Which GT is really the best?

[Parnelli Bone]

I had an idea to prove that no Gran Turismo is superior to any other. Rather than add to the other existing thread and have this info get lost on page 6 out of 20 someday (Is GT2 really the best?) I decided to compare the first 3 games side by side (GT4 will have to wait...I don't have it yet.)

1. MENU MUSIC. This can't be judged really. All 3 games have kick-ass music and sucky music, but this is totally based on opinion. I personally love the 1st game's menu music. It gets me psyched up WHILE I'M SHOPPING FOR MY CAR. In comparison, the music in GT2 and 3 doesn't do anything for me. But this is clearly mine (and anyone's) opinion. Some others may disagree. The best feature in GT3 is you can shut the music and menu sound-effects off if you want to. I always do this because those noises are annoying as hell.

Verdict: no clear winner.
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2. INTRO MOVIE. Again, this is clearly opinion. The first game has the Chemical Brothers remake in it which to this day makes me excited to race! The 2nd game's music (NTSC version) has the Cardigans. The tune kinda bums me out a little but the movie CLIPS are awesome. Here we see some old-time footage mixed in with the usual GT-game movie. GT3? I'm not a fan of Lenny Kravitz but others may like him. The movie's graphix are of course the best.

````So the first game has my favorite tune, the 2nd has my favorite footage, and the 3rd has those stunning graphix which don't differ much from the actual in-game replays.

Verdict: No clear winner.
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3. MENU HOPPING. GT2 is the worst. There are so many places to go spread all over the map and each menu change seems to take a couple seconds to load. This doesn't sound like much till you're buying a car, buying parts for it....and going to race but realize you have TOO MUCH POWER. Ugh. Now you gotta go to Machine Tests. Almost 20 minutes have passed since you bought your car...

GT3 is the fastest and slickest, but believe it or not, GT1 isn't much slower. It just isn't as cool (no fading menus, for instance). Both these games are efficient to hop around once you know where you're going.

So GT3 and GT1 here are tied...only because GT3 has better technology.
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4. CAR TUNING:

GT1 is the winner here. Why? because you can tune ANYWHERE you want. In your garage? At the Test Track? At a race? Yes yes yes. In GT3, you cannot tune in your garage, tho you can tune anyplace else. This is true with GT2 also, but the slowness of menus and horsepower limits make tuning awkward.

Verdict: GT1 wins
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5. POWER GRAPHS:

In GT1 and GT2, tuning your car's power with various parts is visibly rewarding because you can see torque and horsepower plotted on a nifty graph complete with RPM's included. GT1's version is a little less crude but it's also harder to read since some of the numbers get squashed in the graph margins. In GT3, they mysteriously got rid of this awesome tool. Why? Beats me...I figured in GT3 they would up the ante here. Maybe put a strobe lite on there or soemthing. Also once you're at a race track (GT3), you can know how much power you've got but torque is not included anymore. WTF?

Verdict: GT1 & 2 tie.
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6. GEARING GRAPHS

GT1 has the best, most detailed chart for tuning your gears which includes theoretical speeds along with rpms and other mind-boggling info. Most folks don't know how to use this device, but that's what makes it awesome. It's a tool for real gearheads who actually understand cars, power-curves, and getting the most out of your gear combos. GT2 got rid of this altogether and tried to help novice players with the Auto Gear thingie. They tried to bring gear charts back in GT3 but they don't include enough info...not like the GT1 version.

Verdict: GT1 wins.
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7. LOAD & SAVE

In GT1, you can perform both of these in your garage, and you can save at various areas of the game. GT2 sucks here. You can only load in the Start Menu, and in order to save, you have to wait till you finish a race. It is easy to rush past this option, move on to another race in which you do miserably, and then (if you don't want your Win Average ruined) you either have to recreate that first win or start all over. GT3 you can only save in your garage...to load you have to go to the Start Menu, but this doesn't take all that long; it's just not as convenient as GT1. The best thing about GT3 is...you can save right in the middle of a race series. Very nifty. If your'e in Race 8 of 10 and late for an appointment, you don't have to finish those last 2 races.

Verdict: GT1 & 3 have different features here that sorta make a tie.
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8. CAR SELECTION

GT2 is the clear winner here. Not only are there several HUNDRED cars, but many of them are oddballs not featured in other games (I'm sure this goes for GT4 as well). Many of the oddballs (including the Fiat 500, for instance) had their niche in racing history which many kids nowadays have little knowledge of. Some of the vehicles in GT2 are useless but you can make a star out most of them if you're skillful. There is something for everyone: newbs and veterans have plenty of picks.

GT3 had to make too many compromises and too many cuts; everyone was disappointed here in some way (come on...admit it). GT1 is the worst unless you don't mind racing Japanese a lot. Lots of people think GT1 is the best but it really does lack so far as worldwide variety is concerned.

Verdict: GT2
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9. RACING GAUGES

GT3 wins here with a somewhat unfair advantage since PS1 games can only do so much and don't have the superior graphics. Here we have TWO speedos: an analog dial and a digital. The dial really comes in handy when you're trying to enter a corner and need to know how fast your'e going. You can see where the needle is out of the corner of your eye just like real-life racers do. In GT1 & 2, you have to take your eyes off the road for a split second to read your speed unless you guess or are good at listening to your revs.

All 3 games have tachometers and they vary from one another which is odd. (Buy a Viper in GT1, GT2, and GT3. All 3 cars will have a different redline!). The odometer is a nice touch in GT3, too. Your power may vary with mileage.

Verdict: GT3
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10. ENGINE / EXHAUST NOISE

Again GT3 wins with better technology. Not only does your NSX have a distinct sound from your TVR, but all of the AI cars have variable exhaust & engine notes. That rocks. In GT1 and 2, of course the AI all has generic sound. GT2 is the worst: there is NO WAY they sampled as many cars as they claim they did. You can hear the same V8 sample in many different cars. There are several mistakes here. One of the muscle cars for instance has a Truenoish sample mixed in when you buy a semi-racing exhaust.

Verdict: GT3 wins, GT2 is worst.

 

[HACKr]

^^and what?

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Sorry HACKr, my line got cut off. Here's more

11. LICENSE TESTING

This is somewhat based on opinion, but in some ways, GT3 is clearly the winner. If you need to see a demo, it's right there. If you're in the middle of your test and know you're not getting the Gold, you don't have to wait thru any menu changes...just hit "Restart". GT2 is a bit less user-friendly here. The demos take longer to load and the Restart can only be achieved thru a series of button-mashes, and believe me, when you've done the same test several hundred times, you WILL be mashing some buttons in frustration. But at least they included the accel/brake meter with the demo so you know just when to brake and hit gasoline.

GT1 is the most inconvenient. To watch a demo, you have to EXIT the entire license area, go to the start menu, and then enter the Replay area. By the time you're back at your damn test, precious visual info can be lost from your brain. That's half the reason I never got my gold A & IA trophies.

Verdict: GT3 wins.
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12. TIRE WEAR

PD included this bit of realism during enduros. You can qualify with soft tires, but if you try racing with them....good luck. Hard tires are needed to go the distance. In GT2, they goofed here big time. It doesn't matter which tires you use...super softs will go just as far as hard tires (go ahead and try if you don't believe me). In GT3, realistic tire wear is back and is included in 5-lap sprints which makes the game just a bit more challenging. There are many different grades of tires. Some work well with lighter cars, and others will work with heavier ones. They really did their homework here.

GT3 wins with an edge with detail. GT1 only has less selection and less races in which tire wear works, but at least it DOES work.
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13. GRAPHIX

Since GT3 is based on an entirely different console, you really can't put it side by side with the first 2 games. OF COURSE IT HAS BETTER GRAPHICS!! That's a no-brainer. When comparing the first 2 games, some people think GT1 is better, some think GT2. Some notice no difference between the 2 games. GT2 has slightly more details and they improved the night tracks a bit, but pop-up buildings, hills, and sketchy backgrounds make it a joke at times. It is difficult to navigate turns sometimes because literally they cannot be seen till you're just about to enter them. To me, GT1 is better here but too many people disagree on this topic and I'm not gonna ignore them.

Verdict: GT3 wins unfairly thru technology. No clear verdict amongst GT1 & 2.
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14. CAR DEALER INFO

GT1 & 2 are better than GT3 unless you need glasses to read the small text in the first 2 games. The "rolling text" in GT3 is totally annoying. Why can't they just have a stationary page full of text like they do in the 1st 2 games? Sure there are some misspelled words, grammatical errors, and occasionally incorrect info (and some of the cars in GT2 don't even have info included to describe them) but the info is easier to read. If you miss something in GT3, you have to wait several minutes for it to re-appear.

Verdict: GT1 & 2 win unless you are nearsighted.
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15. TRACKS (non-rally)

Each game features tracks not found in the others. GT1 has all the classics, some of which were included in all the later games they were so good (Deep Forest and Trial Mountain come to mind).

GT2 has almost all the GT1 tracks but includes Seattle, Grindelwald, Red Rock Speedway, Rome, Rome Nite, Laguna Seca, Midfield, Apricot Hill etc. They dropped Route 11 and reversed tracks are not included in normal racing unless you do the Event Generator or a Manufacturer's race.

In GT3, a sanitized version of Route 11 is back but they dropped some really COOL tracks (no High Speed Ring, Red Rock Speedway, no Rome Nite). But Cote d'Azur is a real-life track and fits right in with its complexity. All the old tracks that were included got an awesome makeover, and navigating around them is visually better most of the time. The overall sound-effects (crowd noises included along with more tire squeal and wind noise) are included of course. Reversed tracks are back BUT

...at times GT3 just doesn't feel as exciting. Less bumps in the road. You can no longer take that last chicane at Trial Mountain on a funny angle and catch air without landing totally sideways. The Test Track has the feel of a REAL test track, but doesn't feel as dangerous as the GT1 & 2 Test Track.

Verdict: track selection in all 3 games has its ups and downs. No clear winner. GT3 is best overall with the actual visuals & noise but this is due to PS2 console.
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16. QUALIFYING

To me, one of the main differences between Arcade and Simulation racing (other than money) is qualifying. Here, GT1 has the edge. In real-life, qualifying is an intense experience and GT1 totally captured this feel with their Start Qualify option. You get one lap (and one lap only) to prove yourself. If you fail to get Pole? Tough. Sorry Charlie, better luck next time. It gives the game a professional feel once you get good at qualifying.

Oddly, they totally dropped this in GT2 even though it's mentioned in the game manual. I realize many folks don't give a flying **** but GT2 is simply lacking here. Would you say to Michael Schumacher guess what buddy, you get to start in last place every time?

Qualifying is back in GT3 but it's bogus. You get to do as many laps as you please till you hit that golden time (if you choose) but the entire time you're on the track with other cars. This means the AI can screw you up (all the sudden you're late-braking into a turn only to find an Audi TT ahead of you taking its time BAM!!), and you can screw the AI up if you ram them. But at least you get a feel for how fast your car is amongst others.

Verdict: GT1.
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16. PRE-RACE INFO

In real-life, racing teams, marshals, and pit crew bosses know each other's specs like lawyers can study each other's cases before a trial. This is done so nobody gets a wildly unfair advantage over another. In F1 and NASCAR, every last bolt and even such mundane spex such as tire tread depth are accounted for. This would be too tedious in our game, obviously, but at least some info would help...

Here, GT1 excells. It has the most info since before each race, you get to study the AI....you know exactly how much they weigh and how much power they have. For those looking for an even challenge, this is important because you can set your car up with similar figures if you want to. You'll notice that the weight of your car in the garage will usually be higher than it will on the track; presumably because you're not using a full tank of gas during races.

GT2? There is NO pre-game info. Will the GT40 be in this race or will it not? Hey start the race and find out! If you're under-qualified...tough. Start your game over. In GT3 they included which cars you're up against, but their power & weight is a guess. At least you can get a feel for how you'll do during your qualifying run.

Verdict: GT1
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17. CAR WASH

Many think this is trivial, but the truth is (in real life) a high performance car will have a slightly higher top speed if its body & undersides are clean. In GT, cars don't truly get dirty..instead they lose their pre-programmed shine. I'm not sure in GT3 if a clean car goes faster than an unpolished one, but in GT1 & 2 it makes no difference.

Here, GT2 is the loser because the Car Wash has almost no effect on a car's shine since the cars never LOSE their shine! GT1 & 3 are tied in this respect....your car can wind up looking like a primered project if you neglect to spend the 50 credits, which is kinda cool, even if it's not the most important feature of Gran Turismo.

Verdict: GT1 & 3 tied
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18. HYBRIDS

I'm going by quantity here. GT2 is the easiest game to create hybrids and offers the most variety since every piece of a car can be mixed and matched with bits from other cars. Want to give your Daihatsu Midget a 7-speed tranny and drop a Viper engine in it? Sure, it can be done. I'm not so knowledgeable here about whether GT1 offers an advantage over GT3 or not (HYBRIDLVR can help) but GT2 is clearly the winner.

Verdict: GT2
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19. HIDDEN CARS

Again, GT2. Polyphony Digital had so many issues getting proper license agreements with various car manufacturers that they would create cars, then not be able to include them publicly in the game; hence, there are a slew of hidden cars. There are some hidden cars in GT1 & 3, but from what I've heard, GT2 offers the most. In fact, there are so many hidden cars, nobody can agree on the exact number of how many there actually are!

Verdict: GT2
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20. CHASE VIEW

In GT1 & 2, you have 3 options: in-car view, Chase 1 (you get to drive your car while watching its back side) and Chase 2 (a smaller version of Chase 1). GT3 loses here because you only get 2 options: in-car view and chase view. The chase view works sometimes, but if your vehicle is large & tall like a PT Cruiser or a Demio, you literally CANNOT SEE WHERE YOU'RE GOING. You cannot see if a car is in front of you. You cannot see the ideal place to apex your turn.

This helped make the final decision I had been neglecting in the first 2 games (the switch from Chase to In-Car) but for those who want the smaller chase view, it's gone.

Verdict: GT1 & 2 tied

 

[sucahyo]

Nice 👍 .
How about adding realism and driver aids too ?

 

[Appie]

good report man, i loved it:tup:

 

[Parnelli Bone]

good report man, i loved it:tup:

...just telling it like it is.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Nice 👍 .
How about adding realism and driver aids too ?

What do you mean by driver aids?

 

[sucahyo]

how ASCC and TSCC help driver
or maybe something like GT4 "you need to brake and shift to this gear on the next turn" indicator

 

[Parnelli Bone]

how ASCC and TSCC help driver
or maybe something like GT4 "you need to brake and shift to this gear on the next turn" indicator

Oh yeah, that's coming, Sucahyo. I had so many ideas last nite I felt like the Dan Brown of GT! Verbal diarrhea.
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21. CUSTOMIZATION

By this, I am talking about the ability to visually change the appearance of a car. Both GT2 & 3 have the wheel shop, and GT1 has racing mods, but only in GT2 can you perform BOTH racing mods and change your wheels. The only thing that sux about GT2 is, once you've bought a set of wheels, your stock rims are gone, and if you want something different, you can buy them but then your other custom wheels have vanished! But still, Gt2 wins because of all those R mods.

To this day, I am occasionally surprised by a racing scheme I've never seen in GT2.

Verdict: GT2
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22. STABILITY & TRACTION CONTROLS

Those of us who are pros tend to shun these devices, but I'll keep an open mind and ask: which game features the best?

In GT1 there are none. And guess what? This is the only GT game in which a car can wind up on 2 wheels thru normal cornering. Personally, I wish cars in later games could lift tires as often as they do in GT1...it's yet another bit of realism they chose to eschew. To correct this syndrome, all you'll need is a set of stabilizers, which can be bought separately from normal suspension parts (and for a cheap price, too).

GT2 introduced the limited-slip parts, ASC, and TCS. Again, the pros will never bother buying anything except a full-custom LSD. Stability / traction controls cost....$50,000 APIECE!!! Do they work? This is debatable, but generally they barely make a difference in your driving experience, even in highly-powered vehicles. A ...waste..of. ...money. A handful of Mitsubishis can accept the Yaw controller. In my experience, I've found it doesn't do much....a full-custom LSD is still the best way to go.

GT3 has all these parts too, but (oddly) the traction and stability controls are now FREE. Any car you buy or win has them and they WORK. They will interfere with your driving, which is annoying but also realistic. Fortunately, you can still turn them off. In addition, some 4WD cars in GT3 have variable differentials. Very cool.

Verdict: GT3
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22. EARNING CREDITS THE EASY WAY

GT2 excels here. If you want to make some quick cash fast, it's the GT All Stars race at Red Rock Speedway, but truthfully there are many races that award you hundreds of thousands of credits in just a few minutes.
It doesn't take more than a couple hours (if you're good) to start really earning some bucks in GT2.

GT1 is strict. Prize cars (even the ones you win from license testing) can only be sold for 12,000 cr at the most. It doesn't matter if you've got a Demio or a Dodge Copperhead, they both sell the same.

GT3 is also tough. True, you can eventually start making serious money thru the sale of prize cars, but you won't be doing so in the Beginner's League. The Amateurs randomly give you such cars as the Camaro Race Car, but overall money is pretty skimpy early on and dicey later on. My point is, if you start a new GT3 game and don't ace the licenses, you won't be making any serious cash anytime soon.

Verdict: GT2...personally I don't prefer easy wins or money. But thousands of racers do.
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23.

 

[Cosmic]

I agree on some of them..but I think that GT2 is the best.
I don't care about the graphics, it has great selction of cars and tuning ([R]Modification <3 ).

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

The best part of GT3 was the ability to make Hybrids. Those that have made hybrids know what I am talking about.
Whoa I just noticed your avatar!!! Thats the same car as my girlfriend has. EXACT SAME CAR! 67 Mustang coupe!
Parnelli you have a PM!

 

[Parnelli Bone]

The best part of GT3 was the ability to make Hybrids. Those that have made hybrids know what I am talking about.
Whoa I just noticed your avatar!!! Thats the same car as my girlfriend has. EXACT SAME CAR! 67 Mustang coupe!
Parnelli you have a PM!

Yes that WAS my car 15 years ago I wish I still had it. I remember everything about that '67...the way the steering felt like a motorboat till you got above 40 mph, the way the gearshift sat in my palm. 289 2-barrel was the 2nd weakest V8 for that year (the entry model had a 260) but DAMN THAT CAR COULD STOMP. If i had it today it would be worth over 10 grand easy, even without the original paint & mods. I bought it for just $1200! The paint job cost more than the car.

About the hybrids: I was under the impression that GT2 hybrids were the easiest to create; I read somewhere that in GT3 you can't do anything you want with a slew of simple codes? I'm not an expert on them, though.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Yes that WAS my car 15 years ago I wish i still had it. I remember everything about that '67...the way the steering felt like a motorboat till you got above 40 mph, the way the gearshift sat in my palm. 289 2-barrel was the 2nd weakest V8 for that year (the entry model had a 260) but DAMN THAT CAR COULD STOMP. If i had it today it would be worth over 10 grand easy, even without the original paint & mods. I bought it for just $1200! The paint job cost more than the car.

About the hybrids: i was under the impression that GT2 hybrids were the easiest to create; i read somewhere that in gT3 you can't do anything you want with a slew of simple codes? I'm not an expert on them, though.

Thats a shame you dont have your car any more. Your right that car would have easily been worth close to 10k. We wanted a fastback but couldnt afford one so we have a coupe instead. We plan on racing Heathers Mustang on a road course June 30th (her birthday) Here is the thread I made for her car and the track day. https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=80346 I try to update it on occasion. If you have any more pics of your car please PM me with them.

The hybrids in GT3 were the easiest to do. If you have a sharkport and MK'S program thats all you need to make just about anything. Brilliant system MK made. You just click on any part you want to replace like suspension, body color, tires, just about anything then you choose from a list of any other car part to replace it with. Mini cooper with 787b frame or engine--no problem.

 

[TMM]

About the hybrids: i was under the impression that GT2 hybrids were the easiest to create; i read somewhere that in gT3 you can't do anything you want with a slew of simple codes? I'm not an expert on them, though.

GT2 is the easiest for Hybrids although in GT3 you can use MK's program in order to swap parts.

 

[Cosmic]

I'm going to make my ''list'' short...
note : Since I don't have GT1 I'm going to only compare GT2 GT3 & GT4
Before I start, remember, this is my opinion.


&#8226; INTRO Movie ;
GT2 - I was amazed first when I saw it. I just couldn't wait to play the game.
GT3 - The intro movie was OK, nothing special.
GT4 - New game, new intro. I tought it was a great one. Le Mans cars on the Ring' and Le Sarthe. Had the same impression on me like GT2's intro did.

Verdict : Tied between GT2 and GT4.

&#8226; CUSTOMIZATION ;
Racing customization, do I have to say more?
Yet, even today, when I play GT2, I discover new cars that you can buy the [R]-modifications to.

Verdict : GT2

&#8226; GRAPHICS ;
2 different consoles. GT4 is a clear winner here.

Verdict : GT4.

&#8226; CAR SELECTION ;
GT2 - Great and wide selection of cars. I really love the 4 door Skylines and the 'Kei' cars.
GT3 - It wasn't that bad. It was like GT1 but on PS2.
GT4 - I think GT4 wins here. Even tought there might be a lots of Skylines, Evos there is still plenty of other more intresting cars in the game, especially the old cars. It also has Australian cars in it which surprised me...👍

Verdict : GT4.

&#8226; MENU MUSIC ;
GT2 - Gets old really fast, but better then nothing.
GT3 - It's ok, way better then GT2's.
GT4 - Bl&#228;&#228;&#228;&#228;&#228;! Can it be more gay?

Verdict : GT3.

&#8226; TRACKS (including rally tracks);
GT2 - Red rock Valley, Grindelwald, Pikes Peak, Smokey Mountain...memories!
GT3 - Well, this was a dissapointment for me but since they included Cote'd Azur (Monaco) I'll give them credits for that!
GT4 - Again, it's like GT2. The Ring', Le Sarthe, El Captain, Tsukuba, Motegi and Suzuka. Rally tracks are the most boring part of the game. I won't leave a comment on that.

Verdict : Tied between GT2 and GT4 but GT4 wins beacuse of the those tracks mentioned above even tought GT2 some of my favorite tracks.

&#8226; LOAD & SAVE ;
Okey, wich one loads and saves faster? GT2, really really slow, can take up to 30 secs, oh god...
GT3 is sooo fast but nothing compared to GT4. It takes like 2-3 seconds.
Just amazing. Never seen such fast load/save times. But still, 2 different consoles.

Verdict : GT4.

&#8226; MENU HOPPING ;
GT2's might be a bit frustrating sometimes but not frustrating GT4's.
I hate to buy part for my cars in GT4, takes such a long time...
GT3, everything goes so fast, couldn't be better. I love it. It's just so...simple and well organised (can I say that?).

Verdict : GT3.

&#8226; ENGINE / EXHAUST NOISE ;
The downside of GT2. Almost all modified cars sounds the same. Just WTF.
GT3, can't really remember, I think it was fine...
PD did a great job on GT4's exhaust noise, specially when you mod your cars. It sounds almsot different from car to car 👍 But the engine noise, makes me cry...

Verdict : GT4, I think.


Overall : It's hard to compare two different console generations and two different GT generations. Since the PS2 has more power, GT4 wins. But that doesn't make it better becuase of the graphics, load/save times or because of the Ring' and other famous tracks. In gameplay, GT2 wins. It's hard to explain, but I enjoy GT2 way more then any GT game.
GT4's GT Mode isn't good as GT2's. I hate the long and boring races while GT2 has short and fun races/endurance races.
Long live GT! 👍

There is no best GT...but IMO, GT2 takes the cake.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Oooh GT4 spoilers!!! can't read....must

ah...that's bettah!

Sorry, i'm trying not to read GT4 stuff. I must be the last guy in this forum who owns a PS2 and not GT4!

 

[coldfireTRR]

GT4 for car selection... ie lots of muscle cars.
GT2 for graphics
GT1 for building "good" realistic hybrids.

 

[dylansan]

I don't know...
i thought GT2 had mre muscle cars, like all those mustangs and corvettes.
GT4 for graphics for me, especially with the addition of photomode.
I only know how to do hybrids in GT3, seeing as I just got my sharkport recently.

I honestly don't even have GT1, so I don't know, but here is the order I put the three GT games I have:

1st GT4: come on, you have to admit, over 700 cars is a lot of work for PD, and the photomode feature is so addicting

2nd GT2: the graphics were very good for it's time, and it had a lot of cars. Plus, I loved the racing modification as well.

3rd GT3: OK, PD had very little creativity in this game. I think they were too caught up with graphics to be concerned with much else.

Again, I don't have GT1, but I think it would do well seeing as it was so great for it's time.

 

[GM]

gt4 is best at nearly everything and the stuff it isnt best at gt3 is

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I don't know...
i thought GT2 had mre muscle cars, like all those mustangs and corvettes.
GT4 for graphics for me, especially with the addition of photomode.
I only know how to do hybrids in GT3, seeing as I just got my sharkport recently.

I honestly don't even have GT1, so I don't know, but here is the order I put the three GT games I have:

1st GT4: come on, you have to admit, over 700 cars is a lot of work for PD, and the photomode feature is so addicting

2nd GT2: the graphics were very good for it's time, and it had a lot of cars. Plus, I loved the racing modification as well.

3rd GT3: OK, PD had very little creativity in this game. I think they were too caught up with graphics to be concerned with much else.

Again, I don't have GT1, but I think it would do well seeing as it was so great for it's time.

See but these are your opinions. What I did in this thread was compare the first 3 games side by side. When you do this, you can physically see that they developed certain things then left them out in later games (where you would expect better things). When you have an open mind, it's a lot harder to say this one is the best.

 

[sucahyo]

10. ENGINE / EXHAUST NOISE

Again gT3 wins with better technology. Not only does your NSX have a distinct sound from your TVR, but all of the AI cars have variable exhaust & engine notes. That rocks. In gT1 and 2, of course the Ai all has generic sound. GT2 is the wost: there is NO WAY they sampled as many cars as they claim they did. You can hear the same V8 sample in many different cars. There are several mistakes here. One of the muscle cars for instance has a Truenoish sample mixed in when you buy a semi-racing exhaust.

Verdict: GT3 wins, gT2 is worst.

An addition for this.

GT2 has a very wide range of engine noise. While fitting any muffler modification will standarize the engine noise, stock muffler make the difference of engine noise of many different car noticable. Car variant have different engine noise. GTS-t will sound different than GT-R version, sound different than GTS25, etc. In GT2 we should only use stock muffler if we don't want to be bored listened to the same engine noise.

GT4 have almost the same revving sound in high rpm range, this make hearing the car engine noise boring. I turn my volumes all the way down when playing GT4.

too bad PD do not include option for separate volume control for engine noise, effect noise or tire noise.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Yeah I've noticed this, too. Sometimes I'll leave a stock exhaust on a car because it sounds so much better than the aftermarket parts. But even so, there are still too many copycat soundbytes for comfort. I gave the V8 as an example but there are others that sound the same from car to car.

It would make sense that Skylines have more variety...they are Japanese after all, and it wouldn't take as much effort to get different bytes from a variety of Skylines than it would to collect bytes from a group of incredibly rare muscle cars which would probably be scattered over portions of America.

 

[sucahyo]

I'ts still awesome though, seeing that the RT/10 has different engine noise than GTS, Mercury cougar has different sound than cougar 2.5 and different corvette has different engine noise. Even all three Alpha Rome 166 have different engine noise 👍.

155 2.0, 156 2.0 and 166 2.0 sound the same, 156 2.5 and 166 2.5 sound the same too.

 

[rsmithdrift]

Alright.....I have all 4......So here's my review of the games copying and adding too the origional posters formatt.

1a. Menu Music.......All suck, no winner. GT4 is the worst by far.
1b. Game Music
-GT1 has some catchy tunes, but nothing special
-GT2 has a star studed collection that I catch myself singing at work or when not playing the game frequently. I actually want a cd of just the music from GT2
-GT3 has alot of good tracks that are catchy, and some not so much, but nothing really special
-GT4 Has a couple of very good songs on it, and some very bad songs, mostly just blends in with the atmosphere though
*1st - GT2 by far; t-2nd - GT4, GT3; 4th - GT1

2. Intro Movie
-GT1 has a very well played collection of clips and music
-GT2 has a good song and some good clips, but they go by way too fast and it isn't very well put together IMO.
-GT3 has a annoying song that some will like and some will hate put to some well timed clips, but nothing really special here.
-GT4 has a very artistic and extremely well put together intro movie. I actually had to show it off to all my friends it was so good.
*1st - GT4 takes it; 2nd - GT1; t-3rd - GT2, GT3

3. Menu Hopping
-GT1 is quick and easy, albiet a little lack luster and can get confusing at times.
-GT2 is very large, and though it's organized...it's obnoxious
-GT3 is also quick and easy, and polished a bit more
-GT4 is very orderly, creative, simple, and looks better, however installing parts takes WAY too long.
*1st - GT3; 2nd - GT1; t-3rd - GT2, GT4

4. Car tuning......all the same lol

5. Power Graphs
GT1 and GT2 have them......GT3 and GT4 lost most of there use of them.
*t-1st - GT1, GT2; t-3rd - GT3, GT4

6. Gear charts........Irrelevant. GT2 just doesn't have them.

7. Load & Save
-GT1 has decent times and usable points for it
-GT2 is kinda odd and takes forever
-GT3 is quick and very well used
-GT4 same as GT3
*t-1st - GT3, GT4; 3rd - GT1; 4th - GT2

8. Car Selection
-GT1 has a good selection, but the smallest.
-GT2 has a huge selection and lots of good cars. too many duplicates and too many useless cars though
-GT3 has a good but limited selection of cars...lot's of good cars omitted.
-GT4 has the largest selection and the most usless cars. Lot's of very good cars too, though.
* 1st - GT4; 2nd - GT2; t-3rd - GT1, GT3

9. Guages
-GT1 has horrid looking guages but they work
-GT2 is same as GT1
-GT3 has a good layout with the digi + analog.
-GT4 has the most options and that's a good thing, along with gas/brake and g-force meters
*1st - GT4; 2nd - GT3; t-3rd - GT1, GT2

10. Engine/Exaust Note
-GT1 generic AI engine note, not much variety in player car sounds
-GT2 same as above but with a few more sounds added in and a few more glitches
-GT3 AI cars have correct sound and player cars all sound somwhat different
-GT4 Same as above, but too many cars sound the same and have too much whine
*1st - GT3; 2nd - GT4; 3rd - GT2; 4th - GT1

11. License Testing........all kinda the same......except that GT1 and GT2 can be more of a hastle.

12. Tire Wear/Damage
-GT1 has a good tire wear model for the enduro's only
-GT2 has a glitched tire wear model so soft and hard wore at equal rate, but atleast it was used more and GT2 is the only one to include suspension damage tod date....too bad it's only in arcade mode and only on the player car though
-GT3 has a good tire wear model though I notice some oddities in it, like drifting wears the front tires more and it's used more often
-GT4 has a near perfect tire wear model. And uses it alot.
*1st - GT4; 2nd - GT3; t-3rd - GT1, GT2 (for damage modeling)

13. Graphics
-GT1 had awesome graphics for it's day......... 8 years ago
-GT2 added some detail and some glitches
-GT3 PS2 helped it be the best of the best for it's day........5 years ago
-GT4.....undeniably as good as it gets...amazing level of detail
*1st - GT4; 2nd - GT3; t-3rd - GT1, GT2

14. Really now ......was that nessesarry?? lol

15. Tracks
-GT1 had the smallest selection of tracks.
-GT2 had the largest and best selection of tracks. Many of which I really wish were on later versions.
-GT3......I'd really like to ask PD what was going on. They took out more than half the tracks.
-GT4 has a very good selection of tracks, but some are still MIA and they had to cheat to say they had 100 tracks.
*t-1st - GT2, GT4; 3rd - GT3; 4th - GT1

16. Qualifying/Pre Race Info
-GT1 had true qualifying and showed all the info you needed
-GT2 doesn't have qualifying or pre race info at all.
-GT3 has a unlimited qualifying run and you'll always be on pole, and though you'll know what your racing, you won't know anything else about them.
-GT4 is very similar to GT3 except qualifying is now called "practice"
*1st by a mile - GT1; t-2nd GT3, GT4; GT2 - n/a

17. Really.......was this necessary?? Talk about nit picky. Jeeze

18. Hybrids......Not going there.......no experience

19. Hidden Cars........Again, not going there.....no experience

20. Camera Views
-GT1 had 3 views......Bumper, Chase 1, Chase 2
-GT2 is same as GT1
-GT3 lost the second chase veiw and it can get annoying
-GT4 has bumper, roof, and Chase (they fixed the chase view) along with look left/right
*1st - GT4; t-2nd - GT1, GT2; 4th - GT3

21. Customization
-GT1 had basic tuning options and Racing mod for all cars
-GT2 had basic for all and Racing for most as well as rims, though this had glitchs
-GT3 had basic for all and rims w/o glitches, but no racing mods
-GT4 has basic mods and rims and aero mods available for most cars, but no racing mods
*1st - GT2; 2nd - GT4; 3rd - GT1; 4th - GT3

22. Driving Aids
-GT1 didn't have any
-GT2 had TCS, ASC, and Yaw available for a high price and they were mostly ineffective
-GT3 had TCS and ASM on all cars and Yaw and VCD available
-GT4 has TCS, ASM over and ASM under on all cars and Yaw and VCD available.
*1st - GT4; 2nd - GT3; 3rd - GT2; GT1 - N/A

23. Ease of Making Money
-GT1 it was hard to make money
-GT2 is very easy
-GT3 is also hard
-GT4 has lot's of scams, otherwise it would be in between
*1st - GT2; 2nd - GT4; 3rd - GT3; 4th - GT1

24. Maintenance
-GT1 your cars will get dirty after a while....$50 will make em shine.
-GT2 has the car wash but it isn't necessary.
-GT3 added in scheduled oil changes every 182 miles. And the car was is needed again or not only will they get dirty, but they'll loose aero efficiency.
-GT4 kept the oil changes and car washes the same and added the chasis refresher.
*1st - GT4; 2nd - GT3; 3rd - GT1; 4th - GT2

25. Physics
-GT1 didn't have very much grip and had some oddities to it's sliding physics, but was good, fun, and challenging
-GT2 has more grip and is easier to drive. Yet have much more realistic sliding physics though they still aren't perfect. Very fun to drive.
-GT3 has very very little grip and has the most realistic sliding physics. IMO they are nearly perfect. Very fun to drive IF YOUR GOOD, otherwise very frustrating.
-GT4 has too much side to side grip and not enough forward grip. Makes for extremely odd sliding physics, also all the cars exhibit WAY too much understeer. Can be fun, but mostly just annoying and boring.
*1st - GT3; 2nd - GT2; 3rd - GT1; 4th - GT4

**Overall**
-GT1 is a great game, just GT2 does it better, for everything GT2 lost, it makes up for it 2 fold in other ways.
-GT2 is the best of the series so far.....despite it's comparitively horrifying graphics it's just a better game that's more fun to play.
-GT3 is the most realistic and can be great gobs of fun because of it if you know how. Otherwise it's like a severly detuned version of GT2 with better graphics.
-GT4 is the best looking game, but it's not as much fun to play, and gets old and tiring and repetative very quickly.
**1st - GT2; t-2nd - GT1, GT3, GT4**

 

[Cosmic]

Great comparision rsmithdrift 👍
I agree on most of the things you said.

 

[superfast]

I'm not going to go through and reveiw everything as you did, but I will just say that, in my opinion, GT4 is the best game so far. I am not just saying this as it is the newest, but because the physics are more realistic, the car selection is fabulous, track selection excellent, and all of the different series make the game fun. There is so much to do with this game, and for me, it will never get old.

 

[Gil]

I have all 4 of the "main" games.
All have the particular thing that they do well.
GT1 though fairly short has the "original SSR-11" and slightly better graphics than GT2.

GT2-has more cars, tracks, a better physics engine, HP limits to keep races a bit more "fair". Though if you tune to the edge of HP limits you will usually get an easy win. Also, since most GT players are "car guys" the detailed synopsis of the cars history and significance that you could open in the garage by pressing the "i" icon in the garage was one of the best features deleted from later games.

GT3, While a complete game, wasn't nearly as complete as promised. In a lot of ways it felt like a "snack" to tide us over till we got GT4. One of the best features in GT3 was/is the "central tuning station". I think it's a bit of a pain to have to go back to the manufacturer to tune a car. Alas, GT3 is the only game with this option.

GT4 all the promise of GT3, with the exception of online competition. The sheer number of cars available boggles the mind of even the most avid of GT2 players. Although the sheer number of un-raceable cars is more than a little frustrating. I've got this Prowler, Catherham 7, Audi Streamliner, and a couple of other prototype "formula cars" that I can't race.
I also have cars of "historical signifcance" that I can't call up information on, nor can I make any money by selling them.

I hope GT5 brings back all the old tracks, including both versions of SSR-11 (I used to hate it, till I saw "Hong Kong" in GT4). I hope it brings back the "index card" history on all the cars as well. And I'd really like the cars that I can't drive, or that only have historical significance, to have some monetary reward for selling them.
If they cost 200,000 to buy from another memory card, could we get at least 50,000 out of them for a sell price?

 

[Parnelli Bone]

½¼

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Here's my point...none of them are 'the best'. To say "this game is the best" is to offer an opinion. What this thread is about is taking each game apart piece by piece to analyze what was developed and what was left out, see? I don't expect everybody to tear into the game as i have (and waste 2 entire afternoons) but to say: "Well GT4 has alot of cars and the best graphics so it's the best" is an incomplete assessment--you are usually only taking your personal opinion into account. It would be more accurate to say “this one is my favorite”.

rsmithdrift gets where i'm coming from, so does Cosmic and Gil on a smaller scale. You have to include the opinions of millions of other gamers (which of course contradict at times) along with yours. It's called dynamic deductive analyzation.

Guess i'm one of the only people on this entire website who took psychology in high school

 

[rsmithdrift]

Guess i'm one of the only people on this entire website who took psychology in high school

I've had it in high school and college. And hey....keeps adding up to that making people understand what this is about huh? haha.