DF Retro Marathon: The Gran Turismo Saga - The Classic PS1/PS2 Era Revisited

[@FelixS.]

Gran turismo 3 (and later 5) were the only instances I can remember playing with my father who always despised video games. But seeing those graphics and realism as a car enthusiast he was unable to step away from it and even came to my room from time to time asking me to play some rounds with him. This was so precious to me I will never ever forget those moments and I will love the gran turismo series for those moments alone for ever.

[@vspectra]

Your dad is a man of great taste

[@FelixS.]

@@vspectra He is. A difficult person and not the easiest father as I am not the easiest son. But I love him and wished we had more time like this in my childhood.

[@HerZeL3iDza]

​@@vspectra "I hate video games, but this one is okay because it involves my personal interest". Also sounds like a douche, to be honest.

[@DDRPriest]

@@HerZeL3iDza While I can certainly see your point of view, one could also argue that it shows that video games are for everyone. It just depends on what that person is into and if a game has nailed it enough for them to consider playing it. My friend worked for at Babbage's as it was known and had a guy buy Tekken Tag Tournament on PS2. My friend and I being avid fighting game players asked if he wanted to join us for a session. The guy said he was only buying it because it had in his opinion (and mine) the best bowling sim on the market. There is a game for everyone.

[@JF_76]

@@HerZeL3iDzawell before judging, have kids yourself and see how much you can identify yourself with their respective interests to constantly spend your little own free time on it.

[@JamesDeColling]

I worked on both Lemans 24 Hours and Grand Prix Challenge (Melbourne House)....when we managed to get a copy of GT3 (ran it on a tool with an elf file...good ol days) it was amazing...depressed us all at the same time too hah. on a side note, also worked on PGR3/4 (bizarre creations)...moving to PGR3 after grand prix challenge was crazy. we used to use 3500-4500 polys on PS2...suddenly 100k per car on Xbox360

[@volkte37]

Appreciate your work on DC and PS2. GP Challenge is astonishing tbh. I didn't see it until late because the magazines didn't really give it the time but wow, it's simply incredible work. I wasn't impressed by PGR3 though. The drop to 30fps with 2 killed the series for me. It was HD too soon imo.

[@claudiobizama5603]

If anything, be glad you guys made one of the earlier, if not the earliest? game you can actually take part of full 24 hour endurance. Even GT4 was limited to only 6 cars. I remember doing that on a weekend and felt awesome, I even forgot to do my homework.

[@MKR3238]

I miss bizzare creations, all you guys did a tremendous job w/ pgr and blur 👌

[@JustAnotherGamerUS]

i love all of those games. thank you for your hard work, you did a fantastic job!

[@theres1dentevil]

The Jump in Graphics from PS1 to PS2 really is staggering.

[@rare6499]

Absolutely, that generational jump was massive. The PS2 games still look great IMO!

[@theres1dentevil]

@@rare6499 they really do. I think PS2 games hold better than PS3 Games mostly. They certainly run better too.

[@MiguelRodriguez-lp9et]

​@theres1dentevil Run gt4 on a ps2 emulator at 1080p+ 60fps, it can easily pass for a ps3 game.

[@theres1dentevil]

@@MiguelRodriguez-lp9et I need to try that. 👍

[@Dorianek8]

​@@theres1dentevilLol sure, 480i and 20-30 fps holds good XD open your eyes

[@charlyy1337]

Gran Turismo 4 was insane. The amount of content available was mindblowing, such a cool game. Via pcsx2 emulator at 4k it still looks awesome as well

[@purwantiallan5089]

Same goes when played on PS3 via PS2 Classic.

[@LeoHernandez.117]

And it gets even better with a few mods

[@Poorgeniu5]

I remember GT6 screenshot to it to photography class and they mistaken it for IRL photo impressively considering it was when GT Sport was out for a while, and its rendered on last gen (at the time) that is the PS3! Additionally, screenshots taken in GT4 to GT7 will have its EXIF data filled like a real camera but with Polyphony Digital as the camera brand and the game's title as the model.

[@purwantiallan5089]

GT6's photo mode looked still amazing till today.

[@sewart]

I love how you call out the artistry of Gran Turismo 3's presentation. The game truly does reflect the passion of its creator. I was lucky enough to join the staff at EGM just before GT3 came out, and had the honour of interviewing Kazunori Yamauchi about the game multiple times. The first time we met at the Detroit Auto Show, where I got to see his passion for the design and aesthetic of cars first hand. While we were able to get him to sit still long enough for our scheduled interview, he was far more interested in taking photos of every car there from every conceivable angle. I believe Mazda launched the RX-8 at that show, and I think our cover story has images of Yamauchi photographing it. I remember the American Producer for the game talking to me while this was happening, and pointing out that the visual splendor of GT3 grew directly out of this passion. It wasn't enough for the car models to be technically sound. It was about capturing the beauty of the vehicles while they were out on the track.

[@vicks.577]

What a masterpiece of a video John. DF Retro is always the best.

[@lievenvv]

We crammed into a tiny VW Golf (aka Rabbit) with 4 guys on our way to play Gran Turismo at a friend's house. I was in the passenger's seat being crushed by a massive CRT, wedged in between my lap, my face and the dashboard. Thanks to link mode, the bruises were totally worth it 👍

[@mr-gamer-1411]

Good memories for you

[@purwantiallan5089]

Very good memory there, man.

[@CBadger]

In my opinion Gran Turismo 4 was peak of the Gran Turismo series, but also arguably the peak of any of the more 'casual' sim-cade racing games that has ever been released. Forza always tried to be Gran Turismo but never really competed at the same level yet caused a split and fued in their fan bases, almost like what Pepsi is to Coka-Cola. Other games like Enthusia and Project Gotham Racing came close for fun factor but lacked something GT4 always had. As an all-round package, Gran Turismo 4 will remain the king of racing games for me. Even now, since progressing into sims like Assetto Corsa, Gran Turismo 4 will always remain special to me.

[@SlyNine]

Same level of what. Not even having a tire model. The on off feeling of grip to no grip. With no transition.

[@TheRealShedLife]

I also love how John films himself in this low-contrast 80s-like mode, complete with 80s jacket; John is just being brilliant, predictably. This was such a wonderful trip down memory lane

[@djtomoy]

Gran Turismo always reminds me of the time I was middle aged Japanese man hanging out at coffee shops, listening to smooth jazz, smoking a lot and washing my car every now and then.

[@purwantiallan5089]

Childhood times with these Gran Turismo games never gonna fade.

[@MetalJody1990]

Your work is outstanding, John. I love playing GT4 in PCSX2 at 4K with the non-stiff camera mod. Such a beautiful game.

[@FitzGeraldGamingJr]

I still have all my original GT 4 Photos, I saved to a USB stick. Great game

[@purwantiallan5089]

Same man. I also have Gran Turismo 5 original photos with one of them, is a race at El Capitan (GT4 Track) with GTR GT500 car.

[@jacx11]

Beautiful work man. Enjoyed every minute of this.

[@TheEternalprayer]

Please do a part 3 soon, I would love a full breakdown of the GT HD, GT5 Prologue, GT5 and GT6 in the future!

[@purwantiallan5089]

GT5 and 6, even 10+ years passed still amazing games!

[@mbsfaridi]

It's already done, this is a compilation of the PS1/2 parts of the series.

[@Owlero]

For those concerned about these compilations not being _new,_ John just recently visited the kings of retro content, My Life in Gaming, so we're basically guaranteed more DF Retro videos soon.

[@purwantiallan5089]

Definitely. I also looked forward to Part 4 about GT SPORT and 7.

[@alexsilva28]

I had sense of deja vu watching this but it is so damn entertaining I re-watched the whole thing

[@Gounen]

Wow, what a nostalgia trip! I remember playing on the PlayStation with an old friend of mine and we would take turns racing with a focus on trying to make the coolest looking replay-back - which we would always watch at the time lol.

[@purwantiallan5089]

Very nice nostalgia trip man.😊

[@T0TALLYAWESOMEGUY]

This is basically comfort food

[@zb3485]

YES

[@DerComedyDad]

bespoke comfort food 😅

[@purwantiallan5089]

Very comfort food in fact.😊

[@dynamoog]

so much childhood memories! big thank you, DF for the crazy amount of effort they put into these videos! THANK YOU!

[@ImDenny_]

John, thank you for making KZbin into such an amazing place for beautifully made entertainment, amazing video as always! ❤

[@XpRnz]

From start to finish highly interesting stuff.. Thanks so much for the effort of putting together this two hour gem! Made my Sunday evening.

[@smash461986]

Me and my bro always used to say "squint your eyes and it looks real."

[@TheCrewExpendable]

One of the "benefits" of CRTs. Its like that Unreal 5 body-cam FPS game. The blurriness of the body-cam filter/CRT (especially if you were like me and had to route the video through the RF input 🤮) hides a lot of the imperfections.

[@rickyh527]

We lived the same lives 😂😭

[@LostboyUk]

Same! I’m sure it must’ve been said in the playstation magazine review because I remember saying this to my dad when we saw the game on display in a shop.

[@purwantiallan5089]

​@@rickyh527GT PS1 to 3 are equally amazing imo.

[@chickenandmilk]

These videos have been incredible, thank you for the hard work on these. GT is my favourite series so it's been really cool to see such a detailed overview.

[@eastcoasteric]

My memories are attached to GT1 & 2. My uncle who is a big car guy, never liked video games - still doesn’t. But when he saw me first playing GT1…he was blown away. We would have race nights every week and eventually one of his friends got in on it. Then when GT2 released, it upped the ante even more. I know everyone usually loves GT3 more, but I think that’s an age thing.

[@chrismitchell4665]

What?! That BLEEM image looks incredible. It's like magic.

[@GimpyDingo]

It was great back in the day. I preferred the higher res and didn't care about the PSX wobble.

[@MicahtheDrumCorpsPseudoboomer]

Ahh, people and their opinions about resolutions....some things never change....ho ho ho ho....

[@Canma890]

I started playing GT4 again on my PC on the PCSX2 emulator and I must say the game is holding up amazingly well for a 2004/05 release. I love it!

[@DarkKnight896]

Such fond memories of GT3 A-Spec and GT4.

[@purwantiallan5089]

Never forget also Ayrton Senna's 1988 MP4/4 (F688/S), 1990 MP4/5B (F090/S) and 1994 FW16 (F094/S) in GT3.

[@JKHYT]

Great work as always John. I played almost all of these games and am still a racing junkie today, so this was a fun trip down memory lane.

[@enoscheeren6105]

Jon’s retro videos are the best. GG

[@kooijbas]

This is just awesome quality content guys. Thanks! The sim racers I grew up with were Grand Prix 1 by Microprose / Geoff Crammond and I played Toca on PS1, which was released around the same time as Gran Turismo.

[@spladam3845]

Youi did our favorite franchise justice John, thanks for all the hard work, this was great, third time I've watched them all.

[@TheRealShedLife]

I remember not caring about GT or GT2 until I saw a display of it, and it showed the cars' physics, dipping and moving, the suspension being activated, something I'd modeled as a kid, with toy cars. When I saw that I could purchase something like this and do it, I was ecstatic. And still remain so.

[@paularnold4021]

Love gran turismo since the first,this was an excellent video John 👏

[@charlyy1337]

God I love these DF retro videos, so nostalgic. Keep up the great work guys ❤

[@Tarukeys]

Collin McRae 2.0 was absolutely amazing for the era. Toca Race Driver too. Great video.

[@DoritosBurger]

Thank you for this video. It’s great to see people keeping the older era games alive as opposed to just focusing on modern day stuff. I’m a huge fan of your retro series episodes.

[@syygnis]

I adore GT4, absolutely God Tier game. Near Perfect.

[@kensukemuta]

thanks for combining 2 videos. old good masterpieces inspires developers

[@raphaeldepaula3054]

This is a masterclass. Thanks, John.

[@DeformedLunchbox]

I don't understand how you produce this much quality content at this rate. It sort of blows my mind.

[@sev2300]

Moon over the castle is ingrained my mind for ever.

[@rocketpunchgo1]

DF is killin' it with these DF Retro videos. Let's see some Dreamcast love soon!

[@valhakun]

Brilliant. What could be a whole thesis project for a gamedev student is just another DF video for John. Hats off, sir 👌

[@kasasensei]

Thank You so much for this video, and all the work you put into. Feels good to relive these memories.

[@TheRadioSquare]

Fantastic video, great job, John Linneman from Digital Foundry

[@med4vg464]

These retrospective are marvelous! Congrats guys!

[@thedrunkmonkshow]

Even though I wasn't really a fan of Gran Turismo and only played GT1 & 2, I do have a lot of respect for the series and remember how for a long time the series pretty much set the standard that all racing games tried to measure up to in terms of graphical fidelity, handling and racing game content. When Gran Turismo 3 came out on PS2 back then, we thought, "Can racing games get any more gorgeous and realistic than this?" It was shocking how much of a leap it was going from GT2 to GT3. I'm not completely done watching your analysis but felt compelled enough to leave a comment early anyway. 😎

[@colinfoster7149]

The GT3 intro is still one of my favourite ever intros. The build up to when the music kicks in is brilliant.

[@86billionneurons]

Great video, John. Thanks for your dedication.

[@rabellogp]

1:28:30 I never had an Xbox and I remember playing a PC demo of Rallisport Challenge 1 and it was mind-blowing how photoreal and organic everything looked. The dry dirt layer that sticked on the car surface hiding the shining reflections had that "PBR look" I had never seen before. I would stop the car under some trees and keep looking at it. 3D trees with wind effects instead of billboards weren't common at the time. I also remember watching Rallisport Challenge 2 trailer for Xbox and praying it would come to PC as well which never happened.

[@smoogy2164]

Cool video, loved the introduction. A DF Retro on the golden age of Papyrus, roughly 1989 to 1999, would be great. SODA Off-Road Racing was one of my favorites.

[@mad_mario_]

Amazing comprehensive work! These kind of researches should be turned into essays and you can easily publish them on peer reviewed prestigious academic journals 💕💕

[@hypocrisy5336]

I was a PC player back then, but my friend had a PS2 and i remember how the graphics in GT3 blew my mind, especially the replays!

[@jackparkes4092]

It's so funny to hear John saying the various regional music changes don't match the vibe of the game to him. As a European, I couldn't possibly imagine a GT game without Feeder and Chemical Brothers 😅 The European variant music in those early titles just screamed 90s UK alternative culture to me. I miss these regional differences in games, it's fascinating how it totally changes your perspective.

[@Taorakis]

Lot's of things I remember seeing in previous Episodes about GT, but all in all very nice video, thanks John. Funny how I think the (german) European Music in the GT3 Intro fits perfectly, that might just be because I grew up with that.

[@BinaryReader]

For a Gran Turismo video - not sure why it borrows music from Metropolis Street Racer (MSR). These games were partially in competition with one another, and noting MSR went on to become the fantastic Project Gotham Racing. 43:59 - Override 51:38 - Club Paris

[@irishxero]

While I can only go by memory, I remember reading a preview of Gran Turismo three in PSW back in the day and they mentioned the reason Gran Turismo 3 had fewer cars was because it took two weeks to render rather than the PS1 games only took a day

[@DARS_04]

in the ps3 era it took months to build high quality car models

[@override7486]

Two weeks?? It takes 16ms for entire game frame vs (roughly) 33ms in GT1...

[@vintezis]

I love to watch all DF stuff, but John"s DF Retro episodes always a heart warming experience. Maybe i am getting old...

[@CPU_Cars]

Fantastic video, thanks for posting 👍

[@guilhermerovida5488]

OMG! I remember playing Indianapolis 500 on the PC when I was a kid. Also, the first Gran Turismo was something special to me. I remember seeing on the magazines and waiting for mine with my Playstation for Christmas! Amazing!

[@Th3James]

I do actually have the OG setups with those games and my CRT and projector I use at the same time. Love these retrospectives. They made me get back into my childhood consoles and ended up acquiring alot in 2024.

[@MandyBallard-nt1pz]

Love your style, keep rocking it!

[@brunohollenberger2563]

absolutely love the music played in this presentation. 10/10

[@FintanMoloney]

I'm glad you mentioned Rallysport Challenge here. I have great memories of 2 x Xboxes and 2 x TVs linked up and me and buddy racing each other. Also to echo what other's have said GT3 looked amazing then and still looks good now - fantastic achievement for the team.

[@zanychelly]

Amazing episode. GT4 is on my top 3 GT games. Evolution Studios WRC also looked amazing for the day.

[@HaronFuroze]

after beating GT2 i thought no other racing game could surprise me, then got a PS2+GT3 bundle and it blowed up my mind, no other generation jump gave me this feel again

[@ExperimentalSteven]

I'm feeling some Gran Turismo 7 tonight. Cheers, John!

[@Retromancer_Rackham]

I can still remember going to my friend's house and seeing Gran Turismo 1 on the original PlayStation, and it completely blowing my mind with how realistic it looked. I literally went out and got a psone the next day. lol. The soundtrack, attention to detail, feel of its physics and look kept me hooked on that game and the 2nd one for many years. lol

[@dottyorb]

I hope we get a third part to this series at some point, I absolutely loved the first two parts to this series.

[@Slimgosa]

Incredible retrospective, please continue the series and include titles like; Midnight Club (series), Juiced I and II and Grid (series) amongst others. 🏁

[@Dubistader]

and V-rallly.

[@Slimgosa]

@@Dubistader Oh yes, that too.

[@rv4002]

Awesome episode, id love to see a continuation of the series in next retro episode

[@danielwilliams3161]

Racing games always looked real, but now, I just wish I could get this feeling for the new games. Children born in 2015 are so lucky to see these realistic visuals for their first time and feel what 80s -90s babies got to experience I miss those days

[@DanteToska]

I was just thinking the opposite while watching this video. Kids today won't get to experience the massive graphical leaps previous generations did when new consoles would drop. The idea of only knowing GT1 and GT2, then seeing GT3 for the first time... that would be mind-boggling!! It feels like the leap from PS4 to PS5 or soon, PS5 to PS6 just aren't as exciting

[@MetalArcade]

I'll never forget how incredible GT3 looked when me and my brother first popped that disc in. We had the racing wheel and I played more hours on that than any other PS2 game.

[@madness1931]

Racing titles were never my thing, but more of my fathers. It was one of the few genres where we could actually play competitively, where I wouldn't mop the floor with him. As a result, I share a lot of nostalgic memories for GT1-3 (3 A-Spec, especially). Not just competitively, but passing the controller to each other for those 100 lap races... We did it, but wow, was it tedious. I'd never be able to game with my father now, due to the loss of split-screen in modern games. Those are some good memories, that I wish more gamers would have. Split Screen is an amazing feature, that helps bring families, not just gamers, together.

[@bananachild1936]

24:24 How have I not heard of this game before? This legit is one of the most badass things I've ever seen, and I'm not even a mech dude. But I love on-rail shooters. Also look at those beautiful star particles and backgrounds visuals man. They smear and produce an illusion of motion blur trails whenever the camera turns. These visuals really looked way ahead of its time to be experienced on home consoles back then.

[@AdamCate]

i upvoted this before the video even loaded

[@danialonderstal3564]

The speed!

[@AdamCate]

@@danialonderstal3564 THE NEED

[@jorgecristovao5642]

Back in the day PGR2 was the game i played the most. Specially time attack sessions in the Nürburgring. But all these years latter and seeing the 4 games running side by side, i only can say Kudos to polyphony because their work in gt4 and in particular the German circuit is staggering. Great video.

[@WrittlesCave]

I fell asleep, but still loved it.

[@onceuponatimeonearth]

Exactly what I needed to wake up to. Brilliant.

[@richard-davies]

I remember playing GT1 when it came out and it really did look very impressive for the time, the jump to GT3 though visually was incredible. Graphics are so good these days it's extremely rare to see a jump in visuals like that now in a single generation. GT2 EU has my favourite intro though.

[@TheRealKillerTomato]

I would absolutely like to see more. Aside from Gran Turismo, TOCA Race Driver 2 is the sim I spent the most time playing. The multiplayer was magnificent. In more recent years there is just too much competition for any one game to feel so special. I’ve got over a thousand hours in to GT7 and I love it, but I’ve also spent a great deal of time with Dirt, Grid, Need For Speed, Assetto Corsa, Driveclub, Motor Storm, Project Cars, The Crew, WRC, and even more. I’d love to watch you try to even handedly break down Racing as a genre. Great stuff.

[@Fantomas24ARM]

50:48 the music in the background is Club Paris form Metropois Street Racer. So iconic, love it.

[@hectorsequi5252]

No man... Feeder on GT intro was DOPE

[@lndnfsu2]

Gran Turismo 2 is my all time favorite

[@TuttixD]

thank you so much for this video ! sitting here hoping gt comes to pc one day, it was my favorite series from ps1,2,3

[@J.Wick.]

Comfort food in video form. So many hours of good memories with friends, and alone with this series. But especially GT1&2. Many hours of one-on-one or racing someones Ghost laps.

[@MrHeavyRunner]

Good video, glad it happened. Although I am surprised John mentions Shox instead of amazing WRC series (WRC 4 anyone?) from Evolution...

[@CyborgSodaCollects]

Forever apart of my childhood. GT 3 and 4 are just gems. The soundtarcks are great as well.

[@RobotOdell]

Intro music track? Bangin!

[@christianwilliam1167]

wanna know it too!

[@_davidal]

Future is Now - Miki Higashino Also full song list at 1:52:35

[@RobotOdell]

Thanks

[@AT_Lemongrab]

Why do I feel like this video has been released by DF before? Deja vu

[@olevet75]

might have been , and taken down down line somehow and now reuploaded again

[@amkobih4479]

Read the description my guy

[@ADSLPL]

A beautiful episode it was. A piece of good work John! Will there be a second episode from Gran Turismo 5 to Gran Turismo 7?

[@FierceElements]

What a trip. The sound of the PS2 soundtrack era is the best bar none. Forza just doesn't come close.

[@djm9937]

fantastic video ! There was of course the Toca series, and to a lesser extent Total Immersion Racing

[@photonarbiter]

I remember reading about and seeing a lot of these tech demos when I was a kid. Especially the Miata slalom test.

[@PetrolHead209]

I prefer the PAL intro music for GT1, but I guess nostalgia is a huge part of it. I think the timing works perfectly

[@Kuson2]

Same here, The PAL/US intro is miles better for the 1st game. I don't think it could have been made more perfectly. Especially just as the GT logo is forming itself out of broken pieces, you get that awesome roaring sound, then a split second of silence followed by an insane eruption of Japanese's Sports cars going full send as a yellow Impreza smashes right through the screen at the viewer as the beat just drops the mic. Its almost as if the remix was designed around the video footage itself. Just perfect and I will die on that hill.

[@defalt_2797]

Still waiting for a PS3 era episode 😩😩😩😭😭😭

[@DeltaStridePLZ]

Same. I wanna hear John cover the PS3 iterations of the Gran Turismo series. From the E3 demo to PSN release of GT HD and the long timeline that Polyphony struggled in with getting GT5 onto the PS3.

[@mii9010]

That's already discussed in his PS3 1080p video ​@@DeltaStridePLZ

[@AskeGuitar]

Same, guess this is confirmation that won't be happening unfortunately

[@vijismalls]

They did a df retro on PS3 they mentioned a lot of gt on ps 3 there.

[@juanjo_sound]

Why? Nowhere near as vibey

[@madsaltyskills]

Didn't y'all do this already?? 🤔🤔

[@conyo985]

yup. This is a compilation video

[@Janbore]

@@conyo985 and now it's 4k60

[@jerronimo13]

​@@Janborefor 480p games😂

[@SpanishArmadaProd]

@@jerronimo13 why not we have the technology

[@bigt4135]

Gt3 was so amazing looking when it came out.

[@GuiOmania]

Very interesting video i did not know about motor toon !!! You should make a video about all 4 Project Gotham Racing series !!!

[@embracerodusk2537]

I remember getting the og Gran Turismo after seeing it in EGM magazine, along with a Dual Shock which I believe GT was the first game to utilize it. Was absolutely blown away. It was one of those moments in gaming where you knew this was on another level. After that, Turismo has always been that one 1st party Sony game you look at to see what the hardware at the time can really do.