It’s hard to overstate the influence of the original Gran Turismo on its global launch in 1998. Sony was aware of this, as can be seen from that great marketing statement you see above, from a previously printed ad. of the game launch. that, yes, actually turned out to be completely valid.
Recently, John Linneman of Digital Foundry explored the past of the series with a two-part retrospective focused on the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 entries in the franchise. It explains, from the beginnings of the Polyphony Digital studio to the launch of the game and beyond, how the team was dedicated to boosting the capabilities of the original PlayStation, a hardware that would be considered extremely rudimentary by current standards. They were successful, realizing a quality driving simulation that was not thought possible in the late 1990s.
This in-depth two-part YouTube dive is about a combined two hours of exploring the games that made Gran Turismo a household name, as well as a series of titles that tried to capitalize on attention, such as Sega GT 2002 and Forza Motorsport. If you’re a nerd with these things, it’s a must. It also ends with a comparison of the Nürburgring Nordschleife recreated in four different titles, a particularly interesting segment, because Forza’s Green Hell is not at all green, and the interpretation of the famous circuit in Enthusia: Professional Racing is deeply annoying if you suffer from seasonal depression.
Look at both of them and remember those dizzying days before the microtransactions and game updates.