John's Gran Turismo Space

Online A-Spec and B-Spec Challenges

2012-02-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

Gran Turismo 5's Online Challenges feature three events designed to push your racing skills to the limit. Each event has certain Performance Point (PP) requirements. These events can be challenging in both A-Spec and B-Spec. The Online B-Spec Challenges recommend your B-Spec racers be at a certain level. Key word- recommend. Almost all of my present drivers are Level 20 or higher as of this initial post, but none are towards Level 30. This blog post is a simple post regarding certain...

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Is Gran Turismo Better With a Wheel?

2012-02-01T13:07:00.000-08:00

The use of a steering wheel assembly for a racing game gives one a great advantage when racing. Not many people, though, are intrigued or can afford buying a steering wheel to play games like Gran Turismo. I use the Driving Force Pro from Logitech (now discontinued) as my steering wheel. Not too long ago, I played Gran Turismo 5 for the first time using a steering wheel. It was also the first time I played any PlayStation 3 racing game with a steering wheel. For true simulation racing...

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Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

2012-01-05T16:17:00.000-08:00

Long wanted by a number of Gran Turismo fans, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most legendary and most challenging race courses in the world. This downloadable course for GT5 is the first real-world downloadable course in Gran Turismo history. At 4.35 miles (or 7 kilometers), it is the longest active course on the Formula One World Championship schedule. This blog post is all about Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Gran Turismo 5. NOTE: I am basing my experience around Circuit de...

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Red Rock Valley Speedway

2012-01-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

Red Rock Valley Speedway in Gran Turismo 2 can be thought of as a road course that features two ovals. This course is a high-speed course with a nice rhythm to it. It has never been featured in any other GT besides GT2. So what you are looking at is a course that offers the thrill of high-speed racing but with a few extra corners to make things interesting. In reality, the course is essentially like a modified oval all the way around. If you have never played Gran Turismo 2, this is one of...

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JGTS Salute to GTPlanet

2011-12-30T23:36:00.001-08:00

I want to make a JGTS salute to GTPlanet as my final post of 2011 for this blog. GTPlanet has been the only online community devoted to Gran Turismo that I have been a part of. I have been part of this message board since December 5, 2003. I had initially joined just to follow news on Gran Turismo 4. It has since blossomed to me making GTPlanet my favorite message board of any kind. It was my online message board home after having so many problems trying to get along with people on a...

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Version 2.02 Update and Review

2011-12-20T23:45:00.000-08:00

As a holiday gift, Version 2.02 of Gran Turismo 5 lends itself a number of updates and fixes to a host of items in GT5. The download comes in at around 240 megabytes. Is this an update to be proud of or not? This blog post will fill you in on the latest updates to GT5 as well as some of my own thoughts and observations. --- Gran Turismo 5: Version 2.02 Update ---You can read more about the 2.02 update by reading the official 2.02 Update Notice from the US Gran Turismo site So...

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Kart Space

2011-12-15T22:50:00.000-08:00

Kart Space is one of the newest tracks for Gran Turismo 5. It is a neon-lit racing facility meant for kart racing. This would a dream kart track for a family fun center with its appeal and charm. However, it is also a menacing Gran Turismo challenge. It is one of the first tracks offered as downloadable content for Gran Turismo 5 gamers along with Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. This is a small track that can still be driven quite hard. This blog post is a look at Kart Space for Gran...

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GT5 Specials: Sebastien Vettel X Challenge

2011-11-29T21:51:00.001-08:00

The Red Bull X2010 awaits you when you reach Level 30 in Gran Turismo 5. Only in a video game like Gran Turismo 5 can you experience (that's right- you EXPERIENCE; not drive) the X2010's awesome capabilities. It is the final Special Event challenge for the Gran Turismo gamer. To master this challenge, your reflexes and driving skills will have to be elevated. Your reaction time will have to be enhanced more than most F1 racers usually have. This will be the toughest challenge to date for...

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GT5 Specials: Sebastien Loeb Rally Challenge

2011-11-29T13:37:00.001-08:00

Think you know about rallying in Gran Turismo? Well... think again! Sebastien Loeb is one of the finest rally racers racing today. In the Sebastien Loeb Rally Challenge, you are challenged to complete three intense rally challenges on three tough courses. Try to complete a lap around three of GT's off-road courses to pass the Sebastien Loeb Rally Challenge. --- Sebastien Loeb Rally Challenge --- ^ Prepare for the most difficult rally challenge of your Gran Turismo life when you...

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GT5 Specials: Grand Tour

2011-11-28T23:38:00.001-08:00

Gran Turismo is Italian for "Grand Tour." This Grand Tour takes you mostly through central and southern Europe in a series of five events. Placing well in these races lend you money as well as new Photo Mode locations. Can you complete all five Grand Tour events? Can you complete this two-country tour? Welcome to John's Gran Turismo Space as well as another post regarding GT5's Special Events. And in my opinion, the best-executed of the Special Events in GT5. --- Grand Tour...

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GT5 Specials: Gran Turismo Rally

2011-11-28T13:05:00.001-08:00

Rally racing makes its return as Gran Turismo 5 takes you through the intense realm of rally racing. It is a style of racing that combines controlled frenzy while also properly navigating a car around some intense corners on winding roads. Have the best combined time to win in rally racing. This blog post will not help you win in rally racing, but it will give you a little bit of pointers on rally racing in GT5. --- Gran Turismo Rally --- ^ Get ready to get sideways on gravel,...

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GT5 Specials: AMG Driving Academy

2011-11-27T23:31:00.001-08:00

The Nürburgring Nordschleife isn't called "Green Hell" for marketing purposes. How else do you define a 12+ mile track with mostly two lanes of racing and well over 50 corners? Many purists define it as racing Heaven. To me, it's Hell. I even call it the "Nürburgring Nightmare." I could troll online about how bad I am at this track, or I could learn how to race it so that I don't get on the bad side of other fans of this course. This Special will help you to understand how to race this...

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GT5 Specials: Top Gear Test Track

2011-11-23T14:48:00.001-08:00

Top Gear is one of the most popular TV shows of any kind. While the show's history dates back to , it was revived starting in 2002. Since then, it has become the premier car show on television. Its popularity has also lent itself to Gran Turismo. You will be using the BBC's Top Gear Test Track in three unique racing challenges. Can you clear these three unusual challenges? I am here to offer a little advice to help, but it's up to you to make the most of the cars and challenges you are...

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GT5 Specials: NASCAR School

2011-11-23T12:59:00.001-08:00

Whether you love or loathe NASCAR, Gran Turismo 5's inclusion of NASCAR includes NASCAR stock cars. While they are not the only stock car racing series, it is by far the most popular; and the premier class of NASCAR are the Cup cars. Piloting these cars takes some getting used to. In an effort to educate and challenge you, nine challenges spread across three levels of difficulty await you. You can race the NASCAR Series when you reach Level 21. Before you can get there, though, it's best...

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GT5 Specials: Karting

2011-11-22T13:36:00.001-08:00

The Gran Turismo Karting Experience invites GT5 racers to bring their karts to compete in six different races. Mastery of using a racing kart is essential if you want to clear this Special. Two races in three classes of competition will help determine whether or not you are a kart racing champion. You will be racing machines that can reach speeds of up to 90 mph with no gears. These karts are not shifter karts, but you still will get quite the racing workout trying to keep these tiny...

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Races of Gran Turismo 5: Extreme Series

2011-11-16T23:59:00.001-08:00

Brace yourself for the ultimate challenge- the Extreme Series. If Gran Turismo 5 had something similar to Hell (besides any track that uses the Nordscheleife), it would be the Extreme Series. The most punishing events with some of the fastest cars all make up this championship. The Professional races proven your worth as a World Champion. The Expert races assured the Gran Turismo world that you are a proven champion. So why do you run the Extreme Series? Simple- to prove your worth as a...

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Gran Turismo 5 Special Events

2011-11-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

Gran Turismo 5 features Special events meant to challenge your racing skills in a variety of challenges. A good thing is that some of them do not require you to have a certain car to race with. This blog post is mostly general thoughts on each Special. In later posts, I will provide some Resources on each event. For now, this is a general commentary piece on the Special Events of Gran Turismo 5. About the Label: "Special Events".Blog posts under the "Special Events" label feature...

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Races of Gran Turismo 5: Expert Series

2011-10-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

If you thought the Gran Turismo World Championship was tough, think again. The Expert Series features nine intense series where speeds are higher and races are longer. Get ready for some hard-fought racing. If you haven't a high-speed prototype in your garage as of this moment, I recommend you go get one because you will need some high-speed machinery to compete in two of this series' races. While you don't need a license to compete in any race in GT5, you do require advanced racing skill...

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Do Seasonal Events Save Racing in GT5?

2011-10-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

For many people, the single-player aspects of Gran Turismo are disappointing. Seasonal Events have served as a way to enjoy racing in Gran Turismo with many different events. Each Seasonal features many different ways to race. Most common are the A-Spec races, featuring five different events. The fifth event usually takes place on a generated race track. There are Time Trial events where racers are invited to post the fastest time. Posting the fastest time gets you some prizes in the...

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Future Locales for Gran Turismo?

2011-10-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

There are a variety of locations where the PD team can go out and examine to make more international locales to better cover the world of Gran Turismo than ever before. This is a massive blog entry as it highlights as many international regions as I can as well as countless possibilities to have some Gran Turismo racing worldwide. Got time on your side? You'll need it! This was a former blog post on "John's Blog Space." Since GT5 has long been released, it needs not be on JBS any longer....

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GT5 Spec 2.0 Overview and Review

2011-10-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

The Spec 2.0 update for Gran Turismo 5 offers up various tweaks and fixes to GT5. It is the evolution of GT5 with a new package designed to make the game more accessible and more fun. Details on Spec 2.0 and my thoughts on it will be discussed in this blog post. For all intents and purposes, this post is basically a look at the different tweaks to GT5 followed by some commentary of mine. Welcome to JGTS (John's Gran Turismo Space) and another blog post of mine! --- Major...

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GT5 Spec 2.0 and Downloadable Content

2011-10-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

Gran Turismo 5 has longed for a sufficient update. GT5 Spec 2.0 has specified on a number of different additions to help enhance GT5 on a number of levels. There has also been the prospect of downloadable content (or DLC for short) to further the GT5 experience. The updates are expected to come along on October 11th (the same day that another popular racing game series is set to release its latest sequel). The download of Spec 2.0 will be free of charge. However, downloadable content is...

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Standard vs. Premium - 200+ Cars or 1,000+ Cars?

2011-09-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

UPDATED: October 12, 2011) The debate over Standard vs. Premium cars in Gran Turismo 5 has led many to feel like there are much fewer cars than what the game already has. I stayed away from this debate because I simply don't know and don't want to cause an already huge firestorm. Here are two trains of thought as far as the car count for Gran Turismo 5 is concerned. The first is that there are 200+ Premium cars. Premium cars are the highly-detailed and vastly customizable models. They...

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Indy and Champ Cars in Gran Turismo?

2011-09-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

The first Gran Turismo to feature actually licensed series was Gran Turismo 5. Rally cars were nothing new to GT, but the actual featuring of the World Rally Championship was enough to draw some attention. A completely new experience to the Gran Turismo universe was NASCAR. While people would complain that NASCAR's appeal in GT5 wasn't severely intriguing to most racing fans (let alone hardcore NASCAR fans), at least stock car racing finally has a proper mode and arena for which to commence...

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Daytona Prototypes in Gran Turismo?

2011-09-09T15:40:00.000-07:00

Daytona Prototypes have been love-or-hate among many racing fans. While I still fancy Le Mans Prototypes than Daytona Prototypes, I still respect and honor the Daytona Prototype. Considering we have the Daytona International Speedway for Gran Turismo 5, would the option for Daytona Prototypes be open for a future installment of Gran Turismo? NOTE: This was a blog post from my primary blog, "John's Blog Space," and fully revised to fit John's Gran Turismo Space. This is essentially a...

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