Gran Turismo for PSP
In
recent years, it's become more than apparent to me that there is
a definite void in the market when it comes to quality racing
games. Sometimes it feels like there's nothing to play but
bargain bin OutRun ripoffs with no depth and
super-immersive racing simulators that are too realistic. It's
gotten so bad that I've had to resort to playing a portable game
from 14 years ago. But I was surprised with how much I
enjoyed playing, almost more than any other racing game I've
ever played.
Gran
Turismo was announced for PSP on May 11, 2004. Initially
conceived as a portable version of Gran Turismo 4, It
took more than five years to be released on October 1, 2009,
becoming one of the best selling PSP games throughout its
lifespan. Adapting the game engine from Gran Turismo 5
Prologue and borrowing the track selection from Gran
Turismo 4, It provided all-new cars from manufactures like
Ferrari and a full era-appropriate soundtrack, It had all the
hallmarks of any console Gran Turismo game... except for
a career mode.
This
exclusion alone is enough for any Gran Turismo fan to
disregard it entirely as a total gimmick, and in some ways, it
definitely is. Without a proper singleplayer campaign, all you
can do is race around GT4's map pool with three other
CPUs, and complete the "driving challenges" accompanied by Jay
Leno's disembodied narration. Along with the lack of car
modification and a limit of only 4 manufacturers to purchase
from at a time, there isn't much incentive to play this game
alone.
In
my eyes, the true greatness of Gran Turismo for PSP is
its brand new wireless ad-hoc multiplayer mode. For the first
time, players could race locally on their own system with their
own garages in a variety of modes, all with a jackpot system
that raised the stakes and rewarded the victor heavily. And you
have to remember - GTPSP contains most of the excellent
tracks from the Gran Turismo 4, of which had a severely
limited LAN multiplayer mode with very little in the way of car
selection.
And
it gets even better when you factor in emulation: By using the PPSSPP
emulator and a LAN hosting service like Hamachi,
you can play GTPSP online with friends. When you factor
this online multiplayer aspect in, the game becomes incredibly
fun to play, while still being very lightweight (the ISO for the
entire game is only a single gigabyte) and relatively easy to
set up on PC. The quality of the 3D models is not half bad,
especially when rendered at a higher resolution.
Polyphony
Digital did a pretty good job considering the circumstances.
Packing in more cars than previous entries and featuring some of
the best tracks ever made for Gran Turismo, it's by no
means a poorly made game. In my personal opinion, I think it
strikes a great balance between a more arcade-like racer and
something more simulation based, creating a very simple and
accessible racer that anyone (even my modern game loving
friends) can enjoy. But I'm still not happy.
I
wish I didn't have to play games like Gran Turismo for PSP.
It's honestly absurd how much I enjoyed this game over anything
else I've played in the last few years. I really wish the PC
could get some quality racing games that are accessible for
everyone. There have been rumors of a new port of Gran
Turismo 7 to PC, but I wouldn't hold my breath. And don't
even get me started on Ridge Racer.
