GT5: Better Hardcore? (Audio Only)

Simulation racing games provide a true-to-life driving and racing experience unrivaled to arcade counterparts. Gran Turismo has long been dubbed as the "Real Driving Simulator." But in the eyes of the most hardcore sim gamers, the GT series is soft. The very realistic aspects of Gran Turismo are in such a way that this game series is as real as possible, while also being fair. Most of the hardcore types would fancy a more sim-oriented model. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue has offered a driving model which is still accessible to most casual gamers while giving the hardcore set an extreme driving experience. Most people can do without a casual driving model. Such a casual model exists for one reason- accessibility. But for some people, anything short of a purely realistic experience is substandard and to some others, unacceptable.

Everyone has a different definition as to what classifies as hardcore for any game, let alone a racing/driving game. Let's envision a hardcore model. One of the first places to turn to would be games like GTR, Race WTCC, and Richard Burns Rally. The advantages of a hardcore driving and environment model means that everything is almost totally true to life and seriously authentic. Almost anything you could see and experience in a real race unfold can be experienced in a proper simulation. It is almost as if a game developer captured reality and made a game out of it. Feeling everything from your muscles getting a workout at high speed to knowing exactly what racing in a torrential rain storm is captured as best as possible from the developers taking full advantage of the game's engine. Like all simulation racing games, every possible nuance of driving and racing affects you in various ways. Hardcore even means you could experience various heart-breaking moments such as engine failures, part failures, and terminal damage. Even more heart-breaking would include damage from hard crashes... and even death. Some people want the most hardcore experience possible.

Hardcore has obvious disadvantages. A big disadvantage would be a game extremely unfair, even to the most hardened gamers. With a more hardcore-friendly model, a game can become so difficult that the game would be better suited to hardcore gamers and not those even moderately adept. Gran Turismo 4 had a perfect plan for the driving licenses. They were all easy to learn, difficult to master. And only the most dedicated can confidently acheive the much heralded all-gold acheivement. Perfection is required in real racing (let alone in games). Being really hardcore would emulate what kind of perfection is needed in a proper racing environment. Another thing to consider is how much the developer wants to deliver the most true-to-life experience on the limits of the game's engine, a developer's willingness to exploit every fathomable limit of the processor, and not to mention actually being able to have as much realism that the auto makes and race constructors will allow. Even such elements require a close association with automakers, race teams, sometimes racing personalities, and the like.

The reoccuring theme here is fairness. If a game wasn't accessible, it wouldn't be very fun. You sacrifice a pick-up-and-play experience for the betterment of bringing the most adept sim racers to win, while all others will need to seriously hone their skills to try and win. Sometimes, making a game TOO detailed really takes away from simply getting out and going racing. This is the simplest of desires for any gamer of any genre. Call it whining, but the truth is... not everyone is hardcore. These are still just games at the end of the day. The most extreme experiences can be had by actually competing in actual racing competition. All games just do is replicate the experience by taking actual experiences and converting them into video game code. So sometimes, you have to put a limit on some details. In addition, the hardcore set know that the best way to enjoy an experience is to play with a proper racing wheel, and perhaps even in a specially-built racing seat unit. Even still, the most classic way to enjoy ANY gaming experience is with that thing you grab onto to play almost any game, called... a gamepad.

This, is all not to say, that Gran Turismo 5 still can't push the envelope and really justify the slogan of "The New Standard." The Gran Turismo series is evolving and maturing with each new title. Only time will tell if GT5 presents the most impressive racing and driving experience that can be as much fun as playing a proper dedicated sim. Gran Turismo is a simulation-type racing game that's still very accessible to the casual set. It is much different from the ToCA Race Driver series, which mostly seeks the best driving experiences featuring all kinds of different machines, preferably, proper racing machines. Also, ToCA Race Driver is more focused on real racing cars as opposed to a daily driver-racing hybrid as the Gran Turismo experience provides. Some people don't care for all-out realism, which is perfectly fine. While you can't impress every racing gamer, you can at least do what you can to help keep fans entertained for as long as possible. And if that means staying away from a seriously hardcore model while at least trying to acheive middle ground for casual and hardcore sim racers alike, then Polyphony Digital will have to do all they can to provide a racing experience that delivers better compromise than conflict.

GT5 should only be difficult for those who want the most difficult experience. One shouldn't be forced to race on the hardest difficulty in any effort to respectably acheive 100% completion. Everyone from elementary school students to seasoned racing veterans should have as equal a chance of becoming champions of Gran Turismo. Easier experiences won't make hardcore types happier, but the real challenge is in providing an "everybody wins" approach that will keep gamers racing hard while having a chance to win almost any race in GT5. And in the end, it all boils down to gratification and satisfaction. Without these elements, you'll never cross the finish line as the winner.

GT5 Speculation: World Rally Championship (Enhanced Edition)

Why do you check this out? To read more into whatever I post. This blog entry is a further look at the video I posted earlier. The video concerned thoughts about WRC speculation in GT5. Time to take things further.



World Rally Championship - How Much Further?
What facilitates a better implentation process of the World Rally Championship? There are a number of elements to look at. The least of which include:

* mixed surfaces (tarmac, gravel, mud, dirt, snow, etc.)
* water splashes
* narrowing/opening roads
* objects inside and outside.
* service areas
* special stages

The taske of rally racing is to take on a stage filled with all kinds of different elements to try to post the fastest times in each section. Rallies are essentially time trials as there is no racing for position on the course. Drivers are sent off in certain time intervals. If you want an idea of how this works, imagine racing the Grand Canyon course in Gran Turismo 4, only you start 30 seconds later, and you're racing for time. As for trying to keep the car in one piece, things like punctures, sharp rocks, barriers, and other objects can hinder how you do, especially if you run into them or hit them. The driver needs to be alert at all times. Co-drivers will need to provide timely pace notes to avoid the car from getting owned. I haven't very good rally racing knowledge, but here is a basic note:

"medium left, don't cut... rocks inside"

It means that a moderate-speed corner is coming up. Just be sure not to go too far inside (in this case), because there are rocks. Jumps can be fun, but do remember that jumps can take a toll on your suspension. There are service areas you must attend to after completing certain stages. This will allow you to make repairs to your car within the allowed time limit. At least from my "Colin McRae Rally 2" experience, you have sixty minutes to repair parts of your car that need repair. Elements of your car can take any amount of time to complete depending upon the area and the severity of damage.



--- Competing in Rally Events ---

The Stages Themselves.
Rally racing usually encompasses a varied bunch of special stages consisting of roads closed off to the public to any variety of gravel and dirt closed off to the public. Rally fans are purely devoted. So much so that there can actually be too many spectators, causing cancellation of certain stages. There are lots of stages that consist of a great variety of roads and surfaces. You could be kicking up dirt before having to jump onto tarmac. The best way to consider what's ahead is to look at pace notes. Reports of what the rally consists of can tell you what most of the course consists of. A course consisting of 80% gravel and 20% tarmac means that you'll need gravel tires. In case of weather, you'll need to go with wet tires for gravel or dirt or tarmac. Snow tires are pretty much for any ice or snow racing. And even then, you'll have snow AND ice to deal with. Rallies can take any amount of time, ranging from about two minutes to almost double-digit minutes.

Rallies usually comprise of a three-day schedule with three legs for each day. Some stages could even be re-run for other legs of the rally. Some rallies may even contain Special Stage rallies at certain venues or race tracks. These events are mostly one-on-one races in tournament-style action. Think of the Michelin Race of Champions, for example. There are victories for each stage and for overall wins. You want to run as best as you can for each stage, but it's all about the final accumulated times that determine who wins and who loses.



--- Rallies Themselves: Rally Examples ---
A number of rallies fill out the World Rally calendar across almost every continent. Among many other WRC events, here is a look at some of the rallies that I can recall from watching videos and such.

* The Rally Monte Carlo is usually the first rally of the year each season. This mostly takes place on tarmac roads in the city and in the hills. It's the most prestigious rally of the year.

* Other than the Dakar Rally, both the Cyprus Rally the Acropolis Rally are the most grueling tests of driver and machine. The course is rough, so don't be surprised to have your car suffer some serious damage upon hitting a rock or something like that. I respect this rally to a great degree because it's so damn tough and punishing.

* It's not run as a WRC event anymore, but the Safari Rally has LOTS of history (dating back to 1953, I believe). It is a rally where almost ANYTHING can happen (and usually does). You have things like wildlife coming on the track, sunny days to become torrential rain storms, open roads (meaning you might collide with a passenger car unaware of the action), and more. All of which mostly takes place on muddy or dirty roads. Just a fierce rally. Always has been.

* The Rally Sweden is the only natural snow rally run all year. While it can be fun rallying on snow, it's tough to get sufficient grip on the snow. You may even be trying to race on icy roads in addition to show. The experience is different since you're not on dry gravel or dirt.

* Despite the rally's namesake, Rally Great Britain is run in Wales and England. What makes this rally unique is the fact that there are a variety of surfaces for each stage. They all come in great variety. One moment you're dealing with dirt or gravel, then you have to go onto tarmac. You even go around Blenheim Palace. Really unique event.

* I know the Rally Australia most for the epic jump Colin McRae had in 1997 in the Bunnings forest. This is a very good rally and a must-see. If you want to see that epic jump, check this out:



* The Rally Catalunya is a competitive rally with lots of beautiful scenery.

* The Rally Argentina goes across a punishing series of rocky roads and water splashes in the mountains.

* I CANNOT close out talk about WRC events without mentioning the Rally Finland. Finland is best known as an all-out rally with high speeds, the famous jumps ("yumps"), and not to mention the hair-raising chances of hitting a tree or something. It's like you can only go so fast before facing trouble.



There are also a great deal of other rally events past and present including rallies in Japan, Poland, Germany, Turkey, Corsica (France), Sardinia (Italy), New Zealand, Mexico, and more. There is not really any true as idea as to whether we could get full rally stages, full rally legs, actual WRC events themselves, or whatever. As of right now, it looks like rally racing is going to get a serious injection shot in the arm.



--- The Nature of Rallying ---
Danger literally comes around each corner. When you're racing on roads either one or two lanes wide, it's no shock that you'll be taking care on each drift and slide. None of the previous rally events in the GT series has any of the character that traditional rallies have. Gran Turismo 4, however, has some narrow roads to navigate in rally action. Look no further than to courses like the Grand Canyon event and all the tarmac rally-style courses in GT4. Citta d'Aria and (more importantly) Costa di Amalfi have a great deal of twists and turns.

Real rallying consists of jumps, crests, objects inside and outside, and things like that. Courses can consist of narrow country roads, roads where farms and cattle are on either side of the road, narrow city streets to rural villages, and the like. Objects like rocks or tree logs can be on the outside of certain corners. The main strategy is to avoid going too far outside or too far inside of most corners. Try to fall off the road at the Grand Canyon in GT4, and you'll be saved by invisible walls. However, try that in a more realistic rally setting, and your call will fall down the ravine. And if you're [un]lucky, you'll be rolling all the way down to perhaps injury or death. Rally is an extreme motorsport. How extreme PD wants to get will depend on how they wish to make the experience as realistic as possible. Open areas may also make you liable to whack trees. An open area with trees freely standing will really make you try not to fly off the road too far. Avoiding trees even involves trying not to side swipe a free-standing tree. Take extra care when dealing with such obstacles. There may also be ditches and drains inside or outside. Getting into a ditch will undoubtedly slow you down, leaving you to really have to rely on your car's drivetrain to drive out of the ditch at all costs. For snowy stages, be wary of snow banks on either side of the road. Running into the snow banks can hinder your speed. In a sense, racing with these are almost like being on a street course since you have to avoid the snow banks on both sides of the road. Tarmac rallying can actually be tough. You don't have the luxury of being able to slide around with great precision. Or at least from my plays of "Colin McRae Rally 2," tarmac rallies are an easy way of falling further and further back in the order. Tarmac rallying just doesn't really allow you to push the envelope much as you could with gravel or dirt.

As for the surfaces themselves, I've found gravel and dirt to be the best surfaces since they allow you to really be as aggressive as you can powersliding and in driving precisely. Snow

Any number of things can happen in a rally race. So be sure to drive smart. Victory in rally is a marathon, with small sprints. It helps to have good runs in all stages to better your chances at winning the rally.



--- The One-on-One Special Stages ---
There are one-on-one special stages which consist of trying to finish ahead of your opponent. These events take place either on actual sporting arenas or on some facilities closed off to the public. These events consist of two different routes for both opponents to navigate and beat the other to the line. You just have to see how these courses run in order to understand them. Here's an example of the WRC Rally Japan's special stage from the 2008 Rally Japan:



Note how you go from your start/finish section, to the opponent's start/finish section, then finish at your start/finish section! These Special Stages can be very fun.



--- Enhancing the Experience ---
The action can be even more fun depending upon and more add-on content. Are we going to see Group B and other historic rally cars? Would I be able to run Rally Toscana 2009 in a 1970s Lancia Stratos Rally Car? It all depends on what PD is willing to do and what the WRC will allow for this game. Maybe we could see various othe past rally cars. it all depends.





Thanks for reading. If you have your own ideas, feel free to comment. Comments have to be approved now. I'm not going to let my blog get out of control like YouTube can be sometimes. So thanks for reading!

John's Review of "Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights (PS2)"

This is my first non-Gran Turismo blog entry. I figured I needed to keep this blog fresh to keep things interesting. Just remember this- this was never exclusively a Gran Turismo blog. I have to try new things to keep people like you interested. So allow me to talk about another racing game here.



--- Basics ---
I tend to think of "Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights" for the PlayStation 2 as a cross between "Need for Speed" games (since NFS: Underground) and Burnout. If you're expecting fantastic crashes, you're not going to find them here. "Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights" features three different circuit racing modes and five different drifting modes. The races all take place on city streets. But unlike Burnout games or the Need for Speed series, you need not worry about traffic or running into the law. You race a variety of cars ranging from sport compacts to muscle cars to exotic cars. A key element as to what defines you in the "Juiced 2: HIN" realm is your Driver DNA. If you perform overtakes in circuit racing or powerslide a lot, you earn some credit to showcase your overall personality and style in motorsports. You will be able to use drifts to your advantage. Execute powerslides to build up your boost. You can run some of the Custom DNA races to get some experience (as I have), or you can have yourself an amazing career in the Career mode making the most of your cars and your racing. As many as six cars can take the track at once, and you have control in Custom DNA mode to select cars for yourself and your opponents.

Race Modes.
The game features eight different challenges. Most modes allow you to choose how many AI racers to go up against or how many laps to run. Enjoy your racing in eight ways:

* Circuit Race - Do circuit racing on any track from anywhere between one to nine laps.
* Eliminator - This is a knockout competition for circuit racing. The last-place driver each lap will be eliminated until the winner eventually stands tall.
* Last Man Standing - Circuit race event which rewards careful car control. You can hit other cars, but if you hit a barrier at any time in the race, you will be eliminated. The winner is either the one that crosses the finish line first or doesn't hit a wall.
* Drift Solo - Drift mode you go alone trying to accumulate the most drift points in one run.
* Drift Obliterator - Drift mode in which you must try to win the race while making sure to pick up enough drift points each lap to avoid being eliminated. Up to six cars can compete.
* Drift King - Unlike the other two drift modes, this one is a timed event. Your race position does not matter. The winner of this event is the one who makes the scores the most drift points within a given time limit. Up to six cars can compete.
* Drift Endurance - Try to complete a drift course in one continuous drift. The longer you go, the better.

Courses.
You will be racing in a proper world championship of street racing. All races take place anywhere between twilight and maybe midnight or sunrise. You race in London (UK stages), Rome (Italy stages), Bavaria (Germany), San Francisco (US stages), Tokyo (Japan stages), and Sydney (Australia stages, but drift courses only). Each city has three different circuit race courses and two drift courses. The circuit races are designed to offer aggressive, balls-out racing. You have city streets and landmarks to work with, but there are also diverging routes and some off-tarmac sections.

The drift courses are fairly short with plenty of opportunities to go sideways. The challenge here is to rack up as many points as you can in each section. Hold your drifts longer for more points. You can even chain together drifts. For example, if you take one section hard followed by taking a switchback, you can accumulate more points. The most important thing to remember? NO CRASHES! You can actually retain a good deal of your drift points if you hit a wall. You need to work hard to maintain solid drifts.


Action.
The AI in circuit races can be quite aggressive, but nowhere near the thuggish limits of ToCA Race Driver games. While this isn't a Burnout game, you can have a psuedo takedown by knocking someone hard into a wall or into some little island on the road. This is intense racing action. One of the coolest techniques to master is spooking drivers. When you get up close to a driver, and stay with him/her, you'll increase the pressure against him/her. Stay with that driver long enough, and you'll force him/her into a mistake! You may overtake the driver, but it's best you slow up just a little bit to increase the chances of pressuring a lead driver. This will allow you to make a pass for position. The spooked driver could even fall very far back in the pack.

When drifting, the drifts are almost effortless and very easy to control. It isn't like Need for Speed-type games in which you could drift out a Hyundai Tiburon like a Nissan 240SX. And suffice to say, drifting seems more fun in this game than in Underground-type games.

When seeing race replays, the replay will slow down dramatically in situations like getting lots of air, hitting the nitrous, and powersliding. Drift events only show the car from the bumper camera.


Music and Sounds.
You know what I can't stand sometimes? It's when people say "this game has your average dance music," or "your average hip-hop music." How come nobody says "your average rock music" like rock music is exempt from being criticized as generic? The music may be generic, but and Hot Import Nights fan knows that good hip-hop and dance music fill the airwaves. This game is no different. The soundtrack gets a bit old, but it's one to surely get you into the mood. Car engines sound pretty average.


Graphics. This PS2 title has some lovely graphics. Unfortunately, the cars don't look very good. If you put importance on crashing and damage graphics, you're not going to find it here. Not even paint scrapes. The urban environments look amazing. The German courses feature the only non-modern city settings as you race in a beautiful country-type setting under starry skies.



--- Career Mode at a Glance ---
Career Mode is where you acheive your fame. When you begin, you take two initiation tests. The first is a circuit race followed by a drift event. Before races in this mode, you have the option of betting that you'll win the race against your rival(s). You can initially bet anywhere between $1,000 and $5,000. If you back out of a bet, you'll pay a penalty for backing out. You can choose from a variety of cars in the game. It's recommended you find a "Good Drift Car" seal of approval to take on the drift events. You will begin in the Rookie League. The next level is League 7. You can then race all the way to League 1. After League 1 is the World Class. And finally, the HIN Elite is the highest class of racing you can go. Be sure to earn your way up to each level.

At your garage, you are able to apply visual modifications as well as unlocking performance packages to help boost your car's performance all the further. Visual modifications include body kit parts (purely aesthetic), a new set of decals (you can unlock extra packs), and simple touches of paint with many options by which to paint up your car.

Tuning options will allow you to increase the performance of your car including making it as competitive as possible. I don't believe you have any control over tweaking the performance of your car beyond these tuner packages. You won't have to worry about Extreme Nitro until you reach League 5.

When you're done in this department, all that remains is for you to go racing. To be promoted to another class, you must clear a variety of goals. These include things like powersliding a certain number of times, spooking certain drivers, picking up a certain number of drift points, and more. You don't need to accomplish these things all in one race. For example, you can easily acheive the three seconds of air time by racing in the San Francisco circuit races. You can actually accomplish more than one goal in just one race or in a series of races.

That's it! No go kick ye some arse, ja?





--- Final Verdict ---
This game reminds me a lot of "Need for Speed: Underground" action, only without having to deal with traffic or evading the police. This reminds me a lot of "Burnout" games, only not with overhyping crashes. To me, I think this is a breath of fresh air in regards of illegal street racing games. There are many ways to enjoy the racing action in this game. If you're looking for car damage of any extreme, you won't find it here. But if you're looking for a very decent racing game experience, you can't go too much wrong here. Customization and such is very good for this arcade-type racing game. "Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights" isn't exactly a must-play, but a very good game for fans of illegal street racing and drifting. For an arcade game like this, nothing seems overhyped.

I credit this game to the tune of 80% approval.