Diet Gran Turismo 3 (Gran Turismo Concept (PS2))

Member Name: MR.COATES

Product:	Gran Turismo Concept (PS2)
Date:	19/08/02 (728 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some great cars to play with, It's more GT!!, Pod Race

Disadvantages: VERY short

GAME INFORMATION
Price: £24.99
Genre: Racing
Players: 1-2

If there’s one game genre that made the Playstation as popular as it was, it was probably racing games. We saw the likes of Colin McRae, TOCA and no doubt I’d be run over if I didn’t mention Gran Turismo. One thing to note about all of those games is that they were all so successful that they also saw sequels on the same console.

Things have moved on now and PS2 is today highly established and performing well. We haven’t yet seen the arrival of McRae and TOCA (at time of writing they’re almost here!). But we have seen our old, and always welcome, friend Gran Turismo in the guise of Gran Turismo 3. Nobody said we’d get an original name for the third instalment but I don’t think that anyone really cares.

GT3 still has a very treasured place in my PS2 collection but, as with most GT fans, I’m always looking forward to the next game. Japan then saw the release of Gran Turismo:Concept, which featured a myriad of weird and wonderful cars which are usually only seen once and never make it onto the public market. The obvious ‘It’s unlikely we’ll see a European release’ statements soon followed and we all sank into our chairs knowing that only those with import consoles would be enjoying GT:Concept.

That is until Sony announced that they would in fact be releasing the game for release in Europe. Hurrah!

GRAPHICS
Although there appear to be a few slight tweaks, there is very little difference between Concept and GT3. Saying that though, the graphics in GT3 were, and still are, absolutely fantastic. The vehicles are wonderfully constructed featuring real-time reflections and highly accurate models. Most of the tracks are featured in GT3 although there are a couple of new inclusions in the shape of the Autumn Ring track featured in Gran Turismo and a totally bizarre course which is specifi
cally for use in the Toyota Pod Race.

On the whole GT:Concept is graphically a highly polished gem which still keeps up with the very latest games releases.

18/20

SOUND
Unless you are the very proud owner of some of the best vehicles in the world, it’s unlikely that you’re going to know the difference between a Golf GTI and a Nissan Skyline GTR. The differences in engine noise are very distinct however and some of the vehicles sound absolutely fantastic.

The familiar Feeder and Ash tracks make a re-appearance as featured in GT3 so don’t expect a totally new soundtrack to go with those new cars. Again though, this is only an update so the familiar feel of GT3 is there to be enjoyed rather than picked at.

17/20

LIFESPAN
Now it’s time to give Gran Turismo:Concept its one, but very serious beating. It’s simply an update, not a completely new game and as such does not contain anywhere near as many cars or courses as the full-blown GT3. You do get a few new additions such as the Autumn Ring course, the highly amusing Pod race and even a pace car during licence qualification but GT:Concept is a very short affair.

Even if you only play the game for a couple of hours per night, it’s only likely to last you a couple of weekends. I assure you that is no exaggeration, after the first night (just over 2 hours of playing) I had completed 27% of the game. So although there are some new elements to enjoy, the novelty will soon wear off.

You do of course have the usual I-Link and 2-player options but unless there are particular cars that you want to race around in (VW Lupo anyone?) then you’re unlikely to wring a great deal of extra life out of it.

12/25

GAMEPLAY
What GT:Concept lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. Some would argue that this is much more important and I agree to a certain extent. The great handling is still present
, different levels of difficulty are available and some of the races I’ve been in have been a real challenge.

As opposed to GT3, in GT:Concept you’ll need to gain access to the tracks rather than earning licences. You still have to race against the clock to get either a Gold, Silver or Bronze award but the result is then a bonus car (if you get Silver or Gold) plus you’ll unlock that track for general use.

Your mission then very much becomes a case of unlocking all of the cars and features. You’ll earn new cars of various types by unlocking the tracks and by racing on them in normal races. You will be taken to the Progress screen from time to time which will let you see how much of the game you have unlocked. Some of the cars are a real thrill to play with and I guarantee that you’ll find the Toyota Pod race highly amusing (nothing to do with Star Wars I hasten to add!)
22/25

ORIGINALITY
As well as most of the existing elements of GT3, GT:Concept concentrates more heavily on the cars. You practically get a new vehicle every time you start up the game so your collection will rapidly begin to swell.
Although the game is original by including a vast amount of Concept and Prototype vehicles, the rest is merely a bolt-on to GT3.
Die-hard fans of the series will find many points of enjoyment in here, the inclusion of the Pace Car during the licence races is a great choice and can really help achieve those ‘Gold’ times.

Other than that it’s basically business as usual so unless you’ve never played any of the Gran Turismo games, you’re unlikely to feel like you’ve never seen any of this before.

7/10

OVERALL
You can’t knock Sony for releasing GT:Concept as it’s normally the kind of game that we would never get the chance to see. One thing that you also need to remember is that the game has an RRP of only £24.99 althoug
h GT3 is available on Platinum for £19.99 of course.
I really enjoyed GT:Concept while it lasted and there are some incredible cars in there to be unlocked and enjoyed. For most of you, renting this game may be a better option and I’m sure that someone out there will quite happily complete this in a day.

MR.COATES

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