Gran Turismo 2

[Animan]

I got Gran Turismo 2 for the PS1 for a few bucks a few weeks ago. Everytime I try playing it, I feel turned off. It isn't the graphics or anything, it's the gameplay.

 

I feel like I should be addicted to it, and I absolutely love racing games (probably my favorite genre), but I just couldn't get into this one. All the reviews i've read (new and old) just praised it to no end. Am I doing something wrong? Do I just need to play it a little bit before I get into it, or what? I really want to like this game. It looks like so much fun.

[PsychedelicShaman]

If you can, I'd give Gran Turismo 1 a shot. It's a classic that I've overplayed, but I could never get into 2. For me, 1 and 3 were the best. 2 just had a LOT of cars, but it was lacking something else that I can't quite put my finger on.

 

Have you played any of the other gran turismos? Do you not like the "realistic" feel to it?

[Animan]

If you can, I'd give Gran Turismo 1 a shot. It's a classic that I've overplayed, but I could never get into 2. For me, 1 and 3 were the best. 2 just had a LOT of cars, but it was lacking something else that I can't quite put my finger on.

 

Have you played any of the other gran turismos? Do you not like the "realistic" feel to it?

 

I haven't played any of the other Gran Turismo games. It's not really the realistic aspect that bothers me (although I prefer arcade style racers). I'll see if I can hunt down a copy of Gran Turismo 1.

[Christophero Sly]

I for one think that GT2 is the best in the series. I found it completely addicting. I'm afraid I have to say that, yes, you're doing it wrong.

[SlowCoder]

If you can, I'd give Gran Turismo 1 a shot. It's a classic that I've overplayed, but I could never get into 2. For me, 1 and 3 were the best. 2 just had a LOT of cars, but it was lacking something else that I can't quite put my finger on.

What I was going to say. 1 was my favorite. Best car setup system of all the games.

[+wood_jl]

Just my opinion here - but GRAN TURISMO 2 SUCKS THE BIG ONE, but Gran Turismo [1] is totally awesome!

 

The gameplay on the 2nd one seems a little slower. They put this damn REV LIMITER function on there that sucks. One of the best things about the first game was jamming it down a couple of gears for a crazy-fast corner....I'm talking about playing with "manual" transmission here, of course. You could over-rev the engine (without consequences) on the deceleration, and exit the corner with the tachometer in the "zone of plenty" for a quick acceleration. I don't care if it's a tad less-realistic, it was an EXCELLENT gameplay mechanic, and it has never been duplicated.

 

I dare say that GT1 got the "manual" just about right. Many games, you don't have any advantage for taking one - it's just more "work" for the gamer to have to press the buttons to simulate shifting. But in GT1, there is DEFINITELY an advantage to taking a manual, and it should be since you're having to shift, and you can whoop up on the wuss who has to take automatic, either because they're not coordinated enough to play the game that way, or they're too inept to bang the gears in a real car.

 

With GT2, the STUPID, unrealistic rev limiter is an added "feature" where the tach does this unrealistic bouncing.....NEER....NEER....NEER....NEER..... up and down and you're sucking in the race. Really lame, and ruined the fun for me. It's also noticeably slower. Maybe GT1 is a bit unrealistic with all of that SPEED (around corners, RPM, etc) but it's sure a hell of a lot of fun. All I care about is that I'm able to have a good race and some good competition with my fellow player. No amount of "realism" is going to convince me that I'm NOT sitting on a couch looking at a TV. So bring on the fun, as long as it allows control that I can get good at, and GT1 definitely has that. I kept playing 1 until 3 came out. 3 (and 4) look better with PS2 graphics (of course) and thank God they made it more like the first game, and not like lame/buggy GT2.

 

Do yourself a favor and get one right now, and be prepared for a ridiculously fast, ridiculously fun game, on the cheap.

[SlowCoder]

Hint: Check out the used 3000GT in GT1. I loved that car. I was able to max it out at 930HP, and being 4WD, it had great handling.

[Cynicaster]

I loved both GT1 and GT2. I agree with wood_jl on the rewards of using the manual trans in GT1; that's the only GT game where I bothered to do so.

 

I've played 3 and 4, and they're OK I guess, but for some reason I just didn't get hooked like I did the first two rounds. And I wanted to get hooked.

 

Haven't played 5 yet.

 

One thing I loved about 2 was how you won all kinds of cars that you could sell and make quick money for upgrades. Some might say it was a bit too generous but I found it kept the game moving at a fun pace. On some of the other games I found it frustrating being stuck for far too long at the beginning with a POS clunker racing for 300 credits at a time--it's just not fun.

[Animan]

Would ya'll recommend getting one of the PS2 games, or just get GT1?

Edited June 13, 2011 by Animan

[Reaperman]

Would ya'll recommend getting one of the PS2 games, or just get GT1?

GT4 is one of the finer racing games that I've played. 1080i HD and force feedback. To me it's easily the best game in the series, and that most certainly includes the newer titles. It's one of the few modern racers that might be considered 'classic' enough to be worth playing after a decade or two.

 

As for other PS2 racing games in the genre, Enthusia is also worth its $5 price tag. It feels considerably more realistic than GT4, though there isn't as much game there, and it doesn't look half as pretty.

 

I never got into GT2 either. I guess I was into dreamcast when it was released, and I didn't even own a copy until about a year ago. I blame the clunky interface/map screen for me giving up. It's also hard for me to go back to those primative controls. There were some nice tracks that were only in GT2 though.

Edited June 13, 2011 by Reaperman

[flynnz]

Just wondering, do you like sim style racers in general? cause if not, I don't think any Gran Turismo game will be fun for you. If you DO like sim games and are just getting around to GT2 now, it might feel dated in it's feel. Something to try would simply put some more time into it. GT games in general take a while to get going cause you need to grind a bit before you can get the cars you want and get used to upgrading said cars. Other than that, I would say a newer version on ps2 might be a bit more easy to get into?

[Animan]

Just wondering, do you like sim style racers in general? cause if not, I don't think any Gran Turismo game will be fun for you. If you DO like sim games and are just getting around to GT2 now, it might feel dated in it's feel. Something to try would simply put some more time into it. GT games in general take a while to get going cause you need to grind a bit before you can get the cars you want and get used to upgrading said cars. Other than that, I would say a newer version on ps2 might be a bit more easy to get into?

 

I never really was a big sim racing fan, but that's because I simply never played many too begin with. It's not like I HATE then or anything, I just am trying a little different from my usual fix of Ridge Racer and Daytona USA. The realism doesn't bother me.

[Punisher5.0]

GT2 was my favorite one. It's even better played on Dreamcast. The only thing I didn't like about it is how the music loops. During an endurance race this gets old extremely fast.

 

GT3 just lacked something for me but I'm not sure what it was. That was the last game of the series I played.

[the.golden.ax]

The GT games are clearly good because they have songs with that chick from Garbage.

 

 

AX

[+remowilliams]

GT2 was my favorite one. [...] GT3 just lacked something for me but I'm not sure what it was.

 

Same here. I loved GT1 to death and GT2 blew my doors off, but 3...

[Animan]

Well, I gave it a little longer, and now I am a little hooked on GT2 now. And quite frankly, my arcade racing instincts are hard to give up. Yet, I'm still playing it.

[Reaperman]

The GT games are clearly good because they have songs with that chick from Garbage.

 

AX

Call me weird, but I hate 'mixtape' soundtracks. I don't stand for it in movies, and I sure don't like it in games. I only remember the Gran Turismo soundtracks for being 'especially awful.' I nearly didn't even *start* playing GT4, because Van Halen (Mr. leopard-printed spandex bulge) was featured in the intro after the traditional playing of 'Moon Over the Castle.'

 

Fun fact: Gran Turismo music often varies by region, and is frequently inserted at the last minute to cover the lastest Sony "artist" du jour--so it's entirely possible to import one that sounds better. Thankfully the last two in the series (PSP, GT5) have had options to play your own music.

 

I'm surprised GT5 doesn't have a soundtrack that's updated weekly by record executives.

Edited June 14, 2011 by Reaperman

[the.golden.ax]

The GT games are clearly good because they have songs with that chick from Garbage.

 

AX

Call me weird, but I hate 'mixtape' soundtracks. I don't stand for it in movies, and I sure don't like it in games. I only remember the Gran Turismo soundtracks for being 'especially awful.' I nearly didn't even *start* playing GT4, because Van Halen (Mr. leopard-printed spandex bulge) was featured in the intro after the traditional playing of 'Moon Over the Castle.'

 

Fun fact: Gran Turismo music often varies by region, and is frequently inserted at the last minute to cover the lastest Sony "artist" du jour--so it's entirely possible to import one that sounds better. Thankfully the last two in the series (PSP, GT5) have had options to play your own music.

 

I'm surprised GT5 doesn't have a soundtrack that's updated weekly by record executives.

 

 

I didn't say the game, or the songs were good. The game, and songs are good only by default because of this:

 

 

AX

[akator]

I think the sheer number of cars is why people freaked out over GT2 as much as they did. I agree with others that the first was the most fun.

 

Hint: Check out the used 3000GT in GT1. I loved that car. I was able to max it out at 930HP, and being 4WD, it had great handling.

 

I had a seriously maxed out Toyota MR2 that would do 212MPH. It wouldn't take corners well over 160, though

[Reaperman]

I think the sheer number of cars is why people freaked out over GT2 as much as they did. I agree with others that the first was the most fun.

In bite-size chunks GT1 might be okay, but it's bound to get old quick. 180 cars and 11 tracks, vs 650 cars, 27 tracks (including rally). If there were a person starting from fresh, having never played a GT game, and only had a PS1--GT2 is the way to go. There's obviously not such a person though...

 

Actually, saying that has really made me want to go back to GT2. Maybe I'll try out that bleemcast disc.

Edited June 14, 2011 by Reaperman

[Cynicaster]

The GT games are clearly good because they have songs with that chick from Garbage.

 

AX

Call me weird, but I hate 'mixtape' soundtracks. I don't stand for it in movies, and I sure don't like it in games. I only remember the Gran Turismo soundtracks for being 'especially awful.' I nearly didn't even *start* playing GT4, because Van Halen (Mr. leopard-printed spandex bulge) was featured in the intro after the traditional playing of 'Moon Over the Castle.'

 

Ha, I'm with you. I remember trying to get into the tunes on GT2, but that lasted for about half an hour before it started driving me insane and I had to turn the music off completely.

 

Personally, I'd rather take a dump in a portajon than listen to Staind, Disturbed, and the like so that might have something to do with it.

[+wood_jl]

Haven't played 5 yet.

I finally saw GT5 on a nice 1080 display, and it didn't have A THING on Forza 3. Even at 1080 it still looked a bit jagged. I'm not "rooting" for either game (GT or Forza) either, but I had really high expectations of GT5 and I am absolutely not impressed. Maybe if Forza hadn't been kicking ass for the past 3 games, I would have been.

[+wood_jl]

Would ya'll recommend getting one of the PS2 games, or just get GT1?

GT4 is one of the finer racing games that I've played. 1080i HD and force feedback. To me it's easily the best game in the series, and that most certainly includes the newer titles. It's one of the few modern racers that might be considered 'classic' enough to be worth playing after a decade or two.

I thought GT4 was "more of the same" of GT3, which is to say it's excellent! However, I believe the 1080i HD is only ONE track, and it's a damn night track. Why??? But I still love the game. When GT4 and Forza (1) were both popular, it was racing heaven for that generation.

[+wood_jl]

I think the sheer number of cars is why people freaked out over GT2 as much as they did. I agree with others that the first was the most fun.

 

I never understood the big deal with the infatuation with "how many cars" these games have. Who really cares? I mean, it's cool, but it has NOTHING to do with whether or not the game is fun. I suppose to casual players (sucky racing gamers) that's really important, and a measure of merit for a racing game. "Hey, I can find MY CAR in this game, that makes it rock!!!!" HA HA HA. I'm in a living room controlling pixels; I'm not in MY CAR no matter what. Just give me excellent control, speed, and competitive gameplay, and I don't care what the cars are called.

[HatefulGravey]

I played GT1 until my eyes bleed, when GT2 came out I simply had to have it. I played it until my PS1 stopped working. I killed 2 playstations playing that game come to think of it. GT1 had an appeal that GT2 was lacking (I'm not sure what it was) but the extra cars, tracks, and rally racing really made up for it and then some.

 

When GT3 came out they lost me, and they haven't gotten me back yet. I was really excited for GT5 and it was complete and total crap to me. I think they just haven't advanced much more then the look of the game in that last few releases.

 

Oh, and when I finally got sick of playing GT2 I found out about modding your cars with a gameshark and that gave the game a new life all together. I'm not sure if you can still find all that information, and there was a freaking ton of it, but that was fun. You could get cars moving so fast the game just freaked and everything went in reverse.

 

As a matter of fact, GT2 was the game that got me involved in gaming beyond my friends and family coming over to play. That was the first game that I got online and talked with a lot of people about. I can remeber taking pictures of my times for online time trail stuff like we do high score clubs here.