Before we get to the Guide proper, we thought we'd talk a little about GT2's bugs -- and we don't mean the Volkswagen kind.
Yes, it does indeed have them. Just so you know, Sony is offering a replacement, allegedly bug-free copy of GT2 to consumers who've experienced bugs or glitches with their copy of the game. Basically, all you need to do is call into the Sony Customer Support line and tell them about your problems. Here's the official Sony line:
"Sony Computer Entertainment America has been informed that a few consumers have experienced some technical gameplay problems with Gran Turismo 2. We would like to take some time to address this with you and your audience. As you know Gran Turismo 2 is one of the PlayStation's most highly anticipated titles. In an attempt to meet and satisfy the extremely high consumer demand, Gran Turismo 2 shipped with a few software bugs that, unfortunately, were not caught during our extensive product evaluation process. We have made every attempt to rectify this situation by re-mastering the product and are confident that all discs in production are free of these technical problems. We understand that our loyal consumers have come to associate the PlayStation brand with quality entertainment and it is important to us to ensure each consumer is satisfied with their gaming experience.
Because of this, our Consumer Services Department (CSD) is currently handling all inquires about this issue by providing an immediate solution. Consumers who have questions relating to this matter can call (800) 345-7669 (SONY). A consumer service representative will be able to help them identify if they have purchased a disc with software glitches and a replacement disc will be sent within three to five working days. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. From our product lines to our customer service, we are committed to ensuring our consumers experience only the best from PlayStation."
So if you don't have the new version of GT2, beware of the following:
Yes, it's true -- there's a bug in GT2 that deletes your entire car collection. It seems to have happened to a large number of GT2 fans, judging by the amount of mail we've had about it -- and it must be said that we think it's an absolutely appalling bug.
It occurs when you're racing on the Test Track, selected through the Machine Test menu. Once you've raced and saved eight top speed records, the ninth save will entirely delete your garage. The safest thing to do is obviously NOT SAVE YOUR TEST TRACK RECORDS. It doesn't mean you can't drive on the test track. You just must be very careful about saving -- and always, always, always make a backup copy of your game.
This one pissed us off big-time. Basically, you can't get 100% in the game. This dreadful oversight was recently confirmed by Sony of Japan on its GT2 web site, stating that players can only score a maximum of 98.2%.
There are a variety of theories why this is so, but the most popular and believable one states that the remaining impossible-to-get 1.8% of the game was represented by the drag racing event, which was removed from the game at the last moment. The developer didn't recalculate the percentages for the rest of the race, and lo! We ended up with a game that you can't finish. This seems quite credible to us, but whatever the reason, we're furious at having put in so much time into the game and we can't get 100%. Crap!
This was another big annoyance. The game doesn't save your race records. Instead, you have to go to Time Trials on the Arcade Disc and go for your records there, and if you save them, then they'll appear on the relevant tracks when you race. But we think this is rubbish. We get most of our record times while racing, so having to go into the Arcade mode to formally do Time Trials is just plain annoying. Especially when you beat a record while racing, and it's lost forever once you've finished the race. Once again, this is just a very sloppy oversight by the developer, who just didn't seem to consider players who enjoy the challenge of beating their own times during races, and not just in time trials.
Although the power restrictions work correctly (for example, you can't race a 593 horsepower car in a race with a max rating of 591 horsepower), you can race the "wrong" cars in a race. For example, you can race in the '80s race or a Wagon race with any car you want, as long as it doesn't exceed the maximum power for that race. This annoyed us, since it's possible to breeze through the game with only a couple of cars. Indeed, we only bought one car for most of the game (the incredible Lancer Evo VI with all the different turbo stage tunes), and instead used the Spoon S2000 that we won by getting Gold in the B license and sundry prize cars to win virtually all of the non-manufacturer races. Why the developer didn't go the extra step and ensure that you couldn't enter the "wrong" kinds of cars in a race is beyond us. It would have made the game more challenging, and seems like yet another oversight to us.
Something you might have noticed is that in some cases, when you buy a car and then look at it in your garage, its power often differs from the figure originally shown at the dealership. Sometimes it's an increase (for example, most of the special model Rally Cars actually have much higher power output than is stated on the manufacturers figures, although one in particular (the Daihatsu Rally Storia) loses nearly 100 horsepower when you check it in your garage (gyp!). The Golf Gti VR6 drops from 201 horsepower (quoted in the dealership) to a feeble 141 horsepower when it's in your home garage. Which is crap, considering the real thing actually bangs out 174 horsepower. There are a large number of cars that this happens to -- our recommendation is to always save your game whenever you're about to buy a new car. That way you can always go back to your saved game if the car turns out to be disappointing.