Title:Gran Turismo Publisher:Sony Developer:Poly Players: 1-2 Memory card block: 5-15 1 disc Rating: all time to finish: many weeks Analog and Shock Compatible

Summing up the features found in Gran Turismo would be a little
too much; given the fact that the manual has 96 pages,
excluding the extra 54 page driving manual this game can be
only described as phenomenical in it's own right.

Never before has the feeling and sense of the racing genre been
captured in such a brilliant form. There are so many fun parts in
the game: There is the quick arcade mode where the player has
the choice of 5 brand names each with 4 models, completing this
mode with various cars gives the player extra tracks to play with.
This mode however soon skipped once the player has experienced
the true nature of the game: the Gran Turismo mode.

In this mode the player is given 1.000.000 credits for use on a car.
With this kind of money the player can only only stroll through the
seemingly endless list of used cars until he finds one he likes.
With this simple car the player can go to the time trails or win some
money in the spot races.

With this prize money the fun really starts. Every car can be upgraded
in about every part you can imagine: transmission,
suspension, motor, mufflers, fly wheel, tire sets, etc..etc...(tip: go for
speed and racing tires)
And the best part?, it all takes immediate effect on the way your car
handles, even the sound of the motor is different. This is the strongest
part of the game; you can spent hours just going from dealer to dealer
and viewing all the cars with it's info and specs, saving up for extra
parts or tune ups and trying it out in on the test circuit.

When you are satified with the car take it to the races and earn more
money. Then there's the way the game grows on you; Gran Turismo
really teaches the player how to race. There are 24 driving lessons
in all each of them dealing with cornering, stopping,steering and
using the handbrake to full effect. Once a set of 8 lessons is cleared
the game grants access to more races where the price money is a
lot more. Extra fun part includes the races where you
not only win a lot of dough but find an extra car in your garage after
finishing first in every race. (tip: Race the same race again and again,
for extra cash and extra cars, sell the cars for even more money)

I will end this review by some quotes courtesy of EDGE magazine:

"Racing titles have remained fundamentally the same for the last
20 years. While GT doesn't represent as immediate and apparent
a departure from racing games as Super Mario 64 did for platform
games, for example, it is the most realistic, detailed and playable
example of an extensive genre. Not only does it redefine the
concept op playstation racing games, Gran Turismo sets a new
standard of excellence for all other platform to follow"

Pro's:

• Superb car handling
• Number of cars
• Replay feature is astronomical
• Keeps calling you back for more

Con's:

• Slight slowdown in replays and smoke
• Could have some more tracks
• 6 contestants only
• weather effects would be nice

Rating: 9

Expect Gran Turismo in Europe in the summer replacing the musical
score with material from 'name' bands.

for a translation of the japanse manual :www.phosphors.com