It seems that PS3 fans have been waiting for Gran Turismo 5 for what feels like a very long time, however PSP fans on the other hand don’t have to wait too long at all, since the game will be available for all beginning October having only been announced at E3 this year. So even though the wait for PSP fans was a relatively short one, is the excitement that has built up for this game justified?

 

Lets get one thing out the way here, Gran Turismo PSP has no career mode, yes that’s right so if you think that the 800 cars, 35 tracks and 60 variations of these tracks will not be enough for you without having a real goal to work towards then you should probably steer clear. For anyone else who doesn’t mind the lack of career mode though, this is the racing game that defines the PSP.

 

 

The main mode you will encounter in Gran Turismo PSP is the Single Player mode, here you can choose between Time Trail, Single Race and Drift Trail, you can play these modes on any track of your choice as they are all unlocked from the beginning. These modes obviously explain themselves and they are all fun to play but given that there is no Career Mode the main aim of the game therefore becomes earning cash and buying as many of the 800 cars as possible. When you take part in a race on any track you will increase in level, the higher the level you reach the more difficult your opponents will become, and you’ve guessed it, the harder your opponents become the more cash you will earn when you are victorious. I guess this is gives you some sort of goal, but still it would have been nice to have a few tournaments or something similar to give you some other sense of achievement.

 

The action itself is what you would expect from Gran Turismo, it offers a good technical challenge and the handling of the cars does feel well balanced for the PSP. There are some limitations in that you can only race against three other cars, though at least the opponents are quite easy to read as they generally stick to the racing line.

 

There are plenty of options outside of the main single player mode, for example when you start up the game you are advised to check out the driving challenges to hone your skills, this will basically see you learning how to control your car by taking corners, overtaking etc, as you work your way though these challenges they will become progressively more difficult. During the driving challenges you can even watch demonstrations, just in case you cannot quite figure out what is required of you. There are plenty of these challenges to take part in and when you complete them you will earn a cash amount depending on which medal (bronze/silver/gold) you earn.

 

Also on the menu is the option to play in Ad-Hoc mode with up to three other players, there are three modes of play which including a standard race, one which allows for the less skillful players to get a head start and one which awards less skillful players with a better car than the more accomplished drivers. Unfortunately there is tournament play in the Ad-Hoc mode, therefore it’s a single race, a cash reward for the winner and that’s it. Another option included in Ad-Hoc mode is Share & Trade, this basically allows you to trade & share cars with each other.

 

 

Finally the menu also includes a Car Dealership and the Gran Turismo Theatre. The Car dealership is of course where you can spend all of your hard earned cash, allowing you to purchase new cars to add to your collection from the vast amount of choice on offer. When you purchase a car you basically choose the manufacturer of your choice, select the model and a colour and that’s it really, there is no option to tweak engines, trims or anything else you may fancy tweaking which is a bit of a shame, but there you go. One of the strange things about the dealership is that you can only choose cars from four manufacturers at a time, with these changing on a daily basis. It’s a bit of a strange way to work things but oh well. The Gran Turismo Theatre meanwhile allows you to relive some of your greatest victories, which is nice if you like that sort of thing.

 

Graphically it’s hard to fault Gran Turismo PSP, the cars do look fantastic and the action runs smoothly thanks to the game running at 60fps, the tracks are also well designed and it seems a lot of work has gone into making them perfect. The sound meanwhile is also very impressive, the car engines are very realistic and help add to the overall experience.

 

Gran Turismo PSP is a fantastic racing game, of that there is no doubt, however there are some big disappointments, for one there is no Career Mode, you can’t always buy the car you want, when you want it and also there is no online multiplayer mode. If you are after a racer you can pick up and play and enjoy a lot for your PSP then this is for you, just don’t expect to find much else under the bonnet.