Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo series is highly regarded as one of the greatest racing series ever made. It seems with each new release in the series, the company manages to outdo itself, starting with the original Gran Turismo on the original PlayStation and leading up to last month’s release of the long-awaited Gran Turismo 5 for PlayStation 3. What is it that’s so appealing? Many players enjoy the sense of realism each release brings, as if you’re racing through the Tokyo circuits or the grueling (but awesome) Nurburgring event.
But, still, a few folks have posed a question — is this truly life-like driving? Has Polyphony Digital managed to pull off what it deems a “Real Driving Simulator”? There are many factors to consider, but, yes, Kazunori Yamauchi and his team at Polyphony have truly made it as real as it gets.
There are many factors to consider for this argument, and it all leads up to where Polyphony began, in 1997 with the original Gran Turismo. When Sony released this game, it was setting out to change the perspective of driving games, which previous games like Ridge Racer have done. Instead of going for simplistic arcade thrills, the development team wanted to make a simulation that challenged the player. That means compensating speed around turns to avoid spin-outs, making the vehicle’s velocity feel realistic (compared to the turbo boost-happy arcade racers) and physics that were based on proper tuning. With these games, Polyphony made a big deal out of the physics, making each car feel as authentic as possible when it came to justifiable physics on handling and acceleration. Later chapters in the series would introduce modifications, including an anti-braking system and other driving aids to help players adjust.
While feel was important for the racing series, Polyphony also wanted to put a great deal of focus into the game’s presentation. After all, if it didn’t look the part, who would be interested in playing it at all? Now, considering the PlayStation’s somewhat aged hardware, Polyphony did a solid job with the car models, with many to choose from in the original release. As for the speed and detail in the racing itself, it was excellent for programming standards at the time. Polyphony would improve upon it two years later with the release of Gran Turismo 2 for the PlayStation, and, despite a brief controversy surrounding the game’s completion (it originally shipped as 98 percent done), many felt it was still a far better driving experience than most other games released at the time.
However, Polyphony Digital really vaulted forward when it came to Sony’s next piece of hardware, the PlayStation 2. In 2001, a year into the next gen system’s life cycle, the company released Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, the best selling entry in the series to date. With this new game, the developers showed an enhanced visual engine that made the driving look more realistic than ever. Car models were much more impressive than the ones featured in the 32-bit GT’s, and a new menu set-up made race selections and vehicle modifications better than ever. Players could race in a number of worldwide circuit events in a matter of minutes — a feat that’s impossible in the real world (unless, of course, you’re The Flash and have your driver’s license).
But it’s with Gran Turismo 3 that a supporting third party company, Logitech, intensified the feel of racing with the debut of its GT Force steering wheel. Using this specially built steering wheel and foot petals, players could get into the racing action far better than with using a standard DualShock 2 controller, using their feet for braking and acceleration, just like a real car. The steering was almost pinpoint with the wheel, as you had to handle it carefully, especially around turns. Go into a drift for too long or take a turn too tightly, and you ran the risk of spinning the car around — a danger that’s still evident in a number of today’s races. (So there’s no need to wonder why racers take their time around turns — it’s to stay on the track.) Over the years, Logitech would improve its steering peripherals, including the GT Force Pro (released in conjunction with the 2005 release Gran Turismo 4) and Driving Force GT. That last one, which works with both PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, is the most highly effective, as it features full force feedback. This is vital to feeling like you’re behind the wheel of a real car. Despite its constant need to reset at start-up (where it spins counter-clockwise and clockwise), it’s amazing how it reacts when you’re going into turns, as you’ll feel the bumps along the road through wheel vibrations and your car physically fighting to stay on the road during a drift. It adds a new degree of realism to the experience, making it feel that much more real.
Still, if Polyphony didn’t keep up on the game’s presentation on the PlayStation 3, feel may not be enough. After all, the game has to look the part, too, right? After the release of GT4 on the PS2, the developer moved on to PlayStation 3, releasing a brief tech demo in 2006 with Gran Turismo HD, and eventually leading up to the arrival of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in 2007. It’s here that Polyphony really dug in deep with its most visually stunning car models to date, as it actually looked like you were taking these cars off of the show floor and going for a spin. Not only did the vehicles look the part, but the tracks, too, ranging from the Suzuka Circuit to the Daytona International Speedway. Not all of us have visited those in real life, but Prologue made us feel like we were there, burning rubber on these tracks.
And this year, with the long-awaited release of Gran Turismo 5, we’re happy to say that Polyphony has once again nailed down the simulation side of things. The tracks, ranging from Rome (complete with an appearance by the Colosseum) to Germany (the aforementioned Nurburgring), look absolutely vivid in their realism, and the feel of the cars, especially with the Driving Force GT, is second to none. You can still tweak aspects of your car, or turn on driving assistance in certain departments if you feel like you still need to get the hang of things.
So, in a nutshell, yes, Gran Turismo is that realistic. It’s taken a little time for Polyphony to catch up with the released technology (Gran Turismo 5 arrived four years after its initial announcement), but it’s always managed to make the game feel as if you’re behind the wheel. And to simulation fans, that means the world.
