With screen-shots of Gran Turismo 2 packing the latest Edge and soon to be seen in Next Generation ¿ and tons of tidbits already known about the game ¿ Sony told us what we've wanted to hear for months now (and would've bet our moms on). A North American version of Gran Turismo 2 is official.
Launching this summer, the highly anticipated follow-up to Gran Turismo looks to offer tons of new changes, additions, and modifications over the original game. Some of these changes include a whopping 400 car models from world-class manufacturers including more European and American manufacturers; more than 20 racing courses (the original game offered more than 150 different cars and 11 tracks); and numerous improvements to handling, driving response, and more.
"I never expected Gran Turismo to do this well," said Kazanouri Yamauchi, lead developer and executive vice president, Polyphony Digital. "This title has been incredibly popular worldwide, and my goal is to make the sequel an even better product."
Gran Turismo 2 is being developed and produced by the creators of Gran Turismo, Polyphony Digital (a satellite company of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.). The original title has shipped (not sold-through, mind you) 6.2 million units worldwide; 1.66 million in the United States; 2.21 million in Japan, and 2.33 million in Europe.
"This announcement comes with Gran Turismo still at the height of its popularity and demonstrates that the PlayStation gaming experience continuously evolves through new and more advanced games," said Andrew House, vice president, marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Gran Turismo 2 builds on the ground-breaking immersive gameplay of the original by giving gamers more car choices, different courses to race and new modifications to fine tune their cars."