It's not very often that you run into a 3D title from the late nineties that is still
impressive.
Most PS1 and N64 games have aged more like milk than wine, and the graphics can be an
eyesore today compared to the stunning capability of 1080p.
Much more important, however, is the playability of the games and how much fun you'll have
with them.
One series from the late nineties, however, broke the mold and became timeless in both
its presentation and fun factor through the joy of automobile racing, and in its first
sequel, grabbed the gaming world by the ball bearings.
Developers Polyphony Digital, publishers Sony Computer Entertainment, and lead designer
Kazunori Yamauchi decided to capitalize off the unprecedented success of their highly
acclimated racing title Gran Turismo and took it back to the studio for a shinier coat of
paint, and this time, there's two discs, with almost 650 cars and 27 race tracks for you
to tear up.
The reason you should try out the Arcade mode first is because everything is there for you
to use without having to unlock anything by budgeting cash.
Basically there's more room for error, and trust me, if its your first time with any
Gran Turismo game, you'll want to get as much practice in as possible before you tackle
the more difficult simulation mode.
The premise of Arcade is simple: You have a choice of three types of races.
Pick one and its off to the garage where you select one of many vehicles likely in Jay
Leno's personal collection at the time.
Hell, there's so many cars to choose from they have to be split up into three classes,
from the top A class including cars like the Lotus Elise Sport and the Mazda RX-7, all
the way down to the city driver class that includes cars you will see in rush hour traffic,
like the Volkswagen Golf or the all too familiar Mini Cooper.
Compete in rally mode to take command of supercharged vehicles like the Peugeot 206 and race that
sucker on a tough and bumpy dirt road, arguably the most fun I've had driving any car in this
game.
As cliche as it may sound, GT2's controls feel like you are actually in the driver's
seat, since the speed and more importantly the handling for each vehicle is different.
Each level is beautifully designed as well, stocked with product placement, clear blue
skies, and shiny vehicle detail.
You'll almost feel bad about trading paint during a road race.
Even if the control takes some getting used to, there's nothing like the feeling of beating
your best time by a hundredth of a second or making the final pass towards the finish
line on the race track against the ethereal ghost car that mimics every move you made
on the previous lap.
After you've reached the checkered flag, there is a replay mode where you can watch it all
happen again.
Gran Turismo 2 Arcade delivers impressive racing action and gorgeous detail in a game
that will still impress you in the new year of 2012.