Game review: Gran Turismo - Sony PSP

It’s been five years since GT was first announced for the PSP, making it one of the most eagerly anticipated and yet most delayed video games of all time.

After such a long wait all fans of the GT series and driving games in general should be grateful just to see the portable edition at all – that it’s turned out to be so good is a real bonus.

Gran Turismo PSP is a mega game, boasting some incredible numbers that put many console games to shame.

For example, the game apparently features more than 800 cars. I say apparently because, let’s face it, it’s going to take a long time to fully test that claim!

Obviously there are a few duffers in the pack – for example, I started the game with a lowly Peugeot 206, and I’ve even seen mention of a Citroen 2CV featuring in the game. I’ve not come across this myself yet due to the dealership rotation system used in the game for purchasing cars, which I’ll get to in a minute. Before that, rest assured there are plenty of supercars on the extensive car roster too. Think of a high-performance motor from Lamborghini, Bugatti, Ferrari, BMW, Mercedes, Ford or any other well-known maker and it’ll probably pop up. There are more than 80 manufacturers in GT PSP.

Cars are bought using credit gained through achievements on the track, such as completing each of the 100-plus challenges in the game. You start with a very generous 100,000 which gets you a pretty decent car to use instead of the slow Peugeot.

Now, that dealership rotation system I mentioned. Each event you take part in counts as one game day. With each new game day you are presented with a choice of four companies from which you can buy cars. Click on one and you’re given a selection of its vehicles to pick from. If you’ve got enough credit for a car then you can buy it and it’s added to your collection. The next game day you’re given four different makers to choose from.

You’re not given complete freedom over which cars to drive. It’s slightly more structured than that. You can’t just empty out a toy box of cars and pick one to play with. Access to the cars is based on how much credit you have and which manufacturers pop up. If you have your heart set on a particular car it could be down to random luck whether you ever get to drive it or not. It is possible to get that elusive target by trading cars with friends, which conjures up a bizarre image of grown-ups swapping virtual cars in the way we might have swapped football stickers as kids.

Despite its restrictions the car buying scheme in GT gets much closer to the liberated experience I’ve long wished for in a driving game, where the developer (Polyphony Digital in this case) shows players enough respect to allow us to decide for ourselves which cars we want to race and on which tracks.

Choice of tracks is actually one area where there is total freedom from the start. The game contains 35 circuits but with a few variations and reversals the total number of layouts grows to 60. Some of the tracks are true to life, such as Suzuka and Nurburgring, whereas others are fictional favourites from previous GT games.

In terms of game modes there are a few options. In single player you can choose a single race, time trial or drift trial. As mentioned above there are also 100 challenges testing braking, cornering and all other driving skills. These are similar to the licence tests of old GT games. Lastly, there is an ad-hoc mode to enter multiplayer races.

The list of modes may seem quite limited but when you consider the wide variety of cars and tracks it’s clear the game offers huge depth.

The lack of a career mode has been mentioned elsewhere as a drawback of the game, but it’s not for me. In fact, the lack of a restrictive, suffocating career mode is one of the game’s strengths. I love not having to complete certain events in a specific order. There is still plenty to achieve in the game, such as collecting cars, getting gold trophies in the challenges and simply just improving your driving skills as your experience grows.

This is a proper driving sim instead of a lightweight, crude arcade racer. The game is plenty addictive and entertaining enough without it laying down orders about how it wants you to play.

In real life the performance of any car is not just about impressive specifications relating to acceleration or engine size. It’s also about the feeling you get when sat behind the wheel and ultimately how well it drives.

The same applies to Gran Turismo. The game’s remarkable array of cars and tracks would count for nothing if the driving part of the game wasn’t up to scratch.

In that respect GT is a dream machine.

The modelling of the cars has been done very well, with superb attention to detail. They actually look like multi-edged cars instead of just moving blocks.

The graphics are among the most life-like I’ve seen on the PSP.

As well as looking nice the game also runs at the impressive speed of 60 frames per second.

Car handling and physics feel more authentic than other racers, even the recent excellent Need For Speed: Shift. The way the cars move about on the track is spot-on. These cars accelerate steadily instead of firing off the start line like rockets which you usually get in driving games. In GT you also actually need to brake properly for corners, and racing line plays more of a role than it other games.

Additionally, the different behaviour of the various cars is very noticeable, in terms of their speed, acceleration, how they corner etc.

It’s the overall level of realism in Gran Turismo that sets it apart from its rivals on the grid.

The controls in GT aren’t anything special. It’s the usual arrangement of button pushes to steer, accelerate, brake etc. What makes GT superior is the way the cars move when you push its buttons.

There are a few small things which stop GT achieving perfection.

Once you’ve bought a car there is no way to upgrade it. You can tweak settings such as steering and tyres ahead of each race but it’s not possible to purchase permanent enhancements to you vehicles.

Most of the cars in the game seem slightly aged. There do not seem to be many models that are newer than 2004. It’s almost like the roster of cars was drawn up way back when the game was first announced and has only had minimal additions made since.

When you’re on the track there is no way to inflict any damage to your car or others. Any collisions are heavily padded. It’s the most unrealistic and inadequate part of the game.

Lastly, there is only ever a maximum of three others cars on the track in addition to your own. Need For Speed: Shift on PSP has up to seven opponents per race, and even mobile phone racing games have more than four cars. Disappointingly, the computer-controlled car drive like drones rather than aggressive competitors.

Overall, Gran Turismo for PSP is a landmark title – not only because it represents the long-awaited debut of such a famous franchise but also because it provides a racing experience the quality of which has never been seen on a portable games device before.

I thought Need For Speed: Shift was superb but GT stretches the boundaries even further.

All the hot new racing titles released on PSP this autumn have brought something fresh to the table and have been excellent games. Let’s hope Formula 1 2009 continues the trend when it makes its appearance soon.

Verdict: 9.5 out of 10 – A breathtaking amount of content has been squeezed into Gran Turismo, backed up by the highest quality driving action yet seen on the PSP. An awesome achievement all round.