Gran Turismo PSP

true <object height="475" width="620"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="src" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/fc6947b3/" /> <param name="name" value="viddler_fc6947b3" /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/fc6947b3/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="475" width="620"></embed> </object> Gran Turismo had been in development for the PSP since the console originally launched. Or, at least I think it was. It’s hard to remember since it’s been so long from when the game was announced to when it was finally released at the beginning of October. With a newfound interest in providing high quality titles for their portable platform, Sony and Polyphony Digital finally unveiled the Gran Turismo experience to the open arms of PSP owners worldwide. Sadly, the experience is a hollow one, and the game doesn’t come close to living up to any of its predecessors.  The PSP version of Gran Turismo doesn’t offer a ton of game modes for players to enjoy. While it’s to be expected that the enormous amount of depth that console versions have shared would be trimmed down to accommodate the PSP, there’s a surprising lack of things to do with this game. When you start up the single-player game, you’re given two options: Driving Challenge or Single Player racing. Driving Challenge consists of eight different types of tests, each with six stages, encompassing the various skills you’ll need to learn to master the game. Thankfully these challenges aren’t required for you to earn licenses like in earlier versions of GT. While it might have given the mode some weight or necessity, license tests have always been my least favorite part of the franchise. If I’m winning races, let me move on to races that were previously locked, don’t force me to complete a meaningless time trial. Disappointingly, no matter how well you perform during Driving Challenges, the only rewards you earn are money and setting the record time. There’s no special car to unlock, no online leaderboards to compete against, or anything like that. Sure, it might help newcomers learn the ins and outs of racing, but this mode forces you to race perfectly within the game’s rules, making later challenges finger-cripplingly frustrating. If your car bumps into the wall, or if all four tires leave the track, or if you nudge another racer, it’s back to the starting line. The regular game doesn’t hold you to these ridiculous standards, so why I’m forced to race the way the game deems proper in this mode, instead of allowing me to race to win, is absolutely baffling. <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gamervision_production/12439857282ADWNyPaqo.jpg"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gamervision_production/12439857282ADWNyPaqo.jpg" height="350" alt="" width="619" /></a> The Single Player mode does allow you to drive the way you want to, but even that can’t save you from becoming bored after a few hours. The game boasts 35 tracks, some with mirrored versions, and has some 800 different vehicles for you to purchase, and trying to unlock everything might be incentive enough for some diehards. Of course, the only way to earn the money to buy those cars is by racing one single race at a time against three computer opponents. There’s no career -oriented mode. There are no tournaments. The only way to race is by picking your car, the track you want to race, and the difficulty of your opponents. Racing against tougher AI earns you more money, and with five levels of difficulty (ranked S, A, B, C, D), there’s no shortage of races to complete. While there’s absolutely no challenge in winning a race against lower rated computer drivers, the only challenge in the tougher computer racers is how perfectly they stick to lines, and the more powerful cars they drive. By the time you unlock the highest difficulty setting, you’ll have raced each track so many times, tougher opponents won’t really matter all that much. I’m not saying you’re going to win every race, but the way the game is built makes it pretty hard to come in last. Single Player is also home to Time Trial and Drift Challenge. Both modes are played alone, and you’re only competing against yourself. There aren’t even times already recorded for you to beat in either mode. It’s hard to understand the design decision here, and I wonder if Polyphony even cared that the entire game plays like an overblown demo. Oh, right. The highlight of the game is supposed to be the robust car catalog, but even that aspect of the game has me scratching my head. Gran Turismo has an in-game calendar that advances a day for each race or challenge you compete in. Every two days, four car manufacturers open their doors for you to peruse their stock. One day Ford, Mitsubishi, Lamborghini, and Renault might be there, and the next your options are Mercedes, Shelby, Mazda, and Honda. Strangely, not all of the cars a company makes are available on the days they’re open. What that means is the first time a company available, you might see a car you really want, but you don’t have enough cash. You make a plan to save up for the next time that company returns in the rotation, only when they do show up again, that car you wanted isn’t available that day. It’s extremely annoying, as is the fact that you can’t sell any of your vehicles back to get more cash on the spot in the event you’re a few thousand short when trying to purchase a really sweet ride. Once you buy a car, it’s yours for life. It makes no sense, particularly since there’s no way something like selling the car back would demand too much of the PSP processor. <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gamervision_production/1243985790msf6ypmu1E.jpg"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gamervision_production/1243985790msf6ypmu1E.jpg" height="350" alt="" width="619" /></a> When you’re on the track, the game controls fairly well. The PSP’s analog nub has never been as responsive as a real controller. At times it feels as if the car you’re driving isn’t turning as hard as you want it to, but there’s rarely any point where you don’t feel in complete control of your vehicle. Gran Turismo’s console brethren rely on pressure sensitive buttons for the gas and brakes, and hitting either too hard would often result in a spin out. The PSP lacks the option for pressure sensitivity, but the game compensates for this by adding a distinct handling boost when hitting either the accelerator or brake hard. You’ll still spin out if you brake at the wrong time, or punch the gas to early out of a turn, but if you’re able to time the button presses correctly, nine times out of ten, you’ll be just fine. It’s even easier to get the timing down right thanks to the adaptive driving line you have the option of using. I’m admittedly horrible at sim racers without that little aid, but GT’s is implemented perfectly, and goes a long way in making you a better driver. If the game didn’t look and sound as good as it does, there’d actually be nothing positive to talk about. Running at an incredibly smooth 60 FPS, Gran Turismo really gets a lot out of the PSP. Truthfully, when all is said and done, the game has to be counted among the top three most incredible looking games on the handheld to date. Car models look unbelievably true to life, despite the fact that there’s no car damage. I’ve come to accept that from a Gran Turismo game, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay. Technology and processing power have come far enough that even minor damage modeling should have been part of the presentation. About the only time GT falters graphically is when it comes to your surroundings. Tracks are rendered well enough, but grass, sand, snow, dirt, and asphalt all lack defined textures. It’s not that big a deal because while you’re in motion, everything is moving by you as a blur anyway. There’s a lot of depth to the sounds you hear on the track even though the speakers on the PSP aren’t the greatest. Engines all sound markedly different, and all of them have multiple tones going at once. Spin-outs and skidding across the track sound equally impressive. The only time I was bothered by the sound design at all was when I careened into a wall, or smashed into another vehicle. There’s hardly any difference in the sounds different cars make when bumping up against one another or a barrier, and it’s just strange that Polyphony’s stand against collisions even carries over to the sound effects. <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gamervision_production/1243985742ypwLuUqzvd.jpg"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gamervision_production/1243985742ypwLuUqzvd.jpg" height="350" alt="" width="619" /></a> When playing with a friend, you had better hope they’re in the same room as you because the only way to play Gran Turismo with more than one player is through Ad Hoc mode. You and up to three other buddies, or computer controlled cars, can play a single race, with a cash prize usable offline awaiting the winner. The only options you’re given relate to driver skill. You can either race straight up, or opt to give friends who aren’t as comfortable on the track an advantage with an early lead, or a car that runs faster than yours. There’s no choice to set up multiple races back to back, so after each and every completed match, you’ll have to change the settings before starting another race. It’s serviceable for sure, but without the option to go online against people who aren’t your neighbor, or even to scour online leaderboards for top times in time trials, you can’t help but feel like there should have been more. The only other multiplayer feature in GT is the ability to trade or share cars. If you choose to share, every shareable car you and your friend have will be copied to one another’s garages. Trading is just what it sounds like, and is a nice feature, but it’s also not all that necessary since none of the 800 cars in the game require anything special to unlock them. Gran Turismo was most definitely not worth the wait. It’s a good looking game that plays well, but the lack of game modes, the poor car acquisition system, and the absence of more online features completely deflate the experience. This game is truly only for the diehard GT fan that needs to get his sim-racer fix on the go. Sony and Polyphony had a huge opportunity to set a new bar for portable racers, but instead end up looking at the bar games like Midnight Club LA and Burnout established and saying, “Yeah, that’s good enough.” I only hope that the same isn’t true of Gran Turismo 5 whenever that finally comes out. <img src="/contributed/1239819862Bhc2x2btRr.jpg" height="125" alt="" width="245" /> review

2009-10-12T10:54:42-04:00

9161

10907

2009-10-18T00:38:41-04:00

true

2009-10-12T10:54:42-04:00

12267

6.0

gran_turismo_psp_video_review published There Are Cars. You Race Them. That’s It. Gran Turismo PSP - PSP

2009-10-18T00:38:41-04:00

825