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One-Year Update (7/26/05): Looking back at this article I've been impressed by how many games GM has managed to squeeze the GTO into. Next up....Cobalt, ION, G6 GTP Coupe...
Where are the GM Cars in Video Games?
GMInsidenews.com
6-12-2004
When was the last time you saw a GM car in a Playstation or Xbox video game that wasn't a Corvette/Camaro/60's Muscle Car and is currently on sale in a GM showroom? No, I'm not talking about RWD, V8 powered "Stock" car Monte Carlos in NASCAR Games.
I'm talking about Gran Turismo, Sega GT, Need For Speed Underground, -- the big games that have helped give cult status to Japanese cars - many of which aren't even offered in the U.S. - but like the Nissan Skyline GT-R, will be in the future thanks to the free advertising these games provide.
I recently spent some time with my little cousin, who lives deep in the heart of the Midwest, who could name all of the important specs of the entire Toyota, Honda, and Nissan lineup in Gran Turismo. His favorite was a Toyota MR2, and the Daihatsu Storia was a close second. His dad owns a 4-door Lumina with a blue interior. His mom a Caravan. He wants a Celica, but he's only 13 years old.
I flipped through the menus of the game and remembered how disappointed I was the first time I'd picked up a controller at Best Buy. The GM choices? Chevy: Camaro, Corvette, Camaro, Corvette, Camaro... I asked him what he thought of them.
"They look old," he said. "But I needed to buy one to compete in one of the tournaments. I sold it right after that."
Half of the tournaments in Gran Turismo required a true performance tuned FWD car, leaving Chevy out in the cold.
GM is losing the youth market battle in video games right now. Many of the kids who will be buying their first cars soon were weaned on Gran Turismo and similar games. If they know anything about domestic cars, they know that there is no such thing as a RWD, V8 powered Monte Carlo in the Chevy showroom. And the dazzling lineup of Toyota and other Japanese cars in video games leaves its mark in their minds, even if many of the variations of the Celica in GT3-ASpec aren't offered in US Toyota showrooms.
To be sure, European cars aren't represented well, nor are other Detroit makes. The Playstation racing games of any level of quality are more often than not developed in Japan - and will naturally reflect the bias of their creators, thus the complete omission of GM's excitement brand, Pontiac, from most games.
The one time I did see Pontiac in a racing game it was a sub-par rally game that had Pontiac Vibes, Firebirds and Grand Ams running around looking stock and unrealistic on dirt roads in Africa.
This needs to change. The upcoming Gran Turismo is rumored to have many more cars, including those from GM. But several of the cars I saw on lists around the web were concept cars that flirt with fiction.
Why so few stunning GM showroom cars for kids to "tune" in games? Well, until very recently, what "stuff of dreams" did GM really have to offer, other than Camaro, Corvette, and Firebird? The Sunfire GT? The Grand Am SC/T with the fake hoodscoops and orange paint? The Monte Carlo "SS" with a base Bonneville's naturally aspirated 3800? The "Rally Edition" Aztek?
Now that GM has (In addition to the Corvette) or will soon have the Cobalt SS, ION Redline, Bonneville GXP, Grand Prix Comp-G, G6 GXP coupe with the 3900 and a manual transmission, Monte Carlo SS with tuning and an engine worthy of the name, and Cadillac CTS-V, I hope that the GM marketers are providing video game developers with all of the information they need to add these cars to their games.
It's time that GM had kids putting up Pontiac posters in their bedrooms drooling over GM cars. Until we see more GM cars in video games, I expect to see the kids in my local Barnes and Noble hunched over a copy of Import Tuner, reading about a tricked out JDM-spec Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 Turbo, Acura Integra Type-R, or Nissan Silvia Varietta, while saving up for an entry car of one of those brands.
Where are the GM Cars in Video Games?
GMInsidenews.com
6-12-2004
When was the last time you saw a GM car in a Playstation or Xbox video game that wasn't a Corvette/Camaro/60's Muscle Car and is currently on sale in a GM showroom? No, I'm not talking about RWD, V8 powered "Stock" car Monte Carlos in NASCAR Games.
I'm talking about Gran Turismo, Sega GT, Need For Speed Underground, -- the big games that have helped give cult status to Japanese cars - many of which aren't even offered in the U.S. - but like the Nissan Skyline GT-R, will be in the future thanks to the free advertising these games provide.
I recently spent some time with my little cousin, who lives deep in the heart of the Midwest, who could name all of the important specs of the entire Toyota, Honda, and Nissan lineup in Gran Turismo. His favorite was a Toyota MR2, and the Daihatsu Storia was a close second. His dad owns a 4-door Lumina with a blue interior. His mom a Caravan. He wants a Celica, but he's only 13 years old.
I flipped through the menus of the game and remembered how disappointed I was the first time I'd picked up a controller at Best Buy. The GM choices? Chevy: Camaro, Corvette, Camaro, Corvette, Camaro... I asked him what he thought of them.
"They look old," he said. "But I needed to buy one to compete in one of the tournaments. I sold it right after that."
Half of the tournaments in Gran Turismo required a true performance tuned FWD car, leaving Chevy out in the cold.
GM is losing the youth market battle in video games right now. Many of the kids who will be buying their first cars soon were weaned on Gran Turismo and similar games. If they know anything about domestic cars, they know that there is no such thing as a RWD, V8 powered Monte Carlo in the Chevy showroom. And the dazzling lineup of Toyota and other Japanese cars in video games leaves its mark in their minds, even if many of the variations of the Celica in GT3-ASpec aren't offered in US Toyota showrooms.
To be sure, European cars aren't represented well, nor are other Detroit makes. The Playstation racing games of any level of quality are more often than not developed in Japan - and will naturally reflect the bias of their creators, thus the complete omission of GM's excitement brand, Pontiac, from most games.
The one time I did see Pontiac in a racing game it was a sub-par rally game that had Pontiac Vibes, Firebirds and Grand Ams running around looking stock and unrealistic on dirt roads in Africa.
This needs to change. The upcoming Gran Turismo is rumored to have many more cars, including those from GM. But several of the cars I saw on lists around the web were concept cars that flirt with fiction.
Why so few stunning GM showroom cars for kids to "tune" in games? Well, until very recently, what "stuff of dreams" did GM really have to offer, other than Camaro, Corvette, and Firebird? The Sunfire GT? The Grand Am SC/T with the fake hoodscoops and orange paint? The Monte Carlo "SS" with a base Bonneville's naturally aspirated 3800? The "Rally Edition" Aztek?
Now that GM has (In addition to the Corvette) or will soon have the Cobalt SS, ION Redline, Bonneville GXP, Grand Prix Comp-G, G6 GXP coupe with the 3900 and a manual transmission, Monte Carlo SS with tuning and an engine worthy of the name, and Cadillac CTS-V, I hope that the GM marketers are providing video game developers with all of the information they need to add these cars to their games.
It's time that GM had kids putting up Pontiac posters in their bedrooms drooling over GM cars. Until we see more GM cars in video games, I expect to see the kids in my local Barnes and Noble hunched over a copy of Import Tuner, reading about a tricked out JDM-spec Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 Turbo, Acura Integra Type-R, or Nissan Silvia Varietta, while saving up for an entry car of one of those brands.
