Gran Turismo 2 is a 1999 sim racing video game created by Polyphony Digital and released by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It follows Gran Turismo, making it the second game in the Gran Turismo series and the first game developed by Polyphony Digital.

Gran Turismo 2 was well received by critics and players. It sold 1.73 million copies in Asia, 3.96 million copies in North America, and 3.68 million copies in Europe. In total, 9.37 million copies were sold by April 30, 2008. The game later became a Sony Greatest Hits title.

Gameplay

Gran Turismo 2 is a racing simulation video game. Players control cars to compete against computer-controlled opponents on different race tracks. The game has two modes: Arcade Mode and Simulation Mode (called Gran Turismo Mode in PAL and Japanese versions). In Arcade Mode, players can choose any vehicle and enable damage effects. In Simulation Mode, players must earn driver's licenses, pay for vehicles, and collect trophies to unlock new and returning race tracks. Gran Turismo 2 includes nearly 650 cars and 27 racing tracks, including rally tracks.

Compared to Gran Turismo, the gameplay, car movement, and graphics are very similar. The main difference in car behavior was that brakes were less likely to lock up, which helped prevent the car from spinning out of control. The biggest changes include a much larger number of cars, tracks, and races in Simulation Mode. Other differences are that players can race individual events instead of joining a full tournament, and players can no longer qualify for each race they enter.

Development

After the unexpected success of Gran Turismo, Polys Entertainment was separated into a new company called Polyphony Digital. The lead developer, Kazunori Yamauchi, planned to make Gran Turismo 2 "an even better product." Ami Blaire, the marketing director at SCEA, said the game was "very popular and still popular," and she believed Gran Turismo 2 would be "one of the hottest titles available for the holidays and beyond." Jack Tretton, the sales vice president at SCEA, also expressed excitement, predicting that Gran Turismo 2 would "sell quickly, continuing the success of this franchise."

When the game was released, players quickly noticed several errors and glitches. SCEA responded to complaints by offering replacements if problems occurred. For example, some cars appeared in races where they were not allowed. This was especially noticeable in the 30-lap Trial Mountain endurance race, where a powerful car called the Vector M12 LM (with 680 horsepower) might appear even though the race only allowed cars with 295 horsepower or less. This made the race nearly impossible to win. The reason the game's completion percentage was lower than expected was because two races were only meant for the European version of the game, and two others were removed at some point. As a result, the game thought 223 events were needed to complete it, but only 219 were actually available.

The game's soundtrack includes the 1998 song "My Favourite Game" by The Cardigans.

Reception

Gran Turismo 2 received "universal acclaim" according to Metacritic, a review aggregation website. Dan Egger of NextGen wrote, "The hurried development of this game did not go as planned, but it still remains the best racing game ever made. Imagine what it could have been if Sony had not made mistakes with the release." In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 34 out of 40.

Air Hendrix of GamePro stated, "Better visuals would have been an extra improvement, but Gran Turismo 2000 for the PlayStation 2 will fix that. In the meantime, Gran Turismo 2 is still a great experience." Uncle Dust noted, "Although Gran Turismo 2 shows its age and the system it runs on is also outdated, Rally Mode does not match the rest of the game. However, Gran Turismo 2 is still the closest experience to real racing and is always worth playing."

At its release, the game sold 815,430 units in Japan during its first week. In the UK, it sold 130,000 units and made £4.3 million ($6,506,000) in its first weekend, surpassing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to become the UK's fastest-selling title. It sold about 250,000 units in its first week there. The game was a bestseller in Japan and the UK for two months. In the U.S., it sold more than 1 million units within six weeks and reached 3 million units by early 2001. Worldwide, it sold 9.37 million units. Official UK PlayStation Magazine listed the game as the 4th best of all time. It also received a "Double Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), which means it sold at least 600,000 units in the UK.

Gran Turismo 2 was a finalist for "Console Game of the Year," "Console Racing Game of the Year," and "Outstanding Achievement in Game Design" during the 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.