The Soft Music Side of Gran Turismo

(UPDATED: Dec. 12, 2010 with a link to Gran Turismo 5's complete music list.)

Some people would question why softer melodies are in Gran Turismo games. Many just think that all racing games should have seriously hard rock music (or some classic rock). The most diverse Gran Turismo (music-wise) is Gran Turismo 4. With its blend of many different songs spanning multiple genres, Gran Turismo games have delivered some memorable tunes other than from the world-class rock and non-rock groups and artists. This blog entry won't feature exact melodies, but I will touch up on some of the different songs that spiced up Gran Turismo's musical appeal, especially of the softer variety. This blog post is a look at some of the softer tunes of Gran Turismo.

WARNING: This blog post contains multiple YouTube videos. You may not be able to view this blog post and all of its content matter if on a slow connection.

--- Soft Music in Gran Turismo... Why? ---

There is an unwritten rule some people have with racing games- racing games should NEVER have soft music of any kind. As if every racing game needs the hardest music to get you in the mood. Some prefer rock. Some prefer electronica or electronic dance music. Regardless, there aren't many who would be cool having some softer songs prior to racing or even during racing.

A classy touch to Gran Turismo games is with some of the soft music. Even lounge-style music and cool instruments make for an inviting touch to Gran Turismo titles.

--- Softer Music in Gran Turismo ---

It's now time to describe some of the different soft songs in GT games.

Soft Music: Gran Turismo 1.

Gran Turismo 1 doesn't have much in the way of soft music unless you hear two beautiful songs not found in the Western version of Gran Turismo 1. One song is totally beautiful while another is a soft rock ballad. "Like the Wind" is a beautiful song done by Masahiro Andoh. A vocal version of "Like the Wind" is performed by Pauline Wilson, but I think the instrumental version is slightly better. The rock ballad is called "Second Chance," done by Masahiro Andoh with vocals from Joseph Williams.

In case you've never heard it, here is a look at my favorite soft song in Gran Turismo. You will be treated to the instrumental version of "Like the Wind" by Masahiro Andoh in this YouTube video:

Soft Music: Gran Turismo 2.

Gran Turismo 2's menu music was a lot more different than the rock/electronica music that made up most of Gran Turismo 1's music. A lot more blues influences were added. You heard more organs and blues guitars than you did rock guitars. The menu music has more organ and blues guitar play. Perhaps it isn't racing-worthy music or getting you in the mood to race, but it was a different atmosphere to have so many blues-style songs. Personally, I love the theme to West City more than the other cities in GT2. North City has its own groovy track. East City, while having more of a light dance feel, has a nice overall feel to it.

Gran Turismo 2 infused more blues-style music more than any real traditional jazz. A lot of organ play went into most of the music for GT2. Here is the album version of "From the East," the East City theme in Gran Turismo 2...



...and below is the vocal version of "From the East." Have a listen:

Soft Music: Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec.

The musical quality is lovely and a boost up from GT2. One of the first lovely songs I've heard was the in-game version of "Concentration." "Concentration" is the song played when you visit the License Center in Gran Turismo 3. I mentioned the in-game version because the real song doesn't sound as lovely and soft as the in-game version. The subtle tunes also carry into other menus. GT Auto's theme is a nice little tune called "Take a Break" that's pretty funky. "Light Velocity" is the song you hear when shopping for cars in Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec. "Slipstream" is the song that plays when you race in Arcade Mode or enter the "Go Race" menu. A song that I don't think appears in the North American version is "An Endless Journey," which is a melodic and smooth song from Isamu Ohira.

The song below is the album version of the theme you hear when taking a license test. This is "Concentration," by Isamu Ohira:

Soft Music: Gran Turismo 4.

The variety of soft music in GT4 was fairly impressive. GT Mode featured five different GT Mode songs that were pretty soft and very melodic. GT4's menu music was mostly soft and subtle. Nothing bassing or bumping- just more of classy and soft music. If anything, even including classical music in GT4 added extra softness to GT4's musical lineup. I personally found the classical music to be beautiful to listen to for the classic car races or quiet drives in Time Trial. A lot of the menu songs were remixes and remakes of past GT menu songs.

Here is my personal favorite of the five GT Mode songs. Not sure what the name of it is, but have a listen:

Soft Music: Gran Turismo HD, Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, and Gran Turismo 5 Demos.

The softer lineup of songs get a kick of lounge-type melodies for upcoming titles. The songs would go from beautiful piano melodies to more lounge-type music. You will get that impression checking

In the earliest days of the PlayStation 3, I've longed to play Gran Turismo HD. GTHD featured three menu songs. All three songs were subtle and sweet songs featuring pianos, some bass guitar, and a light drum set. The third song in order is my favorite. It just has a beautiful melody to it. Here is the song so many of us are used to from Gran Turismo HD (apart from the three menu songs many of us are used to):




Two of my favorite songs from Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (based on songs I've heard on YouTube) are "When the Rains Come" and "Farewell." The "When the Rains Come" song is a song of Masahiro Andoh that is just great to listen to. "Farewell" by Satoshi Bandoh is so great to listen to that it can also double as a love song. When you hear "Farewell," you will hear a romantic song that you could easily devote to whomever you love most. I also love "Current of the Times" by Yudai Satoh. "Current of the Times" plays once you buy a car in GT5 Prologue.

Here is "Farewell" by Satoshi Bandoh. Dedicate this song to someone you love! :)




From the GT5 kiosk demo and of other GT5 demos, most of the menu music is soft and sweet, but with a kick of electronica. The music is classy. The Gran Turismo series seems to outdo itself with classy music. Here below is the main menu song used in the Nissan GT Academy demo:

Soft Music: Gran Turismo 5 (based on impressions).

I do not have a PlayStation 3 or Gran Turismo 5. Therefore, I will only go on impressions from other people and sources.

Gran Turismo 5 has some great-sounding menu music. More jazzy tunes have been complimented with chill-style music for a unique blend of soft music. A lot of the heavy-hitters of easy jazz and chill style music are included. The likes of Masahiro Andoh, Satoshi Bandoh, Yudai Satoh, all among others provide some amazing music. One of the pre-race songs is turning out to be one of my favorites- the Breakbot Remix of PNAU's "Baby" song. This song is what I will consider a soft song despite its very cool style when the drums and deeper instruments begin to roll in.

Here are some of the many different soft songs featured in Gran Turismo 5 (my comments on certain songs are in parentheses, including if I recommend you listen to these songs. They are represented by "recommended!" and highlighted in yellow):

* Satoshi Bandoh - Dark Line
* Satoshi Bandoh - Afterglow (recommended! - beautiful overall flow)
* Satoshi Bandoh - Mesmerium (a delightfully offbeat song)
* Yudai Satoh - Gently, the Moon Always Watches You
* Yudai Satoh - Get On!!!
* Yudai Satoh - Rain and Lady's Heart
* Mitsutoshi Satoh - FULL COURSE CAUTION
* Mitsutoshi Satoh - Christmas Tree
* Mitsutoshi Satoh - Second Driver (recommended! - a beautiful, happy melody)
* Norihito Sumitomo - SOLITUDE
* Norihito Sumitomo - Side of You
* Norihito Sumitomo - Tracks of Dream (recommended! - beautiful and calm)
* Norihito Sumitomo - Reminiscence
* Norihito Sumitomo - Path Finder
* Daisuke Kawai - Park Side Café (recommended! - romantic with a beautiful melody)
* Daisuke Kawai - City Circuit
* Daisuke Kawai - Modena
* Daisuke Kawai - Madeleine (recommended! - beautiful song that's kind of cute)
* Daisuke Kawai - Sunrise Ocean (recommended! - relaxing and refreshing)
* MAKOTO - Boogie Back
* MAKOTO - After the Rain
* MAKOTO - Places and Spaces (the menu music in the GT5 kiosk demo)
* MAKOTO - Winter Dreams (kind of reminds me of Tourist Trophy's Arcade mode song)
* Kemmei Adachi - Casino Drive
* Kemmei Adachi - Dream World (recommended! - great beats with nice instruments)
* Kemmei Adachi - Like a Bird (recommended! - similar to GT4's Arcade Mode song)
* Taku Yabuki - 7 Days Reminiscence (recommended! - a beautiful and fast song)
* Yuki Oike - Globe
* Yuki Oike - Passion (recommended! - a sexy urban song with a hint of Rhythm and Blues)
* Tyme. - Let Me See Your Mind
* Pnau - Baby (Breakbot Remix) (recommended! - not exactly soft, but great to listen to!)


I got to hear a lot of these songs for the first time by searching around on YouTube for people posting videos of GT5's soundtrack. That's how I got to hear of some of these songs. Some of the jazz and lounge songs from GT5 are just beautiful and sophisticated to listen to. I know I labeled the Breakbot Remix of PNAU's "Baby" as a soft song (though it isn't any soft song), but the softer tunes of GT5 are some of the best in Gran Turismo history. Never heard of the Breakbot Remix of "Baby?" Have a listen here. It's one of two pre-race songs in Gran Turismo 5:




(ADDED: DEC. 20, 2010) Some people want to know what "Let Me See Your Mind" sounds like. Well, here you go. Enjoy:


To check out the complete song list for Gran Turismo 5, read Complete Gran Turismo 5 Song List on Playstation.com's forums. GT5 allows a custom soundtrack with your own music. However, the link I've provided is something you should check out if interested.





Through these iterations of Gran Turismo, a lot of these softer songs apart from the rest of the songs give Gran Turismo a classy character on the music front. Some people would rather hear more exciting and pulsating music. The soft and subtle music offers up a delightful backdrop when traversing in the Gran Turismo universe. I think Gran Turismo 5 (based on what I've seen and heard in YouTube videos) has a just-right blend music-wise. You have soft-style songs that still have a kick of electronica and still sound classy. Many of these songs are surely spectacular from the ones I've been able to hear on YouTube so far.

You can search around on YouTube and look up some of the songs I've mentioned in this blog post for all the aforementioned titles. Hear some of these songs for yourself and see just how classy some of Gran Turismo's softer songs can be. They offer an interesting diversion from the mostly electronic dance music and rock. I would like to thank all of the YouTube channels I got the music from and that I was able to embed. Now you have an idea as to the soft music side of Gran Turismo!

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Gran Turismo 5 Has Arrived!

See? This game would be released despite the delays. GT5 wouldn't become the Duke Nukem Forever of racing games. You lived through it all. You had your own preoccupations regarding Gran Turismo 5. You've read through all the different previews and news bits regarding Gran Turismo 5. You probably even feared that with all the delays, that this game would never come. Well, IT'S HERE! You can stop playing "Gran Turismo 5: Prologue" or practicing "Gran Turismo 5" on kiosks at stores because GT5 has released proper worldwide! I am posting just to get you people excited. So get excited, Gran Turismo fans!

^ from: playstationchat.co.uk (and taken from my "Car Style" blog post about the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG)

No more waiting... it's here! Get it NOW if you're a GT fan and have a PlayStation 3!

Brief Thoughts on GT5's Arrival.

I can say that I'm very excited to finally have my own chance to anticipate playing Gran Turismo 5. For a guy who is still very behind with PlayStation 3 games (remember that I don't have a PS3), GT5 is SURELY a game I want to play the heck out of. Why so? Because I'm a Gran Turismo fan. I've done all these speculation videos on all kinds of aspects of GT5. I've posted blog entries speculating on Gran Turismo 5. Speculation no more- the game will be released proper to stores elsewhere around the world as of the date of this blog post.

You Got to BELIEVE!

Some people have just stopped believing like waiting on Gran Turismo 5 is inexcusable or that we can't live without GT5. With all due respect, Gran Turismo 5 is just a game. And yes, it took over five or six years to make Gran Turismo 5. I am not going to complain about the long wait unless Gran Turismo 5 is completely lame (which I sincerely doubt it will be). We all still come back and enjoy the game though, right? Something like Gran Turismo games make us forget all about delays and long development of making the game... and just play the game like it was meant to be played!

Doubtful of GT5 Being Great?

We also have our own doubts about certain features of the game. I don't think things will be anything seriously disappointing unless you just have sky-high expectations. Issues of Standard vs. Premium will be a key issue as well as that of the Course Maker. Every game will have shortcomings. Question is, will Gran Turismo 5's shortcomings (and there are shortcomings) be enough to draw away most fans or lead to frustration among most fans? Will people basically think that five or six years of development went for nothing (or not enough)? These, and other questions, will be answered when we all have a chance to review Gran Turismo 5 for ourselves.

If You Have Read and Responded to my GT5 Material...

Thank you! You helped me in the speculative process. We can only speculate about what GT5 MAY have to offer. However, we REALLY know when GT5 shows up in stores ready to be bought and played. DO NOT trust the big media reviewers. Look to them for insight on the game, but the best reviewer isn't some company or some show- it's YOU. YOU are the best reviewer of all games. Pay no mind to what the mainstream wants to tell you about each game; trust your own ideas and judgments on games. Make your own judgments rather than trust a company or show to tell you what THEY think about a game YOU are/will be playing.

Gran Turismo 5 American Commercial.

Here's the TV spot for Gran Turismo 5 if you haven't seen it already:

^ courtesy of: PlayStation on YouTube



Gran Turismo 5 is here, players! Get Gran Turismo 5 on Amazon right now (¡ahora mismo!)! Only one question: Standard or Collector?

...or... ?

(first image: Standard Edition; second image: Collector Edition)

--- In Case You Didn't Know... ---

I launched a new Blogspot blog last Wednesday called "John's Gran Turismo Space." This blog of mine is my Blogspot contribution to the Gran Turismo series and Tourist Trophy. It features everything from resources, insight, comments, and more regarding Gran Turismo and/or Tourist Trophy. I want all of my Gran Turismo fans to check this new blog of mine and even subscribe. I make this for all of you to enjoy. So if you want to visit and subscribe to my new blog, click on the link below:

Visit John's Gran Turismo Space now!

--- If Anyone from GTPlanet is Reading This Blog Post... ---

I want to say hello to you! I'm the fellow known as "JohnBM01" on GTPlanet. I hope you enjoy my personal blog here as well as my GT-exclusive blog. I hope you enjoy my material as much as I enjoy posting it online for all of you.





So get excited, GT fans... GRAN TURISMO 5 HAS ARRIVED! Now if only I had a PlayStation 3... :(

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GT5 Commentary - Course Maker

(last edit: November 20, 2010)

Toscana from the GT5 demo has gotten me to wonder what could be possible with the new track editor. Looking back on old news of GT5 has gotten me to learn more about the track editor, which I was previously opposed to. The reason why I was opposed to this editor was because making distinctive (key word) and unique courses with given environments. I then started to study what this new model could provide, and needless to say, I do have my preoccupations and reservations about any created track with the GT5 course maker.

This blog post concerns the Course Maker for Gran Turismo 5 and my commentary on it. (UPDATE! - November 21, 2010) I have updated my views on this topic in my new Gran Turismo blog! To see the blog post in question, click here: "GT5 Course Maker Commentary").

--- Backtrack ---

Before I begin with commentary, allow me to call to your attention an image from the past...


^ From E3 2009, a first look at a seemingly empty environment with a dirt road.
(original picture credit: unknown (I downloaded this image a long time ago that I don't know where it came from))

Do you remember this image from the E3 2009 trailer for Gran Turismo 5? A seemingly expansive space with a lonely dirt road and some off-track details help accentuate this course. It was the same expansive and empty space where our jaws dropped at the inclusion of the World Rally Championship in Gran Turismo 5. Back then, we knew this course as Toscana, and we mostly thought this was going to be a new experience. We would later see Toscana in a new light... or should I say, under the lights? Fast forward to a year later when we saw Toscana with the sun going down and the stars coming out. Some time in the future, a master plan was finally unveiled- the Toscana course we've seen in videos was actually part of a new Course Maker for Gran Turismo 5!

As I played the GT5 kiosk demo and blogged about my experiences, I began to take second looks at the Toscana course. The only thing I know about the area represented is that you can enroll at the Olive Garden culinary school in Tuscany. Part of me says Toscana is a brand-new experience and a brand-new track to enjoy Gran Turismo racing on, but part of me also says that Toscana is what could be possible with a track editor. In addition, I doubt Tuscany is THIS empty as the Toscana track demonstrates.

It was then unveiled at GamesCom back in August 2010 that a new Course Maker was unveiled for Gran Turismo 5. GTPlanet's amar212, who is a friend of mine on GTPlanet, broke the news on a possible track editor for GT5 back in August 2009. It has since been common knowledge that GT gamers now have the power to create their own courses. Now initially, I thought it was too out of place to include such a feature. In addition, the prospect of a course maker also allows you set up some dream courses to test the limits of a game engine and its driving model. Any courses would be limited to 6.5 miles (or about 10.4 kilometers) in length. I will go into further detail about my criticisms on a course maker for GT5 later in this blog entry.

So are you excited about creating your own tracks yet? ;-)

--- Course-Making Insight from Other Games ---

Let's look at some other games that had their own Track Editor/Maker. These only involve games I have played before, so if you don't see a certain game here, I haven't played it or don't remember studying its nuances to comment.

Stunts/4D Sports Driving.

The 1990 game made by Broderbund (best known for the Myst series) and Distinctive Software Incorporated (later known as Electronic Arts Canada) made this 3D racing game featuring some of the fastest cars of its time. All created courses all utilized a huge grid system. The grid squares can be filled with various road parts and Every course was a one-lap run around a course filled with jumps, loops, and some dangerous stunts. A game like this likely took inspiration from games like Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin'. The user had a chance to create his/her own tracks and change up the horizon to five different horizons. New tracks usually involved one of five pre-made environments. Or for more advanced gamers, the ability to modify a given environment to make your own was also possible for an individual track. The track can have only one Start/Finish line, and the track must have one complete loop.

Moto Racer 2.

Moto Racer 2 was released in the late 1990s. Its most intriguing element was that of making your own tracks. The track editor allowed you to make your own tracks for either sport bikes or dirt bikes. You could create and modify roads to create your own exciting courses. Moto Racer 2 greatly lacked the ability to make your own unique courses. You can actually create your own layout, but you were unable to make really unique environments. When you create a track, you choose between one of five different environment layouts. So you have no real control over making specific and distinctive layouts. This, along with the fact that all courses feel more like barricaded courses really limits your ability to great memorable and challenging unique courses.

TrackMania Series.

Drawing inspiration from past titles (like Stunts/4D Sports Driving), TrackMania games allow you to use certain set environments. The downfall here, however, is that you are unable to use different cars from different environments. Each environment features a car unique to its environment with its own driving dynamics. The environments also allow for a variety of unique tiles to be used for each environment. There are limits for how high up you can build. I experimented making my own hillclimb courses with roads that go all the way up into the sky. Replay value is incredible since there are MANY ways to create a classic course.


So what will Gran Turismo's influence provide? Replay value will be immense since you can create any number of courses. That will all depend on what the game will provide from the course making experience.

--- Theme Play ---

These are the themes we know of:
* Toscana (Asphalt)
* Eifel (Circuit)
* Mount Aso (Asphalt)
* Liege (Gravel)
* Eifel (Kart)
* Alaska (Snow)
* Tokyo Bay (Kart)

These themes help determine what is possible in designing a course for Gran Turismo 5. The two themes feature variations for tarmac and non-tarmac roads. The only concern I really have is if it is possible to create (especially in the case of rally racing a combination of tarmac and non-tarmac roads in one stage.

--- Possible Future Themes? ---

Let's say the options were open to showcase more venues. What would make for possible future environments?

Snow/Ice Theme?

KEY ELEMENTS: snow, ice, cold temperatures, snow banks

This can either pertain to a snowy location or an icy location. Imagine if you could have a race track in a snowy/icy locale, like with the WRC Rally Sweden, with icy roads or maybe some tarmac with some icy off-road sections? If temperatures play a role in Gran Turismo 5, then a cold or cool course would help out turbo cars since it's cooler. There may also be a tough time trying to get a colder track warmed up because of the cold temperatures. A tarmac course would feature some slippery off-road sections. I even envisioned a Grand Prix-style racing course in a snowy location. It may not be likely to happen, but imagine a proper Grand Prix-style course (any road course 2.75 miles or more in length) where there is a lot of snow on the outside of each corner (or at least, grass that has a lot of snow on the grass). A non-tarmac icy course would test your ability to race on snow and ice. Snow and ice handle MUCH differently from gravel or mud. You are going to have snow banks on either side of the road. Getting up on either side of the snow banks can be just as bad as flying off a gravel stage into a tree or a ditch.

I think to add diversity to the kind of environments, a snow environment is needed. Unless you just want those Snow Tires to not get any work...

Desert Theme?

KEY ELEMENTS: sand, sand dunes, desert vegetation (such as cacti and joshua trees), rock formations, and more

If you are thinking of an expansive desert environment (like the Baja 1000 or the Mint 400), you are likely out of luck. The possibility to make your own Dubai Autodrome or Yas Marina Circuit is a good possibility here. A desert environment would mean that temperatures would be unbearably hot. Series like the Middle Eastern Rally Championship and Dakar Rally have their fair share of desert-type off-road racing.

Coastal/Tropical Theme?

KEY ELEMENTS: lush greens, rock formations, tropical scenery (such as palm trees), crashing waves, sandy beaches

The presence of a coastal setting lends itself to the possibility of creating racing venues with racing along or near a coastline. This can be good for exotic-style courses or even off-road courses along coastlines. Options are really endless for this setting. You could create a tropical tarmac paradise like Tahiti Road, or you can have coastal-style rally courses like Tahiti Circuit or Tahiti Maze. You could probably also create your own fantasy Grand Prix race course that takes place along the beach!

Jungle Environment?

KEY ELEMENTS: lush greenery, high trees, dirt and mud

This environment entails exotic scenery. Despite the exotic scenery, it may likely be a setting primarily better for off-road racing. Surfaces may consist of gravel and mud. I basically think of the Safari Rally when I think of such a setting. If there is such a setting, I sincerely doubt animals will run across the track for you to avoid (or hit if you love drive like an idiot). I am pretty sure there won't be any kind of Grand Prix courses through a jungle. So at best, you're looking at a good rally environment for a jungle-type course.

Mountain Theme?

KEY ELEMENTS: ???

I primarily thought of mountain passes here. Imagine taking part in your own touge battles on mountain passes you create! Enthusia fans can relate to this with Dragon Range. Forza fans can relate to this with Fujimi Kaido. What makes mountainous stages great is for the immense challenge such courses provide. It may not seem very fun to not be able to make a challenging mountain pass with about 6.5 miles to work with, but you can still create some great mountain passes if you just use your creativity.

To get an idea of making your own mountain passes, play the tracks from the games I mentioned earlier, or try out "Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift 2." TXRD2 even features one mountain pass that is over seven miles long!


Now one that can be very tough to define...

Urban Themes?

KEY ELEMENTS: city buildings, city scenery, city roads, city streets, highways, concrete walls, and the like

What I am going for here is an environment more accustomed for traditional urban cities. This is an environment that would be better suited for making your own street courses. Anything from a romp around a city park to a Grand Prix race through downtown of a metropolis is possible. While these can be glamourous, they can be very tough to come along with since city courses take a certain amount of magic to make believable. You know, you have to envision a city before you build a course around the city. What I had in mind for this section is mostly along the lines of more modern cities, like San Francisco, New York City, London, Tokyo, Sydney, and the like.

A non-conventional urban locale, if you will, was Grindelwald from Gran Turismo 2. It was a street course mostly set around a traditional European village rather than an urban jungle. The possibility exists to have certain tarmac rally courses that utilize an environment where you're weaving through various villages and cottages. Think about places like the WRC Rally Corsica or some other rally that has a stage go through streets of villages or cities.


These are just a few ideas in regards to environments. We will see what will really be possible in the future.

--- Previous Criticisms of Mine for the Course Maker ---

I have had some primary criticisms regarding the featuring of a course maker for Gran Turismo 5, and you will read both of them here.

Lack of Distinction.

I am someone who believes that true distinction in track making does not involve using a pre-determined environment. While you can create great courses utilizing a certain environment, making DISTINCTIVE courses doesn't truly materialize. I define distinctive courses as courses that have their own unique environment that makes a certain track come to life. A street course that has a little of New York and Paris in design and environment is more distinctive than a proper race track designed in a grassy plain environment.

Seemingly Out of Place.

You would think for a racing game more about cars and racing, the idea of a Course Maker appears to be totally out of place. You can, however, test the limits of ANY game and its game engine by making your own courses. This is a case where making your own courses can help you discover the limits of a certain game.

Always Thought Autocross Was the ONLY Purpose for a Course Maker.

Because a Course Maker is out of place for a Gran Turismo game, I thought its only usefulness was in making Autocross or Gymkhana tracks. That would be the ONLY usage for making your own tracks since making a track from start to finish would be too massive a task. A simple Autocross track would be better for me than going with a full-on Course Maker of some kind.


These have been my own criticisms with the new Course Maker for GT5. Despite these, I welcome and will embrace this new Course Maker.

--- Tarmac Possibilities for GT5 ---

What is possible for GT5 in making tarmac courses? I once made race tracks for Duke Nukem 3D of all games. I wonder if I'd be able to re-create the courses in the GT5 realm. The courses, however, are all realistic. So I didn't create anything that has like, for example... loops, exploding bits, any sort of Apocalyptic details (like ravaged cities and rough roads). Could I be able to create them as best as I can? That all remains to be seen.

Every created course will have weather and time implemented. Anything from tarmac rallies to tarmac racing circuits are possible. Can I make my own oval with banking in the corners? Can I re-create a stretch of road? Can I make my own Grand Prix course to race really fast and powerful cars on? These all remain to be seen.

--- Randomly-Generated Rally Courses for GT5 ---

The best news about this Course Maker is that it is possible to make point-to-point stages. I hear that courses will be limited to about 6.5 miles. That is still a LOT of track to make courses with! In my view, making your own point-to-point stages may not seem like making enough sense. But when you consider how tough it can be to make some of the most believable and realistic point-to-point venues, the idea of randomly-generated courses is not a bad idea. I mentioned earlier about not having that distinction element by using given environments. However, it is still possible to make quality rally courses 6.5 miles (or 10.4 km) in length. Don't believe me? Here's some perspective from Colin McRae Rally 2.0... Many of the individual stages from CMR2 are longer than 1.9 kilometers (or longer than 1.18 miles) and no longer than 5.5 kilometers (or about 3.42 miles). In fact, a lot of the courses are mostly in the range of 4.2 km to 5.3 km (or about 2.61 mi to 3.29 mi) in length. So you have more than enough space to make your own rally stages.

You are able to adjust the width of the road to accommodate the amount of rally racing challenge you want. So if you are disappointed with the very wide roads of most rally courses in Gran Turismo games past, you can narrow things significantly to make for a more realistic experience. Think of courses like any of GT4's tarmac rally courses or tracks like Grand Canyon in GT4 for inspiration of real rally-style courses.

Finally, what can be possible with these courses? Can I make water splashes through streams (like with the WRC Rally Argentina or the WRC Rally Australia)? Will there be a variety of surfaces to race on (like with the WRC Rally Great Britain)? What can be possible on the rally front? Also, can realistic courses be created? I want to imagine making my own unique challenges, like having to deal with the rough roads of the Acropolis Rally or some of the rural village of some rallies. I do think Course Maker will be great for rally racing.





You are welcome to offer your own thoughts on the Course Maker for GT5. You can seemingly make any course using up to 6.5 miles (10.4 km) of track. How do you feel about the Course Maker for GT5? Comment away! While you're at it...

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Gran Turismo 5 Demo - First Impressions

(NOTE: updated 5/30/2010 with more content)

(PERSONAL NOTE): Thanks to all of you around the world for visiting this blog entry. I appreciate the support of all of you for making this one of my most-viewed blog entries ever. I would like to welcome all GTPlanet members (as well as non-GTPlanet members) to my blog and this blog entry. I would appreciate it if you subscribe to my blog or even become a Facebook fan of mine if you enjoy my material. I'm thankful for your support. I would appreciate if you show me some support back in thanks and appreciation, especially if you enjoy this blog entry.

Also note that I may regularly update this (and my other blog entries) with new content. So what you read now may be different in the future. Please enjoy my blog entry. Have a good read! :)

I have finally played the Gran Turismo 5 kiosk demo at a Walmart. I haven't played any GT demo since Gran Turismo HD back in 2006 or 2007. This is my chance to evaluate and share my first impressions of the upcoming Gran Turismo 5. What you are about to read involves my thoughts and opinions in regards to my experiences playing this game.

Let's set the mood with a picture:


^ from: gamerzones.com - Gran Turismo 5, ready to run full speed on your PlayStation 3.

--- GT5 Demo: First Impressions ---

To share what demo I played, here is a setup of what it had:

* Single Player and Time Trial modes
* Five tracks: Rome, Toscana, Indianapolis (Oval), Nürburgring Nordschleife, and Tokyo R246
* no karts
* options for Active Steering and Driving Setup (standard or professional)

Now that I've set things up, it's time I share some ideas.

--- Gran Turismo 5: First Impressions ---

Each section will be included with headings.

Rome (GT5 Version).

Cars used: Ferrari 458 Italia and Ferrari Enzo

I still would rather race the Rome Circuit from Gran Turismos 2 and 3, but Rome Circuit in GT5 (which I might call "Neo Rome") is still plenty challenging to race. My initial impression is that the new Rome Circuit is pretty twisty and challenging. It even has more elevation changes and undulations than the classic Rome Circuit. This is a tough course.

* 458 Italia - Automatic - no TCS - Standard driving - Single Race
Racing with the 458 Italia on Standard with no Traction Control, it feels every bit like classic GT. I raced under Beginner settings for that one because I don't know what to expect from the AI. The car does handle very well and takes the Roman roads quite well.

* Ferrari Enzo - Automatic - no TCS - Professional driving - Time Trial
Everyone knows of the immense speed the Enzo delivers. It was up to me to find out what the Enzo is like in its paces in Rome. I must say- racing with the Professional model, it really feels like you're fighting the car to keep it on track. The car feels loose, and I've even done a great deal of fishtailing with the powerful Enzo. It is TOUGH trying to keep the car on the track in Professional mode!

* Jeff Gordon's #24 Chevrolet Impala (SETTINGS USED: Intermediate Difficulty - Professional Driving - no TCS - Active Steering Strong)

The new Rome Circuit has much more elevation changes than the classic Rome Circuit, making it tougher to keep all four tires on the track and away from the walls. The undulating roads make racing a real challenge. The undulating roads and curbing doesn't seriously impose for a stock car, but it does make it pretty intense to race with. I managed to clock a time of about 1:18 around the newer Rome Circuit in a stock car. Just make sure you don't apply too much throttle too soon, and avoid riding the inside curbs if at all possible.

* Lamborghini Gallardo... (SETTINGS USED: Time Trial - Professional Driving - no TCS - Strong Active Steering)
For the first time, I race a Lamborghini in a Gran Turismo game. At least unlike the Lamborghini Diablo JGTC that was in the Japanese version of Gran Turismo 3, this is a full-on and complete Lambo. The fact this is a mid-engine/4WD car means that I will have proper control. It's a blast to drive, and the interior view is very nice. I've never personally liked the Gallardo all that much, but it's a very solid car to race at Rome.

Toscana.

Car Used: Citroen C4 WRC 2008
Options: no TCS - Standard Mode, then Professional Mode - Intermediate Difficulty

Toscana demonstrates the transition from day to night on a rather long course. This is where you see the lights come on as skies darken. I was absolutely astounded in seeing this model being put to work. It is worth watching to see the skies go from daytime to nighttime. It's the first-ever time stars in the skies have been shown. It looks absolutely fantastic.

Because I want to see the skies transition nicely, I didn't want to use the Citroen's in-car view. So I used the roof cam to see the skies go from day to night. With the sun illuminating from a window, I had a little trouble trying to see how I was driving. Let me say this right now- racing at night is TOUGH! Gran Turismo 5 is the first Gran Turismo to properly demonstrate how difficult racing at night can be. You actually sense the darkness and have to mostly rely on your headlights to see properly. I think Polyphony Digital needs to consider adding light pods to rally cars to help enhance vision at night. In regards to driving models, the model seems much more improved in off-road racing, but still not impressive rally racing quality. It is better than GT4's model as the cars don't feel as heavy in the corners.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Oval).

CARS USED: Jeff Gordon's #24 Chevrolet Impala
SETTINGS USED: Intermediate Difficulty - Standard Driving - no TCS

I love Jeff Gordon. So it was great for me to pilot his Impala in this Gran Turismo 5 demo. It was my first chance to play-test NASCAR stock cars in Gran Turismo (not the cheesy Racing Modification for the Ford Taurus in GT2). I think the cars sound pretty accurate. American engine (especially V6 and V8 engines) sounds have been a problem area for GT games. The cars sound pretty well to me both from Chase camera and In-car views. On the first lap, my car kind of walked up the race track and into the wall at Turn 1. I built up enough of a draft try to chase down the other seven cars down the backstretch. I would lead either on Lap 2 or before Lap 2. I completed a lap of about 51 seconds around Indy on my second lap. The thing about Indianapolis is that you can take it at full speed or with variable throttle usage, but it's tough to keep a consistent line around Indy. I struggled to keep that consistent line. After having played the classic "NASCAR Racing" titles from Sierra/Papyrus as well as "NASCAR 07" from EA Sports, I have an idea as to how stock cars handle. I wasn't disappointed with the handling dynamics of the stock cars. Polyphony Digital was pretty much on point to me.

(ADDED: Sep. 30, 2010)
SETTINGS USED: Intermediate Difficulty - Professional Driving - no TCS - Active Steering Strong

The previous impressions were made with the Standard Driving model. This time, it's the Professional model. Here is an analogy for you... going from Standard to Professional with stock cars is like going from Minor League Baseball straight into Major League Baseball. The cars still handle pretty well. Only problem is, it's tougher to gather up the car in the event of a crash or spin. An oddity that I discovered is that my car's rear end was all bent up, but in the replay... it didn't show! The replay made it look like I had a perfectly-fine race car though the rear end was all beat up. My best lap was somewhere in the 51.4 range (maybe 0:51.499). The first effort wasn't very good, and despite a late run, I was unable to chase down the remaining cars to win as I made it to about 4th or 3rd place before the demo timed out.


(ADDED: Sep. 30, 2010)
* Audi R8 V10... (SETTINGS: Professional Driving - no TCS - Single Race - Intermediate Difficulty - ??? Active Steering)
Time to bring the German beauty known as the Audi R8 road car to Indy. The car handles very well, but with the Intermediate Difficulty, victory was tough to come by. In fact, I was lagging for a great duration of the race. As capable as my Audi was, I was unable to get into any kind of drafting battle. I managed to finish 4th (maybe 5th).

Nürburgring Nordschleife.

CAR USED: Audi R8 V10... - ??? Driving - Beginner Difficulty - Single Race - no TCS

While there are others that love racing the Nürburgring Nordschleife, I loathe racing this course. I'm terrible at it. On a positive note, it looks great in this game. I was racing the beautiful Audi R8 V10 road car around the famed Nordschleife. The car handled very well around the menacing narrow roads of Nürburgring Nordschleife. I unintentionally whacked the front of cars I was I trailing through the race. At one point, a blue Corvette C6 was leading the race. I tried to overtake the 'Vette heading into a kink. I ended up whacking him off the road, my car hits the outside wall HARD, and the Corvette was still having trouble getting back on the road! Completely unintentional, but it's safe to say that Gran Turismo can now challenge Forza for intense crashes. The Forza Motorsport has even more intense crashes, but Gran Turismo is starting to show a lot more character in racing than ever before.

Tokyo R246.

CAR USED: Motul Pitwork GT-R
SETTINGS USED: Automatic Transmission - Professional Driving - no Traction Control - Professional Difficulty - Single Race

Tokyo R246 is one of my favorite courses in the Gran Turismo series. So to challenge myself, I put the difficulty on Profesisonal and the driving on Professional. The racing line is gone in Professional Mode. And boy... I had my butt handed to on this one. The failing began when I spun out my GT-R out of Turn 1 after flooring the gas immediately. Afterwards, I became more defensive racing my car. The in-car view is great! Super GT/JGTC cars are usually great-handling machines, and the GT-R is no different in taming the streets of downtown Tokyo. I ended up losing the race, completing my misery. I finished 8th and basically wanted to play-test the damage model by intentionally hitting a tire wall heading into the backstretch. Finally, it's great to see the lights on the race cars even during a daytime race.


(ADDED: Sep. 30, 2010)
* SETTINGS USED: Intermediate Difficulty - Professional Driving - no TCS - Active Steering Strong

Tokyo got to experience what the roar of NASCAR stock cars is like rumbling through downtown Tokyo. One of my favorite tracks in Gran Turismo is still quite a torture test. I did my racing under Professional Driving. In doing so, I've gotten better appreciation of the low-speed properties of stock cars. You can ride the inside curbing around Tokyo R246 (or any other road course) quite well if in a good touring car or GT car. Try riding the inside curb in a stock car under Professional driving, and your car will spin out, and if you're [un]lucky, your car's front will get friendly with the outside wall. One thing you need to practice is proper low-speed racing and understand the car's tendency to fishtail or slide out haphazardly if you apply too much throttle too soon. You may also need to avoid riding the inside curbs to make sure your car is pointed in the right direction. After spinning out a few times and botching corners, I managed a time of about 2:06 around Tokyo R246, which is not bad considering how long this track is (3.18 miles).

* Motul Pitwork Z... again
I next tried to get revenge at Tokyo. This time, at Intermediate Difficulty. The GT racing cars are all so evenly matched that victory is tough to come by. Unlike the stock cars, I can aggressively ride the inside curbs and gather up the rear coming out of corners. I'm more comfortable with GT cars than stock cars in this game.

--- Other First Impressions ---

Here are some brief thoughts on other impressions:

* It's just a demo, but I can already see the improvement in AI and in driving dynamics compared to GT4. GT5 should be a tremendous boost from GT4. Conversely, GT4 was a big boost from GT3.

* The particle effects are really amazing and adds some great environmental detail to Gran Turismo 5.

* I was greatly pleased with the lighting model as well as the night dynamics. It is TOUGH racing at night! I expect to see the night driving experience become much more intense and realistic as the best simulation of darkness and lighting are demonstrated here.

* The one thing I didn't notice about the racing line is that it is dynamic. The blue dashed line becomes a solid red line when you need to brake. I think Forza Motorsport still does a better job with racing lines. I tend to like a consistent line rather than the dashed line we've seen in past Gran Turismo titles.

* While people have complained of slow-looking replays, I tend to look at it as a great cinematic experience. You can not fault the quality of the replays. It feels more like you're watching a racing documentary or movie rather than a race that was just completed.

* (ADDED: Sep. 30, 2010) I noticed that in Time Trial, if the time is red, it means that you crashed or that you spun off the track. Those times, then, will NOT count when done with the Time Trial.





All in all, I can say that I'm pretty excited for Gran Turismo 5. I can only imagine what eight more cars to a track can be like compared to the eight to a track for the demo races. I would have loved to have raced in the rain and in other night races, but this experience has done just enough for me. I'm sold and convinced that Gran Turismo 5 may end up becoming the greatest Gran Turismo game ever. GT5's release will only make us wonder what Gran Turismo 6 will provide.

Thanks for Your Support!
Thanks to everyone for providing sufficient traffic to this blog. I hope my comments have offered some insight as to how I feel about my first GT5 demo experience. If you want to pre-order GT5 from Amazon, you can pre-orderby clicking on the image below. Once again, thanks to all of you for providing so much traffic to this blog entry!

--- If Any Non-GTPlanet Members are Reading This... (Honorable Mention!) ---

The focus of this blog entry was on GTPlanet.net. However, I want to take some time to honor some of the non-GTPlanet sites that have linked to my blog entry on my first impressions of GT5. I don't know all of them, but let me take some time to honor a few of the sites that have linked to my blog entry. I'm noting these sites based on reported arrivals from other websites through FEEDJIT:

* community.eu.playstation.com

* neogaf.com

* play3.de

* forum.gamesvillage.it
* gtdrivers.com
* forum.xboxworld.nl

* (any other site that has posted a link to my blog entry on the GT5 kiosk demo)

Thank you for reading!

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Gran Turismo's One-Hit Wonders

Some tracks have been featured only once in Gran Turismo games. This blog entry features some of the one-hit wonders (so to speak). These tracks have been featured only once in one GT title. Whether or not we will see these in future GT titles (including the upcoming Gran Turismo 5) will remain to be seen. This is a look at some of the one-time only tracks.

--- Gran Turismo's One-Hit Wonders ---

Some tracks in Gran Turismo history find their way into multiple GT titles. Some, however, fail to. Some courses are succeeded by others. This blog entry lists some of the many different one-time-only Gran Turismo tracks. They are all based on tracks (and configurations) that have only been featured once in Gran Turismo games. I may update this to include any edits. Here is the criteria I will use:


Criteria for Inclusion:
* certain configurations only for one GT title
* wet versions of tracks not included
* tracks from non-major GT games (GT Concept, GT4 Prologue, GT5 Prologue, etc., even including Gran Turismo PSP), so the Ricardo Tormo Circuit will not be mentioned though featured in Gran Turismo PSP.
* time variations not included (for example: a track that can be raced on in the daytime as well as in the evening or at night will NOT be included)

Now let's begin!


Special Stage Route 11 (GT1 Configuration).
Special Stage Route 11's Gran Turismo 1 configuration was featured here because even though SSR11 was featured in GT3, the GT1 configuration wasn't featured. Gran Turismo 1's layout still remains my favorite maybe because of its setting and how the city looks. GT3's version, while lovely, just didn't have as much character as the first one.


Tahiti Road.
To me, it was smart for Gran Turismo to include Tahiti Road for two reasons. The first of which is because while a proper French race course wasn't included in Gran Turismo 2, Tahiti is part of French Polynesia. Otherwise, you wouldn't have a good track to contest the French Nationals in GT2. The second reason is because this is about the only Oceania representation that Gran Turismo has featured. I still wish Gran Turismo 5 would feature either Australian or New Zealand courses, but this is about the only Oceania representation in series history.

As for the track itself, it is a high-speed racing course. I am inclined to say that it is a street course, but it is basically racing in paradise. A car with a poor suspension setup will find this track to be a total nightmare because of the high speed sections. It was very fun to me.


Rome Circuit: Short Course.
Nobody tends to care about the short courses. Rome Circuit's short course was just a short course and wasn't as intriguing as the primary course. It is better suited for slower cars and short races. Still, just not as interesting and intriguing.


Seattle Circuit: Short Course.
This track is not as fast. On a more positive note, this could be a great track for drifting with some of the 90° corners that make up this short course.


Grindelwald.
The first-ever Swiss venue in Gran Turismo history is this beautiful street course. Rather than a course with concrete-lined walls, this track rides and feels more like a proper road course. Its elevation changes and overall flow makes it feel more like a proper road course than a street course.


Red Rock Valley Speedway.
Red Rock Valley Speedway is essentially two ovals interconnected to make a high-speed road course. If there is a track that I want to see revived for Gran Turismo 5, it would be this one. Imagine the NASCAR battles you can wage on a track like this! I think if you want to revive a past Gran Turismo course just for NASCAR, Red Rock Valley Speedway is an absolute favorite.


Motor Sport Land.
This course can literally be described as a go-kart track for cars. It was a nice Easter Egg for GT gamers. It is great for racing small cars as well as a drift course for drift cars. It may have been succeeded by MotorLand in GT4, but this was a great Easter Egg.


Rome-Night.
Why include this track if you're not going to utilize it? Rome-Night was an absolute travesty because this is a very competitive race track. It was just too bad this was never featured in any such races. People complain about certain things being a waste of disc space in certain Gran Turismo games. Well, THIS was a waste of space on GT2 because it was never utilized. Also, it's not like this track is sacred ground or anything. It was just not utilized or regarded, basically being left by its lonesome.


Pikes Peak Hill Climb.
Albeit severely abbreviated, Pikes Peak was a beacon of rally racing hope for Gran Turismo games as it is the only true point-to-point rally stage in Gran Turismo history. This was a track meant for proper hillclimbing with the Suzuki Cultus and (more importantly) the Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak cars. The full Pikes Peak is a very long course that takes about ten minutes to complete in some of the most powerful cars. There's probably no hope of us seeing it in GT5. We can only dream, though...


Smokey Mountain South.
Smokey Mountain North would return as just "Smokey Mountain" for Gran Turismo 3. There was a reason why this track was disregarded- it just wasn't as interesting and as fun as Smokey Mountain North. It just wasn't as exciting to race this course. And so because of this, Smokey Mountain South just seen one iteration.


Green Forest Raceway.
This was a pretty interesting rally course, and perhaps the first rally course I remember doing. I don't have too many memories of ripping up this track except for trying to beat the Ghost Car at these courses.


Complex String.
Primarily used as a test course (and should be just a test course), Complex String was a hot mess of about 50 or 60 corners meant to put your car through its paces. Almost every conceivable kind of corner is featured in this track. Funny enough, this is the ONLY single track in Gran Turismo 3 that hasn't appeared in any other title.



(NOTE: The following tracks are from Gran Turismo 4. We are not sure what will be featured in GT5, so unless a track has been featured in a GT5 demo of some sort, there will be a lot of them featured here in this area.)


Fuji Speedway '80s.
The High Speed Ring is purely Fuji inspired. This is a high-speed version without the chicane that would be featured in the '90s.


Fuji Speedway '90s.
Before Hermann Tilke screwed up the classic Fuji circuit, the '90s course was a great combination of high speed with decisive corners. You can only go so fast here in various sections.


Infineon Raceway (Sears Point), both Configurations.
I think PD will probably include Infineon because NASCAR races on this course. Both configurations will have to be included. I doubt that we'll see this track at night unless you want to race the drag strip at Infineon.


El Capitan.
I personally use this course as a test track in GT4. It is a track with many undulations and flowing corners. My only criticism with this course is that I wished there was a proper finish line featured to let me know where the lap ends. This track is based around Yosemite National Park. While not a proper racing course, it is definitely a competitive and beautiful course.


MotorLand.
MotorLand is also a track I use as a test course. What makes it such a test course is its short length and smooth corners. This is a Grand Prix-style course for a such a short course.


Citta di Aria.
A narrow road nightmare, this track is just not made for one-on-one racing. It is a great course for rally-type racing, but near impossible for match racing. It does make a lovely motorcycle course in Tourist Trophy.


Costa di Amalfi.
This track is MUCH more fun than Citta di Aria. It's just so fun blasting through the high-speed sections as well as in the corners. Unlike Citta di Aria, however, this track isn't very fun with motorcycles in Tourist Trophy.


New York City.
New York was one of the very first courses featured in Gran Turismo 4 demos. This track took you around Times Square as well as a little bit around Central Park. Maybe this track gets some next-gen life. Maybe we even get to race in the Big Apple at night. This track would be almost emulated for Forza Motorsport.


Hong Kong.
When I first seen this level, I was unsure whether to call this a night race or an evening race. I actually would have liked a better configuration that takes advantage of Hong Kong's beauty at night. I would have liked a proper race around Hong Kong after dark. I would have also liked to see a race around here with maybe a laser light show in the distance in Hong Kong.


Opera Paris.
Narrow and slow, Opera Paris just isn't very fun. It's not even a lovely course just for racing in the beautiful city of Paris. It looks like its "successor" in Gran Turismo 5 will be the new Madrid street course.


George V Paris.
This course is a nighttime romp around Paris. You face the Arc de Triomphe in the normal direction of George V Paris. It is a very nice track to race on.


Seoul Central.
People have complained of its short length, but the Seoul Circuit, which is shaped like the state of Oklahoma, is a high-speed racing course. At least unlike Rome-Night in GT2, this track was actually UTILIZED. It is even a round of the Gran Turismo World Championship in Gran Turismo 4.


Cathedral Rocks I and II.
Cathedral Rocks utilized dirt roads around El Capitan. The El Capitan course is actually used for Cathedral Rocks I.


Grand Canyon.
Grand Canyon was an evolutional leap for Gran Turismo rallying because it's the only true-style rally course. Turn the Grand Canyon course into a proper point-to-point rally stage, and it would be a GREAT plus for Gran Turismo rally racing. A lot of hardcore types still probably hate that you can't fly off of the Grand Canyon and fall and roll to your death.


Ice Arena.
The simple Ice Arena was the first of two snow rally courses. Snow and ice offers a different rallying experience aside from dirt and gravel. This track wasn't anything real exciting, but a good rally experience.


Chamonix.
Easily one of the toughest rally courses in Gran Turismo history, Chamonix


Las Vegas Drag Strip.
You know, I was actually disappointed that this track wasn't used for one-on-one drag racing. It's still not a bad course to use for drag racing. I just hope this track returns. Or even better, more true drag strips.





Assuming that all or most the tracks from Gran Turismo HD and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue find their way into Gran Turismo 5 proper, this list of one-timers may not need to be updated. I did not include the SSR11 GT3 route because I think that the GT3 configuration will return as evidence from E3 2010 suggests. I did not include Tahiti Dirt Route 3 from GT2 because that would later be succeeded by Tahiti Circuit in GT3. I did not include Super Speedway from Gran Turismos 2 and 3 because while they appear different, the configuration is still the same. And also, that would be succeeded by the track whose layout the course purely represents: Twin Ring Motegi Superspeedway.

Something tells me that it MAY be possible that tracks from past GT games that have been featured only once... may make a return for GT5 as downloadable content. Can you imagine if a lot of these one-hit wonders of Gran Turismo made a PlayStation 3, next-gen return? You can imagine what some of these classic tracks look like in vivid PS3 quality. DO NOT take this for gospel! This is just a hunch.

Are there any one-timers that you were sad didn't make it into a future GT title? Comment away, Gran Turismo fans! Thanks for reading!

read more...

GT5 Commentary: Racing Modification Study

(UPDATED: December 7, 2013)

Racing Modifications probably aren't likely for Gran Turismo 5. A long time ago, I had planned a YouTube video about the Racing Modification progress. So here is a little study I did on Racing Modifications. Racing Modifications from Gran Turismos 1 and 2 are based on taking a car from stock appearance to a real race car.

(NOTE: All pictures in this blog entry are my own work, and not stolen from any other image gallery):

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

DEC 7 2013 - few edits made; "John's Gran Turismo Space" namesakes changed to the blog's new name- "John's Race Space"; Personal Note added

This blog post may be incomplete. Future edits will complete this blog post. Also- this blog post is VERY old, and the information included before edits is as old as of the date of this blog's initial post. Later in this post, a link to my JRS blog post has been included for people wanting more info on Race Modified cars in Gran Turismo 5.

PERSONAL NOTE: Thank all of you for making this blog post popular. I want to let you know that "John's Race Space" (formerly "John's Gran Turismo Space" features many more resources for GT and TT, but also other racing games and insight on other racing games. Most of what you are about to read here is mostly outdated. So make sure to visit "John's Race Space" for more material. Other than that, thank you for visiting my blog!

--- Racing Modifications in General ---

So what are Racing Modifications? In a basic sense, it is a makeover for street cars to become proper racing cars. Look at the Dodge Viper GTS below. The top picture is a base Dodge Viper GTS, and the bottom picture is a Racing Modified Dodge Viper GTS.


^ TOP PICTURE: base Dodge Viper GTS. BOTTOM PICTURE: Racing Modified Dodge Viper GTS.

Enhanced bodywork and some other modifications are added to further enhance the race car image. The thing that interests me on past Racing Modifications is how incomplete most of them are. That incomplete factor relates to how certain cars don't have driver numbers and things like that. I sometimes wonder about properly placing sponsors and decals on cars. I think it's time to make this customization process the best ever.

The main deal about Racing Modification is that it's a top-to-bottom customization process primarily in lightening the car and making a paint scheme. For if Gran Turismo 5 brings back this level of customization, it needs a new sense of direction. I don't think you have to be required to go down to a Stage 3 Lightweight just to have a Racing Modification like in Gran Turismo 2.

What you will be reading is a certain study I've done on Racing Modifications that I've done in addition to thoughts on Racing Modifications for Gran Turismo 5.

--- Racing Modifications: Gran Turismo 1 ---

Have you 80K or 82K Credits? Any car can be given a racing makeover with a Racing Modification. They can range from simple paint jobs to complete race cars. Racing Modifications only allow you two different colors. Sometimes, the color choices were ludicrous. For example, everyone knows the Castrol colors are white with red and green accents. But when you choose a different color scheme, you could choose white with red and green accents... or white with red and BLUE accents. Also, I could never fathom the traditional Subaru blue replaced with a black color for the Impreza Rally Car in GT1.

Here is an example of a Racing Modification in Gran Turismo 1:


^ - Racing Modification for the mid-1990s Mitsubishi 3000GT/GTO.

Racing Modifications only granted you two color choices. Anyone who knows their Japanese race cars know that this design is based on the Mitsubishi 3000GT/GTO that raced in Super Taikyu back in the mid-1990s. The original car was green and white with Puma livery. Here is a sample:


^ from: chollian.net - the Mitsubishi 3000GT/GTO Puma as raced in Super Taikyu in 1996.

--- Racing Modifications: Gran Turismo 2 ---

Gran Turismo 2's facility for Racing Modifications is different. A Stage 3 Racing Modification is now required before going with a Racing Modification, granted a car has a Racing Modification available. What was different about Gran Turismo 2's model was that some Racing Modifications have different types. Let's take a look at GT2's facility.

Racing Modifications: Real Cars.


^ This is what you end up with if you give a Racing Modification to a late model (in GT2) Toyota Celica GT-Four. Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec would be the first GT to feature the proper Celica Rally Car.


Racing Modifications: Real Race Car, Fictitious Paintscheme.

^ - a Nissan 300ZX Racing Modification with a familiar certain paint scheme.

If you even remotely know your racing liveries, a yellow car with black accents is usually a Pennzoil paint scheme. Instead of the "Fairlady Z" graphics, there should probably be "Pennzoil" graphics.


Cars With Multiple Racing Modifications.

^ - a few cars in Gran Turismo 2, like the Volkswagen Golf, have multiple paintschemes.

An example of a car in Gran Turismo 2 with multiple Racing Modification types is the Volkswagen Golf above. This car comes in three different types. Some paintschemes for cars are basically a a single skin in multiple colors. The picture features every paintscheme in order as you select "Change Type." Another car with multiple paintschemes in GT2 is the Honda S2000 (among a few others).

--- Racing Modifications: M.I.A. in GT3 and GT4 ---

The only thing even remotely close to a Racing Modification is in GT4 (Gran Turismo 3 has nothing even remotely close to a Racing Modification):


^ my Ford GT in Gran Turismo 4 in Midnight Blue with White Stripes and a rear wing.

Adding a rear wing makes a car at least feel like a complete race car. However, it does little else to make a car really feel like a race car. I'm most disappointed in Gran Turismo 4 that there aren't a lot of races for road cars with Racing Tires. A street car (especially a fully-bred for racing car) handles terribly on Standard/Sports tires. The assumption that races requiring Standard/Sports tires disallows race cars. Of course, you can just slap on some Standard/Sports tires to enter race cars into these events (unless the event disallows Non-Production cars).

I'll show off MUCH more on this deal later in this blog entry using Gran Turismo 4.





Are you reading the full post? If not, click "Read More" to see the rest of this post. Or more importantly, check out my blog post on "John's Race Space" (JRS) featuring this topic. Most of this material is mostly obsolete at this point. Click on the banner below to go to my JRS post, or "Read More" to continue your reading of this post:

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GT5 Commentary: Why No Canadian Love?

The Gran Turismo series has NEVER had a Canadian venue. And I think as much as we love our motorsport here in the United States, Canada is very well educated and versed in motorsport. Should Gran Turismo 5 include any Canadian venues, here are some venues I wouldn't mind seeing (in terms of real-life venues)...

NOTE: This blog post includes lots of YouTube videos. You may need to click on the video to see them separately to not suffer so much connection-wise.

--- Permanent Canadian Courses ---

Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve.
First of all, it's great that the F1 Canadian Grand Prix will return to this lovely course. This is one of Canada's finest race tracks. Its high speed character reminds me a bit of the old Hockenheim. This is a challenge to race on no matter what kinds of race cars are on the track.

YouTube one-lap video sample (video uploaded 3/28/2007):



Mosport.
While I'm glad NASCAR has races at Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve, I do think Mosport is more suiting towards the style of NASCAR stock cars. This undulating circuit has some high-speed character to it along with some tricky turns. Victory at a track like this can be tough to come by, so be prepared to fight hard each lap.

YouTube one-lap video sample (uploaded 1/25/2009):



Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant.
Mont-Tremblant is the track I consider the most beautiful race track in Canada. This is also a very technical course. There's nothing like the serene beauty this track provides. Lots of trees and lush scenery makes this track every bit as beautiful as Lime Rock Park here in the United States. Unlike Lime Rock Park, however, Mont-Tremblant is much longer. I think this used to serve as the home of the Canadian Grand Prix back in the '50s or the '60s. If you want to see how this track looks, check out the YouTube video I've included. The lap is in wet conditions.

YouTube one-lap video sample (uploaded 12/20/2006):

--- Other Considerable Courses ---

* Toronto street course
* Trois-Rivires street course
* Edmonton airfield race
* Vancouver street course (from 1999 or so)





I made a past blog entry a long time ago about other international locales. As much as I'd love to see Australian courses featured in Gran Turismo 5, I feel even strong about seeing Canadian venues in the GT series. What do you think? Comment at will!

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GT5 Commentary: Best Car Lineup EVER?

NOTE: This blog post will be moved to "John's Gran Turismo Space" and be deleted from "John's Blog Space" in the near future. All you read here is old news.

The Gran Turismo series has been criticized by a lot of people because of not enough interesting cars. So often than not, people complain of too many Nissan Skylines and too many Mitsubishi Lancers. Let's take a brief look back.


Gran Turismo 1. Since Kazunori Yamauchi wouldn't be sure his game would sell, the majority of cars were Japanese. No American or British cars are available used or have Special Models that can be bought directly from the manufacturers. There were a lot of Japanese cars while there were only so few American and British cars. Race cars included one rally car, a few GT cars that raced at Le Mans, and the car that I consider the signature race car of the Gran Turismo series- the Toyota Castrol Supra GT.

Gran Turismo 2. Many more cars from many more makes were included. Lots of classic cars were included. Some of the fastest cars to date were included. GT2 debuted Italian, German, and French cars. Racing machines ranged from touring cars to rally cars (this time, with a greater rally emphasis). Many more manufacturers were included from the previous nationalities of car featured in GT1 for GT2. High-end and fast Le Mans GT race cars were featured. Though the Lancia Stratos, a mid/RWD car with a Ferrari engine was featured, there's no Ferrari.

Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec. While much less cars were featured in Gran Turismo 3, all nationalities of car from GT2 return with the inclusion of two new nationalities- Belgium and Australia. The majority of cars are Japanese, but there are still a great number of cars to be raced. This was also the first game to Formula One cars (albeit fictional).

Gran Turismo 4. Even with Gran Turismo finally having a worthy competitor in Forza Motorsport, GT4 still delivered an incredible lineup of cars. The biggest evolution in series history on the car front was in this game. This game debuted Le Mans Prototypes, the ever-awesome Grand Touring Prototypes, and a vast array of classic cars. It was the debut of many more companies as well as these nationalities of car: the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, and South Korea. It was also the first-ever GT to feature the McLaren F1, albeit the BMW McLaren F1. Some "Special Models" that can't be raced in most events were even featured (like the Caterham in GT4). There was almost one of every car in GT4. Many whom loved Forza Motorsport while being disappointed with Gran Turismo 4 think GT4 can't get the big name car companies.

Gran Turismo HD. No one expected that Ferrari would debut in the Gran Turismo universe. The first Ferrari in Gran Turismo history was featured, the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. The very first Prologue in Gran Turismo history for the United States gave gamers the opportunity to enjoy Gran Turismo with online play, a proper drifting mode, amazingly-designed interiors, and more. It was also the first Gran Turismo of any kind to feature actual Formula One race cars. Polyphony Digital actually had planned to make their own Formula One racing game, until those rights went to Codemasters. GT5P even featured special one-off cars tuned by Gran Turismo.

Gran Turismo PSP. Gran Turismo PSP had been in development for a long time. It was to be a mobile version of Gran Turismo 4, but it's now a game slotted in-between Gran Turismo 4 and the upcoming Gran Turismo 5. Just about every course from Gran Turismo 4 is included in this game along with the Valencia circuit from Tourist Trophy. The big reasons to care about this game are Bugatti and Lamborghini. Both of which, making their respective debuts to the series.


Now on to a look at GT5.

Gran Turismo 5 (what we know so far). Here's what we know so far... we're getting Ferrari. Lamborghini will debut for the first time in a MAJOR GT title. Bugatti will also debut in a major GT. From the 2010 CES show, we know that the McLaren F1 will make its debut though the F1's interior was featured on the cover of Gran Turismo 2. Among other cars are some of the latest rally cars, the Dodge Viper ACR, and more.





All in all, Gran Turismo 5 looks to have the most exciting and interesting lineup of cars in series history. While we don't know of a proper car list, this game looks to feature the most exciting lineup of cars in Gran Turismo history. How do you all of you feel about the lineup of this upcoming title? Is this the best lineup of cars in any Gran Turismo game ever?

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Why Concede Defeat?

GTPlanet is a wonderful website. Just today (9/28/2009), I came across one site online that had some "good" advice after GT5 was told to be delayed another six+ months. Check this out:

Forza 3: Leaving a Delayed GT5 in the Pits

Among many of the points mentioned in this thread, this has basically been along the lines of conceding defeat. What got me upset was just how easily most people concede defeat and don't give things a chance. "Give things a chance" has been my theme for my YouTube channel and even this blog you're reading right now. The problem I have with most fans of Gran Turismo games (or almost any fan of anything for that matter) is that they give up too easy for a game. Some people just have a spoiled brat attitude in which they want something right now, even if they have to throw a hissy fit in hopes they get whatever it is they want. Almost as if fans of something want something to the point where they always want to have things THEIR way. But because this is not how the industry works, people will have to suffer.



--- Perspective ---
My Houston Texans of the NFL played against the New York Jets on Week 1. As soon as we lost 24-7, the Texans fans all thought this season was over, like this is the BCS where you need to win almost every game to play for a championship. And that's the problem- fans gave up too early and don't care much to see a team they love make any noise. Was Oklahoma's season declared over because they didn't beat BYU? No. People give up too early on things.

Though the wait for Gran Turismo 4 was long, did we all love it when we played it? Many did, many didn't. But at least it was released. That's unlike "Duke Nukem Forever," which is pretty much dead even with Texas' own 3D Realms folding. Can you make the case that delayed games can become failures? It's called "Malice." Malice was released, but it was meant to be a game to really expose and exhibit what the XBOX was capable of. Did it happen? No.



--- Why Give Up So Early on a Gran Turismo Game? ---
This is my problem with some fans. Gran Turismo, as a series, is the best racing series of the modern era. Fans mostly expect a gratifying and loving experience because that's been what the GT series has provided for more than ten years. But the moment some people anticipate something that isn't going to be liked by others, they immediately start lashing out at either Gran Turismo and/or PD. I would never say "lower your expectations," but at least be mindful that this is a video game, not an economic bailout. It's like people think it's a broken record when a delay happens.

People give up too easily on things. You predict a negative future when the future isn't now. If you're a real fan, you'd stick with something you like and have patience. You don't stop hoping. We waited for GT4. We're waiting for GT5. And it isn't like we're deserving of getting this game as early as possible.



--- Parting Thoughts ---
In case you have some foul comments against me, trust me when I say I've been hated on severely on GTPlanet by some people. Mostly all because my train of thought differs greatly from the general consensus. Do realize that I'm one human being out of 6.6 billion people. I know people are upset with a game being delayed, especially that of a Gran Turismo game. Exercise some more patience. The game will be released unless something WELL outside of our control happens.

The majority of this blog concerned Gran Turismo, but let this also be a lesson in life. NEVER give up on anything! Never stop believing, never stop hoping, never abandon things you love. If it took Rutgers University a seemingly long time to finally make a Bowl game since their last postseason berth, then anything is possible. Never stop believing and hoping. Sure, the people on the other end need to deliver, but you always keep a positive heart.

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