Gran Turismo

Developer - Sony
Publisher - Sony
Players - 1-2
Extras - Memory card, Analog, Dual Shock

Graphics

Gran Turismo quite simply has no equal for crispness and accuracy of graphics in a racing game. The replays looks incredibly realistic and the in-game graphics and smoothness rival that of an arcade machine (though not in the playstation's hi-res mode however). Each car looks like it's real life counterpart right down to the emblems on the front and rear displaying which make and model it is. To say this game is fast is an understatement, the scenery zips by at a hectic pace, hardly giving you time to read all the sponsor advertising boards around the track. In two-player mode the frame rate is decreased but I found the game still to be very playable (though I'm not a big fan of split screen play anyway).

Sound

No "buzzy" engines here unless a car is meant to have one. That's right the cars engines do not all sound the same, they all seem to have been made specifically for their make and model. Even a Nissan Skyline sounds different from a Nissan Sylvia, there seem to be no shortcuts taken here by Sony. They have gone for authenticity in the sounds as well as the graphics, and it just makes the game all the more polished. To go along with the roar of the engines and screeches of tires Sony have also signed up a few bands for the soundtrack, in which can be found Ash's "Lose Control" and Garbage's "As Heaven is Wide", as well as songs by Cubanate and Feeder. All the songs seem to blend well with the racing action.

Gameplay

I'm not a huge racing fan to start with, but I found Gran Turismo an absolute joy to play. The cars handle realistically and act like their real life models. The game is alot better using Sony's Dual Shock analog controller, as while still very playable with a digital pad the experience is enhanced with the thumb-stick control. The shock in the controller has also been well developed into different levels of rumbling, unlike Rally Cross which just gives you a rapid buzz everytime you touch something on a track. The menu screens are also easy to use and the license tests, while being unnecessarily compulsory, do add an extra skill element to play.

I feel a verdict coming on

Quite simply Gran Turismo is the best racing game for the Playstation at this time. It is realistic, great looking with excellent sound effects and music, fluid control and most of all, it's fun. Sony's development team(s) are pushing the Playstation to it's limits with this game and until they themselves release a sequel it may stay on it's number one pedestal for some time to come. There is still room for improvement, and many people would like to see other car manufacturers involved in the next installment (there are no Fords or Porsches, and no Holdens either (sacrilige!!)). All credit goes to Sony for doing something on the Playstation that I did not realise was possible. But then if anyone should know how far this console can go, it's Sony.

Review by D.R.T.Barrett.