Races of Gran Turismo 5: Expert Series

(UPDATED: October 7, 2014)

If you thought the Gran Turismo World Championship was tough, think again. The Expert Series features nine intense series where speeds are higher and races are longer. Get ready for some hard-fought racing. If you haven't a high-speed prototype in your garage as of this moment, I recommend you go get one because you will need some high-speed machinery to compete in two of this series' races. While you don't need a license to compete in any race in GT5, you do require advanced racing skill as well as endurance.

This blog post pertains only to the GT5 Expert-level races. REMEMBER: You must be at Level 15 or higher to compete in this series.

BEFORE I BEGIN:

I will be working on creating as many of these race posts for Gran Turismo 5. Because this will all take some time to get everything completely right, I will be releasing posts like these one at a time based on my own Gran Turismo 5 progress. I will make any needed corrections if need be. Any loyal readers can freely contact me and provide extra information that I may have missed. To contact me, Contact Me via E-Mail. Alternatively, you can post a comment to the Wall of my Facebook fan page if you are on Facebook.

Basic Advice.

Each race has information on what tracks are raced and how many laps are run for both A-Spec and B-Spec. You must be at a certain level in A-Spec or B-Spec to compete in each event. Those level requirements are listed in parentheses () prior to the description of each series/championship. Each series is listed in a heading with a period at the end, and each championship is listed with an exclamation mark. Any listed requirements (if any) are noted at the end of each introduction. If you only see B-Spec requirements, then that means the race has no limitations for A-Spec.

Races of Gran Turismo 5 Series:

This lineup of posts will have more posts added in the future. Check back in this post (and others) for the latest updates and to link to other posts in this series.

• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Beginner Series
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Amateur Series
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Professional Series
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Expert Series (YOU ARE HERE)
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Extreme Series
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Endurance Series

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

OCT 7 2014 - added links to other posts in this series; updated overall look of posts and made several edits

--- Races of Gran Turismo 5: Expert Series ---

You can back away from these Expert challenges, or you can bravely advance into battle and try to win all the races in this series. Your choice...

By virtue of clearing the Professional Series, you have established yourself as a tour de force in Gran Turismo racing. Now is the time to make the push towards legendary status. The next nine series of races features some intense and long races with some fast machines. If you haven't yet invested in a very fast race car, now is the time to do so. You will need one for the Gran Turismo All-Stars event. The Polyphony Digital Cup also makes a return. Needless to say, errors and mistakes have to be kept to an absolute minimum if you expect to win.

Try to win every race and championship to receive the maximum money as well as the most experience points for each victory. If you win all the races in a championship or in a series, bonus cars will be rewarded to you. Bonus cars are offered for victory both in A-Spec and in B-Spec. Both offer different prize cars. Here is a look at the series and championships in the Beginner Series.

REMEMBER: You must be at Level 15 or higher to compete in this series.

Tuned Car Championship (Level 15)!

"A high-octane celebration of the pursuit of power."

A car is only so capable in its stock form. One must tune his/her car to be vastly superior to win. You probably already know this. So in this championship, you have two options: bring your most potent tuned car, or bring your best Tuner car to this championship. I won in A-Spec using the Amuse S2000 GT1 Turbo. So that may be a car you could use for this championship.

Racing Hard tires or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• ROUNDS: Suzuka Circuit (5 laps A-Spec; 7 laps B-Spec), Daytona International Speedway-Road (5 laps A-Spec; 7 laps B-Spec), Grand Valley Speedway (5 laps A-Spec; 7 laps B-Spec), Special Stage Route 5 (5 laps A-Spec; 7 laps B-Spec), and Tokyo R246 (5 laps A-Spec; 7 laps B-Spec)

Schwarzwald League A (Level 15).

"A fierce showdown between veterans of the German sports car scene."

A returning championship from Gran Turismo 4, Schwarzwald League A is concentrated on German cars that are no powerful than 250hp. There is no need to come out with with a very powerful German car for this championship. You do, however, need a German car to compete. Two races await you for this championship.

Only German cars can compete in this series. Sports Hard tires or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• Nürburgring GP/F (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)
• Tokyo R246 (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)

MR Sports Cup (Level 16).

"Be the fastest on the field in this contest for cars with mid-mounted engines."

Mid-engine cars can deliver some of the finest handling of any car. Taming these cars, however, takes a great deal of skill. Enjoy the beautiful handling these cars have to provide by challenging yourself to three races demonstrating the prowess mid/RWD cars can provide. Oh, and don't think about bringing your NSX- the Typical Opponents are mostly mid/RWD supercars like the Saleen S7, Ford GT, Jaguar XJ220, Ferrari Enzo, and cars like that. If the supercar that you used in the Supercar Festival is mid/RWD, bring that car to the MR Sports Cup. Otherwise, you don't stand a chance here.

This championship is restricted to mid-engined cars with rear-wheel drive. Sports Soft tires or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• Deep Forest Raceway (5 laps A-Spec; 10 laps B-Spec)
• High Speed Ring [Reverse] (5 laps A-Spec; 10 laps B-Spec)
• Circuit de la Sarthe 2009 (2 laps A-Spec; 4 laps B-Spec)

Historic Racing Car Cup (Level 16).

"Cars from the golden age of motor racing come back to compete again."

Before you think this is just a re-hash of the World Classic Car Series, think again. This is where some of the fastest vintage race cars compete in an intense championship. Two races are available to you to test out your vintage racing skills. If you are seeking to win the PSN Trophy "Dream Race," you may want to race with the Ferrari 330 P4 Race Car, Ford GT40 Mark IV Race Car, or the Jaguar XJ13 Race Car. To tell you from experience, you'll need something better for the second race. So go get a Toyota 7 Race Car for the second race. If you don't have the money to get any of these cars, see if any of your PSN friends can help you out. See if any of your PSN friends have any of these cars available to share online for you to borrow in races. I borrowed a Ferrari 330 P4 from a friend and won the first race of this series.

All cars made in 1979 or earlier are allowed to compete in this series. Racing Medium tires or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• Deep Forest Raceway (5 laps A-Spec; 10 Laps B-Spec)
• Cote d'Azur (5 laps A-Spec; 8 Laps B-Spec)

Turbo Challenge (Level 17).

"Push your turbocharged car to the limit in this celebration of speed and power."

Allow me to introduce the Turbo Challenge to you. If you have a turbo-powered car, you are eligible to compete in these events. Turbo cars are boost-assisted machines. Have you a turbo car? If so, you are invited to race in this series of two races against other turbo-powered cars.

All turbo cars are allowed to compete. No supercharged or normally-aspirated cars are allowed. B-Spec racing requires Sports Soft tires or less.

• High Speed Ring (3 laps A-Spec; 10 laps B-Spec)
• Autodromo Nazionale Monza (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)

Gallardo Trophy (Level 17).

"Harness a 560HP beast in this one-make race for the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4."

Taking over as the successor to the Lamborghini Countach, the Lamborghini Gallardo is the car of choice for this single race event. Take advantage of the Gallardo's performance capabilities to win this race. The race happens on the streets of Rome with you and 11 other Gallardos battling for top position. It will be a fierce battle with 12 Lamborghini Gallardos taking each other on in a fierce racing battle.

Only the 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 can compete. Sports Soft tires or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• Rome Circuit (5 Laps A-Spec; 11 laps B-Spec)

Japanese Championship (Level 18)!

"A battle to decide the fastest Japanese car of all."

Japanese cars will be used in this championship to decide the fastest Japanese car ever made. Do you think you have the fastest one? Prove it in this five-race championship!

Only Japanese cars are allowed to compete. Sports Soft tires or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• ROUNDS: Tsukuba Circuit (10 laps A-Spec; 14 laps B-Spec), Fuji Speedway GP/F (5 laps A-Spec; 7 laps B-Spec), Grand Valley Speedway (5 laps A-Spec; 7 laps B-Spec), Autodromo Nazionale Monza (5 laps A-Spec; 7 laps B-Spec), and Suzuka Circuit (5 laps A-Spec; 7 laps B-Spec)

Gran Turismo All-Stars (Level 19)!

"Who is the fastest? It's time to find out once and for all."

The Gran Turismo All-Stars in Gran Turismo 5 marks the fourth-ever time it was featured and the third straight time as a championship. This championship brings together the fastest racing machines from the past and present in a unique convergence for racing supremacy. You can either decide the fastest car in history by bragging or by doing it the way racers prefer proving things- on the track. A five race championship will determine the fastest racing machine ever produced. Knuckle up for this one.

Racing Medium tires or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• ROUNDS: Trial Mountain (5 laps A-Spec; 10 laps B-Spec), Grand Valley Speedway (5 laps A-Spec; 9 laps B-Spec), Nürburgring Nordschleife (1 lap A-Spec; 2 laps B-Spec), Cape Ring (5 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec), and Tokyo R246 (5 laps A-Spec; 8 laps B-Spec)

Polyphony Digital Cup (Level 19)!

"A high-level race event for the best of the best."

The third-ever installment of the Polyphony Digital Cup is in the GT5 lineup of races. This series' roots has been about racing the best original courses in Reverse layouts. Here, you will be racing on only three tracks. None of which are reverse layouts.

Sports Soft tires or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• ROUNDS: Circuito de Madrid-Mini (5 laps A-Spec; 14 laps B-Spec), Trial Mountain (5 laps A-Spec; 8 laps B-Spec), and Grand Valley Speedway (5 laps A-Spec; 7 laps B-Spec)


You have done masterfully to clear the Expert Series of races. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is one more championship that awaits you, and it is not easy at all. Long and punishing races await you in the next series. However, glory and high prize money are attainable for victory in each event and championship. Prepare for the final of the regular championships- the Extreme Series! Make sure to challenge tougher series if you've acquired enough experience to reach tougher championships.





More to come for this series of blog posts regarding GT5's races! Until next time, thank you for reading!

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Do Seasonal Events Save Racing in GT5?

For many people, the single-player aspects of Gran Turismo are disappointing. Seasonal Events have served as a way to enjoy racing in Gran Turismo with many different events. Each Seasonal features many different ways to race. Most common are the A-Spec races, featuring five different events. The fifth event usually takes place on a generated race track. There are Time Trial events where racers are invited to post the fastest time. Posting the fastest time gets you some prizes in the game. Your time is also up against other online players. Sometimes, you just want to view all of the top times to see what everyone else is using. There are also Drift Trials that are part of the Seasonal Events package. The Drift Trials require you to furiously (yet stylishly) drift around corners to rack up as many points as possible. Finally, there are Expert events that are very strict in regulations. These Expert races will pay you heavily in Credits and in Experience if you are able to win these races.

The main question here is... do Seasonal Events save GT5's racing and replay value?

--- Gran Turismo 5 Seasonal Events: Racing Savior of GT5? ---

^ Do Seasonal Events, such as the German Touring Car Championship Seasonal, save and enhance the variety of racing in Gran Turismo 5? That will be debated on this blog post.

Many people disappointed with the array of races in GT5 single player racing feel that Seasonal Events help extend the replay value of GT5. Since these races usually require certain kinds of cars and cars of a certain level of Performance Points, it gives many gamers reason to race more with certain cars. Think about Gran Turismo 4. GT4 wasn't the first GT to have One-Make Races, but you know you had to have certain cars if you wanted to win all the races. You sometimes had these cars just to compete in the various One-Make Races. These events should at least be enjoyed for the money and for picking up racing suits and racing helmets (especially for victories).

You probably feel like the single-player elements could have been more interesting and enjoyable in GT5, but Seasonal Events are really a tad more challenging and fun. You always start dead last in the Seasonal A-Spec races, and you must work your way to win the race. A number of people probably wish you can qualify so that you don't have to work from behind all the time.

--- Can More Be Done? ---

I think a lot more can be done. Consider the following in enhancing Seasonal Events:

B-Spec Seasonals?

• I would actually be interested in B-Spec racing Seasonal Events. It would be great to get some more B-Spec experience going in these tough events if we're struggling through the A-Spec events. If it's my A-Spec skills getting a workout in these races, why not give the B-Spec racers some Seasonal races to take part in? Don't give me that stuff about B-Spec racers being pathetic and passive. B-Spec racers should have to endure through these races as much as we are through A-Spec. So why not Seasonals for B-Spec?

Rally Seasonals?

• I think some of my fellow GT fans will agree- as much as we have rally events, it would be GREAT to have rally racing Seasonals. Think about it for a moment. If we have (for example) a Seasonal dedicated to 4WD cars, why not an event or an entire Seasonal where you have maybe a three-race or a five-race rally. I mean, how tough is it to set up Seasonal or an event that's all about rallying? You could have any kind of rally Seasonals limited to cars of a certain horsepower level. Heck, you could (and I know my rally racing fans will LOVE this) even limit the choice of cars to the Group B rally racing monsters. Perhaps even have a Seasonal limited to proper rally cars (including Group B). You could possibly even set up a makeshift rally weekend where you do rally racing for two or three simulated days across a number of stages. Don't just leave the rally racing to the Special category- Seasonal rallying would be great!

Seasonal Endurances?

• It would be interesting to see a Seasonal Endurance. Since most Seasonal races are within 6 to 10 minutes, a longer series of Endurance races between 25 to 30 minutes would be nice. Or at the most, a race of about 55 minutes to a full hour would be more than suitable for endurances. An Endurance Seasonal featuring only one event (or maybe more than one) is also possible. I say to make these time-based rather than lap-based.

Seasonal Championships?

Rather than five races, why not a championship? Maybe you can win both a new helmet and a new racing suit for winning the championship. Set up five races and find out if you can win the championship. Of course, you can still win individual prizes for clearing individual rounds. However, imagine winning much more for winning the championship. Talk about making money and earning experience! No better way to do so than to clear all of the races in a championship. Or if not new racing outfits, put up [for one time only] a prize car for winning a Seasonal Championship. It could either be a specific car or a ticket/coupon for a car of a certain theme. For example, winning a Seasonal Championship with muscle cars could earn you a Ticket that could earn you a Ford GT40 Race Car.

More Interesting Seasonal Events.

• If you remember Gran Turismo 1, there were some events where you could take your machine and mod its performance extremely. The Megaspeed Cup and Tuned Car races were two of the best in anything-goes tuning and racing. I still remember taking my 930 horsepower Mitsubishi GTO (3000GT) and just go crazy racing full speed in all of the races. I'd say more races where you could race almost whatever you want (no Performance Point restrictions) would be great. More unique events, more unique races... just make it interesting! Only problem, however, would be that certain people would take certain cars (like a formula car or the X2010) and easily win. Maybe even grind for money and experience. So SOME restrictions would have to be placed.


The real reason why I mostly do Seasonals is for the money and the experience. If you have the Spec 2.0 update, consecutive logins result in up to 200% boost in your winnings and experience. Winning one Seasonal Event is almost enough to max out your car's performance. Therefore, winning these can be very beneficial. You can also keep racing these Seasonals to build up money to purchase more cars or save up for a really expensive car. Two of the PSN Trophy goals are to get 1,000 cars and to have an insane amount of money (10M Credits or more). Making all the money you can will help you get there.





So do you think Seasonal Events save the single player racing aspect of GT5, or do you think the Seasonal Events should maybe replace the A-Spec and B-Spec events? What are your thoughts on Seasonal Events in regards to enhancing Gran Turismo 5's array of races? Also, what do you think about my ideas for enhancing the Seasonals? Comment away and thank you for reading!

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Future Locales for Gran Turismo?

There are a variety of locations where the PD team can go out and examine to make more international locales to better cover the world of Gran Turismo than ever before. This is a massive blog entry as it highlights as many international regions as I can as well as countless possibilities to have some Gran Turismo racing worldwide. Got time on your side? You'll need it!

This was a former blog post on "John's Blog Space." Since GT5 has long been released, it needs not be on JBS any longer. So welcome to the new home of this topic! This topic has been extensively modified to reflect changes from GT5 as well as being reworked to look better.

--- Gran Turismo: Other International Locales? ---

^ Five installments of Gran Turismo, many locales featured (all indicated by aquamarine dots). Where will future GTs take us? Each dot on the map indicates a rough sketch of all (or as many as possible) real-world locations featured in Gran Turismo games.

The Gran Turismo series has taken its fans across the world and back (virtually, of course). While many can argue there is a much greater Japanese presence than the rest of the world, at least you can visit venues and locales the world over. The Gran Turismo series can visit many more places and bring many more locations into the series. The real world influence didn't actually begin until Gran Turismo, where there were many real-world locations featured as opposed to an all original cast of locations in Gran Turismo 1.

So how does this blog post work? I'll share with you locations I think Gran Turismo should consider visiting in trying to offer more locales to people. Because this post was initially created while Gran Turismo 5 was in development, the assumption is that many of these locations are either offered as downloadable content for GT5 or for consideration in a future Gran Turismo title.

Locale Overview:

• North America
• Central America
• Latin America

• British Isles
• Europe...
...Western and Southwestern Europe
...Central Europe
...Southern Europe
...Russia

• Northern, Western, and Central Africa
• Southern Africa and Madagascar

• Middle East...
• ...Turkey
• ...Arabian Peninsula

• Asia (excluding Middle East)...
• ...South Asia
• ...Southeast Asia and the Philippines
• ...China and the Korea Republic
• ...Japan

• Oceania and the South Pacific
• Australia and Tasmania
• New Zealand
• Pacific Islands and Other Places

--- North and South America ---

A number of people who I sometimes read comments from really talk down on Polyphony Digital like they are terrible fails at finding American venues. Some probably wish there were more muscle cars and more American venues than mostly Japanese tracks and venues. Well here, this is a chance to make your case known. I explain a variety of courses and cities that would enhance Gran Turismo 5 to a great degree.

Other American Venues and Cities.

I'd be interested in seeing a variety of racing venues in America. Unlike most other people I'm not going to lash out on or be picky about American locales in the game. Maybe there's a little Enthusia in me, but I'd love to see a San Francisco street course. I love San Francisco. Maybe include Long Beach. Sebring and Road Atlanta would be great to include and would really enhance the American racing scene in Gran Turismo. Other venues I'd be interested in seeing (click on the hyperlinks to visit their official home pages):

• Barber Motorsports Park (Leeds, Alabama, USA)
• Miller Motorsports Park (Tooele, Utah, USA)
• Road America (Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, USA)
• Motor Sport Ranch Houston (Angleton, Texas, USA)
• Portland International Raceway (Portland, Oregon, USA)
• Lime Rock Park (Lakeville, Connecticut, USA)

Fantasy street courses in the following American cities would add some extra appeal (feel free to add your own!):
• Houston, Texas, USA
• San Antonio, Texas, USA
• St. Louis, Missouri, USA
• Detroit, Michigan, USA
• San Francisco, California, USA (like Pacific Gateway in Enthusia Professional Racing)
• Los Angeles, California, USA
• Denver, Colorado, USA
• Miami, Florida, USA
• Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (other than the drag strip)
• Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
• Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Canada.

Polyphony Digital can have a variety of newer locales. The favorites for me would be the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal and the beautiful Mont-Tremblant course. If offered, races around Mosport, Vancouver, Toronto, and Trois-Rivieres would be nice bonuses.

I've even found out about a location in Canada called Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada. That's a very beautiful place from what I've seen in pictures. It, too, would make a great Photo Mode location.

Mexico and Central America.

I'd like to see some Latin American venues. The big one for me would be the Mexico City (Autodromo de los Hermanos Rodriguez). MAYBE Funidora Park (Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico) as well. Street courses would be interesting for cities like the following:
• San Luis Potosi, Mexico
• Tijuana, Mexico
• Cancun, Mexico
• Tela, Honduras
• San Salvador, El Salvador
• Panama City, Panama

South America.

You HAVE to include Brazil. There's just no other way. Interlagos and Brasilia would be nice venues. I also wanted to mention the Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet, but I think that track is now-defunct. The Buenos Aires race course (Autódromo Juan y Óscar Gálvez) would be great to include as far as non-Brazilian venues go. You could plan fantasy street courses for the following cities:
• Rio de Janerio, Brazil (like Forza Motorsport attempted)
• Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Machu Picchu, Peru
• Caracas, Venezuela
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Rosario, Argentina
• Santiago, Chile





There's more to this! Click on "Read More" for more commentary from me on international locales for future GT titles! Or, disregard this line if you are reading the full post.

--- Europe ---

The modern automobile was born in Europe, so why not give some European love? GT4 did the European scene a great favor by including the Circuit de la Sarthe and the Nürburgring Nordschleife. There are many more courses and locales to look into for GT5.

British Isles and Ireland.

Doesn't it feel good to finally have British representation in Gran Turismo with the London street course and the Top Gear Test Track? To say that England loves their motorsport is a severe understatement. They mostly live and breathe motorsport. There are a garden variety of racing series for various styles of cars and motorcycles. Silverstone has been one of my favorite British courses. Donnington Park has always been a challenging course to me. There's always Brands Hatch as far as great motor racing circuits in the British Isles go. Not going to say it's can't-miss, but it's one of the most popular courses there for sure. Snetterton seems simple, but can be very tricky if you get it wrong. Cadwell Park is a beautiful facility with a competitive race track. Oulton Park is challenging. It's rather narrow as well as tricky. Finally, you can REALLY do justice by including the Goodwood Festival of Speed and/or the Goodwood Revival. There are countless options to choose from.

I am not as educated about Irish tracks except for the tricky Mondello Park. The absolute extreme would be an automotive version of the Manx Grand Prix on the Isle of Man.

Fantasy street courses could help. There's already London. How about a few more?
• Manchester, England
• Sheffield, England
• Cardiff, Wales
• Swansea, Wales
• Edinboro, Scotland
• Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Dublin, Ireland

Continental Europe: Western and Southwestern Europe.

I'll be going on what the CIA World Factbook (and Wikipedia) label as Western Europe. I've already mentioned the British Isles, so I'll move into continental Europe. Those countries to be mentioned in this section include the following: Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Monaco. I'll also mention Southwestern Europe; but mostly Portugal and Spain.

GT5 has a very good course around the streets of Madrid. I wouldn't mind seeing a course around Barcelona, Salamanca, Seville, or any other lovely Spanish city. Spain has a great deal of racing history. Catalunya is perhaps the best circuit in Spain. PD MAY be inclined to port Valencia from Tourist Trophy to GT5 (or for a future GT). Other good Spanish courses include Jerez and Jarama. What would be interesting is if they got in the Ascari Race Resort. Either way, Spain is one of those can't-miss countries for motorsport. All I know about Portugal racing is the Estoril circuit and the all-new Portimao circuit.

Belgium is a small-size country, but it features one of the world's best race tracks- Spa-Francorchamps. Spa-Francorchamps is available as downloadable content for Gran Turismo 5. So that's something to definitely be excited about if you're hoping for more European representation in GT. You can't do any more wrong with Circuit de la Sarthe. You COULD look to add the Bugatti circuit apart from the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe course. Magny-Cours is a great course. One of the most unique courses is Circuit Paul Ricard with its unusual and colorful runoff areas. And about the only other French course I know is Dijon-Prenois. Only track I know in the Netherlands is Assen. That course is tough. There's also Zandvoort, which is pretty tough as well.

Get your engine revved up for racing in Western Europe in GT!

Fantasy street courses from the aforementioned countries (if they can't get real courses) would be great for the following locations:
• Marseilles, France
• Nice, France (a Sister City of my hometown of Houston, TX, USA)
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands
• Barcelona, Spain
• Seville (Sevilla), Spain
• Toledo, Spain
• Salamanca, Spain
• Lisbon (Lisboa), Portugal

Continental Europe: Central Europe.

The nations to be included in this section include Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland.

Germany is a true heaven of racing circuits as well as some outstanding cars. Hockenheim was a great course, until this dumbed-down version came along. I know the safety aspect and being able to see all the way around the track, but I've missed the old Hockenheim. Still do. Other German courses can include the Norisring raced by DTM, Eurospeedway Lausitz (that I've always known as the Lausitzring), Oschersleben, and the Sachsenring. If I think Austria, I usually think of the A1 Ring (which I didn't know is also called the Österreichring). Austria is a beautiful country. Brno is the only track I really know in the Czech Republic. That track can be super-slow as every corner is either a 2nd or 3rd Gear corner. Only other course I've heard of was Most. I only know the Hungaroring and Euro-Ring as far as Hungarian circuits go. You be the judge on returning the Swiss Alps. Many people would want to see Grindelwald return. Then again, we do get Eiger Nordwand and its multiple variations. This covers all or most of the known circuits.

Fictional street courses in Central European locales would include the following:
• Frankfurt, Germany
• Cologne (Köln), Germany
• Munich, Germany
• Vienna (Wien), Austria
• Budapest, Hungary
• Bern, Switzerland
• Lucerne (Luzern) Switzerland
• Geneva, Switzerland
• Zurich, Switzerland
• Bratislava, Slovakia

Continental Europe: Northern Europe and Scandinavia.

In this section, I will mention mostly the Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland).

There are no proper race tracks I know in Denmark. In Sweden, I know of Anderstorp after playing the very first GTR game. There's also Mantorp Park, where you can enjoy some drag racing down the backstretch since it's so long. Sweden is also your hookup for rally racing as you can enjoy rally racing on natural snow. That would be a great consideration for GT5. Finland would be a great rally zone. You can also hark back to the Helsinki street course in the mid-late 1990s. Really, there's not many major places I can think of. Norway has one of the northernmost racing tracks in the world with a trackcalled Arctic Circle Raceway. Because the track is so far north in the Norweigian city of Mo I Rana, it is rumored that it's possible to have a 24-hour race there under full daylight! If you're crazy enough to think of a Greenlandic course, it would most likely have to be a rally course, or just a romp through a village or town. I've known someone online from Sisimiut, Greenland; which is a coastal city in west southwestern Greenland. I mention Greenland because it's a Denmark dependency.

Fantasy street courses for this international region would include the following:
• Riga, Latvia
• Vilnius, Lithuania
• Tallinn, Estonia
• Helsinki, Finland (even including the real street course raced by a few series in 1996-1997)
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Stockholm, Sweden
• Gothenburg, Sweden
• Oslo, Norway
• Reykjavik, Iceland
• Nuuk, Greenland
• Sisimiut, Greenland

Continental Europe: Southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

I'm going to define Southern Europe as the following locations that I will mention in this section: Italy, Croatia, Greece, San Marino, and Vatican City.

The acquistion of Ferrari means that Polyphony Digital can come up with any number of venues to enjoy racing. Most notably, they COULD use Fiorano, which is Ferrari's test track. They can really do justice by getting the three "M" courses in Italy- Mugello, Misano, and especially Monza. Gran Turismo 5 has Monza featured with both dry and wet versions. Mugello can be quite fast, especially on the front straight. Misano is a little more technical, yet still fast. Vallelunga's road course (because Vallelunga does have an oval, but not a traditional American-type oval) is pretty tricky. Mugello is a high-speed playground, but its sudden corners will befuddle speed freaks. Misano is about the same, but you can only go so fast around that course. A return to Rome Circuit days would be a welcome return for the GT series. I'd surely love to see the Rome Night course return so it can be raced MUCH more often than the almost total neglect it had in GT2 (not that I don't mind the Rome Circuit). While Rome returned for Gran Turismo 5, it returned with a different configuration from the classic Rome Circuit. I therefore call the newer Rome Circuit as "Neo Rome Circuit." Enna Pergusa was a course from GTR, and it's a fun course. Adria is a very competitive circuit. The draw for this track to me is that the course is actually much shorter than its configuration suggests. Its full configuration is nowhere near two miles in length (it's about 1.679 miles in length). DO NOT pass up Italy!

San Marino is known for only one course- Imola. I've never been a real fan of Imola, but it would be nice to see this track featured. The sad fact about this course is that this is where the great Ayrton Senna was killed at in 1993. There are two Greek courses, Megara and Serres. I know nothing of them. Best that can be done would be a fantasy street course event in Athens or make your own Acropolis Rally.

Rome has been featured in a GT game, so a return there would be great for GT5. Other fictional street course locations in the following cities would be real interesting:
• Vatican City
• Milan, Italy
• Modena, Italy
• Maranello, Italy
• Florence, Italy
• Tuscany, Italy
• Zagreb, Croatia
• Athens, Greece
• Meteora, Greece
• Mykonos, Greece
• Santorini, Greece
• Valletta, Malta
• Msida, Malta

Continental Europe: Eastern Europe and Russia.

Nothing to really note as far as interesting tracks. I know I've heard of a potential Russian Formula 1 course, but nothing to really interesting of note to include here. Possible fantasy street courses would include the following:

• Moscow, Russia
• St. Petersburg, Russia
• Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

(more speculative Eastern Europe venues to be included in the future)

--- Africa ---

Africa is known for two major kinds of racing- rally racing and road racing.

Northern, Western, and Central Africa.

I mostly think of the Dakar Rally here. You can have desert-style racing across the Sahara Desert. However, you may still hold a stage using Dakar, Senegal; where the traditional Dakar Rally ends. There was a proposed race track called Ghazala Bay, but last I've heard, those plans have since been cancelled. The FIA World Touring Car Championship has run around the streets of Marrakech as part of the WTCC. Nairobi wouldn't be bad for a street course race. Then again, don't forget having your own Safari Rally experience!

Fictional street courses would include venues in the following places:
• Cairo, Egypt
• Aswan, Egypt
• Casablanca, Morocco
• Dakar, Senegal
• Nairobi, Kenya
• (a rally-type course in Nigeria, perhaps the Nigerian capital, Lagos)

Southern Africa and Madagascar.

Only real thing to take away from here is the experience of racing at two of Africa's finest race courses, both in the same country- South Africa. Kyalami is a technical race course, not to mention a fun one. It used to host the South African Grand Prix. The Phakisa Freeway hosts a variety of racing events. The facility in Welkom, South Africa has a 2.5 kilometer oval (about maybe 1.25 or 1.5 miles - top of my head) and a road course. I know it better for the road course configuration there. Like so few oval courses, the Phakisa Freeway's road course does not technically use the oval. As for Madagascar, there are no racing venues to speak of. You COULD do a tarmac rally around Antananarivo (Madagascar's capital).

Fictional street courses would include the following:
• Pretoria, South Africa
• Johannesburg, South Africa
• Cape Town, South Africa

--- Middle East (Excluding Egypt) ---

There actually is racing within the Middle East. The first kind of Middle Eastern racing I've heard of is Middle Eastern rally racing. Motorsports in the Middle East has really emerged. Really, this would come down to four primary countries, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

Turkey.

Turkey has the fantastic Istanbul Park circuit. It is a track with a great rhythm just about all the way around. A truly exciting course. A fantasy street course around Istanbul would be interesting, especially if you could maybe have the beautiful Hagia Sophia in the distance. Istanbul also happens to be a Sister City of Houston.

Arabian Peninsula.

This will include Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Bahrain has the very exciting Bahrain International Circuit. It's a jewel in the desert that offers a competitive track that's also lovely. Qatar features the Losail circuit. MotoGP fans were treated to see this track lit up under lots of flood lights for MotoGP's first-ever night race a few years ago. A similar experience would be fun for Gran Turismo 5. The United Arab Emirates has one really great track and potential second and third candidates. The Yas Marina Circuit, home of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, is a very futuristic and ultra-modern racing facility. It has the combination of a competitive racing facility with a little Monte Carlo flair with the marina. The UAE also has the Dubai Autodrome. From a few angles, you can see downtown Dubai as you race. Really a lovely sight no matter how you look at it.

Fictional street courses would be a bit of a gamble for the Middle East, and there isn't too much you can do here except:
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

--- Asia ---

The world's largest size continent is Asia. Lots of racing for you to enjoy if you're into racing. Let's speculate on venue ideas for GT5 in Asia!

South Asia.

South Asia will mostly be defined as Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and especially India. There are two known Indian circuits- Kari Memorial Speedway (Coimbatore) and Irungattukottai. Situated about 40 miles away from Delhi, the new Buddh International Circit is set to host India's first ever F1 Grand Prix on October 30, 2011. The real likelihood would probably be some fantasy street courses if you're talking Indian courses. They include:
• Mumbai, India
• Jodhpur, India
• Agra, India (where the Taj Mahal is located)
• New Dehli, India
• Calcutta (Kolkata), India
• Lucknow, India
• Kandy, Sri Lanka
• Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Chittagong, Bangladesh

Southeast Asia.

There are some major cities as well as some other various points that would serve as great venues for a rally race or two. Have a look:

I'd first like to start with Thailand. There are two circuits I know little about- Bira International Raceway and Thailand Circuit. Thailand Circuit has an interesting-looking configuration. Really, there's a great deal of racing in Thailand. Very involved. Actual Thai courses aren't likely in GT5, but if anything, Bangkok and Pattaya could have some fantasy road (as in country or rural roads) or street courses.

Vietnam doesn't have any motor racing venues I'm aware of. Venues will have to come down to rally-type courses or street races. This would be grounds for some good rally action or maybe some street course ideas. The big-name cities to think of would be Hanoi (Ha Noi) and especially Ho Chi Minh (Saigon/Sai Gon). Some nice small cities and towns that would be good for some racing would include Vinh Long, Da Nang, and Haiphong.

Surely Malaysia has some racing involvement. The Sepang is one of the finest courses in Asia. Maybe the best mainland Asia track. Very exciting course. There are some other Malaysian courses, but Sepang is the finest. A fantasy course or Photo Mode visit to Kuala Lumpur would be great. The Petronas Towers must be visible. Singapore's F1 may or may not be possible, but it's still quite fun and unique. It's an amazing experience.

Even more so if included in GT5. Indonesia has the Sentul Circuit and some sort of street course around Jakarta (capital of Indonesia). How about some love for the world's largest archipelago, PD? Finally, and speaking of island nations, we conclude with the Philippines. There are two known circuits- Batangas and Subic Bay. Batangas is a tangled mess of roads, kind of like a Filipino version of Brasilia. The extended version is even more a tangled mess. Still, it's quite competitive. So is Subic Bay, which is a much more simpler course. A fantasy street course deal would include Manila or Cebu City.

Fantasy street courses in this international region would include:
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Pattaya, Thailand
• Hanoi (Ha Noi), Vietnam (Viet Nam)
• Saigon (Sai Gon)/Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (Viet Nam)
• Vinh Long, Vietnam
• Da Nang, Vietnam
• Haiphong, Vietnam
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Jakarta, Indonesia
• Manila, Philippines
• Cebu City, Philippines
• Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea Republic.

Hong Kong would have been nice to see return to GT5, but it unfortunately is not part of the lineup. But really, I'd prefer the race be held deeper into the night rather than the twilight setting. And just to make it fun, why not have a laser light show from the tops of the buildings across the water? It would make things a bit more fun. Either this, or have a more interesting race through Hong Kong.

Macau is a street course nightmare. However, it's widely respected. Only RACE WTCC has featured Macau (for all I know), so why not another game to feature this place? Within China, Goldenport is popular... or at least the rFactor version. It's a very interesting course, though I've never been able to play it in rFactor. There was an A1GP event around the streets of Beijing, but it really looked like a course thrown together at the last moment and not too successful. This Jingkai course would be a no-no. Maybe look to make some more interesting city street courses using other parts of Beijing. There's also Zhuhai, which has seen some international action before. The ultimate would be the Shanghai Circuit. Taiwanese influence would include a fantasy street course in Taipei.

I know nothing of North Korean racing. South Korea is pleased to be able to host the Formula One Korean Grand Prix at the Korean International Circuit. The streets of Seoul were supplied in GT4, though many felt Seoul could have been a much longer track. Changwon had a popular F3 racing venue on its city streets. Everland Speedway looks pretty fun.

The speculative fantasy street courses would include the following:
• Beijing, China
• Chongqing, China
• Wuhan, China
• Shanghai, China
• Suzhou, China
• Taipei, Taiwan
• Changwon, South Korea
• Deagu, South Korea

Japan.

Most people just think that all Polyphony Digital cares about more than any other place is their native Japan. Even so, there are a variety of challenging courses in Japan. If PD were to include more tracks from its native country, they have a variety of choices. Some are good courses that haven't made it into the GT series. With a focus on drifting, Ebisu is pretty can't-miss. One of Japan's best race courses is one that missed out on hosting an F1 race- Autopolis. The course is very challenging and really tests you on a variety of levels. Super GT (formerly the JGTC) started racing at Autopolis starting back in the 2003 or 2004 season. It's an incredible challenge. Not sure what tracks are still standing, but here are a garden variety of good Japanese courses: Nakayama, Okayama, Sugo, and Tokachi. Funny enough, I don't think there's been a proper temporary street course (the D1GP drifting action in Tokyo's Odaiba doesn't count). So let's look to fantasy street courses for some added Japanese flair:
• Yokohama, Japan
• Osaka, Japan
• Toyota, Japan
• Fukuoka, Japan
• Hiroshima, Japan
• Nagasaki, Japan
• Hakodate, Japan
• Sapporo, Japan
• Chiba, Japan

--- Oceania and the South Pacific ---

Some think that Australia is just too far away from most other countries to really have a presence in motorsport. Australia surely has its own identity in motorsports. This is a golden opportunity for PD to look for Australian venues. They NEED Australian venues if they ever want to have a true Australian presence in GT5.

Australia.

Bathurst. Bathurst (or Mount Panorama) will make countless Australian racing fans happy. It has the history and the character to be one of the finest racing tracks to race on in ANY game. A quality look at Bathurst would be great for GT5 or a future GT. American audiences got a chance to see all of the Bathurst 1000 live on TV for the first-time ever. To read my thoughts on Speed Channel's coverage of the Bathurst 1000, you are invited to read "Speed Channel's Coverage of the 2011 Bathurst 1000" on John's Blog Space. If not that, then there's Surfer's Paradise- one of my personal favorite street courses. You can basically follow the Australian V8 Supercar Series or maybe the Australian GT championship for great venues. Good real circuits would include Eastern Creek and Sandown. Hidden Valley and Winton would make for great racing too. Phillip Island isn't bad to consider, either. The view of the ocean is quite unique there as you race.

There are a variety of real temporary courses like Adelaide and Melbourne's Albert Park. Fantasy street courses would be interesting in this city, especially looking to these cities:
• Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
• Canberra, Australia (just not that terrible street course from the early 2000s)
• Perth, Western Australia, Australia
• Uluru, Australia
• Brisbane, Australia
• Hobart, Tasmania
• Launceston, Tasmania

New Zealand.

Other than Pukekohe, I don't know much else about motorsport in New Zealand. I only know New Zealand for one of the most kick-ass families in racing- the Millens (Rod, Steve, Rhys, etc.). New Zealand is home to the world's southernmost race track, Teretonga Park. Taupo Motorsport Park played host to the A1 Grand Prix in the past. Teretonga Park and Taupo Motorsport Park are two lovely facilities. Only three major cities come to mind for any fictional street courses. And here are three good ideas:

• Auckland, New Zealand
• Wellington, New Zealand
• Christchurch, New Zealand

--- Various Island Nations and Other Venues ---

This just concerns any other points of the world that haven't been mentioned. I can't think of many other places. I would want to see a return to Tahiti for the GT series. Maybe look for some action in other points of the world like these:

• Noumea, New Caledonia
• Christmas Island
• Reunion Island
• Maldives
• Tuvalu
• American Samoa
• Guam
• Kingston, Jamaica
• Canary Islands
• Ibiza Town, Ibiza

It was smart that Tahiti was included for Gran Turismo 2 to represent France. It may be surreal that you have Tahiti, but Tahiti is part of French Polynesia.

--- Overall... ---

Please note that all of the many locales I mentioned will NOT be in GT5, even including as downloadable content. Instead, there are ideas of mine as far as where Polyphony Digital can look to for any international locales whether in road racing, rally racing, photo mode, or any combination of the three. Gran Turismo 5 needs more Canadian, Latin American (especially Brazil), and Australian influence. A longshot would be to get some African influence as well as digging deeper into Europe. I also believe that Gran Turismo 5 should include at least one track from each of the nationalities of cars in the game. GT4 is an example of some places that have a nationality of car, only not with a "home" track. Think of Seat (Spanish), Spyker (Denmark), Gillet (Belgium), Volvo (Sweden), and all the Australian makes (Holden, Ford Australia, and FPV). They need some sort of representation for home tracks! This was a long read, but it's just the various ideas and locations that PD can look to for inspiration to travel the world looking for the next best venues to feature in the Gran Turismo series.





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Virtua Racing

The godfather of modern Sega 3D racing titles was Virtua Racing. For the time of its 1992 release, the polygons and flat shading looks none too impressive in today's era of gaming. Virtua Racing did bring amazing and fast racing to gaming. Even though this blog post is about Virtua Racing, I also must make mention to another Virtua Racing that offered a better experience than the first title. What you're getting from this blog post is a look at the Virtua Racing titles that would lead to future amazing 3D Sega racing titles.

As I would usually do on "John's Blog Space," any blog post I did on a SEGA racing game would be dedicated to my blogging friend Eric. So if you like racing games- especially SEGA racing games, be sure to say hello to Eric over at Musings of a Sega Racing Fan.

About the Label: "SEGA"

Since there are many different SEGA racing titles I want to blog about, I will include them all under the "SEGA" label. This obviously means only Sega racing games will be featured under this label. The label may also pertain to anything related to Sega racing games.

--- Virtua Racing ---

Sega's AM2 division has been responsible for creating some of the most amazing 3D titles in the company's history. One of their biggest hits was Virtua Racing. Virtua Racing was an arcade game all about high-speed racing in formula racing cars. The player can choose only one car with options for Automatic or Manual/Standard transmission. At the player's disposal, however, one can choose between three different tracks. The goal of Virtua Racing is to complete a five-lap race around the course while trying to finish as high in the rankings as possible.

As a trademark of SEGA racing games, arcade units can be linked together for an unforgettable experience. Up to eight players can compete at once once all units are linked. Either eight single units or four twin units can come together to make this happen. Another trademark of 3D SEGA racing games are the spectacular end-over-end crashes. Wreck hard here in this game, and you'll experience those signature crashes that will so ruin your day. Virtua Racing featured another trademark of 3D SEGA racing games are four unique views. There is a Bumper view, an interior view, a low Chase view, and a high Chase view. There is also a very high camera view.

Tracks.

Three tracks will test the driving mettle of gamers who play "Virtua Racing." Here is a look at the three courses:

• The Beginner course is called Big Forest, and it is the only course that starts you from the pits. The corners are mostly easy and simple. You are not going to need to do any seriously technical cornering to complete laps around this course.

• Bay Bridge is the Intermediate difficulty course. As its name implies, the highlight of this course is its big bridge, which is somewhat reminiscent of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

• The longest and most difficult course is the Expert course- known as Acropolis. Tricky corners and a vicious hairpin at the geographical center of this course help define its immense challenge. Completing a race here can be very difficult.

Video Preview.

Click on the link to view on YouTube or simply view the embedded video here:


^ [ARCADE] Virtua Racing 1992 SEGA (Widescreen Mode) FullHD 1080p


Use the best of your abilities to race each course and try to win each race.

--- Virtua Racing Deluxe ---

Those bestowed with a SEGA 32X would have the ability to play Virtua Racing Deluxe. Virtua Racing Deluxe featured a more enhanced experience from the original game. Among the highlights are two other kinds of cars and two new tracks. You can even compete in two-player racing in VR Deluxe.

Cars.

Here are the cars you can choose from:

• The Formula car is the most balanced race car you can use. It is fast while also being nimble.

• The Stock car is the slowest of the three available cars, but you can enjoy powersliding and drifting with this car. Handling is not this car's forte.

• The fastest and most powerful machine is the Prototype. Be wary that this car doesn't handle as well as the other two cars.

Each car handles and behaves differently. Try utilizing each car to the best of their ability to try to win.

Tracks.

The three tracks from the first Virtua Racing all return for VR Deluxe. However, there are two new courses to take on. This is a basic look at the tracks of Virtua Racing Deluxe:

• Big Forest is the only course that starts you from the pits. Most of the corners are fairly easy and simple. It shouldn't be too difficult to complete a 5-lap race around here.

• Bay Bridge has a combination of tough corners and elevation changes. Be careful navigating these streets and roads.

• Acropolis is the longest and most difficult course in the game- even in VR Deluxe. Make as few mistakes as possible to complete this course, let alone win here.

• A mix of city streets and country roads make up the Highland course. Forks in the road and a series of tricky corners will rack your brain on this course.

• Set in the desert, Sand Park has a mix of high speed and some smooth corners. Take care not to take this course too lightly.

Remember that all three courses from the original Virtua Racing make up the courses in VR Deluxe along with two new courses.

Video Preview.

A video preview of this game has to include some content that you can't find in the first Virtua Racing. So through my YouTube viewing, I picked this video as my best way to showcase Virtua Racing Deluxe. So... enjoy! By the way... I think this version is the Japanese version:


^ Virtua Racing DX megadrive 32X


Perhaps the biggest shame was that you could only play this game on the failed SEGA 32X. It was never an arcade title or anything.

--- Virtua Racing and Its Impact ---

Future 3D SEGA racing games would benefit from what Virtua Racing brought to racing games. In fact, much bigger titles would result from what Virtua Racing started. A future SEGA racing game like Daytona USA would only expand upon and enhance upon Virtua Racing. No matter what, Virtua Racing is a title to help push SEGA Racing games further into the future. A lot of SEGA's future 3D racing games wouldn't have been possible had it not been for Virtua Racing. So the creation of Virtua Racing did a whole lot to boost the appeal of SEGA, at least on the front of racing games. SEGA's AM2 department would churn out many more great games as well as non-racing titles like various other Virtua games (Virtua Cop, Virtua Fighter, etc.).

Virtua Racing would be resurrected again with the SEGA Ages Collection game. This SEGA Ages Collection version of Virtua Racing features some exclusive content along with a nicely-rendered look to everything.

Take note- there are more SEGA Racing Games I will highlight on in this blog. So stay tuned!





I hope with my posts on older racing games that I am helping you appreciate older racing games. I am doing all I can to try to broaden the appeal of topics for this blog. Thank you for reading!

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Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin'

If you love simulation racing games, you might want to thank Atari. Why? In 1988, one of the most difficult, yet most realistic racing/driving games was created- Hard Drivin'. That game would be followed up in 1990 by Race Drivin'. Both games featured unforgiving driving dynamics that were unlike any other game of its kind in its time. It did not have the high-speed thrills of the Pole Position series or the fun-to-drive appeal of the OutRun games. Despite all of this, both Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin' represented two of the most realistic racing/driving games ever made. This blog post offers a look at both of these games.

--- Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin' ---

Both of these games offer driving experiences unsurpassed for their time. They may not have the fun factor future racing games (and even some of the racing/driving games before them) may have, but they were very much unforgiving and real. Neither Hard Drivin' nor Race Drivin' were actually "racing" games. Performance driving is involved, but you don't do any real racing against a pack of cars. Perhaps unique to the sim racing aspect is racing from the interior view. All you get is an interior view. The only time you get any kind of exterior view is after a crash. Once you crash, a dramatic instant replay of you getting owned plays. Really, both Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin' were two of the first-ever fully 3D racing games of their time.

The simulation driving aspect goes from when you start the car to when your experience is over. Wait... start the car? That's right! You have to turn the key to start the car. You then floor the gas and go. In Manual/Standard transmission, you need to turn the key as well as shift to 1st Gear. You have to repeat this process even if you escape from a crash.

The goal of these two games was to set a qualifying time around a course to compete in a bonus event. You will have a good amount of time to post the fastest time you can possibly muster. Clear the checkpoints to allow for extended time. With each course, you have a certain par time that you must clear if you want to extend your experience. If you successfully clear the par time, you will be challenged to a one-lap race against the champion of that course. Beat the champ's time to establish yourself as a master. To do so, however, one crash disqualifies you. You also are allowed only so much time off the course. Good luck!

Now for a look at the individual games:

Hard Drivin' (1988).

Hard Drivin' is a game that is hard to appreciate if you've never seen or played it before. Only one course was offered with two routes for you to take. You can choose between Automatic transmission or Manual/Standard transmission. The rest is all up to you to try to land the fastest time around each course.

Here is a video demonstration of Hard Drivin':


^ Hard Drivin' Gameplay for Arcade

Now on to the other game...

Race Drivin' (1990).

Race Drivin' is essentially the same game as Hard Drivin', but Race Drivin' offers a choice of cars as well as a choice of tracks. You could choose between three different courses in Race Drivin'. Here is a description of each:

• The original Stunt course from Race Drivin' can be selected. This is a course that features two different routes- a Speed track and a Stunt track. Of the three offered tracks, the original course from Race Drivin' is the only one that has traffic on the road.

• The Autocross track is a simple course in a desert setting with little or no elevation changes. It is purely straightforward. If you are trying to have the best chance of clearing any course, I would personally recommend you race the Autocross course.

• Race Drivin' offers its ultimate challenge to gamers- the Super Stunt Track. Here, you are given the game's longest track with the most treacherous obstacles. You deserve loads of praise if you are able to clear a lap of this course without a single crash. It is the only night race.


In addition to a choice of tracks, you have a choice of four cars to choose from. Only one of them has Automatic transmission. The other three cars have Manual/Standard transmission. Racing in Manual/Standard is tougher because you have to not only turn the key, but also make sure you are in 1st Gear even after a crash.

• The only car offered in both Automatic (there is only one) and Manual/Standard is this Ferrari-looking sports car called the Sportster.

• The Roadster is only offered in Manual/Standard transmission. Take advantage of its nimble handling characteristics.

• The final car is the Speedster, which as its name implies, is quite fast. It is only offered in Manual/Standard transmission.


The goal of Race Drivin' is the same as in Hard Drivin'- complete a quick lap around a course to qualify for a one-lap race against the champ of that course. Afterwards, try to beat the track's champion to become the new champion and master of the track. Here is a video demonstration of Race Drivin' below (best I could find):


^ Race Drivin' (Gameplay) MIDWAY ARCADE TREASURES 3

Again... there aren't too many fundamental differences between Race Drivin' and Hard Drivin'.

--- What to Learn from Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin' ---

I think anyone who even loves racing games should at least give a nod to Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin'. The biggest reason why is because both games were really the table-setters for future simulation-type racing games... including the likes of Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport. Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin' both lacked a fun-to-play factor and seemed incredibly slow. However, these two games should be commended for being two of the most intense sim racing games ever created. Future sim racers only enhanced and built upon and expanded upon the model set by the likes of Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin'. Future sim racers only enhanced the speed and realism while also making various improvements to make racing and driving realistic.

Regardless, don't overlook Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin' among the most influential and most important racing/driving games of all time. Both titles are worthy of praise for what they brought to gaming as well as to racing/driving games in general. I honestly didn't think highly of Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin' until I really thought about what both games brought to racing games in general. What you just read in this blog post is a mix of what both games brought to the genre based on what I think bought games brought.





I hope you enjoyed this blog post about two games that really should get more recognition for what they brought to racing games. What do you think about these two titles? Comment away and thank you for reading!

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100,000 Views!

"John's Race Space" FINALLY got 100K views all-time! The blog that began life as "John's Gran Turismo Space" in November 2010 evolved into a blog on all racing games. I picked up loads of views from people worldwide. My thanks go out to everyone who helped make this blog popular and useful. This blog post is not about any racing game. All I want to do here is to offer my own words to all of my readers.

--- John's Race Space: 100,000 Views! ---

Let me begin by saying that I am pleased "John's Race Space" (formerly "John's Gran Turismo Space") has gotten over 100K views. With its slow growth, I honestly never thought this humble blog would get so many views. This blog is nearing its 5th birthday as it was established in November 2010. There was a point where I initially just ran out of topics to come up with for Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy for this blog. So in its evolution, I decided to make this my blog for discussing all things racing games. Why so? I love racing games. I know I am not the only one, and it feels good to find other people who like racing games, right? This is a special accomplishment for my blogging work. Under the Blogger/Blogspot platform, this is currently the third-ever blog I created that has received six-figure views all-time. Blogs take effort; successful blogs take effort and dedication. It is a feeling of being determined to assure an international audience of just how amazing and how much an institution a blog can be. In addition, I hate looking at my own blog just to bump up the view count. I can be cheap at times, but I am not THAT cheap. I want to earn as much as I can.

You probably know where this is all going. Either I could have retired this blog as it is, or I could have stretched out its usefulness by extending the range of topics for it. The formula worked for "John's Blog Space"- which began life as my Gran Turismo blog before I made it about anything and everything. I chose to take this blog from "John's Gran Turismo Space" to "John's Race Space." Its URL and heritage are still with the Gran Turismo series, but I wanted to make this blog so much more than what its roots offered. The focus of my blogging work here on JRS is simply to offer my racing/driving game fans a place where I offer my own opinions about racing games and driving games. I am not trying to build the definitive blog on racing games, but I am hoping I have offered a reputable blog with unique and valuable chatter on racing games. People- like you reading this blog right now- have helped contribute this this blog being useful and enjoyable.

I work alone with my blogging work because I feel only I can push my blog(s) in a favorable direction that I'll be most happy with. I could probably allow guest blogging or whatever, but I feel I am the one best equipped to push my blogs in a positive direction. I rarely get any support or opinions from any loyal readers. So therefore, I just keep pushing my blog(s) any way I please in hopes I can keep up the good work. That even includes discussing racing games here.

What's Next?

There are a number of racing/driving games I haven't mentioned, reviewed, or have thoughts on. I haven't even introduced my "Elements of Racing Games" series from "John's Blog Space" to "John's Race Space" yet. A lot of reviews on racing games from "John's Blog Space" still haven't been introduced to "John's Race Space" yet- and I'd love to introduce them to my audience. Ever since wanting to expand this blog's usefulness and its range of topics, there are still MANY things I have either yet to discuss or introduce. Believe me- I have NO shortage of topics for this blog or any of my others. The only thing holding me back is really coming up with given material to actually make things happen.

I put thought into all of my blog posts. I don't just come up with posts just to show that I am alive and just to keep a blog updated. I believe everything I publish has to have value beneficial to the Internet and to my audience. Very few things are truly random about my blogging work. You now know about my dedication and how much I value what I do.

To All of My Loyal Readers and Fans...

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!


That is all for this post.





I actually tried to wait until my view count actually surpassed 100,000 hits before releasing this blog post. I hated that I was slowly picking up views when I thought I finally surpassed that 100K view mark... only to find out only so few views were collected between different time intervals. The wait until finally reaching that 100K view mark was agonizing. However, I made it! Thank you all again for making this possible for my blog.

If there are any racing/driving games or any features you want to see mentioned, be sure to contact me online. I may feature your suggestion(s) in a future post here on "John's Race Space." You may also contact me on any topics you want to see in any of my blogs. Regardless, I am pleased to get this many views for "John's Race Space." Thank you for reading!

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GT5 Spec 2.0 Overview and Review

The Spec 2.0 update for Gran Turismo 5 offers up various tweaks and fixes to GT5. It is the evolution of GT5 with a new package designed to make the game more accessible and more fun. Details on Spec 2.0 and my thoughts on it will be discussed in this blog post. For all intents and purposes, this post is basically a look at the different tweaks to GT5 followed by some commentary of mine. Welcome to JGTS (John's Gran Turismo Space) and another blog post of mine!

--- Major Changes and New Features ---

I will use an old image just to help identify this post regarding the new Spec 2.0 update. I'm sorry I couldn't feature a recent picture to actually highlight on the new changes.


^ The Spec 2.0 update for Gran Turismo 5 includes various tweaks and edits. All of which, you will read about in this blog post, including my comments on some of the various edits.


This is NOT a full report. This is just a basic synopsis of what the new changes feature. You can read more on many of the talking points by reading the Update Notice (2.00) from the Gran Turismo News menu when you log into GT5:

[Major Changes and New Features]

• Standard Cars now given simplified cockpit views
• New Opening Movie
• Addition of the weather change menu
• multiple car settings/save feature
• added 11 NASCAR cars
• Nissan GT-R N24 Schulze Motor Sports
• Avatar now available in Photo Travel
• Replay Fast Forward/Rewind
• Improved Online Lounge
• Additional features to Remote Racing
• New Photo Stage Added
• Addition of the Consecutive Login Bonus
• DLC (Downloadable Content) Compatibility
• Official Support for the G25/G27 Racing Wheels

[Other Improvements]

• User interface improvement
• Quick Menu accessed while race is loading
• It is now possible to save and resume endurance races.
• Two NASCAR cars selectable in Arcade Mode have been changed from the 2010 models to 2011 models.
• In the Arcade Settings of [Options], AI Car Characteristics settings have been added. You can now change the aggressiveness of the AI against you in Arcade Races.
• Some effects of Traction Control have been adjusted. When the TCS is set to 1, it will not come into effect as much especially in tight corners on dirt tracks.
• Surface Water and Tire Load Indicator displays have been added to the race screen. The Tire Load indicator can be set from the Quick Options menu that is displayed during the race (when the game is paused using the START button), or the standard Options menu.
• The option to Create Thumbnails for AI cars has been added to the context of the Garage. This will update the thumbnails of all cars in the garage.
• Experience gained in online races has been increased by 60% and rewards have been increased by 66%.
• You can now change the Slipstream Strength settings in the lounge.
• In the Lounge and in [Option] - [General] - [Arcade], it is now possible to turn Visible Damage ON or OFF.
• Drivetrain settings has been added to the regulation settings in the Lounge.
• A setting to prohibit "Tuning" of cars has been added to the regulations settings in the Lounge.
Adjusted the driving speed of formula cars in banks, and auto-drive when coming onto straights.
• Added a button to [Reset Playlist to Original Settings] under the settings menus of [Menu BGM], [Race BGM], and [Slideshow BGM].
• A new brand "AMG" has been added to the MUSEUM.

[Correction of Known Issues]

• Corrected an issue where the "Torque Steering Center Differential" installed on a Lancer Evolution X was not functioning.
• Fixed an issue where you could participate in the Intermediate/Tarmac Rally of the Gran Turismo Rally in a Ferrari F1 by using the power limiter.
• Fixed an issue where the Controller Steering Sensitivity was not applied correctly.
• Fixed an issue where there was a server connection problem in certain network environments.
• Fixed an issue where auto-drive would make braking mistakes.
• Fixed an issue where the system would misjudge whether deceleration happens in time when making pit stops in the rain.

--- Thoughts on GT5 Spec 2.0 ---

Here are piece-by-piece comments on each aspect of the Spec 2.0 update. My comments (if any) are in BOLD letters. Everything was posted as of the initial date of this blog post:

The New Intro.

First things first... THANK GOD the opening song isn't that song from My Chemical Romance. This newer intro is much more interesting and much more fun than the previous one. I still think "Moon Over the Castle" should be the theme for Gran Turismo for all regions. Don't just change up the opening song just so "fanboys" and "fangirls" don't start getting bitchy just because certain groups/artists aren't featured.

You need to download the Spec 2.0 intro to your PS3 to be able to view it. It is about a 590 MB download.

Ideas on the Main Updates.

• Standard Cars now given simplified cockpit views
Better than no interior views to me. I actually don't mind the blacked-out interior views of most Standard cars.

• New Opening Movie
(See "The New Intro.")

• Addition of the weather change menu
This makes racing on Time Change and Weather Change tracks more accessible. I actually raced Circuit de la Sarthe 2009 under night conditions and enjoyed it! Best of all, I didn't have to play the track for an extended period of time just to play under certain conditions.

• multiple car settings/save feature

• added 11 NASCAR cars
The 2010 NASCAR Cup cars are all there, but they are now joined by 2011 models. Still no Dodge NASCAR Cup cars, sadly. :(

• Nissan GT-R N24 Schulze Motor Sports

• Avatar now available in Photo Travel

• Replay Fast Forward/Rewind
This is a MUCH welcome deal.

• Improved Online Lounge

• Additional features to Remote Racing

• New Photo Stage Added

• Addition of the Consecutive Login Bonus
Basically put, you get some perks for consecutive logins. Playing the game on one day will net you five Museum cards, five paint items, and a 120%(?) increase in earnings and experience for that day. The maximum you can receive is when you log in consecutively for five days. If you log in consecutively for five or more days, you will earn ten Museum cards, ten paint items, and experience/earnings will be boosted to 200%. This will allow you to earn Credits and experience at a quicker rate. So keep logging into GT5 in consecutive days to boost your earnings and experience! Of course... miss a day, and you'll probably go back down the login bonus ladder.

I actually like this. Makes you want to play the game for longer just to get the extra bonuses. That's even if you don't need extra Museum cards.

• DLC (Downloadable Content) Compatibility
Downloadable content for GT5 will supposedly be available starting October 18, 2011. So be ready to download and buy from PlayStation Store when downloadable content becomes available.

To get you excited, some of the DLC for GT5 includes (but is not limited to): Spa-Francorchamps, a special and colorful kart racing track, and more race-tuned cars (all Premium).

• Official Support for the G25/G27 Racing Wheels
(I don't own either of these, so I will not comment.)

[Other Improvements]

(comments in BOLD, if I have any comments for each bullet point)

• User interface improvement
• Quick Menu accessed while race is loading
As a word of advice, you will be ready to go when you hear car engines. Tracks load a bit quicker with the Spec 2.0 changes.

• It is now possible to save and resume endurance races.
This is much welcome news for most Gran Turismo fans. I have yet to participate in an endurance in GT5, so I will comment no further about this.

(no further comments on anything in this section)

[Correction of Known Issues]

(no comments on anything in this section)

In Conclusion...

In conclusion, the Spec 2.0 updates help make Gran Turismo 5 just that extra bit better. The various changes made were good enough to make the game just an extra bit more playable and accessible. I also noted how the game loads a little bit faster compared to before the Spec 2 update.





So make sure to download the changes and let me know what you think about the Spec 2.0 updates. Thank you for reading!

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Ridge Racer Series

The Ridge Racer series began in 1993-1994. Its trademark has been about drifting. About 20 years of this franchise has given many a racing gamer quite the thrill ride and quite the fun race. Today, the series remains somewhat strong. Many probably feel Ridge Racer's best days are behind it in today's racing game culture. But no matter how you perceive the Ridge Racer series, it still remains one of these top racing game franchises of all time.

Individual posts on the Ridge Racer series may surface in the future. For now, this blog post looks at the Ridge Racer series in general with a brief look at all or most of the game's titles.

About the Label: "Ridge Racer"

This blog label features all topics regarding the Ridge Racer series from NAMCO. Material here may relate to the Ridge Racer series through reviews, resources, and more.

--- Ridge Racer Series in General ---

I wish I had a picture here to set the mood. Unfortunately, I am unable to. Whatever picture or media I WOULD find would fill this space.
^ from: ??? - Ridge Racer has drifted into the hearts of many a racing game fan since 1993.

The Ridge Racer series was born in 1993. Nobody had an idea that this franchise would last for over 20 years and then some. What has given the Ridge Racer series its identity over the years has been its drifting. The racing in the Ridge Racer series mostly takes place on city highways and country roads. Many of the environments in Ridge Racer games usually consist of a few locations each with different variations of the course. Most Ridge Racer games require you to finish the race in 1st Place to advance to the next stage or see the ending. Most Ridge Racer games have a screwy collision system. Don't expect to rub fenders like you would in a NASCAR game or anything.

Ridge Racer games were NEVER about hardcore racing, in-depth simulation, or anything like that. This series is purely about fun and entertaining arcade-type racing. If you have never played any Ridge Racer title before, you are very much in for a treat if you just enjoy old-fashioned racing. The music in Ridge Racer games are usually high-energy electronic dance music songs. Some of the earlier songs in Ridge Racer games can actually be quite annoying to listen to. I personally recommend the likes of "Ridge Racer Type 4" and "Ridge Racer V" if you want to hear Ridge Racer titles with great music.

Another sort of tradition of Ridge Racer games is to feature sponsorship mostly consisting of past NAMCO titles. Even the very first Ridge Racer features a handful of references to past NAMCO titles like Pac-Man, Xevious, Mappy, and Rave War (Tekken). There are no real cars or real tracks unless you're talking about "R: Racing Evolution."

While NAMCO's mascot is Pac-Man, the Ridge Racer series' mascot is Reiko Nagase. She is the most popular character serving as perhaps the face of Ridge Racer games.

Cars.

Many of the cars in traditional Ridge Racer games are all fictional. Most of the cars mostly appeared as mash-ups of various real-world cars. People who really know their cars can envision what most of the cars resemble. For example, the Assoluto Bisonite from Ridge Racer Type 4 highly resembles the legendary Ford GT40. A lot of cars were immensely futuristic, such as the Terrazi Terrific from Ridge Racer Type 4.

A lot of cars could be crazy drifters. Some others, however, were great Grip cars. The Grip cars were meant to take corners precisely rather than be pushed like a demon.

Tracks.

Because "ridge racers" is a term to describe a street racer, it's probably fitting the racing in Ridge Racer games take place on city streets and highways rather than proper race tracks. The only difference is that you are not racing on the streets with civilian traffic and the police on the roads. It is just you and a handful of other cars burning rubber on mostly public roads.

Racing.

The Ridge Racer games are pure arcade racing titles. Always have been (I am not including "R: Racing Evolution" in describing the racing). The only thing that matters is going from last place to win. Doing so, however, will require you to execute some great drifts as well as make timely overtakes. It won't be easy climbing through the pack to win. In most Ridge Racer races, you can't advance unless you win the race. So the pressure is really on for you to make your way from the back to the front.

Don't worry about pit stops, setups, or anything like that. Well, "Rage Racer" gave you the option to upgrade your car to a higher class or even customize tires to have more grip or more drift capabilities. None of the things you'd be used to in a Gran Turismo game would be present in a Ridge Racer.


Now, let's take a look at the individual Ridge Racer titles themselves. Go to the next section.

--- Ridge Racer Series: Brief Game Overviews ---

Remember that individual blog posts on all or most games in this series will be featured. For now, enjoy this brief look at each title.

Ridge Racer (1993).

It all began in 1993 when NAMCO released Ridge Racer. It would find its way into arcades and the PlayStation 1. It would also eventually find its way into the hearts of racing gamers. There was no greater satisfaction than to slide out wildly into corners on either of the games' two tracks.

In the PlayStation 1 version of Ridge Racer, the player is treated to a game of Galaxian before Ridge Racer starts. If you manage to clear the Galaxian stage, something happens. The greatest challenge of Ridge Racer is in acquiring the black #13 car, which is the fastest and most capable car in the game.

A customized version of Ridge Racer was released for arcades called "Ridge Racer Full Scale," where instead of the arcade unit's cockpit, you got into a Mazda Miata in this theater setup. This special edition allowed you to experience Ridge Racer in a most unusual way. IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED... here is a YouTube video that provides a little peek of what the Ridge Racer Full Scale experience is like: Ridge Racer Full Scale.

Ridge Racer 2 (1993, 1994).

Ridge Racer 2 is essentially a somewhat prettier looking Ridge Racer with a more insane bunch of songs. This sequel to the classic Ridge Racer doesn't bring too many more new things to the table that the first title brung. You still race the same two tracks from the first Ridge Racer in Ridge Racer 2. There just wasn't too much different between these two titles except for some different graphics.

I personally have never played Ridge Racer 2.

Ridge Racer Revolution (1995).

The first PlayStation 1-exclusive Ridge Racer title was "Ridge Racer Revolution." You race in a brand-new environment featuring mountainous terrain and some tropical scenery. New to this game is the ability to choose from different classes of competition for cars. Higher class types for cars allows you to race with faster and more powerful settings. A race could be restarted if you don't like how the current race is going. If you want a challenge, try to unlock the White Angel. The White Angel is the fastest car in this game. It is essentially this game's version of the 13 Racing car from the first Ridge Racer.

Rave Racer (1995).

With more cars and more frenzied racing action, Rave Racer was ready to hit you hard with its intense action. Rave Racer was only in the arcades. This is the first Ridge Racer to feature a feminine voice. Her voice can, however, can be quite annoying. "Come on... drive a smart race! There's a lot of racing ahead!" It can be quite annoying hearing her say this. One of the most noticeable aspects of Rave Racer was the featuring of a female model. This is actually the first Ridge Racer title to feature a woman to promote the game. She wears leather shorts, a cropped leather jacket, and a cropped top underneath the jacket. As you turn and drift, the camera turns with you to provide you with exciting views. You are unable to select cars. This game features the original two courses from the first two Ridge Racer games. In addition, there are new City and Mountain courses for you to race in this game. You can choose to either run a regular race or perform a Time Trial.

Rage Racer (1996).

Rage Racer featured four tracks around an incredibly difficult environment. The city you raced around features many undulating roads and a handful of difficult corners. Your first car is very well balanced- the Gnade Esperanza. This was the first Ridge Racer where you could collect money to buy and tune cars. It was also the first Ridge Racer to feature cars only with Manual/Standard transmission. Cars could be tuned and even customized. You could make a paintscheme for your car and even choose what kind of tires you want to use. If you don't want to purchase newer cars, you can pay to upgrade a weaker car to the specifications of a higher class. That car may even reflect those changes with more aggressive bodywork in addition to more powerful statistics. You could have either full Drift tires or full Grip tires. To my knowledge, Rage Racer is also the only Ridge Racer title to feature actual sponsors. Yokohama and Advan were featured. If you're window-shopping for the ultimate car in Rage Racer, then you almost certainly want the most powerful and fastest car in the game- the Assoluto Ghepardo and its lofty price tag. If the music seemed annoying from past Ridge Racer titles, then you could better tolerate the music from this game.

Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998).

Ridge Racer Type 4 (or R4 for short) offered the very best experience of any PlayStation 1 RR game. The main mode is centered around Real Racing Roots '99. Do you have what it takes to prove your worth in this eight-race championship? This game offered the most number of cars in Ridge Racer history- 320! But really, it is just 80 cars with four different performance levels. There is also a bonus 321st car you can unlock. All the racing takes place on eight courses that can be raced Normal or Reverse. The venues take place in Japan and the United States. Choose cars from four different manufacturers offering cars with either Drift or Grip characteristics. Very popular about this game is the promotional model (she's not real) Reiko Nagase. She's the pretty lady who you see parading around in R4. Of any Ridge Racer on the PS1, this one features the best music.

Included with this game was a bonus disc featuring a version of the original Ridge Racer that ran at 60 frames per second. It was possible insight at making Ridge Racer even faster.

Ridge Racer V (1998).

As a launch title for the PlayStation 2, Ridge Racer V offered gamers the opportunity to enjoy the Ridge Racer series on a (then) next-generation console with the PS2. Six cars were offered, each one different in driving dynamics and performance. You could even unlock upgraded racing-spec versions of these cars. You even could unlock a handful of bonus cars. Each car offered demo views of them as well as demo views of each of the engines in the game. A pulse-pounding soundtrack complimented this game. This game has a pulse-pounding soundtrack. Rather than the lounge-style electronica of R4, the soundtrack has some great sounding beats. As for tracks, the game takes you around Ridge City. The two original Ridge Racer courses return again as Sunny Beach (the Beginner and Intermediate courses) and Green Field (the Advanced and TT courses). There are new courses as well.

A little-known fact about Ridge Racer V is that this game also was available in arcades. However, not many people know of this game in arcades.

Ridge Racer 64 (2000).

As its name implies, this Ridge Racer- 64-bit style. It was the first Ridge Racer outside of the arcades or any Sony system. Ridge Racer 64 had a lot of the flair and character that made Ridge Racer games fun to begin with. The game has the classic Ridge Racer look and feel while being custom tailored to the Nintendo 64 and its capabilities. There is one track exclusive to the Nintendo 64, but most of the other tracks come from Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution. It does feature an exclusive desert location referred to as Renegade. Many cars from past Ridge Racers up to this point could be raced in this game. If you were able to make enough noise winning races and series, you can add cars to your garage by competing in duels. If you manage to beat that car in a duel, you can add that car to your garage. Ridge Racer 64 even has some influence from one of the world's premier schools for game development- Digipen. IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED... If you would like to learn more about Digipen or enroll in their programs (including gaming), visit www.digipen.edu; or, you may check out Digipen's gaming department at www.digipen.edu/gamers/.

This game would later find its way to to the Nintendo DS as Ridge Racer DS in 2004.

R: Racing Evolution (2003).

By no means was "R: Racing Evolution" a traditional Ridge Racer game. Instead, this game was a more sim-oriented Ridge Racer title. It was also the first story-driven Ridge Racer title. Unlike a traditional Ridge Racer title, all (or almost all) of the cars in the game are real-life cars from actual manufacturers. The game was released for all the current-generation consoles of its time- the PlayStation 2, the Gamecube, and the original XBOX. You play as Rena Hayami - an ambulance driver who has racing ability. You're trying to become the next big racing star. Doing so requires you to compete in a variety of intense racing events. Standing in your way is your sworn rival- Gina. This game features an exceptional soundtrack consisting of electronic dance music and some sexy lounge music. Races are more than just basic circuit races. You do circuit races, rally racing, and even drag racing in "R: Racing Evolution." A big part of racing in this game is putting pressure on leading racers. You put pressure on racers by filling up their rear view mirrors with your car and by slipstreaming them. The more you stay on leading racers, the more they are pressured into making mistakes. Use these moments to make bold passes on the track!

I played this game before on the Gamecube, but I mostly played this kind of like a sample. I never played through the entire game.

Ridge Racer/Ridge Racers (PSP, 2004).

Making its debut on the PlayStation Portable (PSP), Ridge Racer offered something old, but also something new. This was the first Ridge Racer to allow for Nitrous to be used. How you earn Nitro is most unusual- you have to drift in corners to fill up your boost. You have a maximum of three Nitros you can use and fill up. You can either use one right away, or try to save up your nitrous for a longer boost. Doing so requires you to have either double nitrous or the maximum three nitrous. The longer you hold onto your nitrous energy, the longer the boost when you let the Nitrous loose! A lot of the tracks and action mostly featured futuristic cars and venues.

Ridge Racer 6 (2005, 2006).

The XBOX 360 had Ridge Racer 6 as one of its early titles. This game takes on a more futuristic style as well as being an evolutionary step in the series. The Nitrous system from Ridge Racers on the PSP found its way into Ridge Racer 6. Couple that with a handful of beautifully-designed cars and tracks, and you have an experience sure to keep you interested if you're a Ridge Racer fan. Or... is it such an interesting experience? Not a lot of people thought so. This game seemed to seriously divert from most of the classic elements that made Ridge Racer great. A groovy DJ comments on your moves. His commentary, however, isn't really pleasureful to listen to. The environments range from lovely urban settings to various gorgeous natural settings.

In addition to the available material, you could even download some extra material- such as extra songs to enhance the experience even further.

Ridge Racer 2/Ridge Racers 2 (PSP, 2006).

The sequel to the first PSP Ridge Racer title came in the form of Ridge Racer 2 or Ridge Racers 2. This 2006 title picks up where the initial title left off but with better graphics.

Ridge Racer 7 (2006, 2007).

The PlayStation 3 saw Ridge Racer 7 as one of its launch titles. It picks up where Ridge Racer 6 left off, and it offers a great suite of customization for cars. Multiplayer action was also a big part of this game's popularity with a host of race types and events for gamers to enjoy. One of the biggest feats of Ridge Racer 7 is its ability to run at 60 frames per second under 1080p High Definition. But unlike the 14 cars to a track in Ridge Racer 6, there are a maximum of 8 cars to a track (including yours).

You could download extra content- such as music- to enhance your RR7 experience all the further.

Ridge Racer Accelerated (2009).

iOS and Android users could enjoy the full fury of Ridge Racer on their mobile devices with Ridge Racer Accelerated.

Ridge Racer 3D (2011).

For the Nintendo 3DS, Ridge Racer 3D was your 3D-enhanced Ridge Racer experience. But really, this was nothing more but Ridge Racer DS but for the 3DS.

Ridge Racer Unbounded (2012).

No question about it... the most mature Ridge Racer ever was NOT made by NAMCO. Instead, it was a company called Bugbear Entertainment who created Ridge Racer Unbounded. This game is more concerned with widespread destruction of the city rather than racing goodness. This was the first-ever Ridge Racer game made available for the PC in addition to the major consoles.

Ridge Racer (PSVita, 2012).

The new PlayStation Vita got some Ridge Racer love when Ridge Racer PSVita was released for the PSVITA. This game, however, was met with absolute lukewarm reception by many reviewers. One of the big reasons was in how the game was played out and how you had to continually pay for content.


This post concludes my brief looks at the history of the Ridge Racer series.

--- Ridge Racer Series: Final Thoughts ---

The thing I personally love most about the Ridge Racer series is that it is one of the series that simply is about the thrill of speed. No racing game has made drifting look so cool than with the Ridge Racer series.


Thank you for reading my blog post on the Ridge Racer series.





Remember that I will try to focus on as many of these Ridge Racer titles as I can in individual posts here on "John's Race Space." Let's chat!

Are you a Ridge Racer series fan? Do you have any memories?

In the meanwhile, 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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