Go on October 1st, making its momentous debut as a downloadable launch title for the revamped console. What better title than a flagship exclusive to kick-start the latest version of the ever-changing PSP?
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And yet, GT on the PSP is not quite what we were expecting. Kazunori Yamauchi and the team at Polyphony Digital have clearly put in a lot of hard work cramming Gran Turismo onto a tiny UMD, weighing in at just over 1GB (a 1010MB download will also be available on the PlayStation Store) and despite this awesome feat, Yamauchi-san's claim that this is a fully-fledged GT title falls somewhat short due to the notable absence of a proper career mode, meaning that the crux of the game is distributed between a standard, arcade-style game type with three distinct variations, more on which later.
While this structure means that you can tailor the racing to suitably short bursts of play for the morning commute, anyone itching for something a bit more substantial might be left wanting. So, PSP GT isn't quite the full fat 'Real Driving Simulator' we were promised, but then this is a handheld title after all, and in as such the PSP version delivers in spades.
Initially presented with the slightly perplexing inclusion of a single paltry car in your garage as a starting point, you're made to work hard in winning races to earn credits to then purchase new vehicles. Although the early races are largely unexciting cakewalks that simply allow you to accrue credits to blow on new vehicles, this soon makes sense as the thrill of buying a fuel-injected monster makes all the requisite grinding well worth it.
Each event you complete makes a single day elapse in game, and every day presents a selection of car manufacturers to choose from when you visit the car dealership from the main menu. All of the usual GT suspects are present and correct; from the staple Nissan Skylines, Mitsubishi Evos and Mazda RX7s to the garishly liveried racing-spec rockets that set you back vast wedges of hard-earned credits. New to this particular version of GT is the exciting addition of Ferrari, Bugatti and Lamborghini to the list of manufacturers, raising the vehicle tally to roughly a staggering 800. Accessing the beasts with the massive horse-power takes a great deal of perseverance in racking up plenty of wins though, so slowly crawling your way up the ranks is the only way to add increasingly exotic, high performance vehicles to your garage.
Once you've managed to win enough races to buy a flashy ride, you can play a two-lap standard race, a time trial or a drift trial. Racing against three other AI opponents makes finishing in the top three fairly easy, so accumulating cash towards new cars is mercifully quick. Outside of the standard racing, there's also a diverting challenge mode which is much like previous Gran Turismo's license tests and consists of short braking challenges, cornering trials and a host of other small segments designed to assess your driving prowess and introduce new players to GT's exacting race mechanics. During races you can also switch on a helpful racing line, much like Forza's cornering aid.
It's through besting these bitesize challenges that you accrue the most credits, eventually enabling you to splash out on the better vehicles tucked away at the dealership. Combined with the game's main single player, there's plenty to keep you playing Gran Turismo despite the lack of a deeper career mode. Ad-hoc multiplayer means that playing with mates or random strangers in public is an inviting option, and you can throw down the gauntlet and just race or trade cars if you're so inclined.
As is the benchmark for GT, the presentation and interface is also clearly designed, bold and easily navigable - perfect for the smaller screen. And that same trademark Gran Turismo quality pervades every inch of this bespoke PSP version, from the meticulously crafted vehicles (still no crash damage though folks) to the intricately detailed, iconic circuits - everything is exactly as it should be. While the in game HUD takes a little bit of getting used to, it's perfectly functional and you can tweak the settings from the option menu.
Arguably, the long-awaited PSP iteration of Gran Turismo is the most accessible yet, although that doesn't mean that any concession has been made with the game's deep handling model and outstanding visuals, both of which are almost a perfect match for its PS2 counterpart. However, using either the D-pad or analogue nub to steer, manoeuvring your ride around the challenging curves of a Laguna Seca or a Nurburgring is relatively awkward when compared to the stick on a proper controller, but then this was to be expected - the PSP's nub has never been a joy to play with (that sounds slightly wrong).
Nevertheless, Gran Turismo is a formidable racing sim and Polyphony has done a great job in converting the game for Sony's handheld. The 35 tracks (70 if you count the reversed versions) culled from the PS2 GT offer more than enough longevity and if you're willing to scrape together enough credits to bag your favourite car, then you're really going to love everything that the title has to offer.
Whether you get the most out of GT on the PSP will ultimately depend upon how much you enjoyed the rest of the instalments in the series. If you're not already a fan of the slavishly exhaustive self-confessed Real Driving Simulator, then this will do nothing to change your mind. Superficially it's more of the same, but if you happen to already be a GT fan, then that's obviously a good thing. For the racing connoisseurs GT is aimed at, the omission of a career mode and the continuing lack of damage might be a concern, but for everyone else, Gran Turismo almost takes pole position as one of the most accomplished racers on the PSP.
80%
@ the intro. Awesome sound !
I'll rather wait for GT5.
