GT2 A License Tests

A-2 is such an odd test to write up because it's so vague. We're cornering while braking (trail-braking is what it's called) but without any lane markers to denote when to accurately begin slowing.

1). Again the test starts and we're already rolling. I prefer to shift up to 4th immediately after the test begins, rather than waiting for the redline. Peak power resides somewhere around 6,500 rpms, and it's important to get the tach needle down in that range right away.

2). Nudge the Subaru somewhat to the right, roughly 2/3rds of the way across the track. There's a black line on the track, just to the left of the meter markers, I put the car somewhat to the right of this line (confusing).

3). Pass 400, 500, 600, 700 meters. Now nudge the car somewhat to the left as 800 meters approaches. We're needing to bend toward the left curve that's coming up.

This entire process is vague, by the way. Pretty sure there is some leeway with the lines lines we can take into the actual turn, but by the time

4). Keep the gas planted while passing under 800 meters, gently turning into the curve. By the time we approach 900 meters the Subie should be roughly halfway between 900 meters and the left side of the track. Super-vague, like I said.

5). Start braking somewhere before 900 meters. Lol. That's the best I can do. There is no super-precise marker or pennant or whatever to describe when braking should begin, you just have to watch the in-game demo as well as my playlist.

6). As the demo shows, it helps to gently swerve the car left and then right as we approach the finish area. I actually went slightly left, then slightly right, then cranked it hard to the left.

A-3 is exactly the same test as B-8: the hairpin at Apricot Hill in a front-drive Honda, except we're going faster at the start.

1). Again the test starts and we're already rolling. Nudge steering a tad to the left, getting to the outside of the turn.

2). During this test we won't need to anticipate a quick shift into an upper gear. Let the car redline fully, all the way to 8,000 rpms, for those who use MT. DON'T upshift. But also don't go too far into the hairpin; the rev-limiter will getcha if ya do.

3). As soon as the Honda's outer tires pass the outer rumbly strip (or graze it, as I did), start turning inwards while letting off the throttle. Don't turn in too forcefully and abruptly; instead try to gradually turn inwards.

The demonstration puts the car entirely inside the yellow line. Again, I screwed up and went too wide. Either way, we can attain gold for this test, it's not too tough.

4). Start braking a split second after turning in. So we're trail-braking once again. Downshift from 4th to 3rd while turning in and braking.

5). Take another split second to gauge speed and angle. If the car is aimed tight into the turn, it's possible to start gassing it early. Feather the throttle (punch it) if needed. Then FLOOR it while still turning. That's how the demo does it. I went way too wide, as stated, and wound up needing to lift off the gas slightly three times!

6). As the turn straightens out, let the steering out as well, gradually. Allow the tach to get to its full 8,000 rpms before upshifting.

Back in the day, like 20 years ago, I remember A-3 being easy, and A-4 being one of the more frustrating tests. And yeah, it's true.

Some folks say it's best to switch to D-pad steering for B-4, and I can confirm this is true. I have accomplished gold while using analog, but using the steering mushroom oddly scrubs off too much speed. With the D-pad, there's gonna be a lot of tapping of course, sometimes fully holding the pad to the right, which seems counterproductive, right? But this is the best way.

Maybe a wheel can do even better, although I've heard setting up a wheel for an old-fashioned PS2 can be difficult.

1). Switch to AT (automatic transmission) even if you're usually more comfortable with MT. It's just one thing less to think about, that one measly upshift from 1st to 2nd. Now all we have to focus on is steering.

2). Floor the gas. As the 75 horsepower weakling begins rolling, don't just jerk the steering inward so you're immediately on the red & white curb, try to be smooth. The less steering-jerks, the better. Ease inwards sort of gradually.

The demo shows the Vitz rolling mostly on the curb with all four tires, or at least the inner tires doing so. But in my example video (click the Playlist above) while using D-pad I was mostly not even touching the curb!

3). The rest of the test is similar to the NASCAR tests in GT5 at Daytona. The idea is to keep the throttle planted the entire time, while steering movements are minimal. It's best to hear as little tire squeal (ann!! ann!!) as possible. If there are any long moments when tires are making noise (annnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!) this means they're also scrubbing speed.

4). Keep steering as the finish line is approached, stay on the curb. I've tried straightening the wheel just before crossing the finish (attempting to gain a burst of speed) but this only adds time.

Overall what helped me, especially as speed gathered over 40 mph, was to visualize a point-of-reference which begins about three car-lengths ahead. I'm picturing where the little Vitz is going to be roughly a half-second before passing over that spot. This is similar to how I tackled Daytona/GT5 as well. I'm not looking at the area just in front of the car, I was looking far ahead on that bank, where the car's about to be in a couple seconds. This is one of those times when tunnel vision is actually a good thing!

Oddly, I found the 80-meter steering test in the more-powerful Subaru easier than the 60-meter test driving the previous Toyota! B-5 took me just three tries to gold. Analog steering can be used, no problem.

1). For B-5 it doesn't matter if MT or AT is used. I'm mostly a manual-transmission guy, so I'm back to MT.

Tricky thing about the Subaru is we can't just keep the throttle planted the entire time; occasionally its important to curtail the gas a bit. Otherwise the car will start pushing too far to the outside. Even so, this test is freaking easy in comparison to the previous one.

3). Steer toward the turn gradually, throttle planted. The transmission will shift to 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd. Once it's in third, start paying attention to speed. If the car's cruising slightly above 70 mph, feather the gas a bit so it's falling into the mid 60s at the lowest. Anywhere between 64 to 72 is okay, speed gathering, then falling back.

4). That's pretty much it. In this car it's not as important to stay on the curb the entire time; I found myself rolling onto the curb (inwards). Off the curb (out). Onto the curb. And off. All four tires were on the skidpad during "off" moments, which is okay.

5). As the finish is approached, it's okay to loosen the front-end. Don't straighten it all the way, just loosen it slightly, allowing the Impreza to gain speed.

We've got a yellow cheater line on the track this time, supposedly showing us where the Mazda Demio is supposed to be. But notice the demonstration driver does not follow this line to a tee, especially as the turn begins to tighten.

I've also ditched automatic transmission this time, back to MT. This allows the option of a bit more speed. The tach gets about halfway into redline before shifting from 1st to 2nd, and 2nd to 3rd.

2). Initially steer the Demio to the right of the yellow line. This test is supposed to teach us "out-in-out", the classic way to navigate in and out of many turns while maintaining speed. Anyway, the Demio is to the right of the line initially.

3). As the rumble strip begins on the right, stay "out" for a moment, but then carefully steer inward, so that the car is now slightly left of the yellow line.

4). Aim inwards, toward the inner rumbly, so that the inner tires graze slightly over the rumble strip. This is important. If the inner tires don't get this far in, chances are a silver or a bronze will be the result. .

Note; At some point about halfway into the turn (between the outer rumble strip and the inner one), gas might need to be lifted just for a split second, which allows the car to orient itself we now go from "in" to "out" without too much understeer. This is an intuitive thing. It's difficult to say when this slight bit of liftoff will be needed, or whether it'll be needed at all.

Because that's one of the main differences between GT1 and GT2: understeer is more persistent in this game!

5). Keep steering as the outer curb approaches, throttle planted. Keep the car in 3rd gear as the track straightens. It'll redline heavily, but upshifting to 4th costs a few hundredths of a second, which could be the difference between silver and gold.

1). Shift gears immediately if you're using MT instead of AT. Stupid thing about this test is the engine's already maxing revs as the test starts, and if it's not upshifted into 2nd at the start, speed gets lost.

2). Allow the Honda's 1.8 to get all the way to the RPM limit of 8,000 before shifting up to 3rd. All Hondas have their power tucked way up high.

3). I found myself ignoring the yellow line, moving the Integra to the right of the line, in fact, so I could get a maximum "out" angle.

4). Upshift into 4th just before approaching the outer rumble strip. The car's outer tires can roll slightly over the rumbly while angling for as much "out" as is possible. Full throttle.

5). Now, this gets tricky. Swerve to the left while following the yellow line, while downshifting into 3rd and letting off the gas entirely. Yes, four things need to happen at once, exactly in that manner (swerve / follow / downshift / no gas). The idea is to aim the Honda IN now, allowing its front-end to dig into the pavement, heading toward the inside.

6). Allow the car to veer inwards for a split second or two before cautiously reintroducing fuel. A smidge of brakes will probably be needed (watch the demo with behind-car cam going). The gas pedal may need a bit of feathering as the inside of the turn is approached, but eventually the throttle can be floored again.

Same car, same track (Apricot Hill) except now we're making a right turn into the track's hairpin. This is an incredibly easy test, a two out of five, five being hardest, and 1 being those ridiculously easy rally tests which occur later in the game.

1). Again, be prepared to upshift into 2nd right away if using MT instead of AT. Now that the car's in 2nd, wait until 8,000 rpms before upshifting to 3rd.

2). Upshift into 4th while aiming outward. It's okay to allow the Honda's outer tires to graze lightly over the outer rumbly.

3). The same trick for #5 above is needed: let off the gas, follow the line, swerve inwards, and downshift to 3rd.

I found myself doing this portion a bit sloppy, jerking the car inwards too sharply instead of being smooth, so that I was now inside the yellow line a bit. Didn't matter. This test is easy, like I said.

4). We're still in 3rd gear. Start reintroducing gas before the inner apron. Aim the car inwards so its inner tires roll slightly over the inner rumbly. Minimum speed: 65 mph. Feather the gas if needed before flooring it.

1). This test is a standing start rather than a rolling one, which means we get to choose how to proceed. Most folks will simply floor the gas, bouncing off the limiter, while I prefer to rev mid-range, giving full throttle as the test begins BEEP!

3). The rest of the test is loosely following the cheater line. It doesn't need to be driven over exactly; my try was rather sloppy. Important though: KEEP THE GAS PLANTED and don't turn in too early.