Gran Turismo Concept: 2002 Tokyo-Geneva

The Good
The only decent inclusion to this not so sequel to GT3 (which sits nicely within my top ten games of all time list) is the 100 new cars included. Designed by the likes of Toyota and Mitsubishi, some of the concepts for car designs here are crazy, really crazy. Despite the designs, they were all great to drive, thanks to the very slick control system setup.

Once again, the graphics shine as a proud example of what the PS2 can do if developers really work hard. Lighting effects, such as the sun shining through the gaps in the trees and so forth, are at times are amazing to look at. Details on each car are also stunning. And once again, there is a collection of music tracks to keep people pumping along while they drive.

The Bad
Sadly, this is where the positives end. You see, everything that made GT3 such a wonder to play, such as the ability to modify your cars engine, tyres and suspension, etc, are all gone. Also missing is the most important area of all in a GT game, the career mode. Here, it's just a simple arcade mode, which is ok for those who just want to race with a friend, but die hard fans (such as myself) will be crying in the corner with this loss.

There is a lack of tracks (one or two new, but far from the wide selection on GT3) and there are only 100 cars, far from the hundreds found in GT2 even.

The other major problem is the fact that this isn't an expansion disk, but a stand alone game. I would have bought this if the game was an expansion, but since GT3 is cheaper and has a hell of a lot more detail, there isn't a real reason to buy this.

The Bottom Line
I think Sony and Polyphony have gone about this wrong. Releasing this as an expansion disk would have sold more numbers then as a stand alone title as it is. And fans of the series would have enjoyed it further, especially with the ability to modify each new cars engine to get the most out of them.

Still, it's good to see that car companies are joining in on the virtual experience. Some of the cars are a real dream to drive, while others you just wonder what designers they actually have on the employment list. Crazy designs!!

All I want now is realistic car damage (which other titles using official cars have included) and more cars on the track for each race. Bring on GT4.

The Good
The fact that it was generally centered in one kind of cars, to be more precise, in concept cars, prototypes, or unreleased cars. I think it sets up a precedent for more thematic GT games. Also, although I love the Gran Turismo mode in any other of the games of this series, it is however relaxing to play a Gran Turismo game which is more arcade-leaning and without requirements for the races. The licenses here are just for winning cars and not passing them does not make you unable to compete in races.

The Bad
Basically, it is too short for a GT, I mean, I would understand its shortness if one was looking at GT4 Prologue, but the idea of Prologue wasn't even born when GT Concept came out. There is also no possibility of tuning the cars and that's something that goes both against the general trend and the GT saga trend.

The Bottom Line
A nice interlude (in fact, more of an interlude than prologue, because it was released as a full-fledged game and not like a giant demo) between GT3 and GT4, especially taking into account the egregious amount of delays that the latter game suffered, to the point that in Spain, magazines mocked GT4 before it came out.