Gran Turismo (1997 video game) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gran Turismo |
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Japanese cover art featuring a Nissan Skyline GT-R (left) and a Toyota Supra (right)
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| Developer(s) | Japan Studio (Polys Entertainment) |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Director(s) | Kazunori Yamauchi |
| Producer(s) | Kazunori Yamauchi Shuhei Yoshida |
| Designer(s) | Kazunori Yamauchi Takeshi Yokouchi Hirotaka Komiyama |
| Programmer(s) | Seiichi Ikiou |
| Artist(s) | Masaaki Goto |
| Composer(s) | Masahiro Andoh (JP) Isamu Ohira (JP) Jason Page (EU/US) |
| Series | Gran Turismo |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Sim racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gran Turismo is a super famous racing video game that first came out in 1997. It's a type of game called a racing simulation, which means it tries to feel very real. It was made by a team called Polys Entertainment (who later became Polyphony Digital) and published by Sony for the original PlayStation console.
The game's director was Kazunori Yamauchi, and Shuhei Yoshida helped produce it. This game was the very first one in the popular Gran Turismo series. It took five years to create, and when it was released, people loved it! It sold over 10.85 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling PlayStation game ever. Many people still think it's one of the greatest video games of all time.
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Playing Gran Turismo: Race to Win!
Gran Turismo is a racing game where you drive cars against computer-controlled opponents. You race on different race tracks. The game has two main ways to play: Arcade Mode and Simulation Mode.
Arcade Mode: Quick Races
In Arcade Mode, you can pick any car and track you want right away. It's great for quick fun. If you win races in this mode, you can unlock more cool cars and tracks to play with.
Simulation Mode: Become a Pro Driver
Simulation Mode is more like a career. To join races, you first need to earn different levels of driver's licenses. This proves you have the skills to drive. When you win championships in this mode, you earn credits (which is like money in the game). You also get trophies and sometimes even new cars as prizes.
You can use your credits to buy more cars. You can also buy special parts and tune up your cars to make them faster and better. Winning certain championships might even unlock special videos or extra demo tracks.
Cars and Tracks in the Game
Gran Turismo has a huge collection of cars, with 140 different ones to choose from. It also features 11 unique race tracks. Each track can also be raced in reverse, giving you even more variety. Some cars were only available in certain versions of the game. For example, two Honda NSX cars were in the Japanese version but not in others.
Making the Game: Five Years of Hard Work
It took five years to create Gran Turismo, with a budget of about $5 million. The team that made it was mostly the same group who worked on earlier PlayStation racing games like Motor Toon Grand Prix. Gran Turismo even used some parts of the Motor Toon game engine, like how the cars move and react.
The Director's Dedication
Kazunori Yamauchi, the game's director, said they started working on Gran Turismo in 1992. He mentioned that only about seven to fifteen people helped him at different times. Yamauchi worked incredibly hard, saying he would "wake up at work, go to sleep at work." He estimated he was only home four days a year during development!
Overcoming Challenges
The team faced challenges, especially with the PlayStation's CPU (the computer's brain). They wanted 12 cars in each race, but the PlayStation's power made it hard. They even had to use special computer code to make the game run as fast as possible. Yamauchi felt that the sound design and the computer's artificial intelligence for the other drivers could have been better if they had more time.
Gran Turismo was also the first game made to fully support the PlayStation's DualShock controller. This controller had special rumble features that made the game feel even more real.
A New Studio is Born
When Gran Turismo first came out in Japan, the development team, Polys Entertainment, was part of Sony's Japan Studio. But in April 1998, before the game was released in other parts of the world, Polys Entertainment became its own company called Polyphony Digital. Yamauchi believed that Gran Turismo used about 75% of the PlayStation's full power, pushing the console to its limits.
