Gran Turismo (PSP) - Gameplay

Gameplay

The game is centered on an open-ended design. The single-player menu presents players with three variables — Mode Selection (Time Trial, Single Race, and Drift Trial), Car Selection, and Track Selection. The player can pick and choose circuits and vehicles, with credits earned based on the difficulty, performance and number of laps they have chosen. Players can select from any number of laps, one to 99. There are 45 tracks (including layout variations) plus the added bonus of reverse on most tracks, which takes the track number close to 75. For the first time in the series, the game features the use of custom soundtracks that enables players to play their own songs while racing, but this option must first be unlocked by completing section B of the Driving Challenges. The music tracks can only be played if it is set on "MUSIC folder" and can be used for offline or online races.

There are some hidden tracks which are removed prior to release (notably Smokey Mountain from Gran Turismo 3: A-spec, Tahiti Circuit from Gran Turismo 2, and Gymkhana from Gran Turismo 4). These tracks are only accessible via PSPs that have custom firmware and running Gameshark-like programs. Gran Turismo features 833 vehicles, each modeled accurately and statistics derived from their real life counterparts. Players will start with a low-powered car, but can upgrade as they progress through the game. The dealerships available change after every other race, so players won't always be able to buy what they are looking for. Like Tourist Trophy, there are only four cars (3 are opponents) feature in a race at any one time. There is an interior view available for each car — however, it is not detailed. For multiplayer, players have access to four-player local wireless play across a handful of modes, with various options that allow players of all skill types to play together. There is no online play nor are there any online leaderboards for time trial times or the ability to share ghost laps with other players.

The game features over 800 cars, although only four cars are present in any race. The exotic car manufacturer Ferrari is featured, and for the first time in the main Gran Turismo series, Lamborghini, Bugatti and various other cars were introduced and fully licensed. There is no damage model in the game.

Gran Turismo is centered on completing driving missions in order to advance in the game, unlike Gran Turismo 4's open-ended map. The game uses a new trading system to allow players to acquire cars. Ad hoc multiplayer will be supported for up to four players. Gran Turismo also allows online play through the free downloadable PlayStation 3 (PS3) application Adhoc Party for PlayStation Portable. During an interview at E3, it was revealed that tracks featured in the game are directly sourced from Gran Turismo 4 and Tourist Trophy, while the game's physics engine is based on Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Downloadable content (DLC) will not be released for Gran Turismo, although five cars already included in the game are available for free download off the PlayStation Store in exclusive colors.