Gran Turismo 5

[Brad]

Pretty sure the credits for winning races will rise as you.progress. shame you don't like it.
We shouldn't get too hung up about how long its taken or how much money they spent. Its not like any of us have had to pay more fore the game is it?

[dvdx2]

Confused. My first reaction to my first few hours with this, 5 years in the making, looking at screenshots, reading about all of the extra features that where coming, such as in-car cockpit view, weather, damage and online play, and then actually getting my hands on it. And yet all I can think about is where other racers that have come and gone inbetween, how this was possible. How this was possible that I thought that this is so far behind everything else now in terms of, well, progress.

This game is single-handedly stubborn, thats my first and last impression of this latest version. Its presentation is still top-notch, the GT Life mode is the product of something that has been playtested and refined to perfection. Its gives the impression that there is plenty to do and see, a large and good selection of tracks (although some notable exceptions), and then there is the handling model.

This is where the money is, the handling feels good and a lot different and realistic than other games of its type. The "Special Events" are also a great distraction, such as Kart racing or VW Camper Vans around the Top Gear test track. The visuals are in 1080p and the sound goes up to 7.1 PCM which is briliant stuff for high end kit.

But after the positives come a lot of negatives. I don't think I am alone in thinking I expected more after 5 years, not to unreasonable levels, but some sort of progression and reaction to how the racing genre has changed since 1997 (from the first GT release). Its safe to say there is a ghost in the machine and its a PSOne and its 1997 all over again. The core "game" is the same one from the last decade, and argue all you want about it "not being the point of it", you still have to race and play to get what you want. Many times.

Grinding has long been a problem of the series and this now seems to take it to the max. For example, 12,500,000 for a F1 2007 car. OK so it will be a fast car, but really, if (for example) an average payout of 15,000 credits in winnings from a race, thats 833 races to win for one single car. Hard to think, spread across all the classes there is enough races to cover this without constant replaying. And thats just for ONE car.

Then comes up instantly the difference between STANDARD and PREMIUM car types, and this is where the first of the new features, in-car cockpit, fails quite badly, especially against its rivals. You will end up spending quite a bit of the first few hours racing with STANDARD cars with no internal view. And those STANDARD cars look terrible, like something from the previous GT4 game, 1080i and all. It starts off as a disjointed experience and therefore shouldn't have really included STANDARD cars if there weren't up to scratch, I don't see other games such as Forza having this sort of comprimise.

The next massive comprimise is weather. Not counting the Snow and Dirt tracks for a minute, only 6 courses out 61 have weather effects. And that weather effect is rain. And it is dire, seriously bad. To see this sort of thing done properly, check out F1 2010 or even PGR4 from a few years back, a couple of splashes on a windscreen (always in the same place) and a grey effect around some tires does not cut it as weather effects.

The same could also be said of damage. So far I have not seen any of it, but I am assured its there somewhere, However given the other conditional requirements, its probably only available for a small handful of cars. I can't comment on damage yet, but still I am not expect much. To be truthful its always been a bit overplayed anyway (including damage), but I agree it should be there because there is always the A.I. to rectify and consider. On the AI routines, they are still the best a GT game has ever been, but still woefully short of the standard from.

Ah, but the age old arguement (used in every other game type, especially beat-em-ups) is that you should really play against other real human players, You shoud play online. So, down to online then (when it works). This is where Polyphony really show their inexperience with this kind of thing, the online mode as it currently stands is terrible. For gameplay standards, you don't earn any credits by racing online. I am sure you did in Prologue. Then there is the lobby screen. It has a "START RACE" option that ANYONE in the lobby can press to start the race. Thisis a mistake and (as the lobby owner) you find it nigh-on impossilbe to change the track or options before it starts again. It is an IMPOSSIBLE situation! Its structure options when you get to them are so serverly limited, there might as not be any options. All cars, all circuits for everyone, totally unstructure racing. Its a nightmare.

Online racing, as well as offline, needs some sort of spacial awareness indicator, like the one used (but never repeated it seems) from F355 Challenge on the Dreamcast. So you can see where any one of the 11 other racers are in relation to your vehicle when close.

But then thats just the thing with this game isn't it, the legend that Polyphony are just not interested in outside influences and refuse to add features that may be seen as copying others, even if it makes the series better. I think they need help to be honest, they need help to make this game to become a better product. I cannot see where the time has gone with this edition. Or money. They must of spent a lot on this game, yet it doesn't take other game studios half that sort of money or time.

If I where a betting man, I would say that the original coder for GT1 left years ago, and he/she was the most talented one. Since then, they have just been modifying and tweaking parts of the same code over the last 4 releases, too scared or not resourceful or talented enough to just start all over again and rethink the wheel. All I see is painstakingly pouring over digital recreations of PREMIUM cars for years on end while the main man gets loads of track days, and then panicing when the have to release something for Sony's money.

Its sad to say but GT is no longer the de-facto racing brand anymore, there are others that do better. To those that think I am being harsh, well, maybe, but I wish you all the best in aiming for that legendary 12.5 million credits for that car.

its a shame you let so many barriers, spoil your fun of a great racing game....and your last point is BS - no racing game does it better.....(i'm assuming you mean forza 3, which really isnt better)

its abit like what clint said in the dead pool - opinions are like ****holes, everyone has one. Pour yourself a few cold ones, get yourself a GT wheel and enjoy the fun. i'm done with the whinning about this, its Gran Turismo FFS (you have played the first one???)

[MarioMark]

I know graphically this is a mixed bag but I've just done one of the Snow levels with the Ford Focus RS Rally Car. It looks incredible and I love the handling, a real sense of speed.

[teddymeow]

Returned it today.

It took 7 minutes to delete the install from my HDD.

[sincil]

Returned it today.

I traded mine in at Gamestation today. Got ?30 credit. Essentially cost me ?4.85 for two days rent. Ah well, you live and learn.

[saturn-gamer]

Kind of started to love the game but then inconsistencies rear its ugly head yet again. Almost half of the Beginner Events have to be done with Standards it seems. So i'm checking the Used section for a good 60's JP Car... nothing... did some races and looked again, ah.. an old Skyline! I enter... wow all cars look like **** (full grid o' pixelated standards). My Skyline was crap, so wasted big cash on upgrades.. won 2 races but its low max. speed is killing me on the Grand Valley straight. So have to roll the Used Car dice for another crappy car.

Really, this was better off with just the 200 Premium cars and the events centered around them. I greatly enjoyed the FR races in a Fairlady premium, and the free OFC (B all golds) was fun too.

Is it strange to think that Prologue was the more consistent, better streamlined package? The gameplay was inferior, but I enjoyed that 'demo' more so far.

[Supergoal]

Returned it today.

It took 7 minutes to delete the install from my HDD.

Wow I was going to pick this up today but that's a pretty damming statement.

[rmoxon]

Kind of started to love the game but then inconsistencies rear its ugly head yet again. Almost half of the Beginner Events have to be done with Standards it seems. So i'm checking the Used section for a good 60's JP Car... nothing... did some races and looked again, ah.. an old Skyline! I enter... wow all cars look like **** (full grid o' pixelated standards). My Skyline was crap, so wasted big cash on upgrades.. won 2 races but its low max. speed is killing me on the Grand Valley straight. So have to roll the Used Car dice for another crappy car.

Really, this was better off with just the 200 Premium cars and the events centered around them. I greatly enjoyed the FR races in a Fairlady premium, and the free OFC (B all golds) was fun too.

Is it strange to think that Prologue was the more consistent, better streamlined package? The gameplay was inferior, but I enjoyed that 'demo' more so far.

I couldnt get into prologue at all, I cant stop playing this though, what it lacks in consistency it makes up for by actualy being good I feel (in other words I thought prologue was consistently boring).

I agree that its really hard to find cars for some events though, and the crappy menus dont help matters.

You are lucky you have been able to find a classic japanese car, I cant seem to get one, in fact the only european one I can find thats affoardable is a fiat with 16bhp, which incidently I nearly bought as the writing is so small and I thought it said 168bhp.

[Number45]

Wow I was going to pick this up today but that's a pretty damming statement.

I think he meant the uninstall took seven minutes, not that he only gave the game seven minutes before deciding to return it. Or did you realise that?

[saturn-gamer]

I did the Euro event with a classic BMW (looks terrible too). Some small time tuning there and it smokes the competition.

Wasted about 100k on that dumb old Skyline though... was saving up for a Ferrari but I want all golds on those events.

[Tobal]

its a shame you let so many barriers, spoil your fun of a great racing game....and your last point is BS - no racing game does it better.....(i'm assuming you mean forza 3, which really isnt better)

its abit like what clint said in the dead pool - opinions are like ****holes, everyone has one. Pour yourself a few cold ones, get yourself a GT wheel and enjoy the fun. i'm done with the whinning about this, its Gran Turismo FFS (you have played the first one???)

**cough** Richard Burns Rally **cough**.

[JSR]

A lot of well written text with excellent points.

I think you are on to it. It seems like Polyphony Digital only has one trick up their sleeve: To design cars and tweak car handling. Because that is the only aspect of this game I would consider good. It's even good enough that I actually bother to play the bloody game. If Sony would just let somebody else do everything else with the game (game structure, online, menus, all of it), and hire the 20 most efficient people from Polyphony to design the cars (under strict supervision, they need to make more than 40 cars per year), I think we could have a winning combination.

[Supergoal]

I think he meant the uninstall took seven minutes, not that he only gave the game seven minutes before deciding to return it. Or did you realise that?

Yeah I knew what he meant but still, he's returned the game after no more than a day really.

[SuperBeatBoy]

That first special top gear event sucks. Who wants to drive ****ty vw vans on the test track, slow and boring.

[hudson]

well later on you drive Robin Reliants.