The Opening Movie

The PSOne Classics

More so for console games than PC games, the introduction movie is an important element of the game as it sets the mood and tone for the rest of the game. Traditionally, the Gran Turismo series has had excellent opening movies, some of the best in the entire console scene. In Japan, all three Gran Turismo introductions have been set to the music of "Moon Over The Castle," a high-energy electric guitar piece composed exclusively for the game. Through the visual and musical synthesis of the arrangement, the Japanese opening movies for Gran Turismo convey the sense of speed and adrenaline-rush of racing as well as the precision and skill behind it.

North America has also been treated to very good Gran Turismo opening movies in the past. Set to The Cardigans' "My Favorite Game," the opening movie for Gran Turismo 2 is able to express an equally strong set of emotions. Though lacking the pure energy of the Japanese mixes, the more mellow sounds of "My Favorite Game" work in concert with the video of cars flawlessly drifting or racing to produce a sense of awe, or even respect for the sport. Despite the difference in atmosphere, most of the video between the US and Japanese intros is identical; seeing a driver perform a difficult move is both thrilling and inspiring. Even though it is a split vote between the "better intro," both the US and Japanese introductions for GT2 are excellent examples of talented editing and choreography. They're just different.

Drifting is easy on dirt

Laguna Seca is a real track

Purple?

Gran Turismo 3

For Gran Turismo 3,the US localization team decided to make potent changes to the introduction. Although the Japanese releases have been consistent with their intro music, the US version of GT3 no longer uses music from The Cardigans. Instead they've gone with Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way." The music isn't "bad," it's just a bit chaotic and harsher in its sound so it's very different from the previous game. I would have been very happy with either of the older tracks, but perhaps there were licensing issues with using the "Moon Over the Castle" or "My Favorite Game," or the localization team felt that the hectic and heavier mix of "Are You Gonna Go My Way" was more appropriate. However, the music selection isn't the real problem, it's the choreography.

With Gran Turismo 2, going from the Japanese to the US intro was fairly straightforward since the video clips are very similar. On the other hand, going from "Moon over the Castle" to Lenny Kravitz demands more changes. The localization team understood this. Not only are there new video clips in the US intro, but some of the scenes in the Japanese intro are removed or reordered. Unfortunately, there's still too much reuse of the Japanese videos.

The Nissan Z concept from Detroit

Sonic Orange, huh?

Lotus Elise

Lenny Kravitz's music just isn't suited for the video clips that the US localization team has chosen. Considered independently, the video in the US intro is well done and is better than the Japanese version. The music selection, though not a personal favorite, is still justifiable. However, they just don't mesh together and it's very jarring and tiresome. The US intro just doesn't generate a lot of enthusiasm. Put it this way. Quake 3 Arena has awesome graphics. No One Lives Forever has superb music. You just don't want to mix the two.

In all fairness, while a good opening movie can add a lot to a game, a bad one doesn't mean that the rest of game is bad - most people will skip the Intro after the first time. We're not so petty that we'd go back and drop a point in the final verdict over something so inconsequential. No game is perfect, but the Japanese Gran Turismo 3 certainly played a convincing role. The bad intro in the North American version shatters this illusion.