Truly A Great Sequal To One of the Best Racing Sims Ever
Controls:
The cars handle tightly and the physics run rather smoothly, whether you are using analog or digital controls. They're a step above it's predecessor.
Sound:
Each car has their own distinct engine sounds, so you'll get some variety here. Instead of having individual car shop tunes, you'll hear separate music for north/south/east/west cities, the jazzy simulation mode and license center/machine test music, etc. The music soundtrack is rather hit or miss, as it's mainly composed of alternative rock and techno and remixes of popular songs at the time. It doesn't give as much of a pulse as GT1 had.
Graphics/visuals:
The graphics look nice for a PS1 game in 1999 and the cars do look good on there, even though they may look a little blocky, but it's the PS1 so it is acceptable. The menus/layouts are clearly organized and impressive. You'll have north/south/east/west cities where you'll find certain car manufacturers by country (i.e: American manufactureres in south city). You also have the buttons on the side where you can immediately jump to your garage, license center, or wherever.
Gameplay:
Just like in its predecessor, GT2 will have you competing in races to earn money for more cars/accessories, license tests, machine tests, etc. The introduction of individual manufacturer races are a nice feature and you'll now have five licenses to acquire: B,A,IC,IB, and IA. The races are as addicting as ever, despite some minor AI rubber banding at times. You'll be collecting over 400 cars from the U.S, Japan, Germany, France, England, etc. so that should keep you busy for quite some time. The arcade races (on disc 1; the simulation mode is on disc 2) are as rewarding as ever, as the more races you win on simulation mode, the more cars and tracks you unlock in arcade mode. GT2 introduces rally racing into the series, which is a nice addition to tarmac racing.
Final Thoughts:
GT2 is a fantastic sequal to GT1, with the addition of new tracks and cars to unlock, rally races, and clearly organized simulation mode menus. The races are as addicting as ever (minor AI rubber banding aside) and collecting and racing over 400 cars will keep you busy for a while. GT2 is a racing simulation classic and will satisfy practically every racing fan under the sun.