Driver Makes Movie Buffs Happy

Driver: You Are The Wheelman

Playstation

Publisher:  	GT Interactive
Developer: 	Reflections Interactive
Players: 	1
Difficulty: 	Medium
Camera: 	Far Chase, Far Hood, Left Side, Right Side

Achieving Big Air Happens Often

The best PlayStation racing game of all time is finally here in the U.S. of A. Luckily my first review is of a great game like this. This game has been selling well in Japan and now that it is in the US it is also expected to do the same. Gran Turismo is great because of the depth that it has. There is so much to do. Arcade and Simulation are the different modes that are available. Arcade mode lets the gamer get right to racing and has many different bonuses that can be achieved. In Arcade mode you can also race a friend or try to get the best time in time trials. Simulation mode lets you buy new and used cars race them, make money, and modify the car or buy a new one. This mode offers many different circuits that can be raced on. Before you can race in the circuits a license has to be acquired. The licenses are the B, A, and the International A. To get each license an eight-part test needs to be completed. Each license test helps increase your skills. When you achieve the different licenses, each opens up new circuits to be raced on. A problem though is that some people will break their controller or get really frustrated trying to earn these licenses.

There are 166 cars in this game. All of the cars are from popular manufacturers like Honda, Toyota, Chevrolet, Dodge, and many more. Each manufacturer has a number of cars ranging from A class, to B class, and C class, A class being the best and C class being the worst. Each car

Cops Are A Usual Site While Speeding Along

can be modified in great detail. The tires, suspension, brakes, engine, turbo, filters, transmission, and much more can be modified. When these are changed there is a difference. An example would be when you add turbo to the car. The car will have more horsepower and will be able to go faster. Each car also has extreme realism. Turns have to be done right or the car spins. Also, you have to learn offense and defense to help block cars behind you or pass the car in front.

There are eleven well-made tracks that can be raced backwards as well. The backgrounds are not pixilated and look remarkable. Pop-ups happen not very often, it just depends on the track. The lighting effects, on the tracks, are excellent and add a lot to the realism. While riding on the tracks, there is different terrain here and there. Sand is the worst to drive on because it causes the car to go into long tailspins. Forget about putting the petal to the metal like in other games; the brake is needed a lot.

The music in Gran Turismo is good. It adds to the racing with excellent beats. Garbage even composed one of the songs. When racing on a single track over and over again, each time there is a different song. This is good because a song does not get annoying easily. Even if you do hate the music you can always turn it off in the Options menu.

Some of the neat features in this game are the replays, memory card battles, and the Dual-Shock

Night Driving Can Get Dangerous And Hard To Navigate

Analog Controller compatibility. After each race you are able to see exactly what you did in the race. The graphics in the replays are great and the camera angles are excellent. It looks a lot like watching a race on TV like the Daytona 500 or Indy 500. You can even save your replays to show off to your friends. In Simulation mode you can challenge a friend's memory card in a race. If you think that you have tuned up the best car then you can race your buddy's best car and see who really rules the road. The Dual-Shock Analog Controller adds so much to the realism in the game it is unbelievable. Power slide into a turn and feel a bump each time the car skids along the ground. Ride in the grass and feel a little vibration, crash into a wall and get a big jerk. These few features offer a lot to the overall excitement in Gran Turismo. Gran Turismo will set the standards for other racing games. I am sure that racing games that will be coming out will try to mimic Gran Turismo. This game will probably take the best racing game award for the Playstation this year and maybe even the PC. Sony is supposedly making Gran Turismo for the PC and if it is released in time it might just win.

TACH-

-METER

Control:		(5)
Graphics:		(5)
Sound:		(4.5)
Replay Value:		(5)
Overall:		(5)

TIPS:
-TURNING:
      -Do not turn too soon or the car will do a tailspin or two.
      -Do not turn too late or the car will crash into the wall.
      -Find the best apex of the turn and turn hard.  
      -Sometimes crashing into walls can help you.  If you crash into a wall, 	
      while turning, it might not slow you down as much as braking.
-PASSING:
      -The most effective way to pass someone in a turn is by taking a late 
      apex and using the speed you saved to pass on the inside.	
-GENERAL:		
      -When you first start the Simulation mode buy a used 4WD vehicle.  4WD 
      cars are easier to drive because they are more forgiving and the cars will 
      not spin out in turns.
      -Buying a new car every time you get a lot of money may not be the 
      best bet.  Modifying your car is always a good idea.  
      -Practice always makes perfect!  Use the Time Trial mode to practice a course.

	
BONUSES:
-ARCADE MODE:
      -The Bonuses are: 4 new tracks, 4 new manufacturers, the ending movie, and 
      open a special Hi-res mode.
      -In the Bonus Item menu there are four tracks with three boxes above each 
      that have an A, B, and C in them (A, B, and C refers to the car classes.  
      At the bottom left-hand corner of the car select screen you will see which 
      class the car is in).  After you get 1st place in a race a color-coded marker 
      fills in the box depending on the difficulty you raced in and the class of car 
      you used.
      -To acquire the bonus tracks, all you have to do is beat each of the first set 
      of tracks with both A, B, and C classes on any difficulty.
      -As you complete the second set of tracks you will open up new bonuses.
      -If you beat each track on EASY you will get the new cars from the four new 
      manufacturers (Toyota, Subaru, Dodge, and TVR in that order).
      -If you beat each track on NORMAL you will get the new cars plus the ending movie.
      -If you beat each track on DIFFICULT you will get the new cars, the ending movie, 
      and a special Hi-res mode.  The Hi-res mode lowers the detail of the background, 
      this makes the tracks and the cars look better.