Great concept bad interface
Written: May 29 '01 (Updated Jun 21 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great cars, tracks, concept
Cons: Bad overall interface, bad for console gaming, perfect for computer.
The Bottom Line: Good game and concept but it needs more variety of cars and tuner parts. GT3 for PS2 should be better when it comes out in U.S.
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| mackeystingray's Full Review: Gran Turismo 2 for PlayStation 1 |
The concept for GT2 is a good one. Take actual manufactured cars and pit them against each other on various tracks. In fact, it's what Namco's Ridge Racer series should have been.
While the racing itself is great there are a few things I did not like about the game.
1. Not enough cars/variety. What?! There are 500+ cars and you say there aren't enough? Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Half of them, realistically, no one cares about. Peugeots? Alpha's? Lancia's? Not that I'm knocking European cars but at least get some *good* companies in the game like Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo. Also, most of the cars outside the Japanese side have very little variety. Most will not have a used section and very little models to choose from. BMW not having an M3, M5 or even a Z3? Ford not having the 5.0L Mustang? Come on. There aren't that many tuner parts to choose from as well. They should have major tuner manufacturers other than Factory tuners listed like GReddy, HKS, APEXi, etc. Maybe even have nitrous products available as an option.
What I would have liked would be to port the game to PC altogether. That way, the game can benefit from the latest graphic cards as well as get car and tuner updates via the web. When a new model comes out or when start adding older cars, they are readily accessible rather than having to wait for an updated version.
2. Bad overall interface. Game interfaces should not be this clunky. Especially when you're modifying your car. It takes a while to load the menus and to exit them. Although it does take a while to increase funds for the modifications the interface should not be this hard to use. There should be a menu system where you can access all of the modifications you desire in one fell swoop. Like RPG type shopping menus. This is another reason I feel this should be ported to the PC. It is possible to select the items you desire using a mouse rather than having to scroll down through a list of parts.
3. Sound. While the sound is okay, it could be better. There are times where the audio crackles and pops while racing. The Japanese cars, again are the ones that sound the most authentic while the other seem to have generic "notes".
4. Graphics. Yeah it is on the PSX so the graphics is a bit dated compared to the PS2 but it is possible to make a racing game look good on the PSX. Just look at the Ridge Racer (Rage Racer+ to be more precise). It might also be a good idea to have a view from the actual cockpit of the car rather than just have a generic speedo and tach on the screen.
Overall the game is great but the interface and car choices leave alot to be desired. I would have preferred this game be ported to the PC. Hopefully the GT3 will have some of the improvements I would like to see. Since the PSX is on the outs right now, it should be fairly cheap to get a new copy of the game. I paid under $20 for my copy.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mackeystingray
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Member: Mackey Stingray
Location: CA
Reviews written: 46
Trusted by: 10 members
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