GTPlanet Community Spotlight

As I rolled through the front gates at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a legendary racetrack just outside the small town of Lexington, I could already hear bellowing exhaust notes, whining superchargers and a dash of cheering from the crowd.

YouTube plays host to a lot of fan-made tribute videos. Every once in a while, one comes along that stands out. This is one of those times.

Photo modes are a big deal in modern games. To prove as much, a quartet of GTPlanet members recently contributed to a 68-page supplement in the Official PlayStation Magazine about just that.

The 2016 Formula One season kicks off this weekend and I couldn’t be more excited. This year is markedly different in comparison: a new team; new qualifying; Red Bull has a new sponsor; Pastor Maldonado will no longer entertain us with his real-life “Crash FM” (I’m patting myself on the back for that reference, thank you); and Renault is back in the fray.

In a world where we analyze every minute detail, striving to understand every facet, and every nook and cranny of the hobbies we take part in, it’s weeks like this one that makes everything worth it. If you haven’t been keeping up with the events of this week then allow me to outline a few things for you.

A sentimental longing for the past; for a period or place with happy personal associations. That’s the definition of nostalgia, and the reason this is both the prelude and underlying theme this week has to do specifically with nostalgia playing such a significant role among those of us here at GTPlanet.

I’ll be honest, originally, the title was going to be “Everybody Wants to Rule the World of Racing Games” but I changed it, obviously. Why? One, it’s a little long-winded. Two, it would almost certainly conjure up thoughts of Tears for Fears, at least among those old enough or even savvy enough to know who they are.

With spring drawing near, talks of the upcoming Gran Turismo Sport beta are going to become commonplace and for good reason. Gran Turismo Sport is an opportunity to steer the franchise in a new direction; to reinvent and reassert it is as one of the key players in this niche genre, and what better way to do just that than with an offshoot title.

We all love racing games; it’s the reason we’re all here. Whether it be waiting for the coveted Assetto Corsa, cheering a professional team, or putting our own spin on things, it’s a genre we know and love for better or worse. And it is a genre is need of a reboot.

“It’s a topic one can’t help but be drawn toward – like a moth to a flame – as it gives a brief overview, or, at least, the perception thereof, of how well any individual product has been welcomed into the home of the targeted consumer.”

This is it, the final days and week of the year and what a year it’s been to say the very least. There’s still a few surprises here and there to close out the year, of that I’m almost certain, but even if the year closes with nary a peek more of what’s to come, this will have been one of the most active years in the gaming community in recent memory.

T, what’s been going on with the Spotlight lately? The schedule has been erratic, there hasn’t been a Member of the Week in almost a month, and I feel the content hasn’t been up to the otherwise usual standards.

A calming air immediately followed by not only a sigh a relief but eye-widening glee; these are the sequence of emotional events that fell over the entirety of GTPlanet’s community in one fell swoop with the announcement of Gran Turismo Sport at Paris Games Week, the next title in the illustrious franchise – and it’s coming to the PlayStation 4 early next year beginning with a beta.

This year has been defined by an unending torrent of news that made it apparent that 2015 was the year of the racing game; a niche no longer it would seem as the genre has been exposed to more people in the past several months than it ever has been. This is no doubt something to marvel at as the genre is steadily approaching the point where it’s easily accessible to any and everyone regardless of their skill level. While that may cause seasoned veterans to turn their noses up at the very thought of their prized franchises becoming easier in lieu of attracting a larger audience, the one thing everyone has to remember is that those options, what many of us would define as “hardcore” are still going to be there for those of us that can’t live without them, and for those of us that want to dabble about and experience the full picture.

Summer no longer burdens me, for I am free to enjoy the crisp, brisk winds that usher in the final months of the year; autumn is here and as every year that has preceded, I couldn’t be happier. With September behind us things are beginning to calm down and return to a near-normal state, however, that wasn’t before the month ended on an unexpected high note: the Course Maker for Gran Tursimo 6 is now a thing you can use to your heart’s content!

The final days of September are upon us, and what an absolute joy this month has been: Metal Gear Solid V, Forza Motorsport 6, Destiny: The Taken King, and my birthday was even in there somewhere, but I’m pretty sure it swept past me being too occupied trying to absorb this relentless onslaught of racing games and the news surrounding it. On top of that my favorite shows are beginning to return from their off-season hiatuses, and best of all, summer is coming to an end! You all know my distaste for hot weather so there’s no need to reiterate it for the seventy-fifth time, suffice to say the last two seasons of the year are going to please my being immensely.

As I’ve alluded to for the past several weeks, September is almost certainly going to result in my unfortunate demise. The Ultimate Edition of Forza Motorsport 6 is now live for those that have indulged a little, and as you may have already seen in GTPlanet’s own review of the game, Forza Motorsport 6 is perhaps the best installment yet and the series can only improve from here as a result.

La Jiggy Jar Jar Doo – Dur Dur Dur Dee Dur! That is not unintelligible babble and we’ll revisit this later on, I guarantee it’ll be worth your time if you’re looking for a laugh. For now I want you to waddle about in absolute mystery wondering what those words could possibly mean; again, not unintelligible babble and I have not lost my mind.

What, no trucks this week? I need trucks! I’ve spent hours trying to think up an exciting way to best last week’s presentation, and as I’m writing this I’ve come to the realization that it just isn’t possible and there’s a very good reason for that, last week’s opening was so unexpected, even to me, that is was entirely an act of spontaneity. If you know anything about spontaneity than it should become apparent why I can’t will this week’s opening into a better place on my own admittedly selfish hierarchy chart because it just doesn’t work that way.

Now just hold on for one minute: a truck is the first thing you’re seeing this week, but why? Every once in a while it’s nice to shake things up in a completely unexpected manner because, and this is purely speculative as I’m assuming you’re scratching your noggin pretty intensely right now, it attracts attention in the most wonderful ways. That particular picture is from the critically-acclaimed, overwhelmingly positive reviewed, addictive-as-you-know-what Euro Truck Simulator 2 on PC.