Is this the driving game to end all driving games or has this model arrived from the factory too little, too late?
Format: PS3 Dev: Polyphony Digital Pub: Sony Out: 24/11/10 Players: 1-2, 2-16 online
A six year wait is a tall order for any desperate fan, pining for the next game in this series. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue served as a thirst-quencher back in 2008, but wasn’t able to answer the question of what was taking so long. The pseudo-demo’s gameplay and style seemed to be perfect precursors for the full experience everyone was waiting for. But as it was so polished and honed, fan’s expectations shot through the roof with the thought “this is only the beginning of GT5, how much more can there be?” The answer: a lot.
Massive scale has become the running theme for Gran Turismo games and the newest instalment is no exception. Over 1,000 cars are featured in the game, spanning over 71 tracks to race them on. Variety really isn’t an issue here and it’s great to see Polyphony Digital opting for a ‘get your money’s worth’ approach. Gran Turismo effortlessly conveys the sense of class and dignity in cars the standard “phwoar look at that spoiler, listen to that engine” racing games of late have lost.
As you’d expect, the game has you begin with the bland car of your choice before your painstakingly work your way up the ranks with the Pagani Zonda being a rather lovely, self-enforced end goal. This process seems shorter than older games in the series – it didn’t take long at all to get to the interesting races and cars, whereas in old titles it was a rather annoying process. The game’s career uses a level-up function. Winning races and doing challenges gets your driver experience, unlocking new races, challenges and the ability to buy better cars.
Having to level-up takes away the opportunity for players to grind certain races to buy an overpowered car, requiring a level of skill to advance rather than the simplicity of having a bigger engine. Rally, NASCAR and go-kart races have been thrown into the fray, adding an extra dose of variety into and already huge game. As an added note, licenses are no longer compulsory in GT mode, cue sigh of relief.
With all these cars on offer, it’s crucial that the driving mechanics live up to the time the game will demand on your life. To put it simply, it does. Veterans of the series will instantly recognise the meticulous planning it takes to manoeuvre every corner. Anybody worried that the series would succumb to the wily charms of arcade racing can dig their heads out of the sand now – it takes more skill than ever to win in GT5.
Newcomers will, at first, be overwhelmed by the difficulty it takes to control any above average car, but the reward of practice and mastering the newly focused brake control system will eventually outweigh the initial frustration. It’s immensely gratifying outracing opponents, and the inherit risk of a slight mistake spinning your car out of control makes for an intense level of concentration unlike any other game. Blink at your peril.
If you’ve seen any trailers or screenshots of the game, you’ll already be fully aware of what a visual treat Gran Turismo 5 is. Six years of polishing and refining car models has resulted in an amazing vehicle catalogue. Taking your cars into the anorak’s dream, Photo mode, will allow you to fully appreciate just how great these cars can look. On a HDTV, it really is hard to imagine video games looking any better – although, I do remember saying that when the first PlayStation came out. Locations like Le Mans and the infamous Nürburgring race track can look equally great, but are let down by rather uninspired original tracks.
Yet with all the fundamental, racing simulator qualities being so great, I was left ultimately disappointed with the execution of the final game. For a game that spent such a huge amount of time in development, it’s surprising to note that aspects of GT5 feel wholly unfinished. Menus and displays are cluttered and unappealing screaming that they were rushed. The visuals, though often great, can be wildly inconsistent. Premium cars and tracks have been given the full Polyphony Digital treatment, with designers losing sleep over the quality of spokes and maintaining a perfect grass to leaf ratio. Whereas more obscure brands are given the bare minimum. They’re not terrible looking, but it definitely is noticeable, especially when they lack the game’s much-boasted cockpit viewpoint.
GT5’s online mode incorporates a disappointing, obsolete lobby system instead of favouring newer, easy to use matchmaking systems. Games are great when you get into them, but it feels like a chore going through all the matches just to find one that suits you. The aforementioned anoraks will love the incorporation of the game’s B-spec mode, taking you out of the driving seat in favouring of issuing commands to AI drivers, like maintain speed and overtake. Common sense for any driver, surely? B-spec mode isn’t compulsory, but anyone wanting to 100 per cent the game will have to sit through hundreds of races on the sidelines. This one is purely for the hardcore, I was barely able to sit through one.
The hype and excruciating wait for this game resulted in what could almost be described and shooting itself in the foot. With such a huge name to live up to and the added pressure of being the year’s biggest PS3 exclusive, Gran Turismo falls short of the ‘best game ever’ medals fans had pressed and ready, and settles for ‘probably the best racing simulator so far’. I found myself waiting for the game to throw something unexpected and truly incredible my way, but it never came. Gran Turismo 5 lives up to its predecessors, but is disappointing in failing to deliver anything beyond the expected – it’s just a good thing what was expected was a ruddy great game.
Dan Key
Tags: 3d, driving, gran turismo, racing, sony
