Hot News Story
TITLE	Gran Turismo 2:
SYSTEM	PSX
DATE	09-December-98
SOURCE	PR
DETAILS	Quotations include: "I would confidently say that this is the most in-depth and enjoyable racing experience ever created on and computer or video game system. I would guess that this will not change for quite some time!" and... "This game has absolutely blown me away, I cry for my other racing games because I'm never likely to play them again. It has it all, brilliant graphics, 270+ cars to race (how cool is that?), great soundtrack and effects. " and even... "This is easily the best racing game ever released for any system. It is also quite possibly one of the best-made games of all time. It has incredible depth and reply value, killer graphics and true to life sounds." So just what were these crazy people talking about? Including an arcade and simulator mode, abundance of racing circuits and hundreds of cars to unveil, Gran Turismo was the racer to end all racers. That was until now... This Christmas many people new to gaming will be sampling for the first time the awesome effect that the original game had on our lives. How we struggled to get past that damn B Licence 4. How we lost so much sleep because we were tweaking and tuning our cars until the early hours of the morning. Undoubtedly it was the most advanced racer on any system but it appears Gran Turismo is about to be topped by... you guessed it... Gran Turismo 2. Word is on the streets that Polyphony Digital have reached advanced stages with the sequel to the racer that will end all racers. Poly.. Digy.. who? Polys Entertainment were the group who developed Gran Turismo and the "Motor Toon Grand Prix" series. Polys Entertainment used to be an internal development team for Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. until earlier this year when they became a subsidiary of SCEI, and the new company is called Polyphony Digital. It appears that the line of thinking within Sony is that as small, independent companies, the developers can concentrate on what they do best, making high-quality video games. Preview code could be available as early as February with a Japanese and US launch soon after. So what changes can we expect to see? While many claimed that Gran Turismo was the perfect racing simulation most of the action remained with wheels connected firmly to the track. Gran Turismo 2 is expected at times to venture away from the street circuits and onto the dirt track for a taste in off-road rally racing. Imagine those sleek, highly polished dream machines splattered in mud and tarnished with dust. Of course where's the fun in bounding around the countryside when a flip-over will result in an unblemished vehicle? No more... because allegedly each scratch, dent and collision will be reflected across the cars bodywork. This should be no problem to the graphics team because they appear to have discovered an extra 25% processing power. The resolution is expected to be noticably higher than the last outing. Imagine that! Finally, due to the gargantuan success of the original Gran Turismo it is hoped that many of the top manufacturers of high profile racing cars will give the green light to include their dream machines in what should be the ultimate racing sim on any games system. BMW, Merc and Porche are three names being touted around. We wait in anticipation for more news on this topic. THESE NEWS STORIES SHOULD NOT BE RE-PRINTED IN ANY MEDIUM WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM A.P.I
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