15 Years of Gran Turismo

When I was a little boy, about 7 years old to be exact, my father introduced me to a PSOne game which a few years later, got obsessed with it. It's the racing game that redefines the true passion of cars and it has the slogan "The Real Driving Simulator".  I'm talking about the Gran Turismo franchise. First launched in Japan since December 1997 and then worldwide a year after, the Gran Turismo series is one of the most successful Playstation games ever made. Since we're in the party mood about the franchise's 15th year, let's get cracking on a trip down memory lane.

I'll start with this, the original Gran Turismo. The very first one. Despite being launched 15 years ago, the original GT never gets old all the time. It features a huge roster of licensed cars ranging from Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Chevrolet, Aston Martin, Dodge, and TVR. For starters, you have some cash to buy some car but sadly, you can't afford a car from the NEW CAR dealership so for beginners, they chose the USED CAR dealership to buy their first car. Of course, in Gran Turismo tradition, the USED CAR dealership changes occasionally so if there's a car that interests you the most, buy it. If you have spare change, you're tuning it to make it competitive and then you're off to a race but before joining in the big leagues, you must first get a license. Each race requires a certain license like B, A, i-B, i-A, and the Super License and to get one, you must first pass series of challenges. Getting a bronze target maybe enough but true professionals go for the gold. I know, license challenges keeps on getting tougher and tougher but if I  get it right, I had the urge to pass all challenges to get the license.

The biggest memory in your GT life was how to get the car known as the DODGE CONCEPT CAR. So what is it then the DODGE CONCEPT CAR? For beginners, the mysterious Dodge "Concept Car" was called the Dodge Copperhead concept car. Unveiled at the 1997 NAIAS, the Copperhead visions the future of a high-performance roadster. It's powered by a 2.7L V6 engine which produces 220HP and it weights 1295kg.

Since the concept car's unveiling, there has been some outrage from DaimlerChrysler (the former company name before Daimler and Chrysler split themselves years later) because there has been a complaint from another company that they held the rights of the Copperhead name and then instead. They decide to call it "Concept Car" in press kits, scale toys, and other stuff.

Hands up if you remember driving the Dodge Concept Car!

Gran Turismo

Two years later, the Gran Turismo experience expanded in Gran Turismo 2, which I believe that this is undoubtedly the best GT game I have ever played in ages. For an added twist, GT2 has two discs; disc one is called the Arcade Disc where you can race against opponents, time attack, two-player, and so on. Disc Two is called the Simulation Disc where in this disc, you are here to collect over 500 cars, complete license tests, and race in different cups to win new cars. The cars you obtained from Disc Two can be imported for Disc One gameplay.

Gran Turismo 2

Of 500 cars in the game, there has been the inclusion of rally cars (which is new back then), kei cars, and the hybrid car they called the Toyota Prius. One of my favorite cars in the game is none other than the fan-favorite Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak Version because with over 900HP of power and 4WD, you are truly invincible in most races! Other memorable cars include the long-forgotten Venturi, the Vector M12, the Renault Espace F1, the HKS Drag R32, the Daihatsu Midget II truck, and many other cars that made a huge mark in this game. There's also some one-make race series hosted by car manufacturers in GT2's Simulation Disc. Pick the right car for the race and race against equally matched cars! Simple is that.

Oh and here's a little old clip of Jeremy Clarkson playing GT2, solving which is the best British sports car of all time...(too bad he prefer the Mazda MX-5 instead)

Anyway, I love Gran Turismo 2. It has the proper customization that allows me to turn some of the normal production cars into race cars, it has the wide selection of cars, it has the best racetracks to master, it's everything that makes a fanboy like me very happy.

With the introduction of PS2 in 2000, the GT team are on the tight schedule to create a new Gran Turismo game for the PS2 console and a year later, it's a dream come true.

Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec

Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec is the new generation of Gran Turismo gaming for the PS2 console. Armed with the new visuals and physics, this game was a head turner. Apart from the selection of cars from the past series returned, there has been an addition of car such as the Gillet Vertigo, the Pagani Zonda, and the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. However, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII and the bugeyed Subaru "New Age" Impreza WRX STi are the ones that stole the spotlight in GT3 as well as the Escudo from Suzuki which is now rendered in GT3 glory.

Of course, the 900HP Escudo is a savage beast on the rally stage but the wicked twist in GT3 was the Formula GT race cars. They look like Formula One racecars only Gran Turismo-ish! When I managed to take a turn on those, it's so savage on the asphalt! Feels like the Escudo's been dethroned by this breed of racers on GT3! Incredible!

Anyway, Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec was sold over 15 million copies worldwide and with efforts so successful, the team at Polyphony Digital made something that I refer to it as the best Gran Turismo game in the PS2.

Gran Turismo 4

Moments after "GT Concept 2002 TOKYO-GENEVA" and a "GT4 Prologue", Gran Turismo 4 was launched in Japan in late 2004 and then worldwide in 2005 and let me tell you this; this is the best Gran Turismo game since PSOne's GT2. Everything what you thought about GT has changed. It now comes with a selection of real-world race tracks such as Laguna Seca, Infineon Raceway, Twin Ring Motegi, Fuji Speedway, and the dreaded Nurburgring Nordschleife. The Nurburgring?! On Gran Turismo? Yes, indeed and this track packs a lot of challenge for newbies and veterans alike. In career mode, "B-spec Mode", "Driving Missions" and "Photo Mode" are added for more fun. B-Spec Mode is well, let your car do the race by itself and you had to input some commands to your car whether to overtake, go fast, go slowly, and so on, hoping that your car will win the race. It's essential if you're in a 24 Hour Race like in Le Mans or the Nurburgring and you can't handle it on A-Spec alone. Driving Missions are series of challenges where you have to win against series of twisted challenges such as overtaking the opponent, slipstream, 3-lap race, and the dreaded "One-Lap Magic" race where this is in the sort of a "wait and win" situation. Slowest car first and then the fastest (that's you) have to overtake all the opponents and cross the finish line first. I know it wasn't an easy task and it takes practice to win those. The best part in GT4 was taking pictures of your favorite cars whether on selected locations or while on the replay. That sounds cool but for processing it, it will just waste the entire 8MB memory card and you have to resort to some USB external drive to save your pics.

But still, Gran Turismo 4 is probably the best GT game in the PS2 and it has everything I love. From a huge selection of cars, real world locations, challenging races, the addition of ice rallying, this game is a corker! Little trivia though that there was an episode of Top Gear where Jeremy Clarkson plays GT4 and decides if he can beat his virtual lap record in real life at Laguna Seca but sadly, it's a difficult task.

While the production team were still busy on the next generation Gran Turismo for the PS3 console, 2009 sees the launch of the PSP version of Gran Turismo and while the portable game lacks most of the GT peripherals, it's still not that bad. After clearing certain conditions, you can even listen to your songs saved on your PSP while playing! That's a first. Custom Soundtrack...

Apart from the custom soundtrack feature, there are new cars added on the PSP version such as the Enzo Ferrari, Nissan GT-R Spec V R35, the Bugatti Veyron, the Lamborghini Countach, and the cover car; the Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1. I loved this Corvette so much, I often played with it.

Gran Turismo PSP

Then in 2010, after a double delay that leaves GT fans out cold, the much awaited fifth installment of Gran Turismo is finally here.

With over a thousand cars offered in GT5, players can now buy and collect as many cars as they want! Think of the Godzilla GT-R, Lancer Evo X, a WRX STi 5-door and 4-door, Lamborghini Gallardo, Ferrari California, Lotus Evora, and even the super cool exotics of 2010 such as the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and the Lexus LFA! There are hybrids also offered here such as the Insight, Prius, Mitsubishi i-MiEV or even the sport hybrid car Honda CR-Z for sure! There are two car tiers in GT5. First off is the Standard tier. Standard tiers are cars from previous Gran Turismo games such as the R33 GTR, Silvia S13, Eunos Roadster, the first and second generation Impreza models, or even the ones from your Gran Turismo PSP game. Geez, that's a lot of Standard Tier cars. Second is the Premium Tier. This tier represents new to the Gran Turismo scene, such as the third-generation Prius, Subaru WRX STi 4-door (GVB), SLS AMG, Lexus LFA, Gallardo, and some to think of it. Premium Tier cars can offer a wide array of features that Standard Tier cars don't, like for instance; a view of the interior, dislocation of the car's body parts, or even take them to a Photo Travel.

In Gran Turismo 5, there are 26 tracks with 71 layouts offered to compete against your rivals. This is going to be a race around the world! From Germany to Italy, from Great Britain to the United States, from Tokyo to Monaco, experiencing a world class race like no other is a huge surprise. What's surprising us is the Top Gear Test Track, courtesy of BBC's Top Gear.

As you progress, you might be able to participate in Special Events; such as the Jeff Gordon NASCAR school, Loeb's Rally Challenge, GT Rally, Grand Tour (from Eiger to Rome) and more.

Two ways to race in Gran Turismo 5; the A-Spec mode is to race by yourself and the B-Spec mode is to race with your hired driver. To initiate B-Spec, create your own hired driver. Keep that your mind that all hired drivers have their own different personality and how it affects the race. A hired driver gain more experience if they keep on racing, either winning or losing, but if its too much, the hired driver's experience may drop. You can retire the hired driver if you want when the driver's past their prime. You can also use your hired driver for online competition called Remote Racing.

The biggest aspect of GT5 is online community. Aside from competing with your friends and rivals from all over the world, you can chat with them, gift them parts, share your created tracks and photos and more.

In 2011, year after GT5 was launched in PS3, the game evolves with a Spec 2 update where for the first time in a year, there has been DLC Cars, tracks, and numerous improvements to keep the longevity going. There has been numerous DLC cars featured such as the 2012 Nissan GT-R, the Mini Countryman, the Lamborghini Aventador, the HSV-010 Honda, the Toyota 86, the Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ, and recently, the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingray. There has been over 30 DLC cars featured in the game...I think. Well, I'm not good on math but anyway, those new features sure know how to keep GT5 alive and kicking...

So, with everything's come close to the big reveal for the Gran Turismo franchise in the wake of the 15th anniversary, I have to say that I have one of the million people who were part of the franchises' 15-year tenure and let's promise that this announcement for the 15th birthday celebration at Silverstone will be a big one. Let's cross our fingers and say, HAPPY 15th BIRTHDAY, Gran Turismo! WE LOVE CARS!