- 37
- United States
Hey guys! TheSkyliner here, and I've been waiting a while to do something like this. So, here we go! This is the Pros and Cons of Gran Turismo 2 (1999)!
NOTE: My intentions are not to make the game seem less fun. I just want to express my opinion.
Pros:
I don't think Gran Turismo 2 is a bad game, not at all. Most of the cons are small things, anyway. Gran Turismo 2 is a big step forward from it's predecessor, in almost all of it's features. To make a racing Simulator this intense in just one year, though, seems a little out of this world.
Overall Rating: 9.2/10
Final Words:
If you see this game on eBay or any online retailer, pick it up, because it will provide lots of fun, game time, and replay value for generations to come.
NOTE: My intentions are not to make the game seem less fun. I just want to express my opinion.
Pros:
- The Heads-Up Display got a whole new look, with updated fonts, text, italics, which all get combined to make everything look better.
- The Pre-Race menu looks 5 times better than the original Gran Turismo's does, including new fonts, music, etc.
- Obviously, tons more cars were added, including new dealers, such as Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Citroen, Daihatsu, Fiat, Ford-Mercury, Jaguar, Lancia, Lister, Lotus, Mercedes-Benz, MG-Mini, Opel, Peugeot, Plymouth, Renault, RUF, Shelby, Suzuki, Vector, Venturi, and Volkswagen.
- Of course, no one can forget Rally racing, right? The new gamemode has been included in every game in the franchise, since. Basically, it's a gamemode that allows certain cars to be equipped with Dirt Racing Tires and race unpaved roads.
- Car Washes are somewhat cheaper, although it's kind of pointless to add.
- An all new Wheel Shop allows complete wheel customization from 9 popular real-world Wheel Distributors, including BBS, Falken, and Bridgestone.
- Some tracks, including High Speed Ring and Test Course, were extended (distance-wise) for more racing action.
- All tuning shops have a "For Professionals" section for about 50% of the Tuning Categories. This allows the Simulation feeling to be taken a big step forward, with features such as Yaw Control, Custom Limited-Slip, and Traction Control.
- New licenses added, including I-C, I-B, and Super (complete all license tests to unlock Super). To me, it's just a big pain in the neck, but it's a content bonus.
- Unlike it's predecessor, All Prize Cars have varying Values. In Gran Turismo, all prize cars were worth 12,000 Cr., be it a Demio or a Castrol Supra. In Gran Turismo 2, the car's value depends on it's statistics, as now values fit the car. Now, a Demio is worth a measly 7,000 Cr., but a Castrol Supra is worth a whopping 250,000 Cr., making Cash Cows more common, in-game.
- Removed Special Stage Route 11, which to me, was a real backbreaker.
- Drag Racing was removed at the final stages of development, which was sad, because it was one of the most anticipated features of Gran Turismo 2. Players are resorted to the 400m and 1000m Machine Tests as a Drag Strip. Even though Drag Racing was removed, the R33 Drag GT-R and 180SX remained attainable as Prize Cars.
- Polyphony made some Special Models less affordable, as in Gran Turismo, whereas all Specials were 500,000 Cr., some in Gran Turismo 2 go for as much as 2,000,000 Cr.
- Removed classic tracks, such as Autumn Ring Mini, and featured some classics less often, such as High Speed Ring, Grand Valley Speedway, etc.
- Made some cars, such as the RX-7 family, nearly impossible to maintain control over without spending thousands of Cr. in the Brakes, Suspension, Tire, and Drive train departments.
- Removed the entire Mitsubishi GTO family, and only replaced about 50% of it with the new "3000GT."
- Special Event Cups (aside from Drive train specific cups) have no way of monitoring the type of car entered in a race. For instance, I took my Silhouette Formula into the Muscle Car Cup, just for an easy win.
- Added Horsepower Regulations to almost all races in the game, making it impossible to have a favorite car, since all races require a different type of car. Also, each race requires a different car, some as low as 98hp and high as 670hp, making it so your garage selection from Gran Turismo (after you've weeded through) increase, tenfold.
- Made famous cars harder to obtain via Gold Licenses, meaning that cars like the FTO LM Edition (Gold I-A License) and GT-ONE '99 (Gold Super License) are nearly impossible to obtain.
- Programming includes numerous bugs (even after the return trip to the retailer), since the entire game was rushed to be available to kids on Christmas. Even though some bugs were removed after numerous filed complaints, some glitches and lag spikes still remain to date.
I don't think Gran Turismo 2 is a bad game, not at all. Most of the cons are small things, anyway. Gran Turismo 2 is a big step forward from it's predecessor, in almost all of it's features. To make a racing Simulator this intense in just one year, though, seems a little out of this world.
Overall Rating: 9.2/10
Final Words:
If you see this game on eBay or any online retailer, pick it up, because it will provide lots of fun, game time, and replay value for generations to come.
. GT2 has to be my favourite game (lol) in the franchise, I played the heck out of it when I was younger. I still play it occasionally, there were a lot of cars (and some tracks) that were sadly not carried over to the newer games.
