LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Gran Turismo
built 117 days ago
Perhaps the worst aspect of Gran Turismo 2, oddly enough, is the existence of Gran Turismo. Given the success of the original, the game's developers probably had no wish to fix anything that wasn't broken - and preferred to build on the successful formula by adding more cars, car makers, and features, such as the rally mode. Fans of the original and those looking for a pure driving simulation should flock to store shelves without delay, but for the rest, that add-on philosophy may not sit well. Once again, you will have to slog through the prerequisite license tests - not a tough chore, but many of the tests are clones of the original. Wouldn't it have been better to offer instead some sort of "pass/fail" racing school, with a different variety of tests? Also, the game has one night course, but the developers neglected to add weather variables such as rain, ice patches, snow, or fog that might have added a twist to the racing conditions.
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Gran Turismo 5 is an upcoming driving simulation game in the line of the Gran Turismo series. It is described as an "Online Car Life Simulator". Developed by Polyphony Digital, it is expected to be released for the PlayStation 3 in Japan in 2008, a North American date has not been announced. It looks set to continue the tradition of the series by offering yet more choices of cars and tracks, including the long sought after Ferrari brand, and even higher levels of realism than before if the released videos of gameplay are anything to go by. It has been made official that the amount of cars on the track will be increased for GT5, having previously been limited to six cars. The game is ... said to feature real-time car damage for the first time.
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Graphically, it appears the Gran Turismo series has tapped out the PlayStation's capabilities. Although the game's ads boast improved graphics, fans of the series won't notice any substantial improvement over the original - which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The attention to details, lighting effects, and car rendering make this one of the most convincing PlayStation games on the market in terms of visual realism. The game reeks of authenticity, from the real-life billboard ads to the elevation changes in the mountainous Laguna Seca track (a track this reviewer actually drove on in real life). Gran Turismo ... has mastered the lighting-effect trick that gives cars a shiny sheen as they drive from camera to camera - an impressive visual that's coupled with the speed-sensitive hubcap-rotation effects that accurately portray the "whoosh" of cars going past. Finally, each car that's modeled on the track looks recognizable on sight - no easy feat, considering the 400 or so vehicles to choose from.
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The Gran Turismo series always featured authentic, courses, and car physics. This time Polyphony Digital took their experience to the very end, like with every new GT release. In the new instalment of the series (GT4) the player can drive in various places such as Nurburgring Nordschleife, New York City, Grand Canyon, Paris, Las Vegas and the Sarthe circuit (where the Le Mans 24 hours race takes place).. There are 51 tracks (though some are sub-sections of larger circuits) in total and some of these can be run in reverse. Las Vegas is in fact the quarter mile drag-strip (the 400m, 1000m and Max speed facilities are still available). For the rally drivers there are now a couple of ice circuits included.
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When announced last December that the Online Play feature for Gran Turismo 4 was not going to be included, it was a very large disappointment to anybody interested in the game. However, it is still possible to play via Split Screen or iLink... it is nowhere near as great as online play would've been. The 2-Player Battle allows you to select cars from your garage, or from a list of loaner cars, and challenge your friend to a few laps. Rally racing with a friend is great fun, especially if you forget about the whole "braking" thing and floor the gas pedal the entire time. However, not being able to talk trash to people online is something every racing fanatic will miss.
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Gran Turismo 4 was first introduced to American consumers in February of 2005 to great fanfare. The game, which became commonly referred to as GT4, was put out by Sony Computer Entertainment and developed by a company called Polyphony Digital. The primary designer was a man named Kazunori Yamauchi.
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