PSP World

Gran Turismo PSP Getting Some BAD Reviews

We haven't yet received our review copy of Gran Turismo PSP, but buzz around the net is starting to suggest we should be worried. Sone early reviews from trusted sources like CVG, IGN and Eurogamer all have some very negative things to say about the handheld racing sim, a game that up until recently we were expecting to be a big hit.

Turns out that the designers at Polyphony Digital forgot to include one very important thing in Gran Turismo PSP: a Career mode. Outside of some training challenges, there really isn't much to keep gamers' interest, unless they like racing against the clock and collecting cars (there are no online leaderboards either, another big omission).

Eurogamer was particularly unhappy about this decision, stating that:

'relying on players to make their own fun is either lazy or foolhardy. Coupled with archaic AI and the isolating absence of PlayStation Network support, this makes for a game that feels unfocused and regressive, despite its considerable technical and mechanical accomplishments.'

It seems as if they have a point, given that GT PSP has been in development for more than a few years already. If Polyphony Digital could fit 800 cars on the UMD, surely they could have given us a single player career mode.

IGN, which hammered the game with a lousy 6.8/10 review score, summed up their disappointment in away that resonates with many Gran Turismo fans:

'For a lot of other Gran Turismo fans, the fantastic driving is coupled with starting out at the bottom, slowly tweaking and upgrading your starter car as you compete in event after event, and gradually buying new rides to take on bigger and better challenges. And then eventually, after lots of hard work, you'll get a car that can crack the 200mph barrier and you'll feel like you've accomplished something great. Gran Turismo on the PSP contains none of this, and by and large, that's the entire problem.'

Yikes. These bad reviews are particularly heartbreaking because of all of the good things they have to say about the game: apparently it runs at a rock-solid 60 fps, contains incredibly realistic handling and improved AI. Given all of the things that Polyphony Digital got right with the game, it is a real bummer to hear that the title might have a fatal flaw.

Early reviews suggest that Gran Turismo PSP looks pretty but lacks a heart.