You can write a book about almost anything without paying any licensing fees
or obtaining permission (so long as you're not libelous). Likewise, you can
paint a picture (altho not neccessarily print a photograph) of objects
protected by intellectual property laws. It's only things like games and
model cars for which you need special dispensation.
Huw's stated purpose in the book is to "give both gamers and enthusiasts an
insight into this popular and colorful game." In this mission, he has
utterly failed, IMO.
> Perhaps he didn't have any legal right, or license agreement to include
> information about the game, and thus apparently omitted all references
> except the book title of course?
> Just a guess...But if Sony or Kaz Yamauchi wanted a big fee for those
> things, perhaps this guy weaseled out and thus only showed pictures and
> descriptions of real-world cars?
> > No, I was expecting a connecting thread, just as when I wrote the
strategy
> > guide for GPL, I didn't just describe what was inside the game, I tried
to
> > bridge the gap between the RW and the sim world. That, immodestly, is
why
> I
> > think "Four-Wheel Drift" worked...and why Huw's book doesn't.
> > Otherwise, it's just a badly thought-out book about a random collection
of
> > cars, most of which aren't available in this side of the Rim and thus
are
> of
> > little interest to American readers. Anybody that would would call the
> > butt-ugly Mazda Cosmo "beautiful" isn't playing with a full aesthetic
> deck.
> > It's gushing "fan lit," nothing more.
> > What makes you think Spoon (a Mazda tuner) *isn't* named after the
corner
> at
> > Suzuka?
> > > You just said the book " purports to be about the cars featured in
> > > Sony's hugely popular PlayStation game.", but your complaining that
the
> > book
> > > only has information about cars and not the game itself? Maybe I read
> > your
> > > message wrong... But, the book being about cars and not a video game
is
> > > exactly what I'd expect.
> > > I'm just guessin' on this too, but the "Spoon 2000" might be named
after
> > the
> > > company, Spoon (which I think builds aftermarket engines) instead of a
> > > corner at Suzuka.
> > > Were you expecting the book to describe how the cars in the game
handle?
> > > Mike
> > > http://mikebeauchamp.com
> > > > Don't bother. There's a new book out by the widely unknown Canadian
> > > author
> > > > Huw Evans called "The Cars of Gran Turismo," a 96-page paperback
> > available
> > > > from the publisher, Motorbooks International for $14.95 (or from
> Amazon
> > > for
> > > > a couple of bucks less) that purports to be about the cars featured
in
> > > > Sony's hugely popular PlayStation game. (Over 15 million copies
> > sold...up
> > > > to the by-now-2-year-old "GT3: A-Spec," that is, not about the
> upcoming
> > > > "GT4," which will reportedly include 500 licensed cars!) In it, the
> > good
> > > > Huw thanks everybody from his mother to his dry cleaner's tax
> > > attorney...but
> > > > not Kaz Yamauchi, the genius behind the half-arcade/half-sim series
> (and
> > a
> > > > god in Japan, where his company now sells RW add-ons like hood
scoops
> > and
> > > > fancy rims for the "Drift" crowd).
> > > > Indeed, there is nothing about the game in the book. Not one screen
> > shot,
> > > > not one car, not one track. Only the RW cars that "inspired" the
cars
> > in
> > > > Gran Turismo (like the ever-popular Yaris T-Sport, the Mazda Eunos,
> and
> > > the
> > > > Spoon 2000...named after the curve at Suzuka, perhaps?). There are
> some
> > > > specs and driving impressions, but nothing that might link the RW
cars
> > to
> > > > the game. We are left to wonder what might have been....
> > > > Nice price; shame about the content.
