring video games some movie magic. "Gran Turismo" would have failed epically with a weak fantasy storyline or trying to be like the modern "The Fast and Furious" series. Same as if it had a bunch of cheesy one-liners. However, "Gran Turismo" did not go that route. It would have been a disgraceful way to disrespect what the Gran Turismo game series brings to gaming, car culture, and motorsports culture if "Gran Turismo" went down some cheesy style. In this regard, I actually think it is great "Gran Turismo" chose this based on true story style rather than some completely fantasy story.

Just Some Thoughts...

A story like this probably would be less believable if this was a movie about some casual racing gamer who mostly play arcade racing games and tries to be a professional racer. Same if maybe if the casual gamer was also an illegal street racer that somehow tries to make it big in actual motorsports. yet somehow makes a major impact in real motorsports. This made me think that this story is more authentic and believable that it involves a simulation racing gamer as opposed to an arcade one.


Now let me share with you some final thoughts. Get ready.

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"Gran Turismo": Final Thoughts

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"Gran Turismo" is a movie that showcases the power of dreams and living your dreams. As long as you are willing to improve your craft and hustle hard, anyone can be a success. "Gran Turismo" is not just a movie based on a highly successful gaming franchise; it is the embodiment of what hard work (and sometimes a little luck) can do. Just another video game player had the opportunity of a lifetime to live out what many other video game players could only dream of. In addition, this gamer put skills learned from a racing game series and applied those practices to reality. Surely there is a difference between virtual and real, but the gamer-turned-professional worked to make a great actual racing career happen.

The crew behind "Gran Turismo" could have made this movie some fantasy deal with a lot of fabricated drama and a lot of poor acting. There was no way, though, that "Gran Turismo" would be any kind of disgrace to what the Gran Turismo series has brought to gaming, car culture, and motorsports. A well-told fantasy or fanfiction storyline would have probably worked better for Gran Turismo, but going this based on a true story approach lends credibility. "Gran Turismo" actually manages to bring together the Gran Turismo gaming experience as well as going from virtual to real racing, all done in an even balance. Anyone who may have never played any Gran Turismo game may probably not realize this movie is based on using experiences from Gran Turismo to try to live a decent motorsports career. "Gran Turismo" not only is about just any racing career, it is instead a racing career competing in top-level racing series and top-level races.

Most of all, "Gran Turismo" is positive and inspirational in the sense that anyone with great potential can achieve great levels of success when given a chance. Jann Mardenborough didn't go through the usual pipeline of doing here-and-there go kart racing or competing in a bunch of grassroots racing series and finally getting scouted by a premier racing team. This individual went through playing Gran Turismo games for hours on end and logging many miles/kilometers playing. Everything else leading to Jann Mardenborough's motorsports success was pure talent and application of skills learned from a game.

This movie also speaks to the level of accuracy and charm of the Gran Turismo game series. No matter how much people complain about any number of issues regarding Gran Turismo games, the fact one gamer played the Gran Turismo games and gained such an education about motorsports most average racers can only dream of only speaks to how special and important the Gran Turismo series is to car culture and motorsports. Equally impressive is how playing a simple game also led to being able to have a great career as a world-class motorsports driver.

A true story, going from gamer to professional athlete, adapting from virtual to reality, the power of dreams and what is possible when given a chance- these are all elements as to why "Gran Turismo" is worth watching. This movie is a solid "A" to me, or at worst, "A-." Watch this movie and/or add it to your movie collection if you love gaming, motorsports, or both. You won't regret it.

Trailers.

I featured these trailers of "Gran Turismo" before in my previous post about it. In case you need a reminder or want to be introduced to it, take a look at these trailers to get an idea of what this movie will be like:


^ GRAN TURISMO - Official Trailer (HD)

And here is another trailer:


^ GRAN TURISMO - Official Trailer 2 (HD)

Remember- "Gran Turismo" is rated PG-13 by the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA). It features intense action and some strong language.

Get "Gran Turismo" Online.

This area is voluntary, so you can skip if uninterested.

If you want to get this movie to add to your movie collection, shop around at these retailers (among others). Remember, this section only is about the movie, not the game series:

• Amazon
• eBay
• Target
• Walmart (video games)

Or for more information about "Gran Turismo," go to GRAN TURISMO | Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Happy shopping!





This has been another blog post on "John's Race Space." I am happy you read my post regarding "Gran Turismo!" 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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Gran Turismo Movie

Gran Turismo has provided 25 years of awesome in gaming. Now, it takes its appeal to the movie theaters. The Gran Turismo movie will hit theaters on August 11, 2023 in the United States; and it will tell the real story of one person going from Gran Turismo gamer to a real-life racing star. I wanted to blog about this movie before it officially is released in theaters. This topic may be a diversion from what I normally post in "John's Race Space," but everything featured in a post has to have some sort of connection to racing games or driving games. So this post is about a movie inspired by a racing/driving game series. So here goes...

BEFORE I BEGIN...

Please note I am not any kind of movie buff. I rarely watch movies. So do not assume I can tell you anything and everything about movies. Everything provided in this blog post is primarily opinion-based.

If I make reference to the Gran Turismo movie, it will be in quotation marks (""). Okay- let's get it!

A Note About "Gran Turismo"...

"Gran Turismo" will be released in theaters on August 11 in the United States. I think it will be released in August 8 in some other markets. This movie is rated PG-13 by the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA). It features intense action and some strong language.

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"Gran Turismo" Movie

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^ from: (YouTube) - "Based on the true story of an impossible dream." Welcome to "Gran Turismo!"

"If you miss a line in the game, you reset. You miss it on the track... you could die."

-"Gran Turismo"

Gran Turismo has grown to be a highly successful racing/driving game series since its circa 1997 roots. The racing game not even its creator would think be any kind of immense success basically became one of the greatest racing game series ever. The Gran Turismo series has legions of fans worldwide who have many fond memories of action across the multiple games in the series. Everything from going full speed and taking on some of the most intense races to collecting cars as if they were Pokémon have helped Gran Turismo become what it has become.

For those reasons, some people think the idea of a Gran Turismo movie seems silly. Why would you want to potentially bring down the appeal of the Gran Turismo series by making a movie? Why would you even want to take a chance expressing Gran Turismo's appeal into a movie? Well, let's make one thing clear. "Gran Turismo" is the telling of a true story. It is the true story of Gran Turismo gamers becoming professional racing drivers. So it is not as if the "Gran Turismo" movie is some purely fictional deal put together becoming a hot mess of fail.

Let's get one thing straight- this movie is NOT going to be full of cheesy one-liners and fabricated action like you may see in the "The Fast and the Furious" series. So I doubt this movie is going to be something that could have been some student's project or final for some class about 3D modeling or movie production. Remember that "Gran Turismo" is based on a true story. If you're going to re-enact a true story, it's best to be as real as possible. Throw in your usual thoroughfare of Hollywood effects, of course; but be true to the story.

Many people would think about something like the "Initial D" series as the Gold Standard of automobile/motorsports-based movies or cartoons. Sure, Initial D involves a much different discipline of automobile culture, but it is what a lot of people would think about in terms of racing games (or even manga) turned into movies.

Initial Concerns.

The one thing to be skittish about is if something like the "Gran Turismo" movie would fall in line with a handful of other games-turned-movies. Usually such projects mostly are cheap ways to cash in on a game's success or try to mooch for some extra money. Many people were disgusted with how the "Super Mario Bros." movie of the early-mid 1990s ended up. Even more people did not like the "Street Fighter" movie of about 1994. I don't really know how people felt about the "DOOM" movie featuring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. There was even a "Need for Speed" movie, and I'm not even sure how that movie ended up.

Lately, though, some more modern games-turned-movies have actually become pretty good. The newer "The Super Mario Bros." movie seemed to perform much better than the live-action Super Mario Bros. movie from the 1990s/ The recent "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie series have done pretty well in theaters. So maybe you have some hope that "Gran Turismo" will not flop based on more recent games-turned-movies based on success of recent movies.

Would a More Fictional Storyline be Better?

I actually imagined if I made my own fan fiction about an up-and-coming racer going from grassroots to Gran Turismo World Champion. If you are going to tell a more fan-made story as opposed to what the "Gran Turismo" movie is going to be about, a serious risk is being taken. The wrong sort of execution can make even the most well-devised story become an absolute flop.

If Sony and company wanted to make a more fictional story regarding Gran Turismo, they'd probably make one in the vein of being in the Gran Turismo ecosystem. It could be the story of one or multiple people trying to climb up the ranks of Gran Turismo to go from earning the B-License to becoming Gran Turismo World Champion. Therefore, I do not think it is entirely a bad idea for the "Gran Turismo" movie to take on this true story mindset rather than make something completely fictional. It is this "virtual reality to total reality" that I think will give the "Gran Turismo" movie its appeal.

How Will "Gran Turismo" Fare in Theaters?

I do not think "Gran Turismo" will be one of the all-time greats in raking in millions to billions of US dollars. I don't see it taking on "Top Gun Maverick" or "Barbie" or anything for top grossing movies. While I hate to use this word in regards to Gran Turismo, I do see "Gran Turismo" being a good niche movie for those into the Gran Turismo series. My hope is maybe those not into cars and not into racing can maybe find something to love about "Gran Turismo." I know there are lots of people not into racing/driving games or not into simulation racing games. "Gran Turismo" may possibly intrigue people into playing the Gran Turismo game series. Even if not about racing/driving games, this movie may encourage others to simply follow their dreams, not even knowing where their love and passion will take them. So there is a lot to take away from "Gran Turismo" prior to it hitting theaters.

A lot of things can go right for the "Gran Turismo" movie. Conversely, a lot of things can go wrong for "Gran Turismo." It all depends on what the critics say and how fans view this movie.

Don't even think of "Gran Turismo" as make-or-break for the franchise. It is not as if the Gran Turismo series is struggling to remain relevant that making a movie is a last resort to stay afloat. This is still going to be a gaming franchise loved and admired by adoring fans. I don't think "Gran Turismo" is going to damage the appeal of the Gran Turismo franchise unless the movie goes far off the path of the Gran Turismo series to a lackluster direction.

Could Other Racing/Driving Games Follow Suit With "Gran Turismo?"

Oh, imagine if Grand Theft Auto got its own movie. Imagine if Ridge Racer got its own movie. Imagine if Forza Motorsport and/or Forza Horizon got their own movies. There's even a series on Peacock involving the "Twisted Metal" series. Based on how well (or not so well) "Gran Turismo" does, you know other game franchises may want to take their shot at making a racing/driving game movie to challenge "Gran Turismo." Any other racing/driving games potentially getting a movie will be possibly telling fictional material as opposed to the true story nature of "Gran Turismo." It is still very well possible other directors may be coming up with their own movies based on racing/driving game franchises.

Trailers.

Most of you who have followed my work know that I do not show any sort of media until the end. So at this point, here is where I share some media with you all. Take a look at these trailers to get an idea of what the "Gran Turismo" movie will be like:


^ GRAN TURISMO - Official Trailer (HD)

And here is a more recent trailer:


^ GRAN TURISMO - Official Trailer 2 (HD)

I am not a movie watcher. However, if I was going to see "Gran Turismo" in theaters or at home, I surely would see this movie. I wasn't as intrigued about this movie until I saw the second trailer.





Once "Gran Turismo" is released proper in theaters, we all can make our own critiques about it. What say you, though?

Are you intrigued about "Gran Turismo?" How do you think it will fare in theaters?

This is kind of a departure from discussing racing/driving games in this blog, which is what it is normally about. Though, everything discussed in this blog has some kind of connection to racing/driving games. I hope you enjoy my efforts here. If you enjoy my work, please Subscribe/Follow my blog(s) in any capacity if you love my work and want to support me any way you can. Share my blog post(s) with others if you enjoy my work. Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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Vehicle Skinning

Lately, I have been involved with skinning cars. The ability to create your own skins for cars gives you a chance to express yourself artistically and have unique cars. Who doesn't want to have their own cars and teams represented in a game? Since "John's Race Space" is about all things racing/driving games, I figured I'd share with you this post on skinning cars for racing and driving games. This post mostly concerns skins for PC racing/driving games.

The first thing I want to stress is that my interests in making skins for cars is somewhat why I have been away from the blogosphere. I have been trying to think of designs to come up with for a host of different mods for a host of different racing games. My concentration mostly focuses on rFactor and GTR2. If you follow my work on "John's Creative Space," you may have seen some of the designs I've come up with.

My Skinning Advice.

Here are a few things I recommend in case you want to try out making skins for cars in games that allow for them...

• Learn the nuances of how skins are created. If there is a mod you downloaded that features a template you can use, it is recommended you first begin to see how certain cars are skinned before trying to make your own creation. I actually avoid making skins for some vehicles because I find some templates to be confusing as to how to skin for them.

• Find programs that handle PSD files. PSD files are usually handled by Adobe Photoshop; but Photoshop, especially today's Photoshop costs money for a subscription and even more if you want to buy the full program. So many people look to alternatives that open PSD files such as The GIMP and Paint.NET. Another alternative is to use Photoshop Elements. Photoshop Elements can be just as effective in having bare essentials to picture editing from the base Photoshop in editing PSD files, but you can go only so far with it. One time, I tried editing one template in Photoshop Elements when the program said that it couldn't handle 16-layer images or something like that. Only issue is that they may not be able to handle PSD files as well as Photoshop can. You have some options here... even including illegal/non-recommended ones (like pirated programs, for example).

• Collect logos online. Make like Pokémon and collect 'em all! :) Find as many logos as you can for whatever kinds of skins you may have in mind. I mostly use Google Images to search for logos. Alternatively, you can also use sites like Brands of the World to search for logos. I recommend you find transparent GIF and (especially) transparent PNG images. You can also use JPG images, but the problem with JPG images is that they are grainy and don't translate too well to when you apply them to templates. You also have to do some extra work to make them useful in applying to templates. Also, JPG images have no transparency to them. So that's why I recommend either GIF or PNG files. It is best if you can find decent-size logos that look clean as you apply them to vehicle templates. If you envision having many different logos to use for many different kinds of cars, then be sure to think about what logos for companies you want to have featured on cars. If you are not sure what kinds of logos you want to get to include for vehicle templates, try playing various games to get a little perspective. Make a folder on your computer for which you can dump in the logos for you to use in your creations.

• Make a base for your designs. It helps to make a decent base for your vehicles that you can use to make your designs. This can be helpful in making one car or a car set for a team. You can also set up a base design to make up a One-Make series. With a base livery, you can make all cars identical. Conversely, you can also take a base livery and simply make color variations. This is like you see in the older Gran Turismo games.

• Continually test your skins. No matter how perfect you think your designs are, they don't mean anything until you actually test them in games. So make sure to keep practicing putting skins into games and onto models. As a testing example, if you do not reduce the opacity of your skin for rFactor models, your vehicles will appear very glossy. Unless you specify certain parts to have a glossy appearance, your car will appear very shiny. There's nothing wrong with shiny, but you do want to be realistic. So keep testing certain skins in games.

• (optional) Especially with games like rFactor, GTR2, NR2003, Assetto Corsa, and others... I recommend you download and buy 3DSimEd. It is one way you can test vehicle skins without loading up the game they belong to. One issue you may face is that some loaded cars may be told to be corrupted or encrypted when you load them. All you would need to do when using 3DSimEd is to hide certain 3D geometry so you can see the car better. Besides skinning, it is also effective in editing tracks in most modern simulation racing games. So that's why I recommend you buy 3DSimEd as a powerful tool for your editing of locations and vehicles in most of today's leading simulation racing games.

I hope these tips can help you become a master skinner.

Skinning Examples.

If you would like to see some skinners in action, I invite you to check out these blogs and sites. Gain perspective from these skin makers to help you in your skinning:

• RENDY'S BLOG
• Koda Factory

I may add some more if I find any more interesting skinners. The two in this non-edited post are just two skinners that come to mind. You can contact me via E-Mail or through any of my social media pages if you have your own site for which you share your creations.

I Wonder...

The toughest game to skin for in my view is iRacing. You have to pay to play iRacing, and especially if you are making custom skins for cars in iRacing, it can be tough and costly. iRacing does offer its own set of liveries for cars so you don't have to make custom ones. However, making skins for the vastly popular iRacing can be tricky. So I wonder how one would go about making custom skins for a game like iRacing considering the variables discussed here.

In Case You're Wondering...

You can see some of my creaetive works by following "John's Creative Space." Among some of the things I share are some of my skins for vehicles in games. I'd love for you to visit so you can see my own creations. To visit "John's Creative Space," visit johnscreativespace.blogspot.com. It is possible I will offer my skins for download. Make nothing of it right now, but in the future, you can see some of my designs so far on my Weebly site by going to JMDesigns - Game Mods, and you can see mods I've made available on my Weebly site at JMDesigns - Store: Game Mods.





Have yourself a great day/night. Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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John's Race Space's 5th Anniversary!

"John's Gran Turismo Space" was the name of this blog when it was born five years ago. That's right- this blog, that eventually became "John's Race Space" is now five years old! I will simply share thoughts on this blog and its history for this post. I will even share some of my past thoughts on creating this blog and why I think this blog means so much to me to post on.

This blog began life as my blogging portal to discussing the Gran Turismo series and Tourist Trophy. Actually, my main blog was to be my main outlet for discussing Gran Turismo until I decided to make my main blog about anything and everything. "John's Gran Turismo Space" was a blog I had relative success with as I tried to direct traffic over to this blog. As I was trying to come up with a lot of material within GT and TT, I did fairly well coming up with blog posts and resources. Later in this blog's life, I decided to extend the usefulness of this blog by making it about many other racing games, including Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy. This blog remains true to its roots. Even if I don't discuss Gran Turismo and/or Tourist Trophy, the roots of this blog remain with GT and TT.

FUN FACT 1: This blog's official colors are purple and silver. Official color names: Amethyst Purple and Moonlight Silver.

FUN FACT 2: The anniversary of this blog under the name "John's Race Space" is on November 21. The blog's name was changed to JRS in 2013. So JGTS was born in November and had its name changed to JRS in the same month.

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A Message to All Readers/Visitors

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Thank all of you for visiting this blog. I hope I can continue to provide quality content to all of you. I worked hard to try to compile all of these blog posts for you to read and enjoy. I feel happiest knowing people like you actually visit and share my material. Hopefully we can continue to work together.

If there is something you want me to maybe discuss in the future in regards to racing/driving games, feel free to contact me. I may be able to come up with a quality blog post on something related to racing/driving games.





Once again...

Thank all of you for your support of this blog over the years.

Thank you also for reading! Take care and be well.

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100,000 Views!

"John's Race Space" FINALLY got 100K views all-time! The blog that began life as "John's Gran Turismo Space" in November 2010 evolved into a blog on all racing games. I picked up loads of views from people worldwide. My thanks go out to everyone who helped make this blog popular and useful. This blog post is not about any racing game. All I want to do here is to offer my own words to all of my readers.

--- John's Race Space: 100,000 Views! ---

Let me begin by saying that I am pleased "John's Race Space" (formerly "John's Gran Turismo Space") has gotten over 100K views. With its slow growth, I honestly never thought this humble blog would get so many views. This blog is nearing its 5th birthday as it was established in November 2010. There was a point where I initially just ran out of topics to come up with for Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy for this blog. So in its evolution, I decided to make this my blog for discussing all things racing games. Why so? I love racing games. I know I am not the only one, and it feels good to find other people who like racing games, right? This is a special accomplishment for my blogging work. Under the Blogger/Blogspot platform, this is currently the third-ever blog I created that has received six-figure views all-time. Blogs take effort; successful blogs take effort and dedication. It is a feeling of being determined to assure an international audience of just how amazing and how much an institution a blog can be. In addition, I hate looking at my own blog just to bump up the view count. I can be cheap at times, but I am not THAT cheap. I want to earn as much as I can.

You probably know where this is all going. Either I could have retired this blog as it is, or I could have stretched out its usefulness by extending the range of topics for it. The formula worked for "John's Blog Space"- which began life as my Gran Turismo blog before I made it about anything and everything. I chose to take this blog from "John's Gran Turismo Space" to "John's Race Space." Its URL and heritage are still with the Gran Turismo series, but I wanted to make this blog so much more than what its roots offered. The focus of my blogging work here on JRS is simply to offer my racing/driving game fans a place where I offer my own opinions about racing games and driving games. I am not trying to build the definitive blog on racing games, but I am hoping I have offered a reputable blog with unique and valuable chatter on racing games. People- like you reading this blog right now- have helped contribute this this blog being useful and enjoyable.

I work alone with my blogging work because I feel only I can push my blog(s) in a favorable direction that I'll be most happy with. I could probably allow guest blogging or whatever, but I feel I am the one best equipped to push my blogs in a positive direction. I rarely get any support or opinions from any loyal readers. So therefore, I just keep pushing my blog(s) any way I please in hopes I can keep up the good work. That even includes discussing racing games here.

What's Next?

There are a number of racing/driving games I haven't mentioned, reviewed, or have thoughts on. I haven't even introduced my "Elements of Racing Games" series from "John's Blog Space" to "John's Race Space" yet. A lot of reviews on racing games from "John's Blog Space" still haven't been introduced to "John's Race Space" yet- and I'd love to introduce them to my audience. Ever since wanting to expand this blog's usefulness and its range of topics, there are still MANY things I have either yet to discuss or introduce. Believe me- I have NO shortage of topics for this blog or any of my others. The only thing holding me back is really coming up with given material to actually make things happen.

I put thought into all of my blog posts. I don't just come up with posts just to show that I am alive and just to keep a blog updated. I believe everything I publish has to have value beneficial to the Internet and to my audience. Very few things are truly random about my blogging work. You now know about my dedication and how much I value what I do.

To All of My Loyal Readers and Fans...

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!


That is all for this post.





I actually tried to wait until my view count actually surpassed 100,000 hits before releasing this blog post. I hated that I was slowly picking up views when I thought I finally surpassed that 100K view mark... only to find out only so few views were collected between different time intervals. The wait until finally reaching that 100K view mark was agonizing. However, I made it! Thank you all again for making this possible for my blog.

If there are any racing/driving games or any features you want to see mentioned, be sure to contact me online. I may feature your suggestion(s) in a future post here on "John's Race Space." You may also contact me on any topics you want to see in any of my blogs. Regardless, I am pleased to get this many views for "John's Race Space." Thank you for reading!

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Welcome to John's Race Space (JRS)!

Welcome to "John's Race Space," formerly "John's Gran Turismo Space." Same URL, same content, same colors, new name. In the continued evolution of this blog and its content, I wanted to choose a title a bit more consistent with the new direction of this blog. Stars and space are constant themes of my work, so the "Space" element had to be added as part of the package. And of course- I, John B. Marine am the one who is making this all possible.

So what is "John's Race Space" about? Ever since focusing on other racing games and elements regarding racing games, JRS is a continued evolution of providing a majority of racing game content for fans of racing/driving games. The roots of this blog hinged primarily on the Gran Turismo series and Tourist Trophy. I felt the desire to blog about other racing games as well as offer new life to old blog posts of mine regarding racing games. Rather than make a new blog, I decided to take "John's Gran Turismo Space" and re-brand it as "John's Race Space." Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy still are the roots of this blog. Since they are racing games and since I am fond of both game series, they aren't going anywhere away from this blog. What I want to do is offer a blog fans of racing games and driving games can enjoy and come back to for insight, commentary, and just an overall celebration of racing.

What you will find here are more racing games featured and various other racing game material to keep all of you interested. The "anything and everything" approach to topics along with the randomness of my material will be present in posts to any of my blogs. Things are no different with "John's Race Space." In the future, I hope to bring back and expand upon my "Elements of Racing Games" series, where I focus primarily on elements present in a lot of racing games. It will help you to understand what makes certain racing games fun and interesting based on these elements.

New Name, New Logo and Header.

In addition to the new name, a new logo and header for this blog were made. The "S" is styled like a chicane of a road course. It wasn't until recently that I finalized this design. I initially had the end of the "R" connect with a horizontal line to the "S." But as the final design of the logo goes, the "R" connects with the "S" as part of the chicane. You could say that the new logo resembles this blog going in a new direction and taking on a new set of corners.

Anyone who may follow me on Twitter or Google+ know that I use the hashtag "#JohnsGTSpace" to promote posts on this blog. A new hashtag for this renamed blog will now be used. Look for "JohnsRaceSpace" if you're on Twitter and/or Google+.

A Couple of Observations...

By the way, this blog celebrated its second anniversary back on November 16, 2013. This is now year three of this blog!


So one last time...



WELCOME TO JOHN'S RACE SPACE!





Goodbye, "John's Gran Turismo Space"... hello "John's Race Space!" Welcome to my Race Space. Enjoy your stay. Thank you for reading!

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JGTS Salute to GTPlanet

I want to make a JGTS salute to GTPlanet as my final post of 2011 for this blog. GTPlanet has been the only online community devoted to Gran Turismo that I have been a part of. I have been part of this message board since December 5, 2003. I had initially joined just to follow news on Gran Turismo 4. It has since blossomed to me making GTPlanet my favorite message board of any kind. It was my online message board home after having so many problems trying to get along with people on a long-defunct message board called Speedsims (where I've felt like crap and unwelcome to a number of people). I have seen and encountered many people of many walks of life post on this message board. Among the people of GTP, I have felt like family there. GTPlanet is literally its own planet with millions of people whom have joined the message boards and many more who read the latest Gran Turismo news. I have been more than pleased to encounter so many people.

Perhaps a strength of how strong the Gran Turismo community is was when I posted about the kiosk demo of Gran Turismo 5 back in 2010. I received SO MANY BLOG HITS from GTPlanet's news tidbit that I earned loads of readers in such short time. The hits came from all over the world and back. Even other message boards linked to my blog post on John's Blog Space. The hits came from almost everywhere- United States, Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom, most of continental Europe, Mauritus (an African island nation east-northeast of Madagascar), Australia, and New Zealand among many other places. I even try to get some casual readers from GTPlanet to visit "John's Gran Turismo Space."

I had already done one of these blog posts saluting GTPlanet back on "John's Blog Space." However, I want to salute GTPlanet here since JGTS is a more proper Gran Turismo environment than my "anything and everything" environment on John's Blog Space. The person I'd most like to thank is Jordan. Jordan is the founder and administrator of GTPlanet. I also salute the many Moderators for maintaining GTPlanet, keeping it fun and active. I am thankful for all of the many wonderful people worldwide whom I've gotten to meet on this site.

Are You Visiting JGTS from GTPlanet?

If you are visiting my blog from GTPlanet, let me welcome you to my GT-specific blog. I hope you enjoy your time here. Feel free to look around and see the many resources I've put together. Most of all, thank you for visiting!





Learn more about GTPlanet by visiting www.gtplanet.net. You can get social with GTPlanet by finding its Facebook fan page and its Twitter feed, all of which can be found on GTPlanet. I hope all of you have a happy and safe new year! Thank you for reading!

Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
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Best Wishes to Polyphony Digital

Polyphony Digital began moving 50 of its members from Tokyo to Fukuoka not too long ago. This move originated from the Tohoku Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami. They also want to expand in their move to Fukuoka. I read that PD is even considering to set up a game development school or studio there as well. If you don't know where Fukuoka is, it is a city in western Japan on For more information on this deal, please check out this article by my friends over on GTPlanet.net:

"Polyphony Digital to Continue Expansion in Fukuoka, Japan," on gtplanet.net

I apologize to my Gran Turismo fans for not posting anything lately on "John's Gran Turismo Space." Still, I am mostly just thinking of the next thing to post about. Best wishes to Polyphony Digital in their expansion. Maybe this will allow them to expand and probably increase their development efforts. Perhaps even consider doing a lot more outsourcing. I hope this move will help out Polyphony Digital for a long time to come.

Once again, my best wishes go out to Polyphony Digital and all of their hard work in making and keeping Gran Turismo one of the best racing game franchises of all time. Thank you for reading.

Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
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A Special Announcement

I have a special announcement to make to all of my fellow Gran Turismo fans. Welcome everyone to "John's Gran Turismo Space!" I am humbled by your presence. Salutations aside, let me make my announcement right here in my GT blog:

I FINALLY have Gran Turismo 5 and a PlayStation 3!

This will give me an opportunity to finally make material for Gran Turismo 5. Please note that anything I create for GT5 and on GT5 will take some time as I am continually learning more about this game. I want to create the best experience in mentioning and discussing GT5. So therefore, I will keep playing GT5 and reserve any and all commentary and discussions regarding GT5 until I've gathered enough experience to professionally share material with all of you.

In addition, existing blog posts regarding certain elements of Gran Turismo will be edited to include information from my playing of Gran Turismo 5. This is to provide greater assurance to my readers.




Thanks to all of my readers for having patience with me. And also, thanks to all of you for reading!

Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
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Donate to Japan

Since I haven't made anything good lately for JGTS, I will use this time to talk about the 8.9 earthquake that rocked Japan on Friday last week. If you are visiting this blog and want to donate money to help fund recovery efforts in Japan, Google has set up a crisis response page that will donate funds to the Japanese Red Cross Society.

You may visit this resource by visiting Google's Crisis Response Page for the Sendai Earthquake. If you wish to donate, your donation must be between 100 yen and 50,000 yen. Google's Crisis Response page utilizes Google Checkout to handle donations.

Tweets I've read (and translated) from Kazunori Yamauchi a few days ago noted that Polyphony Digital is safe and that everyone is alright at PD after the quake. It is certainly great that these people are well.

Again- I'm not doing anything special with this blog right now. So therefore, I wanted to post something useful just to get your attention and get you into action. If you are reading this post, thank you very much. PLEASE do what you can to offer help or good fortune to those who most need the support and the love. Thank you very much for visiting John's Gran Turismo Space.

Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
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* Subscribe to John's Shop Space! (http://jbmshopspace.blogspot.com)
* Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space!

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