Gran Turismo (Sony PlayStation 1, 1998)

I remember when Gran Turismo first came out; and it is the only PS1 game I spent $50 on. My first hours with the game were spent in the Arcade mode. An old friend of mine was visiting and joined in on the fun. He asked me if I liked it and I responded with a simple "eh...it's OK." He immediately took over and introduced me to the Simulation mode.

Simulation mode is where the true heart of this game can be found. The game gives you 10,000 credits to purchase your first car. While there are not a whole lot of choices, the car manufacturers include Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Honda, Mitsubishi, Aston Martin, Dodge, Subaru, and a few others. First time players will more than likely have to start with a used car but don't let this upset you; there are some impressive models in those used car lineups.

Players may find using the D-Pad a little better than trying to use the Dual-Shock analog controls. Reason being is that the Dual-Shock came out about the same time as Gran Turismo; and those controls are very sensitive to the point they are almost unusable. But this game is the beginnings of what is now a capital franchise so don't expect too much if you just got done playing GT3, 4, or 5.

There are over 100 cars in the game with a few "hidden" cars that can be unlocked. License tests include B, A and IA only. The game has 11 tracks to race on and is the only one out of all the Gran Turismo games that has the SS Route 11 in its originality. This track was edited in future GT appearances.

I bought this game again to relive what can be called a classic. The music and graphics for their time were top notch and all the cars, tracks, and race series that are now well known with other GT fans all got started here. This game still packs a challenge like it did when it was first released. If you plan on getting it, you might want to make sure you can have a dedicated memory card for this game as game saves can range from 5 to 15 blocks.

Hands down, I would recommend this title to any PS1 owner veteran or newcomer. It's a fun game but don't expect it to have a lot as is found in the sequels that followed.

What else can be said about the greatest racing game of all time that has not already been said? Hmm...I know! That it is GTlicious! Yeah!

Gran Turismo for the Playstation One can be described as the forefather of sim racing; or arcade sim racing. Arcade sim racing should be a racing game genre of its own because of this game. It's half sim and half arcade; the right ingredients for an excellent racing game.

The things I love about this game are: simulation mode. Actually, that's it, simulation mode. Everything great about this game can be found in simulation mode where your goal is to gain your licenses [B License(Easy difficulty), A License (Normal difficulty), International License (Hard difficulty], race, earn money or credits, and buy/upgrade cars.

I love the car selections in this game. They have: Chevy, Dodge, Mazda, Honda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Aston Martin, TVR, and Toyota. No Ford however. This is probably the only letdown as I am a Ford fan and love the Ford Lightning series. Oh yeah, which brings me to my second point, there are no trucks in this game; just all cars. My hint to those of you who are new to this game, buy the Mitsubishi GTO Twinturbo and build it up. Trust me, you complete most races and earn credits with this car alone. It's a great starter car plus once it's all built up you have 930 Horse Power.

Well, that just about wraps it up. The only other thing to mention is that all cars handle differently. For example, the Dodge Viper tends to slip more easily than say the Toyota, Mitsubishi, or even Subaru cars. The Chevy Camaro is worst; you'll find yourself spinning in circles even on the slightest turns. It gets annoying after awhile.

Overall, this game receives a 10 out of 10 for being fun, innovative, and most of all challenging. Yes folks, this game is challenging. Even on the B licenses, you'll find yourself losing easy races. The computer AI is ruthless, they'll be on you every step of the race and will bump you off the road as they please, or at least during turns; So watch it.

One last thing, when you are playing this game always keep in mind that:

"It doesn't matter whether you win by an inch or a mile, winning is winning!"
-Vin Diesal, "The Fast and The Furious"

Even by todays standards, this game is one of the best. This is one of the most important games of the last ten years, it changed the way we see racing games, and for that matter, games in general. With realistic driving physics and over 300 cars to choose from, who wouldn't love it? After a race you can watch it all unfold in the replay mode, which has drop dead graphics and great camera angles. Almost like watching it on tv!

There are around 20 different car manufacturers to choose from, each offering a ton of cars. There are a few noticeably missing companies, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche. You can win money as you win races and get the pole position. After the race you can tune your car with muffler, suspension and even engine upgrades for that extra kick! You can also fine tune EVERYTHING, from Yaw to forced induction to ride height. This game gives you endless possibilities!

The thing I treasure most about this game though is that once you've fully tuned a car, the game gives you the option to buy a racing modification. Which turns the car into actually looking the part of a race car. This is something that is missing from the next 3 GT games.

My only criticisms of this game are the sound and controls. The cars don't behave exactly like the real things and after a while, all the cars start to sound similar. After you put a Turbo on your car, it doesn't sound different, just louder. Which in real life, isn't the case.

If you haven't play a Gran turismo game, you must! This is the game that got kids excited about cars again! Really you don't have to play them in order and of course the newest one is the best, but I recommend playing them all. And there is no finer place to start than here!

Gran Turismo sets the bar for overall performance of racing games on PS1. With high quality graphics and physics, this game was like no other in its time. Even today, This is an outstanding game that is worth playing once more. Starting off new, you get 10,000 CR to buy your first sports car. Frome there you can aquire new licenses to race in more difficult championships. Each race you win (or come close to winning) will give you CR to put into your car. Win an enter event and you can win a new car! You and sell this car for extra cash or keep it and upgrade it. Eventually you can save up to buy the special "Racing Modification" (my favorite part) for almost any car in the game. This will cost 87,000 CR or so. Overall this game is simply amazing and holds playable value even today! I give this game a 9.6 OUT OF 10

I have played this game with much satisfaction since shortly after i got it way back in the late 1990's.
The game is simple: in arcade mode, you are given a select choice of cars and tracks that you can race on and as you progress in the game's career mode, more tracks and cars are made available.
In Career Mode, you start you with an empty garage and 10,000 credits, the game's currency. You purchase cars and modify them to make them faster, lighter and have the ability to tune the suspension and other components of the car. You can also change the outer appearance with different pain jobs and full customizations.
As you race, you win money, cups and more cars. As the career mode progresses, you purchase faster cars to race in the higher-end races and ultimately win all races and cups. The goal of career mode is simply to become the best racer in the whole game.
There is a semi-small selection of cars available from the start, from companies ranging from Mazda, Nissan and Toyota to Chevrolet and Dodge to some exotic car companies from the 90's such as TVR and Aston Martin.
The game is somewhat short considering the length os the sequels, but for someone just learning about Grand Turismo, it's a great starting point.
Its a game anyone can enjoy and anyone who is a car enthusiast can find interesting. Its very primitive, considering the game was released in the late 90's on the 1st gen playstation and it was the first of the series, but still i found it to be very enjoyable and have loved the series from the moment i picked it up for the first time about 8 years ago.
To anyone who has played it, congrats on finding a gem of a game, and to anyone who hasn't, you're missing out on a lot of fun and a game at least worth a try.