Why was Gran Turismo popular?

[MikeRox]

johnsobas said:

MikeRox said:

I didn't say it had "no good racing games" I said it was a joke for them. Compared with the PlayStation and even the Saturn, the N64 racing game lineup was awful.

I loved Mario Kart 64 and Diddy Kong Racing (but these are Kart racers which is a sub genre), Ridge Racer 64 and enjoyed Top Gear Rally, but off the top of my head, I can't really think of anything else worth bothering with on the N64 as far as racing games went. There was a reason when Burnout released on the GameCube, the Nintendo magazines went crazy for the fact that there was finally a good racer on a Nintendo system.

Oh I suppose there was also Wave Race, but again, not the sort of racing game we're referring to when talking about Gran Turismo.

I still disagree, unless you only mean realistic simulation racers which you did not say.  Still Top Gear Rally 1 and 2, Ridge Racer, and F1 world championship 1 and 2 were all great games at the time in that category.  If you expand into futuristic or arcade type racers the N64 comes out pretty good.

F-Zero X, yes I did forget that one. Still a really weak lineup compared with the competition.

No I didn't mean realistic simulation racers. I meant racing games (my favourite genre since the 80s). Believe me, the N64 had a reputation for how awful it's racing games were in comparison to the competition.

Remember, the PS1 had 4 Ridge Racer games, Need for Speed games, 3 WipeOut games, 2 Gran Turismo's, theColin McRae games, Total Drivin', Crash Team Racing, Motorhead, Micro Machines V3, Driver, V-Rally, Moto Racer, TOCA games, Rollcage, Destruction Derby etc. 

Wow, this really is highlighting just how woeful the N64 offerings were...