Here we go! As announced earlier today, we’re celebrating GT Week here at GTPlanet. No, it’s not a recognized holiday, at least not yet. With the London reveal of GT Sport only days away, a look back at the series’ high points is a great way to pass the time, and remind ourselves what got us hooked in the first place.
A big part of the draw has always been Polyphony’s knack for excellent intro videos. As early as the first game, there was a distinctly theatrical feel to proceedings. In later years, Polyphony expanded this creativity beyond just the games’ introductions, covering car launches and putting out tantalizing trailers. The staff at GTPlanet have tried to narrow down our favourites, and after raised voices and half-joking threats of bodily harm, there are a few ties. That mean the Top Five has swollen a bit, but that’s not a problem: it’s not like you have work or anything, right?
#5 (4-WAY TIE): GT5 E3 2009 Trailer / GT5 E3 2010 Trailer / GT1 Intro / GT5P Ending
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXtbXy5vO70
Just making the cut, it was impossible to separate these four. They all celebrate prominent points in GT history: As Jordan himself said about the E3 2009 trailer, “Because of GT5’s delays, this became one of the most analyzed and scrutinized GT trailers of all time. The damage, the rally racing, NASCAR… probably half a million of the posts on this forum were made talking about this one video.”
The E3 2010 trailer threatened GTPlanet’s servers in June that year. Not only was it a tour de force, with Daiki Kasho’s “Soul On Display” pumping to all sorts of exciting visuals, but attached to the end was that most elusive of creatures: a release date! We’ll ignore the short production delay that caused that to slip to the end of the month…
Gran Turismo 1’s intro found its biggest cheerleader in the form of yours truly. As my first entry into the franchise, watching the video never fails to bring back a wave of nostalgia. The Manic Street Preachers remix remains a standby for all GT custom soundtracks to this day! When I had the honour to meet Kazunori Yamauchi back in 2013 during the Jalopnik Film Festival, it was an easy decision on what I would bring to get his signature: the GT1 instruction manual.
The ending credits of GT5 Prologue hold a special place in the heart of PASM, our friendly neighbourhood speed demon. As a regular racer in GTPlanet’s Weekly Race Series, Prologue’s distinction as the first true online racer of the franchise sets it apart for Bart.
#4: GT5 Ferrari 458 Italia Debut
This one still impresses, nearly 7 years on from when it first appeared. Virtual car porn in the most literal sense, the video is a beauty roll of close-ups and actions shots of Ferrari’s then-new berlinetta. That it’s paired with an utterly appropriate song choice just seals its spot.
#3: GT4 Intro (JPN)
GT4 was a long wait. After GT3 launched to critical acclaim in 2001 – before going on to become the best-selling title in franchise history to this day – Gran Turismo players were begging for more. We got it, in the form of numerous GT Concept titles, and GT4 Prologue, but none of those prepared us for the sheer size of GT4. Boasting more cars than any title before it, and a previously-unseen focus on real world tracks, it marked a turning point in the series. The series’ theme song, Moon Over The Castle, took centre stage here, and a few clever hints to GT1’s intro solidified GT4’s spot on the podium.
#2: GT3 Intro (PAL)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmR1qGbk6Uo
This was a tough one. The staff are pretty split on either side of the Atlantic, so it all came down to a preference for Feeder or Lenny Kravitz. The former won out by a single vote,, but really, we all win. How is this 15 years old?! The colour-filtered clips are a reminder of GT3’s exceptional replays, which would sync up with the game music to spectacular effect. I distinctly remember filling an entire memory card with replays just to watch them through that option.
The intro’s focus on the inner workings of an engine is something Polyphony would revisit, with a different tone, in GT5’s original intro movie (which provides the front-page shot).
You can watch the US version here, complete with nostalgic PS2 startup!
#1: GT2 Intro (US)
I could tell you it was the teases of the vastly-enlarged car list, featuring exotics like Lotus, Shelby, and Vector. I could tell you it was arguably the most perfect song choice of any GT intro, The Cardigans’ My Favorite Game. But instead, I’ll let Jordan sum it up:
“It’s January of 2000, a cozy snow day off from school, and my mom is cooking one of my favorite meals in the kitchen. I’m in the living room, playing GT2 all afternoon. After dinner, I get on the family computer, fire up the 56k modem, and create the first iteration of GTPlanet. My life has never been the same since.”
This is only the beginning, folks.
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Gran Turismo 5 montage : )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yGyhOvtDQg
After all these years that GT4 intro still gives me goosebumps!
Aaaaaah thx, long time ago…
GT2 first game love )), remember i tuned all possible cars to race modification. GT4 was the top of car games (and what intro))…
I liked the GT6 ending of the lap of the Nordschliefe over the full 24hr
I have to admit, for me the goldilocks zone was the ps2 era. I got a ps1 when I was in 5th grade, played the heck out of gt one and two, but I was too young to really remember the fine details. I got gt4 my freshman year of college. I still remember goosebumps when the racing in the video really began and Van Halen(US version) started up. That has remained my favorite. I bought the driving force pro just for that game even though I really couldn’t afford it. Totally worth it. It was, as they claimed, the drive of my life. Is sport out yet :/
Watching the 458 trailer makes me so nostalgic. I fell in love with the car the day that video was released. And it’s still the most beautiful car for me since then, a car I will always want to own and a car I will always fight for. It’s a financial goal in my life, to own a 458 Italia one day. The 488 GTB clearly shows that the good old days are gone forever… It may be faster but doesn’t even come close to the sensation of a 458. The sound, the looks, it’s something Ferrari got perfectly right with the 458. One of the last naturally aspirated beauties of its’ league.
This is exactly how I feel.
The game which had the most anticipation and excitement for me was GT4. That three year buildup was quite an endurance test, especially when that holidays 2004 release window slipped to the end of February in the Americas. I bid my time by watching my collection of downloaded E3 videos. Getting the game was an adventure itself! I’m still in awe of that game in a way that the others don’t quite match. After the… okay intro, “Panama” by Van Halen, I went into GT Mode and stared at the world map for a silent few minutes, listening to the chill music, watching my home icon spin around, while gazing around the world map and wondering just what the heck this Gran Turismo was offering!
Going back into my GT4 folder and watching those 12 year old videos brought back some very fond memories and emotions. They still put me in the mood to immerse myself in Gran Turismo like nothing I’ve seen since. Beside it is a folder of music, a tidy treasure trove someone sent me from the Asian edition which has versions of songs we don’t have in the west. Some are better! I’m about to go back and check them out again while I struggle to stay awake, home sick from work. If only it was Thursday!
While the focus this week and for many months to come is on GT Sport, it’s whetting my appetite for that real Gran Turismo being brought to life on those Polyphony Digital workstations. I’m looking forward to being blown away all over again by that game when it comes to life in yet another grand expose like the one we await anxiously this week. I wonder how Jordan i going to contain himself tomorrow! I bet it’s one of the longest Wednesdays of his life. Poor guy, has to wait a few more hours to see GT Sport, meet Kaz… yeah, I’d have an upset tummy myself, I’d be so juiced. ;D
But as cool as this reveal is going to be, and GT Sport itself, it’s merely a foretaste of that glory just over the horizon, of that far better, bigger, hopefully as ambitious a game as GT4 was. But more. Yeah, give the casual sandbox kids some tinkertoys to play with. Load up Gran Turismo 7 with some BEEF! I have a feeling that Kaz is feeling about as carnivorous as I am. But for now, a delightful luncheon is about to be served.
What’s my line? BRING IT ON!
Smashing pumpkins 1979 with a dash cam of Nurburgring was my most memorable GT vid.
Man i loves that ending :)
I am ready for GTSport
Bring it on ;)
(anime voice) You’re stealing my line! ;D
News of those other games seem so out of place now. This is Gran Turismo Week.
I have been looking for 2 long lost Gran Turismo trailers trying for years to find them, can someone help me out?
1. There is a Gran Turismo HD or Vision Gran Turimo (not modern VGT but what they called the franchise between GT4 and GT5) video I’m looking for with a CGI Blue MX-5 and Yellow RX-7 driving around indoors and then suddenly the video moves to them driving on a road and then pans into the car. It is the first time an in car view was shown in any GT trailer.
2. Second trailer I’m looking for I think is a GT5 Prologue or GT5 trailer. It contains an additional opera segment of Moon over Castle like we saw in the GT4 Intro be is set to images of that darkened church interior (like in the trailers above).
I loved the GT5 intro with MCR in it.
Im from europe, but i had NTSC 1.0 version of GT2 and the intro is just awesome.
Right next to that is GT1 EU intro.
GT1 US and GT2 US intros were just awesome. The leaf on the pavement in the beginning the bass noise when the car leaves the pit, oh man! GT2’S intro just fit. It was like the intro and music were made for each other.
GT3 was more so the game play than intro. Deep Valley at sunset (sunrise?), Midfield time attacks, my falling in love with the R34 Skyline as GT3 was actually my first GT game. My greatest tune ever was in this game. Denso Supra JGTC for Midfield.
GT4 was an enjoyable grind. It was also the first time I used a wheel with the game. I actually almost completed that game. I still remember leaving B-spec run an endurance all day while I went to work, going to sleep to the background music of the picture mode, and Tsukuba time attacks back when Best Motoring was my Top Gear.
Used car lot, rim selection, spoilers and body kits, fustration with SS route 11, ah the memories.
Ah GT1 and GT2, good memories. Really hope Gt Sport/GT7 is a return to form after two mis-steps. Time will tell!
Have any Youtubers mentioned the GT Sport Launch?
GT2 snow days.. yea I had a few of those. Good times. Unfortunately I also recall spending some gorgeous summer days inside, killing myself trying to gold some license tests!
Best intro ever: GT2 Jap version. Walking down the Memory lane. :)
I would have added the Mario Andretti Hudson video to this as well.
I have yet to find this ‘lost’ (?) Gran Turismo commercial. From the Playstation2 days? I call it the “Heart of a Lion” or “Will of a Champion” commercial. The dude doing the voice over sounds like one of my favorite actors, Jean Reno.
Jean is talking to some cat about the car he has and the road they meet on and his challenge to be bested. It may not have been Monsieur Reno but he sounded really cool.
Oh yeah. All those intros are cool as… you know.
But the original hit hard as if they knew that l have a deep appreciation for classical and operatic music.
For those curious, my own nominations:
GT5 TGS Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLeau0uwGLY
Why: Because this Chemical Brothers song is :censored: perfect. Bonus points for mystery El Capitan shot.
GT5 Intro (JPN): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAAdtEN5hNQ
Why: It’s a monster at almost six minutes, the first three minutes almost a painful reminder of how self-serious PD is. It felt a little too grandstandy, but after such a long wait for a proper PS3 title, it was quite an event.
GT3 Intro (NA): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO-acJ0ernU
Why: #3 for #3. Loved the subtle references to GT1’s intro, and Lenny’s music mixed well with the looks. It was, and still is, a stunning achievement on the PS2.
GT2 Intro (JPN): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC2qKy-WMf4
Why: Showed the tremendous growth PD achieved by the end of the PS1 generation.
GT1 Intro (NA): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGH3uG4gGI4
Why: Because it’s the first. No MOTC, because this is the version I was introduced to.
I still remember hereing that song in GT2 in my living room. Such a great game. The nostalgia is strong with this one!
Gran Turismo Concept 2002 Tokyo, Great Music and Prototype car mix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBZX0JWZBGg
That for me is still the greatest Gran Turimo Intro and I can’t believe it in not listed in the top 5, it still gives me goose bumps and I wish all the series intros after that followed a similar format. It’s short but so utterly amazing.
EDIT – Thats the not video I’m talking about. I read your comment and thought you meant the Gran Turismo Concept 2002 Tokyo Intro. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHYWGN05WBM
Gran Turismo 6, Japanese advertisement funny
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCO7a7n3CN8
This, this was an incredible reminder of why I got into racing games and cars in general. This game started it all with me and what a great trip it’s been. I still have all my original copies and I keep them safe and sound. So ready to see what this week holds for us GT Fans!!!
It’s funny how even 7 years later that 458 Tribute trailer hasn’t been outmatched graphically by any game. Looks absolutely stunning even today.
While it’s damn impressive seven years later, I wouldn’t say it hasn’t been outdone by any game.
The most poetic…
Michael, I’d have to see the game. And I’ve played DriveClub. If GT7 can match it, I will be one happy racer.
Just one word for this collection of trailers: EPIC! I’m in awe all over again. All these memories, all these goose bump moments. This is amazing.
btw: here’s one of my favourite GT intros, the very first GT I played: https://youtu.be/NgUmqksn-hA
Okay, forget that last bit. Either I haven’t seen the GT2 intro or I’m an idiot ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Good God, don’t make me cry!
PD: hands down the best video makers.
Sorry but, this was my first game of my life and this is the best INTRO SO FAR.
GT2 Moon Over The Castle – Japanese
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC2qKy-WMf4
Illustrious.
I’ve come to the conclusion a long time ago that PD makes the best videos for vgames (intros, outros, release videos ect) in the world. To this day I still stand by that. The videos just have so much emotion and heart.
Holy moly what a trip through memory lane really looking forward to this week guys, Ive got the GT hype buzz again!
GT5 Spec 2.0 will always be #1 in my heart. I just can’t believe it didn’t even make the list!
I agree, the GT5 intro’s were well made. Had a habit of letting the intro roll through before sitting down to play so they’re pretty much burnt into my memory.
I couldn’t even decide between those listed above, but I certainly agree with you, GT5 Spec 2.0 was also amazing.
Protip for those who love The Cardigan’s GT2 intro: The whole album it’s from, Gran Turismo, is equally great.
Approved! From beginning to end with no holes whatsoever. Great album.
the GT5 moon over the castle always got me hyped when i play best song hands down imo
This made me cry :’)
Awesome, just awesome!
Thank you for the nostalgia, reminds me why I love Gran Turismo so much <3
GTS may not be an instant buy but goodness, I'm not sure I could stay away for too long!
Can’t forget the Gran Turismo 3 Ending credits. First game I ever beat 100% on. And honestly… I cried a bit when I got it. Cause it made me really not want it to end and want more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anMjMLE-HpE&list=WL&index=115
Ahh, nostalgia oh so sweet and decadent.
I would love to sit here and read this with my dad, then fire up all the Gran Turismos in order they came out. Guess I’ll do this for you, dad! I miss you. Wish we could enjoy Gran Turismo Sport together, just like when you were alive.