Project Gotham Racing Series

The Project Gotham Racing series is an arcadish racing game series that is all about style. Do you race to win? Or do you pull off cool driving maneuvers? You can do both- and look good doing both! This blog post takes a look at the PGR series from my own perspective. Believe it or not, this was a post I had lined up for "John's Blog Space," but never completed it. So I am making this blog post from JBS available for "John's Gran Turismo Space" for all of my racing game fans. It is a continuation of this new direction for JGTS.

About the Label: "Project Gotham Racing"

Posts about the Project Gotham Racing series is featured under this label. It may include things ranging from general commentary to a handful of resources. Fans of the PGR series are welcome to read posts regarding this series.


So let's begin!

--- Project Gotham Racing Series at a Glance ---

Project Gotham Racing has all about arcadish racing fun since its 2002 establishment. PGR comes from the group known as Bizarre Creations. The godfather of the PGR series is the Dreamcast-exclusive Metropolis Street Racer. The majority of racing action takes place on city streets in various world-class cities. Rather than just on silly exhibitions of speed or Hollywood-style theatrics, PGR attempted to reward players for making daring moves- such as drifting into corners (without crashing) and flying into the air after jumps. You are also rewarded for clean racing and great driving. The cars you can choose from are mostly sports cars. The alpha and omega of success in PGR is in Kudos. Performing these daring moves helps you earn Kudos. The more Kudos you earn, the more items you can unlock in a PGR game. If you want to really prove yourself, try to win the tougher medals by accomplishing various tasks during the events. They can be used to access more cars and more tracks. Here is a look at some of the different competitions you can take part in:

• Street Race - a straight-up race against other cars.
• One-on-One - a racing duel between you and another car. First to the finish wins.
• Cone Challenge - weave your way around a bunch of cones laid out around the course.

A unique aspect to "Metropolis Street Racer" was in how the music in each city is unique to each locale. The same can be said for cities in Project Gotham Racing titles. An extensive soundtrack accompanies Project Gotham Racing titles with many songs of many genres. Of course, an XBOX gamer can always load up his or her own songs rather than look to the in-game soundtrack for music. Unlike Metropolis Street Racer, however, there are songs from a variety of recording artists and a variety of genres. Artists such as the likes of the Chemical Brothers, the Herbaliser, Chevelle, Gorillaz, the Prodigy, Tyrese, Asuka, Dive, Simple Plan, Bif Naked, Iggy Pop, and more through the history of the franchise.

Project Gotham Racing Series vs. Gran Turismo Series?

How does the Project Gotham Racing series compare to Gran Turismo? Really, it is an unfair comparison. It is the proverbial apples and oranges. Gran Turismo is a simulation racing series while Project Gotham Racing is an arcade-type racer. It is an arcade racer that has a good deal of realism. Graphically, PGR games are quite impressive-looking. I would probably say PGR1 and PGR2 are a bit pale in graphics compared to Gran Turismo 4 as far as previous-gen games are concerned. There is outstanding detail in PGR3 and PGR4 as far as comparing them to Gran Turismo 5.

Many others would likely hand an edge to Project Gotham Racing on the vehicle front. Most of the high-profile makes have been featured in PGR since the first game. There is a bit more variety in PGR games than in GT. Even PGR2 featured vehicles such as the Porsche Cayenne.

Racing is certainly apples vs. oranges. Gran Turismo is more fixated on serious racing while Project Gotham Racing is more loose and expressive. You can tune cars in Gran Turismo to your liking while Project Gotham Racing is basically what-you-see-is-what-you-get. If there is one department where PGR towers over GT, it is definitely in the online department. I need only mention XBOX Live. Whichever is better to you is based on your tastes.


Now that you have a basic snapshot of the PGR series, it is time to take a brief look at each of the titles.

--- Project Gotham Racing: Game-by-Game ---

Now for a look at individual games in the series.

NOTE 1: Some information on the Project Gotham Racing series was provided through this Wikipedia entry: Project Gotham Racing series on Wikipedia.

NOTE 2: These games may appear in their own blog posts here on "John's Gran Turismo Space" in the future.

Here are my thoughts on each individual title:

Project Gotham Racing.

^ from: www.amazon.com - The original Project Gotham Racing for the XBOX.

Project Gotham Racing was one of the first titles for the original XBOX. Four cities are yours to lay rubber on in a world tour:

• San Francisco, California, USA
• New York City, New York, USA
• London, England
• Tokyo, Japan

A number of cars can be used in this game. Among others, the car lineup include cars like the Chevrolet Camaro, the BMW Z3, and the Ferrari F50. The cars are primarily sports car heavy as well as a handful of exotic cars. I have no experience of playing PGR1 in any sort of way.

Project Gotham Racing 2.

^ from: www.amazon.com - Blowing XBOX racers' minds was Project Gotham Racing 2 and its much deep gameplay.

Though it was the final PGR for the original XBOX, this game only enhanced what PGR1 brought. More game modes, more locales, and more cars were available for gamers to enjoy. I have only played the demo to PGR2. I remember doing racing around Yokohama and slalom competition in beautiful Florence. These are only two of the many locales in PGR2. Where do you do your racing? Here are the locales of PGR2:

• Barcelona, Spain
• Chicago, Illinois, USA
• Edinburgh, Scotland
• Florence, Italy
• Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
• Moscow, Russia
• the Nürburgring
• Stockholm, Sweden
• Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
• Yokohama, Japan
• Washington, District of Columbia, USA
• Long Beach, California, USA (downloadable content)
• Paris, France (downloadable content)

I have only played the demo to PGR2. The Ferrari Enzo Ferrari is one of many different cars in the game. Other cars include the Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen New Beetle RSi, Pontiac Formula 440, Ferrari 246 GTS, and the Nissan Skyline/GT-R R-34 among other cars. The cities are all designed beautifully. Some of these cities are some of my personal favorite cities in the world. It can be great to drive around beautiful cities like Florence and Sydney. Even more so to drive wildly and gain loads of Kudos. If you want to challenge yourself, try to go for the Platinum Medals in this game. You'll need to be absolutely adept to win those Platinum Medals. Even more so if you want to get ALL of the Platinum medals.

The graphics are lovely even for the original XBOX. The cars all sound sweet, ranging from roars and growls of various engines. You can look at this game right now and still admire its beautiful graphics. So what if it lacks the next-gen appeal of today's games? It is still a beautiful game to me.

Project Gotham Racing 3.

^ from: www.amazon.com - Project Gotham Racing 3 was one of the first titles for the XBOX 360. It also delivered one of the most beautiful gaming experiences for its time.

Project Gotham Racing 3 was one of the first titles for the (then) new XBOX 360. It delivered much more beautiful graphics and much more intense play than either PGR on the original XBOX. New locales to this game include Las Vegas and London.

• Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
• London, England
• New York City, New York, USA
• Tokyo, Japan
• the Nürburgring

Cars include the likes of the Radical SR3, the beautiful Ferrari F430, the Aston Martin DBR9, and others. Each car and every location is styled beautifully. Cars have amazing detail both inside and out. Players could even watch races through Gotham TV. The racing action flows beautifully and is very fast. Fluid graphics and intense gameplay make PGR3 a joy to play or watch. My only experience with PGR3 is with the kiosk demo I played a long time ago. I think there was a two-lap race around part of downtown Tokyo, but also a time trial around another part of Tokyo. That is my only experience with PGR3.

Project Gotham Racing 4.

^ from: www.amazon.com - PGR4 is easily the most visually-enticing PGR title in the series, and it also debuted motorcycles as part of the PGR fun.

The final chapter of the PGR series came with PGR4. Among two of the most enticing elements of this game are the debut of motorcycles and the outstanding rain effects.

• Tokyo, Japan
• New York City, New York, USA
• the Nürburgring
• London, England
• Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
• Shanghai, China
• St. Petersburg, Russia
• Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
• Macau, Special Administrative Region, China
• Michelin Test Track

I mentioned that this game includes both cars and motorcycles. Some of the many cars include the Toyota GT-One, the Toyota 2000GT, the Honda NSX-R, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V, the Lotus Cortina, and many more cars. The motorcycle front features machines like the expensive and fast MV Augusta F4 Senna. I have NEVER played PGR4 as of this post. Some people whom actually played this game mostly say that this game wasn't as good as any of the previous titles. The graphics look amazing with the cars and the environments. The sounds are also very good.


There is no doubt that this series offers fun action. Just find a car and go either race or rack up the Kudos.

--- Project Gotham Racing: Final Thoughts ---

The Project Gotham Racing series was truly one of the last few racing/driving game franchises purely about the joy of driving. Enjoying drifting and all-out racing has never been so much fun than when the Project Gotham Racing series was established. What began with Metropolis Street Racer has turned out to be one of the best racing/driving game franchises of all time. The detail on the cars as well as the detailed locales make the PGR series one of the most fun racing game series ever created. For what Bizarre Creations was able to bring to racing gaming through not only PGR but also Metropolis Street Racer, it is a great shame PGR couldn't continue.

There was speculation that Lucid- a company featuring ex-Bizarre Creations staff would make a project for the XBOX One that could create a fifth installment of Project Gotham Racing. Lucid would make a racing game. Sadly, it is a game called "2K Drive" for the iPad published by 2K (you know- the ones behind the 2K Sports games). So we may never see a Project Gotham Racing 5. Enjoy the PGR series if you are any sort of racing game fan and aren't biased in any sort regarding console racers.





If you enjoyed my post on the PGR series, I invite you to show your support for my work by taking a look at these items below. That is... if you don't mind.



FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
• Project Gotham Racing - XBOX
• Project Gotham Racing 2 - XBOX
• Project Gotham Racing 3 - XBOX 360
• Project Gotham Racing 4 - XBOX 360

If you don't have either the XBOX or XBOX 360 but want to get one, have a look at these:



• Microsoft XBOX.
• Microsoft XBOX 360 (multiple versions available on Amazon, including bundles).


Alternatively, you may also get PGR titles from GameSpot ("Project Gotham Racing" search results).


If you don't have the old XBOX or the XBOX 360, here are some links to help you out:

• XBOX console (Amazon) or XBOX 360 console (Amazon)
• Microsoft XBOX (eBay) or XBOX 360 (eBay) on eBay


Or if you're interested in reading my own look at past gaming consoles, check out this "John's Blog Space" blog post: "John's Gaming History Tour" (John's Blog Space).





What do you think about the Project Gotham Racing series? Remember that this blog is still about Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy; but in the new direction of "John's Gran Turismo Space," this blog post includes discussion of other racing games and other things regarding racing games in addition to Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy. This is just the evolution of this blog. I hope you enjoy my efforts. Thank you for reading!

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GT2: Music at the Speed of Sound

With Gran Turismo 2, "Music at the Speed of Sound" let you listen to some hot songs on the go when not playing GT2. It had not only a 12-song music CD, but also a second disc that allowed you to play the GT2 demo along with a collection of cars and tracks to upload to GT2. It has been a while since posting on John's Gran Turismo Space (and I am sorry for this); however, don't get the idea that I'm running out of ideas for JGTS! Remember- this blog is about all things of, about, related to... Gran Turismo. So here is another post for you GT fans to get excited about!

--- Gran Turismo 2: Music at the Speed of Sound ---

^ from: www.amazon.com - "Music at the Speed of Sound" features songs from Gran Turismo 2 along with an added game disc with some extra goodies.


Here is the song listing for "Music at the Speed of Sound":

01. Apollo 440 - Cold Rock the Mic
02. The Cardigans - My Favorite Game
03. The Crystal Method - Now is the Time (New Millennium Mix)
04. Hole - Use Once and Destroy
05. Creed - Unforgiven
06. Moby - Bodyrock (B&H's Bodyrob Mix)
07. Rob Zombie - Dragula (Hot Rod Herman Mix)
08. Fear Factory and Gary Numan - Cars
09. Garbage - I Think I'm Paranoid
10. Boom Boom Satellites - Push Eject
11. Filter - Hey Man Nice Shot
12. Soul Coughing - Super Bon Bon

Really, what saddens me with the album is that one of my favorite songs from GT2 is not included in this collection- "Sex Type Thing" by the Stone Temple Pilots. The game data included on the other CD is good to use if you have another Memory Card. Make sure your PS1/PSX Memory Card has enough space to load up GT2 data on. After that, just use that Memory Card to trade some of the data to your main GT2 data on the other Memory Card. That's what I would recommend when using the other disc for GT2 data.


If you want to buy this CD collection, here is an item you can use below to buy online:







Thank you for reading "John's Gran Turismo Space!" If you want more, make sure you Subscribe and Follow!

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Best Wishes to Polyphony Digital

Polyphony Digital began moving 50 of its members from Tokyo to Fukuoka not too long ago. This move originated from the Tohoku Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami. They also want to expand in their move to Fukuoka. I read that PD is even considering to set up a game development school or studio there as well. If you don't know where Fukuoka is, it is a city in western Japan on For more information on this deal, please check out this article by my friends over on GTPlanet.net:

"Polyphony Digital to Continue Expansion in Fukuoka, Japan," on gtplanet.net

I apologize to my Gran Turismo fans for not posting anything lately on "John's Gran Turismo Space." Still, I am mostly just thinking of the next thing to post about. Best wishes to Polyphony Digital in their expansion. Maybe this will allow them to expand and probably increase their development efforts. Perhaps even consider doing a lot more outsourcing. I hope this move will help out Polyphony Digital for a long time to come.

Once again, my best wishes go out to Polyphony Digital and all of their hard work in making and keeping Gran Turismo one of the best racing game franchises of all time. Thank you for reading.

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GT Academy 2013 Demo

GT Academy 2013 offers about the first real look at the upcoming Gran Turismo 6. This is the first-ever GT Academy I've downloaded for my PlayStation 3, as I did not download the 2012 edition of GT Academy. After going through some of the disappointments of GT5, I had somewhat of an idea of what GT6 could offer and how much further ahead PD will need to go in making GT6 worlds better than GT5. This post is just a basic notebook of my thoughts on the GT Academy 2013 demo.

All of this is based on my first day of playing the GT Academy demo. This was all taken from my initial playing experience from July 20, 2013.

--- GT Academy 2013 Demo Impressions ---

Gran Turismo 6 doesn't seem like it will be a leaps-and-bounds improvement over GT5. However, you do get to enjoy racing two Nissans. The first-ever winner of GT Academy- Lucas Ordoñez offers his insights to you when you start out. You input your first and last name and then be on your way racing. Before you take on the in-game demo, you will take two laps around one of the shorter configurations of the Silverstone Circuit. If you aren't aware, Silverstone will be one of a few new circuits to be included in Gran Turismo 6 as well as the likes of the Goodwood Festival of Speed track and Bathurst. Just go and complete the run as best as you can.

After your run around Silverstone, you will then compete in two series races- both in Nissans. You should be able to clear every race successfully as long as you race cleanly and make solid overtakes. One of two Nissans you will race in GT Academy 2013 is the Nissan Leaf. Okay... maybe the Leaf is not exactly a racing beast, but you do get the chance to race one of these cars. Man- that car is super quiet! I once seen a YouTube video of a Nissan Leaf race car which is even more quiet. You will then go race a Nissan 370Z in two more races. If you manage to clear all races, you then will take on five events around Silverstone. I did not do the Silverstone events in making my initial blog post regarding the GT Academy 2013 demo.

When you start a race, you get this rather fancy introduction along with a good rock music intro. These Gran Turismo flags show up on the screen. The pre-race menu is more stylish and more informative than Gran Turismo 5's pre-race menu. It even includes time and weather information. I honestly want to imagine all or most of these courses will let you race almost any time of day with any number of weather effects. For example, racing at Autumn Ring was slated at 14:00 (2:00 PM) at 47 F temperatures. I am not very good with 24-hour times, so that's why I included the 12-hour format here.

As for the driving model, I didn't note too much difference between GT5's model and the model in this demo. What I DID notice was that I raced the Autumn Ring event in the 370Z, and I almost spun out my 370Z going through Autumn Ring's loop. Either my tires lacked traction or that I was applying a bit too much throttle in the loop. I actually adjusted my TCS settings down to 1 in my playing of the demo. Driving a car in this game remains solid while not being overly hardcore.

Final Thoughts.

The GT Academy 2013 demo offers a glimpse into what Gran Turismo 6 will offer. There is still so much to speculate and imagine at this point. It certainly leaves much to the imagination of what Gran Turismo 6 will hopefully offer. If you have a PlayStation 3, make sure to download the 1GB download and get to play the whole thing to get an idea of what GT6 could potentially offer.

Video Preview.

I tried to find as brief of a video as possible to get you interested in GT Academy 2013. Here was the best video I could find:



So jump onto PlayStation Store and download the FREE GT Academy 2013 demo!





So go ahead and download GT Academy 2013 from PlayStation Store. It is a good idea of what GT6 could possibly offer. All I can really hope for is a GT6 kiosk demo much like the vastly popular GT5 kiosk demo I reviewed in "John's Blog Space." I do want to race cars like the Audi S1 Group B rally car and that Lightweight Car Company Rocket. For now, thank you for reading!

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Forza Motorsport Thoughts

(UPDATED: July 25, 2013)

Since my JGTS announcement, this first post marks my first post in the new direction of "John's Gran Turismo Space." The best racing game franchise not named Gran Turismo is Forza Motorsport for the XBOX consoles. Long considered the principal rival of the Gran Turismo series among many racing game faithful, Forza Motorsport is a racing game series very much proud of being very fan-driven.

Most of what you are going to see is my own personal introduction to the Forza Motorsport series as I will introduce topics to, of, and related to Forza Motorsport among the many topics here. Get ready for a lot of commentary and thoughts on this series.

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

JUL 25 2013 - added extra section, added video, edited closing table

About the Label: "Forza Motorsport"

Even though this blog is about Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy, part of the new direction of JGTS is in providing other racing game content in addition to GT. Posts under this label feature topics regarding the Forza Motorsport series. These are topics of and related Forza Motorsport and the Forza Motorsport series. Posts under this label also consist of Forza Horizon.

--- Forza Motorsport in General ---

The Forza Motorsport series was born in 2004 for the original XBOX. This game series was seen as a title that was a worthy contender to the Gran Turismo series even though GT is not on any XBOX console or Forza on any PlayStation console. Reception for the series has been positive over the years for the Forza Motorsport series and for good reason. Some people look at the Forza Motorsport series as the anti-Gran Turismo. The series features a number of elements that Gran Turismo games lack or have lacked previously- damage, paint/livery, and online play among others. In fact, the disappointment of certain factors regarding Gran Turismo 4- namely online play- have led some to defect to the Forza Motorsport series when the first game was released. As more and people began to appreciate what all the Forza Motorsport series had to offer, it became plain as day that FM is the truth. A commercial for Forza 1 even noted one magazine saying this game is "better than Gran Turismo 4."

The man behind the Forza Motorsport series is creative director Dan Greenawalt. He is to Forza as Kazunori Yamauchi is to Gran Turismo. His Turn 10 Studios is to Forza as Polyphony Digital is to Gran Turismo. Forza was designed more like a racing game series XBOX gamers can be proud of. Most of its inspiration comes from the Gran Turismo series. That's why in the past, I questioned whether Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport are true rivals. FM is only a Gran Turismo rival if you think FM copied lots of things from GT to make itself better. And... you'd be dead wrong- Forza is completely original. Well, maybe except the biting of the New York City tracks.

If there is one thing Forza Motorsport does well, it's establish a proper connect to the cars and the racing you do. Continually racing a certain make of car earns you some discounts with the loyalty and affinity you earn in races. Keeping a connection between cars and racing is very important to me because it makes you feel like you actually care about racing the certain cars in the game and not feel like you're racing certain makes of cars just because you have to. The car choices and tuning options are incredible, allowing you to make your cars YOUR cars. Having this sort of freedom and control can be great to showcase especially when online.

I know my Gran Turismo fans couldn't care less about a series like Forza Motorsport. In this blog post, and with the new direction of this blog, I will surely discuss this series professionally and with class to my readers.

--- Forza Motorsport: My Thoughts ---

These are general thoughts of mine regarding the Forza Motorsport series. You are free to have a look at some of my basic thoughts on FM.

General Thoughts and My Experience.

I have only played Forza Motorsport 1 at a kiosk at a mall. I have played the demo to Forza Motorsport 2, and I played the Forza Motorsport 4 demo. NEVER touched FM3 in any capacity.

Here is my Forza Motorsport story. When I first heard of Forza Motorsport, I wanted to play it because my friends over on GTPlanet.net had a thread on Forza Motorsport. I played the demo to Forza Motorsport 1 at a Wal-Mart store. After getting roughed up by the AI, I was thinking... really? THIS is better than Gran Turismo? I failed to see exactly what made this game even remotely or potentially better than Gran Turismo. FM1 was ugly and had bad AI, yet people complained over Gran Turismo's AI. Even the fact you could play this online didn't mean the computer AI has to be intentionally bad. So I couldn't help but laugh when people thought of Forza as being better than GT.

Even more frustrating was how people could say that Forza Motorsport was better than GT in the car department as well. I do admit the sounds are worlds better in Forza than in Gran Turismo. What angered me was how people hated Gran Turismo didn't have world-class manufacturers like Forza does. I mean, is Alfa Romeo a world-class brand? What about Mercedes-Benz? Mainly, the ones who complained about GT's lineup were those who felt Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini are all very important to feature in a racing game. While the first Forza didn't have Lamborghini (it would debut in FM2), Ferrari and Porsche were still included. Those two marques alone meant FM (to most people) is more worth playing than any Gran Turismo.

Over time, I got to eventually appreciate and respect Forza Motorsport. I began to love the variety of races and cars as well as the entire suite of tuning options. It felt like I could make my cars MY cars. The environment of Forza games is well-tailored to many a gamer with its options ranging from driver aids to difficulty settings. My dislike turned into respect. And to this day, I fully respect the Forza Motorsport series as a gaming fan- let alone a racing game fan. I even sometimes think about aspects of Forza Motorsport that could make Gran Turismo games better.

JUST TO LET YOU KNOW... Part of my ambition to take this new direction of "John's Gran Turismo Space" was to offer topics and discussion of other racing games. Part of that ambition was to discuss Forza, because there are some interesting topics and discussions I feel I could contribute to this game and to this blog.

So NOW go call me a Gran Turismo "fanboy" after having read this! Dare you...

--- Forza Motorsport: Why Bother? ---

I feel my GT readers may be given a disservice by talking about another racing game. However, there is a reason why I am featuring certain other racing games along with my GT discussion. One such reason is because I want to discuss more racing games as well as aspects of racing games. So let me give you reasons to care about Forza.

Why bother about this series? Here is a breakdown:

Why Bother? - Cars.

The most common complaints regarding Gran Turismo was the lack of interesting cars. Forza Motorsport has delivered on a combination of daily drivers and high-end sports cars, and it also includes a handful of racing machines. I've read all in my time on GTPlanet where people complained about GT4 having 50 Nissan Skylines/GT-Rs and 25 Mitsubishi Lancers, most of them complaining of a lack of world-class manufacturers (namely Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini). Some people may even complain of Japanese bias in Gran Turismo. Yet, hardly anyone complains of a mostly American bias in Forza.

Not only does Forza have a vast variety of cars (though not really to the mind-blowing number of cars in Gran Turismo games), the amount of detail both in the cars and in the tuning aspects are reasons to care.

Regardless, one can't complain too much about what cars Forza Motorsport games have to offer. It is as diverse a lineup as you can find. That is especially if you think the Kei cars shouldn't be in any racing game.

Why Bother? - Locations.

The many venues of Forza Motorsport encompass a certifiable world tour. To my knowledge, only Forza Motorsport 1 has featured tracks in South America (the streets of Rio de Janeiro) and Australia (Blue Mountain Raceway- inspired by the Mount Panorama Circuit (Bathurst)). Every other Forza has featured tracks from North America, Europe, and Japan. Forza Motorsport 1 has featured two point-to-point race tracks- Pacific Shipyards and Fujimi Kaido. You can race on the streets of New York City in Forza Motorsports 1 through 3, but the track seems to follow most of the same trail as New York from Gran Turismo 4 and Tourist Trophy. FM1 featured the streets of Tokyo, and it's completely original as it is much different from Tokyo Route 246 in Gran Turismo.

The signature racing course of Forza Motorsport is Maple Valley Raceway. According to FM4, this fictional track is based in New Hampshire. Its beautiful Fall/Autumn scenery and challenging elevation changes will test the metle of many a Forza driver.

Forza has a fair share of great real-world tracks. From the outset, Laguna Seca Raceway has long been featured among the real-world circuits. Other real-world courses include but not limited to: Road Atlanta, Road America, Silverstone, the Nürburgring (including the Nürburgring Nordschleife), Circuit de Catalunya, Mugello, Tsukuba, and Suzuka among others.

There have also been more locations of various testing-type courses, such as

Why Bother? - Tuning and Customization.

Forza Motorsport has always featured robust tuning suites that surpass Gran Turismo's models. Tuning comes in the form of many exterior and interior options. I remember from the very first FM tuning outside options ranging from car color to even the color of the windows and the glass. Some people have made builds of cars in Forza Motorsport 4 that far surpass almost anything you could do in any Gran Turismo. The customization aspect alone is enough reason to even remotely care about Forza, not to mention wishing you could perform the same sort of customization (or to a similar level) in a Gran Turismo.

Why Bother? - Racing.

For many people, the deal-maker is in being able to compete against either in-game AI or against XBOX Live opponents. You could even engage in an in-game career against XBOX Live opponents if you feel like you deserve better than in-game AI.

As for the variety of racing itself, Forza Motorsport seems to take itself more seriously than most of Gran Turismo's races. Having an actual set of races in various categories keeps things interesting. Gran Turismo games have a lot of One-Make races and nationality races. Forza did pretty well establishing sort of a rivalry system. For example, FM2 has a sort of rivalry series where you could race either a Camaro or a Mustang. One other series showcases the Impreza and the Lancer. Maybe if you're a more hardcore racer, you MAY be disappointed with the length of endurance races in Forza Motorsport.

Speaking of in-game AI, you can actually adjust the difficulty of the AI so you stand a better chance if you are not as adept. You may even use your Drivatar to compete in races you rather not compete in properly. The Drivatar is an AI driver that drives each car based on your level of driving skill. So it is almost as if it tries to be you in racing the way you normally would race. See where I'm getting at?


This is just a basic overview of as much as I know about Forza Motorsport through my own experiences.

--- What to Derive From This Post ---

While the Forza Motorsport series may not be overly welcome to feature in "John's Gran Turismo Space"- a blog about the Gran Turismo series and Tourist Trophy, the Forza Motorsport series still has a number of things to set itself apart and make you think how much better the Gran Turismo series can be. You can't always just think you are alone on top of the mountain. Others will try to reach the same summit you've reached and established long ago. I don't talk about series like Forza to say that Gran Turismo is bad or losing its touch. All I am saying is that the competition is there for a reason. After all, Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport are the two best console racing game franchises in history. Gran Turismo set the bar, and the Forza Motorsport series has reached and even surpassed that bar.

I just think Forza has a few fresh ideas and a few other things to make itself better than the Gran Turismo series. At some point, Gran Turismo will need to find new ways to enhance the franchise to keep it fresh while also remaining top dog in the racing game world. All the great gaming franchises know how to improve and show improvement- whether through minimal changes or leaps-and-bounds improvement. Look at the Mario games. Look at the Legend of Zelda. Look at the Street Fighter games. Look at the Sonic the Hedgehog games (in its heyday). If the Gran Turismo series could pick up on a number of things that made Forza become wildly popular and well-respected, GT will last longer and better in the long run. Gran Turismo shouldn't, however, try to copy Forza in certain respects. Sometimes, rivals can help you become better even if you feel you can't improve any further.

--- Forza Motorsport: Preview ---

I found this video on YouTube. You want video proof of what Forza Motorsport has to provide? This video will fill you in. Click on the link below the video to view on YouTube if you can not view embedded media:


^ "Forza Motorsport Series Intro
"

Now you have video proof of how this series has come along.

--- A Special Message (Bonus Section!) ---

I don't want my loyal GT fans to think I am turning this Gran Turismo blog into a Forza Motorsport blog. I simply want this blog to be an avenue for not just the Gran Turismo series and Tourist Trophy, but also because I feel this is my best avenue to discuss various racing games as well as Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy. I don't want to give up on my blog and all I've worked for just to make a new blog. I could, but I want the most visibility. Look at it this way:

• Pizza Hut offers food like sandwiches and pastas besides just pizza.
• Nike offers more than just sneakers.
• Honda makes MUCH more than just automobiles and motorcycles.

So to me, this is about evolving a product and offering much more while still staying true or mostly true to its roots. This is still a Gran Turismo blog. I just choose to discuss other racing games as well as various other aspects of racing games. You could say this is a racing game variant of my main blog. Only instead of talking about almost any sort of issue that I can make a halfway decent blog post about, I chose to discuss racing games and aspects of racing games in addition to my Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy content.

I hope you appreciate my efforts to evolve my content and offer a lot more different things that you may already love about me and my blogging.





This concludes the first post in my evolution of "John's Gran Turismo Space" and of my range of topics for JGTS. I hope to offer much more content to evolve this blog as much as possible. Thank you for reading!

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Slipstream

Capcom's vision of Formula 1 racing came in the form of the 1995 arcade game Slipstream. Many people only know Auto Modellista as Capcom's only racing game. Actually, there have been racing games by Capcom before even Slipstream. They just aren't many Capcom racing titles. Anyhow, Slipstream was not marketed aggressively worldwide, as you could only find Slipstream granted you live in Brazil. It was a game that featured three modes of play, eight cars, and four venues. I will introduce this game to my wonderful audience here.

I blogged about Slipstream before in my main blog, "John's Blog Space." This post you are about to read, however, is a completely original post made specifically for "John's Race Space."

--- Slipstream ---

Capcom's Slipstream was released in 1995. It ran on Sega System 32 hardware. Rich color quality and smooth racing were offered with this package. Slipstream is a Formula 1 racing game which allows for frenzied racing action by way of turbo boosts.

Modes of Play.

Three modes of play are available to gamers:

• Time Trial - compete in a one-on-one race.
• World Championship - race on all four tracks in a World Championship setting.
• Passing Contest - pass as many cars as you can through the course of one race.

The Cars.

The cars all resemble real-world Formula 1 race cars of their day. There are actually four cars in Slipstream, each with two different variants separated by color. So the total number of cars to choose from is eight. Each car is graded upon four factors:

• Handling - how well your car can take on corners.
• Acceleration - how well your car gets up to speed.
• Max Speed - the fastest your car can go.
• Rain Grip - how well your car handles in the rain.

While the cars all resemble certain real-world F1 cars (such as the Benetton B192), no actual F1 teams or drivers exist in this game.

The Tracks.

Each of the tracks are named for the nation they can be found in. Each course offers their own unique challenges.

• Germany - enjoy high-speed battle around the old Hockenheimring.
• Monaco - enter racing battle on the famed streets of Monte Carlo.
• Japan - the technical Suzuka Circuit offers rewarding driving and intense challenge.
• Australia - race the streets of Adelaide, but be wary of when rain soaks these streets.

Ready for some Slipstream?

The Racing.

The races in Slipstream all feature you against other car(s). Be sure not to overrev your engine at the start, or you'll have a terrible launch off the line. The key to racing in this game is in utilizing your turbo boosts. When you are in the draft of a leading car, a turbo will be initiated for you to try to pass that car. You can generate your own turbo boost, but you'll get automatic boosts when in a slipstream battle. You may often hear a voice say "SLIPSTREAM!" once a turbo is activated. Be careful as you use your boosts, because the other drivers may also overtake you with their own turbo boosts. By crossing the Checkpoints, your time will be extended. Try to ward off the other driver(s) and go for the win!

Video Preview.

Here is a preview of Slipstream. Click on the link below the video to view in YouTube (if you are unable to view such embedded media):


ARCADE MUSEUM - Slip Stream


Thanks to the video creator for allowing this video to be embedded.

--- Slipstream: Final Thoughts ---

It is too bad that Capcom didn't market this game outside of Brazil. Even though more people equate Capcom to fighting games, it doesn't mean that they still can't take on a racing game. Most people today may know of Auto Modellista as the only Capcom racing game ever. Some others know of Capcom offering the MotoGP games taking over from Namco (now Namco Bandai). However, Capcom made an arcade racing game back in 1988 called F-1 Dream for arcades. Just because you are not known for making games of a certain genre doesn't mean you can take on the challenge of making a game of a foreign (in the minds of purists) genre.

Having said all of this, I am actually sad Capcom probably could have marketed Slipstream a bit more elsewhere. Its rarity and its appeal make it very interesting. A willing developer could be able to take this game and maybe make it available on services like PlayStation Network or XBOX Live among others. Even though Capcom is better known as a juggernaut in fighting games, at least it's nice to know they attempted a racing game or two- and a very good one at that.


IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED... You can read my original post on "Slipstream" in my main blog by following this link: "Slipstream" (John's Blog Space).





That concludes another blog post here on "John's Race Space." Want more of my material? Be sure you are Subscribed and Followed to JRS as well as to my other blogs. I hope you enjoyed this post. Until next time, thank you for reading!

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The Future of JGTS

For my Gran Turismo fans, I am sorry I have not updated this blog much. I began "John's Gran Turismo Space" with providing a continuous supply of Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy related material. I am still interested in the upcoming Gran Turismo 6. However, I haven't done much updating. There is also another reason why I have been feeling a bit down on myself updating JGTS. You see, I am not good often times at sticking to certain things. I created JGTS to focus solely on the Gran Turismo series. But at the same time, I didn't want to turn a niche-type blog into something outside of its niche. My main blog, "John's Blog Space" began as a Gran Turismo blog before I decided to blog about almost anything else that crossed my mind. And the rest is history, right?

I want to assure everyone that I do more blogging than just in my GT blog. I love the Gran Turismo series, and while I sometimes try to incorporate other racing games into this blog, part of me wants to make this still about the Gran Turismo series... but open the floor to other racing games. So JGTS may essentially still be about Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy... while also featuring elements of and other material from other racing games. I don't want to do this because I've already established JGTS as a GT-only blog. So why would I really open the floor to other material besides what I initially marketed this blog to be? I would feel like I would have cheated a lot of my readers/visitors by going in a different direction than a blog's intended purpose.

So therefore, I have reached a certain decision regarding the future of this blog. Disregard the next section if you are not reading the full blog post. What? Did you think I was going to show my announcement from the main page? Think again! :P If you want to read the announcement I have to make, make sure you are reading the full blog post by clicking on "Read More" if you are not viewing this full post. If you want to follow this blog (or any of my others), use the table below to get social with me. Also, don't forget to...

Follow my blog(s) on Bloglovin', including Following JGTS on Bloglovin'!

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Okay. Thank all of you who continued on to read the announcement I have to make regarding the future of "John's Gran Turismo Space." So what will be the future of this fine blog? Here is the decision I have come to...

--- The Future of JGTS ---

"John's Gran Turismo Space" will NOT be discontinued. I am not going to change the official name of this blog. It will still be about the Gran Turismo series and of Tourist Trophy. The blog's official colors will remain Amethyst Purple and Moonlight Silver. However, this blog will be about many more racing games. It will also feature material regarding other racing games.

The reason why I came to this decision is because I want to extend the life of this blog while also offering more material to make it more enjoyable for other fans of racing games. I also did not want to eliminate this blog just to make a new one. I have been blogging for years. It takes a whole lot of work to make a blog and then try to get my current audience to somehow get with a new blog. So rather than go through all of that, I will try to offer more material in my main blog.

I want this blog to continue to be prosperous and useful. So because of my unyielding love of racing/driving games, I want to extend this blog's life and provide more useful content that I know people will likely pick up on and enjoy. Newer content from this point forward will not undermine or ruin the main point of this blog. Think of it more as a love of racing games from someone who passionately contributes to it. I want to evolve this blog as well as have a proper avenue to discuss things I want to discuss. And more importantly, I want to contribute to society. My posts and my thoughts all contribute to the society of us gamers and us racing game and driving game fans. More important than any commentary I make is providing material that is useful. Nothing is uploaded to the Internet if I don't think it has any value. That won't change even as I discuss other racing games and aspects of racing games in addition to my Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy content.

Why This Decision?

I love blogging. I love expressing myself. My ability to discuss the Gran Turismo series and offer resources for this long has been a great highlight of my JGTS blogging. But at the same time, I also believe in extending the life of certain material I publish because I know I don't blog for myself, and I don't blog for money (though I wouldn't mind being compensated for my work). Some of my posts from my main blog- "John's Blog Space" would be better suited for JGTS rather than not get as many hits on JBS. I don't want certain topics to just die.

Long story short... I just want this blog to be as successful as my others. So a lot of the content from JBS will be moved over to JGTS, and some of it may even be vastly updated. The key word to all of this is "evolution." All I am looking for here is evolution of my content. Because of my passion to continue what I've started, I want to find new ways to keep my audience interested. I'll do as much as I can to make this as interesting for non-GT types as I am for other Gran Turismo fans.

Part of this decision is the desire and the need to provide resources to others. That is why I am pushing to keep this blog relevant and useful for all readers and visitors. I even have some topics in mind that I never got to discuss or release in my main blog. There are even topics that I don't think would be well suited to my main blog, so that is why I will use this blog to discuss more material regarding racing/driving games here.

So now you know more about my decision to take this new direction of my blog.

Fears and Potential Reactions.

Some people may probably say that this would no longer be a Gran Turismo blog since I made the announcement that I will feature more general racing game content and other racing games than just Gran Turismo. Just know this blog will still mostly be about Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy. Its roots will not be ruined just because I decided to take this blog in a new direction. So fear not on that front.

Some others may want to criticize that my inability to continually and regularly provide Gran Turismo content for this blog previously was the reason why I wanted to take this new direction with JGTS.

Any other criticisms that I haven't thought about that you want to take on me, fire away! :)

What You Will See Here in the Future.

Here are a few talking points:

• Prepare to see more content regarding other racing games including various blog post series primarily regarding other racing games. One of those is my "Elements of Racing Games" series from John's Blog Space, which is a basic look at various racing games and certain elements of most racing games.

• I will provide blog posts regarding other racing games in hopes to land more fans of racing games to my blog here. You know you are going to get comments on other racing games with the quality that I present in my posts. That SURELY will not change.

• A lot of the early posts will be former posts from "John's Blog Space" edited and updated with new content. They may even include old Gran Turismo posts I did on JBS updated for JGTS.

• Completely new content will be made available for this blog. I may even offer various other thoughts on various other racing/driving games and compare them to what Gran Turismo provides. I will surely try to be non-biased.

• Resources, commentary, and thoughts on other racing games will be made available for this blog. For example, you may see a post regarding some of the fastest cars early on in "Need for Speed: SHIFT." Or you may see advice on how to win at "Shooting Hoops" in Ridge Racer Type 4. You may even get to see some of my thoughts regarding certain elements of the Forza Motorsport series. I may provide my own look at the Calendar system in Enthusia Professional Racing. Basically- you will see material about other racing games in addition to the usual Gran Turismo material I provide. This is all about providing material everyone can take in and (hopefully) enjoy.

You now have a look at what I hope to provide in the future for this blog.

Final Thoughts.

I just want to provide the most complete and most interesting material possible online. I hope all of you who enjoy reading my blog posts continue to enjoy my material. I'm sure you will have new reason to appreciate my content if you so enjoy it. You will note some of the different changes when more posts and topics become available to JGTS. In addition to being a Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy blog, I also want this to be enjoyable for many kinds of racing/driving games. It is all about expressing as much as I want to express in my many posts. You won't be disappointed... or at least I hope not to disappoint you.

And don't forget- you can always comment and share my material! Your comments and questions are always welcome to my posts. Just remember- no spam, personal attacks, or anything like that.





That concludes this look at the future of "John's Gran Turismo Space." And again- I greatly apologize for not providing more posts to this blog when I really could have made more material available. Maybe this new direction for JGTS will help keep this blog active with content. Your support is ALWAYS appreciated, so don't stop supporting my content if you enjoy it. Thank you for reading!

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Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - Super

Five one-lap time trials are all that remains in Gran Turismo 6's 25 License Tests. The Super License is yours if you clear all five tests. As one would imagine, you aren't going to be handed a Super License. You can't buy a license. You have to EARN them, and you certainly need to earn your license in this one. How will you take on the five Super License tests? Gold is something I can't help you get. That's up to you. The finale of this series of posts regarding License Tests is coming up here on "John's Race Space!"

--- Gran Turismo 6 License Tests ---

The dreaded License Tests- at least in the minds of those who loathe License Tests. I guess since GT5 seemed too loose, the importance of License Tests returned. The formula is different here in GT6. Rather than take License Tests as you please, you have to unlock these tests to be able to advance further into the game and access more features. You have to unlock license tests by going through the various official races. You must acquire enough Stars and clear certain races or championships to be able to qualify for gaining a License.

Each License consists of five tests. You need to clear each test with Bronze or higher to receive your license. Try to go for all-Gold if you can. If you Gold each of the license tests in a set, you will earn a bonus car.

If you have PlayStation Network friends, their trails can be animated so you can compare your best time to your friends' best times. This will help you to see what lines they took and how fast they took on the course. They may also annoy you, because what person wants to feel like they are slower than his/her PSN friends?

GT6 License Tests: The Series.

This section will be edited once blog posts on each set of license tests will be added. Here is the series as slated:

• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - National B
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - National A
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - International B
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - International A
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - Super (YOU ARE HERE)

Each of the above links will be edited as posts for each one is complete.

--- Gran Turismo 6 Licenses: Super ---

^ Everything you learned from previous tests all culminate into five one-lap time trials. Clear all five, and you'll have your Super License.

All five of the tests here are one-lap time trials. You need to utilize all of your racing skill to properly navigate each race track. All five tests take place under Standing Start conditions, so as important as properly navigating each course is, getting a good launch off the Start/Finish line is equally important. Make the most of each test to post the best times for each.

S-1: 1-Lap Time Trial - Apricot Hill Raceway.

Car: 2012 Toyota 86 GT
Course: Apricot Hill Raceway
Start: Standing Start

Your mount in this test is the Toyota 86 GT. This car is a joint effort of Toyota and Subaru. It is a boxer-powered sports car with serious inspiration from the classic Toyota AE86. This modern hachi-roku is yours to take around Apricot Hill Raceway- a very technical, rather short Grand Prix-type racing course. Do your best to weave your way around the lefts and rights of Apricot Hill Raceway. How you handle the first half of the course can make a big difference in how your final lap times end up. Be careful also at the sharp corner at the backstretch and the super-slow chicane.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 1:48.000
• SILVER: 1:50.000
• BRONZE: 1:55.000

S-2: 1-Lap Time Trial - Willow Springs International Raceway - Big Willow.

Car: 2011 Alfa Romeo T23 Stradale
Course: Willow Springs International Raceway - Big Willow
Start: Standing Start

Its simplicity will make you think this is going to be an easy drive around Willow Springs' "Big Willow" layout. Take it TOO lightly, however, and reality will bite you like a snake. So in other words... get serious about this one. This course has too many sections that are too easy to overshoot or misjudge. Fall into these traps, and you're going to fail again and again here. This test also takes place under dark conditions. Don't let Willow Springs' simplicity make you think you can waltz your way cleanly around this course. There are too many pitfalls which will lull you into a sense that you can complete this course much easier than what this course really says to you. Do not relax your guard at all for this test.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 1:27.800
• SILVER: 1:29.500
• BRONZE: 1:33.000

S-3: 1-Lap Time Trial - Silverstone The Stowe Circuit.

Car: 2012 KTM X-BOW R
Course: Silverstone The Stowe Circuit
Start: Standing Start

The Stowe Circuit of Silverstone will be your testing ground for this License Test. Your car is the 2012 KTM X-BOW R. This car is like a two-seat go-kart the way it gets up to speed and handles like a dream. The course is mostly flat all the way around. Use your judgment to find each apex and adjust your speed accordingly for each corner. Don't push this car too far to where you start understeering in the corners or induce a spin. Victory will be yours if you manage to handle both the car and the track properly.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 57.300
• SILVER: 58.500
• BRONZE: 1:04.000

S-4: 1-Lap Time Trial - Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit.

Car: 2011 Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4
Course: Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit
Start: Standing Start

While Brands Hatch is rather short, there are plenty of corners and sections that will throw you for a loop. There are so many bits to Brands Hatch that can make you a little bit crazy trying to race the course. You'll be racing the certifiably insane Lamborghini Aventador for this License Test. Despite its incredible performance, it will be tough trying to properly wrestle this Italian supercar around a track like the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit. Having raced the Aventador in a few IA-level races in my personal GT6 experience, it can be difficult to properly make good use of its capabilities in a race. Remember that since this is a powerful mid-engine car with four-wheel drive, you will not have such an easy time driving this car properly on such a short track. Once you find the right balance of performance and handling to take on this course properly, you will start to deliver a good enough lap time that will give you passing credit. Be sure to nail the first corner, the hairpin, and all of the Grand Prix portion of Brands Hatch to stand a chance.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 1:34.500
• SILVER: 1:36.000
• BRONZE: 1:39.000

S-5: 1-Lap Time Trial - Ascari Full Track.

Car: 2009 Bugatti Veyron 16.4
Course: Ascari Full Track
Start: Standing Start

This one is going to drive you mad. While I do respect the Bugatti Veyron, this French supercar is perhaps the most overrated supercar today. You are asked in this challenge to race this insanely fast and powerful supercar around the entire Ascari circuit in Spain. Piloting this car is not fun at all. It has serious understeer and sometimes can't brake hard enough to save its life. Here's the best way I'll put it- racing the Bugatti Veyron is like trying to drive a drag racing car with the brakes of a train. Considering this heavy car has 4WD, one would probably think it's inexcusable for a car of this level of performance to perform so poorly on a challenging race track. The best advice I'd recommend is to change your controller settings- namely the controller steering sensitivity. The game even recommends you turn on TCS for this test. Once you get the hang of its performance capabilities, try racing the course more aggressively to try to improve your lap times. Whatever the case, you're going to be here for a while, especially if going for Gold. Enjoy the ride until you finally get it right.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 2:14.000
• SILVER: 2:16.000
• BRONZE: 2:20.000


You now have all of the licenses if you are able to clear all of the Super License tests. Congratulations on a job well done!





Thank all of you for reading my posts regarding the License Tests of Gran Turismo 6. All I want to do is offer something to racing game fans. I do so with love and passion. I am not posting this for myself- I do this all for you. PLEASE- if you enjoy my online work, Subscribe and Follow my blog(s) if you enjoy my work. Don't just come and go- let me know you care. Let me know that my work actually means something. So please Subscribe and Follow if you haven't done so already. Thank you for reading!

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Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - International A

The International A license validates you as world-class talent. You've worked hard enough to get to go for this license. It's about time you cash in and become greater than you've ever been in Gran Turismo 6. Or do you want your GT6 racing legacy to fall short? This post on "John's Race Space" is a look at the IA-License tests. Remember- I can't help you get Gold, but I can give you an idea of what kind of trouble you are about to get into. Buckle up. It's time to go for a ride.

--- Gran Turismo 6 License Tests ---

The dreaded License Tests- at least in the minds of those who loathe License Tests. I guess since GT5 seemed too loose, the importance of License Tests returned. The formula is different here in GT6. Rather than take License Tests as you please, you have to unlock these tests to be able to advance further into the game and access more features. You have to unlock license tests by going through the various official races. You must acquire enough Stars and clear certain races or championships to be able to qualify for gaining a License.

Each License consists of five tests. You need to clear each test with Bronze or higher to receive your license. Try to go for all-Gold if you can. If you Gold each of the license tests in a set, you will earn a bonus car.

If you have PlayStation Network friends, their trails can be animated so you can compare your best time to your friends' best times. This will help you to see what lines they took and how fast they took on the course. They may also annoy you, because what person wants to feel like they are slower than his/her PSN friends?

GT6 License Tests: The Series.

This section will be edited once blog posts on each set of license tests will be added. Here is the series as slated:

• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - National B
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - National A
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - International B
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - International A (YOU ARE HERE)
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - Super

Each of the above links will be edited as posts for each one is complete.

--- Gran Turismo 6 Licenses: International A ---

^ Rain or shine, a Gran Turismo racer is ready for any challenge thrown his/her way. The tests will be tougher, so you'd better be ready if you want to avoid being just another back marker.

Hope you're ready for this one. Even faster cars and even tougher challenges await you. You are not going to be a Gran Turismo champion if you don't learn these skills now. Make the most of your time in these License Tests to enhance your skills that extra bit.

IA-1: Cone Slalom 2.

Car: 2002 Honda NSX Type R
Course: Special Stage Route X
Start: Standing Start

This is the same slalom course from the International B license. Only this time, you are in a much more powerful car. Try to keep this NSX under control as you weave through this slalom course. Remember that the NSX is a mid-engine car with rear-wheel drive. Because of this, you need to have much better car control than what you had with the Volkswagen Scirocco from the previous Cone Slalom. This test is about car control with an agile and powerful sports car.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 17.800
• SILVER: 18.500
• BRONZE: 23.000

IA-2: Turning While Braking.

Car: 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C7)
Course: Ascari Full Track
Start: Rolling Start at 85 mph

Try out the latest Corvette on the formidable Ascari Full Track. You will be using the back stretch of Ascari Full Track. What awaits you here is a brief kink followed by a sharp right, a tricky chicane, and a banked left-hand corner leading to the Finish area. Be very careful in the chicane as there is not much separation between driving a perfect line and not hitting a cone. Drive carefully and precisely if you want to score a decent time in this one. Thankfully, the Corvette can handle it. Can you?

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 22.800
• SILVER: 23.500
• BRONZE: 27.000

IA-3: Dealing with Extreme Inclines.

Car: 2008 Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG
Course: Matterhorn Dristelen
Start: Rolling Start at 99 mph

Each of the Matterhorn courses feature some brutal elevation changes. The undulating roads will push an ill-prepared car (or an ill-talented driver) to insanity. The roads are also rather narrow. In other words, these Matterhorn courses can be thought of like a Swedish version of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, only each course being MUCH shorter in length for each course. Learn to properly take on courses with vast differences in elevation changes by taking on this License Test. You have yourself a luxury sports car to take around some tricky roads. The sharp left and the sections after are tough. You need to brake hard into the somewhat blind left-hand corner, then use your judgment to go uphill and try to power out of the section without hitting the outside wall or knocking out a cone either going uphill or upon exit. This test is more tricky than difficult.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 22.000
• SILVER: 22.800
• BRONZE: 25.500

IA-4: Driving in the Wet 1.

Car: 2012 Nissan GT-R Black Edition
Course: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Start: Rolling Start at 81 mph

Racing a course under wet conditions means you must contend with poor visibility from the rain as well as a lack of traction. This is one of two tests that tests your ability to navigate a course under wet conditions. For this one, you will be racing the middle section of Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps under wet conditions. This section includes the section from heading into the second hairpin to the finish line of the similar test at Spa-Francorchamps with the Civic Type-R. On your side is that you have a four-wheel drive car that makes great power and is quite fast. It won't be easy trying to clear this course with this car, though. Make the most of this car's capabilities while also properly navigating this course in the wet. Remember to try to find the best line around the course and drive this course as differently as you would if it were dry. Also remember that you don't have lots of traction to work with in keeping the car stable or properly driving the section. Be extremely careful here. If you have to, drive defensively rather than try to hot dog this section. When you're ready to take on the course more aggressively, employ different driving strategies to post a better lap time. It also helps to drive from any view besides the Interior view to see the road better.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 38.500
• SILVER: 40.000
• BRONZE: 44.000

IA-5: Driving in the Wet 2.

Car: 2009 Ferrari 458 Italia
Course: Suzuka Circuit
Start: Rolling Start at 78 mph

You will be asked to clear the Esses of the eastern portion of Suzuka Circuit in the wet. You must do so racing a Ferrari 458 Italia. Unlike the previous test, you don't have the luxury of 4WD traction to help you complete this course. You are in a fast, mid-engined, rear-wheel drive exotic car trying to clear this test. You can afford to be more aggressive since you have such a car to work with. However, the risk-reward is much greater if you manage to properly race this car without fail. Take some of the same precautionary measures from the other wet driving test if you need to.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 29.500
• SILVER: 32.000
• BRONZE: 36.000


You are now ready for the International A races! Only one license remains- the Super License!





Only one more set of license tests await- the Super License! Be sure to check out my Super License post when it is uploaded. Thank you for reading!

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Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - International B

Your talent says contender. Your license says pretender. Here's a novel idea- get a better license! International license holders in Gran Turismo shown that they have arrived on the scene and are not to be messed with. Do you want to carry that swagger, or are you okay being just another wasted opportunity? Let's get that International B license!

--- Gran Turismo 6 License Tests ---

The dreaded License Tests- at least in the minds of those who loathe License Tests. I guess since GT5 seemed too loose, the importance of License Tests returned. The formula is different here in GT6. Rather than take License Tests as you please, you have to unlock these tests to be able to advance further into the game and access more features. You have to unlock license tests by going through the various official races. You must acquire enough Stars and clear certain races or championships to be able to qualify for gaining a License.

Each License consists of five tests. You need to clear each test with Bronze or higher to receive your license. Try to go for all-Gold if you can. If you Gold each of the license tests in a set, you will earn a bonus car.

If you have PlayStation Network friends, their trails can be animated so you can compare your best time to your friends' best times. This will help you to see what lines they took and how fast they took on the course. They may also annoy you, because what person wants to feel like they are slower than his/her PSN friends?

GT6 License Tests: The Series.

This section will be edited once blog posts on each set of license tests will be added. Here is the series as slated:

• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - National B
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - National A
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - International B (YOU ARE HERE)
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - International A
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - Super

Each of the above links will be edited as posts for each one is complete.

--- Gran Turismo 6 Licenses: International B ---

^ Push your skills even further as you prepare to take on the International B races. One of those International B-license skills is to learn off-road driving.

If you want to show you've arrived in the world of Gran Turismo, get into the International license swing. These five challenges await you if you want to earn your International B license:

IB-1: Cone Slalom.

Car: 2010 Volkswagen Scirocco R
Course: Special Stage Route X
Start: Standing Start

You will return to Special Stage Route X for this License Test. This time, you will be asked to clear a slalom course. A line of cones and barriers are placed on either side of the road. There are ten of these lines in total. Your job is to weave through the line of cones and barriers without hitting any of them. You must also try to go around each section of cones while keeping up a consistent speed. The moment you hit a single cone or any barrier, your run will be foul. Try to clear the course in the quickest time possible for the best results.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 19.000
• SILVER: 20.500
• BRONZE: 24.000

IB-2: Taking on Chicanes at High Speed.

Car: 2012 Fisker Karma Ecosport
Course: Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit
Start: Rolling Start at 116 mph

You will be racing Australia's Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit- better known as Bathurst. Halfway down Conrod Straight, you must negotiate a fast-approaching kink leading into a slow chicane. Your car is the distinctive 2012 Fisker Karma Ecosport. You don't really need to brake heading into the kink, but you certainly need to brake hard when taking on the chicane. Sufficient braking into the section followed by carrying good speed exiting the chicane will lead to solid times.

[FUN FACT] Did you know that this chicane section didn't exist long ago? Conrod Straight used to be just one really long straight much like how Le Mans used to have one really long straight until that straight was broken up by chicanes.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 17.800
• SILVER: 18.500
• BRONZE: 22.000

IB-3: Consecutive Corners 2.

Car: 2013 Ford Shelby GT500
Course: Willow Springs International Raceway - Big Willow
Start: Rolling Start at 88 mph

It can be too easy to overshoot the corners at any Willow Springs track, let alone this one on Big Willow. If you don't want to keep re-doing this test, try to keep your Mustang on the road as much as possible while finding a great line through the corners. The corners for you to negotiate make up about the middle portion of Willow Springs' "Big Willow" circuit. There are about three corners that make up this test, and various elevation changes will throw your car off-balance. The first corner is a double-apex corner in which you will need to adjust your speed accordingly to avoid going off-course. The second and third corners have to be taken carefully without digging too deep into either one- because cones are there to remind you just how deep you can REALLY go into those corners. Get it together, and you'll post a decent time for the section.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 18.000
• SILVER: 19.000
• BRONZE: 22.000

IB-4: Combined Corners 2.

Car: 2010 Aston Martin V12 Vantage
Course: Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit
Start: Rolling Start at 102 mph

Get ready to wrestle with a powerful British supercar on a challenging British race track. The Aston Martin V12 Vantage is yours to take around Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit in this License Test. You will be asked to clear a set of corners after going around the Indy part of the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit. The corners will come fast, so you will need to adjust accordingly to avoid throwing your Aston Martin off the road. Find a solid line and be careful not to overshoot any corner here. As usual, watch out for the cones!

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 28.500
• SILVER: 29.500
• BRONZE: 34.000

IB-5: Driving in the Dirt.

Car: 2005 Subaru IMPREZA Sedan WRX STi spec C Type RA
Course: Toscana
Start: Rolling Start at 61 mph

This is the only License Test in GT6 which has you racing off-road. Dealing with off-road conditions means you will not have as much traction as you would on a tarmac course. The loose off-road conditions means you will be able to push your car much harder than you probably would on a regular tarmac course. So you will be sliding hard into the corners. What you need to do is take advantage of the slippery off-road conditions to post a great lap time. No better car to do so with than a Subaru. The name of this Subaru is long, but its performance is what matters. You will be going down the high-speed backstretch of Toscana leading into two jumps and a few high-speed corners. Try to regain control of your Subaru after clearing the second jump. Afterwards, try to drift the car into the corners cleanly to post a solid time. There is no out of bounds here since this is an off-road course, but you do need to avoid hitting the barriers on either side of the course. Now go make it happen.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 31.000
• SILVER: 32.500
• BRONZE: 36.000


Getting the IB-License shows that you've arrived. Now work your way up to unlock the International A license tests.





You have your International B license! Now go for your International A license. Keep racin' hard and thank you for reading!

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Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - National A

The next set of Gran Turismo 6 license tests involves the National A license. Here, you will be given five tests to enhance your skills and prepare you for the next set of races. Faster cars and tougher challenges await you. So use this opportunity to enhance your skills a bit further in preparation for the upcoming challenges. Getting Gold is your job. All I'm here to do is bring light to each of the different license tests. Get ready for your look at GT6's License Tests on the National A level. This is "John's Race Space"... welcome to another post of mine!

--- Gran Turismo 6 License Tests ---

The dreaded License Tests- at least in the minds of those who loathe License Tests. I guess since GT5 seemed too loose, the importance of License Tests returned. The formula is different here in GT6. Rather than take License Tests as you please, you have to unlock these tests to be able to advance further into the game and access more features. You have to unlock license tests by going through the various official races. You must acquire enough Stars and clear certain races or championships to be able to qualify for gaining a License.

Each License consists of five tests. You need to clear each test with Bronze or higher to receive your license. Try to go for all-Gold if you can. If you Gold each of the license tests in a set, you will earn a bonus car.

If you have PlayStation Network friends, their trails can be animated so you can compare your best time to your friends' best times. This will help you to see what lines they took and how fast they took on the course. They may also annoy you, because what person wants to feel like they are slower than his/her PSN friends?

GT6 License Tests: The Series.

This section will be edited once blog posts on each set of license tests will be added. Here is the series as slated:

• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - National B
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - National A (YOU ARE HERE)
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - International B
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - International A
• Gran Turismo 6 License Tests - Super

Each of the above links will be edited as posts for each one is complete.

--- Gran Turismo 6 Licenses: National A ---

^ More advanced techniques, such as racing at night, are featured among the National B license tests.

Try your hand at these more challenging tests with faster cars and tougher challenges.

A-1: Full Braking Into a Corner.

Car: 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302
Course: Apricot Hill Raceway
Start: Rolling Start at 92 mph

Take this Mustang through a hard-braking zone around Apricot Hill Raceway. Hard braking into a corner will allow you to properly set yourself up for the next section ahead. You will need to slow the car down considerably to take on a very sharp corner, then be able to power out of that corner to complete the course. Try to do just that as you go down the backstretch and into the viciously sharp hairpin towards the end. Getting up to speed is simple- slowing down your Mustang to take on the next section is another entirely different matter.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 17.800
• SILVER: 19.000
• BRONZE: 22.000

A-2: Approaching a Semi-Blind Corner.

Car: 2011 Lotus Elise
Course: Brands Hatch Indy
Start: Rolling Start at 72 mph

If a corner is blind, you are unable to track the actual apex of the corner. You basically have to guess where the very inside of the corner is as you head into that corner. That is what you need to do here. The first corner of Brands Hatch trips me up almost all the time. Thankfully, this test happens as you clear the first corner. All you have to do is handle the first hairpin of this course. You'll need to brake quite hard and hug the inside as you progress through the corner. A strong exit out of this section will give you ample speed to cross the Finish section with a great time.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 14.500
• SILVER: 15.200
• BRONZE: 18.000

A-3: Consecutive Corners 1.

Car: 2008 Honda CIVIC TYPE-R
Course: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Start: Rolling Start at 91 mph

The legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium is your track for this License Test. You will be taking on a portion of the middle section of Spa-Francorchamps. This test begins on the corner after the second hairpin. Watch out for the cones as you go through the corner. Don't swing the Civic Type R too far outside or dig too deep to where you hit a cone. Of course... if you hit a cone, your run will be foul and disqualified. Car control is important here.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 17.000
• SILVER: 17.800
• BRONZE: 21.000

A-4: Combined Corners 1.

Car: 2012 Subaru BRZ S
Course: Twin Ring Motegi Road Course
Start: Rolling Start at 82 mph

A Subaru BRZ S awaits you, and so does the second hairpin section of Twin Ring Motegi's road course. Because Twin Ring Motegi's road course configurations are mostly flat, you will not have the luxury of elevation to give you a speed boost or give you any clues on where to brake. You do need to brake pretty hard in the first part of the corner while going full speed upon exit.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 16.800
• SILVER: 17.500
• BRONZE: 21.000

A-5: Driving the Track at Night.

Car: Mazda Roadster Touring Car
Course: Apricot Hill Raceway
Start: Rolling Start at 76 mph

If you think racing a track at night is no big thing, think again! Racing at night yields a great challenge- namely the darkness. It is critical to learn how to race a track shrouded in darkness. Especially for endurance races, you will have to learn to take on courses that go into darkness. One of the biggest challenges of night racing is to try to find the apexes of corners when it is too dark to see where you are going. Not all tracks have sufficient lighting to help you see around corners. On the other hand, you are thankful to be on a permanent racing course with a good deal of lighting. This is the first License Test featuring a race car. Since it is a racing car, its performance is far greater than a road-going car. Try to properly make the most of this car's performance while trying to properly navigate this road course at night. You will be racing the first section of Apricot Hill from the Start/Finish line to near the first Intermediate. That means you will be taking on the twisty and undulating portions of Apricot Hill with ample darkness around the area. The most lighting you will see is on the Start/Finish straight. After that, there is minimal to moderate lighting in each of the corners. If you need to, switch to the Roof view to get a better angle of the track.

LICENSE TIMES:
• GOLD: 31.000
• SILVER: 32.000
• BRONZE: 35.000


Once you get your National A license, push your skills to the limit and try to unlock the International B license. You can now access some more features in GT6 now that you have your National A license.





There are more posts forthcoming regarding the license tests of Gran Turismo 6. Up next is the International licenses, especially the International B license tests. Stay with "John's Race Space" for more! Thank you for reading!

"Like" me on Facebook, Follow JRS, Follow me on Bloglovin', and/or Contact Me via E-Mail!
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