Review: Gran Turismo 5

Kazunori Yamauchi and his team is back,  its taken a countless five long years to bring the game up to scratch and finally get a release. During those long six years of waiting we were bombarded with teasers, previews and even a  Prologue to fill the gap. Now the 5th instalment is here but was it all worth  the wait for?

Well tuff luck if the wait wasn’t worth it because the waiting continues in many ways. From the moment you put in the disc you will be prompted with a 45 minute, (8GB) installation. Optional of course but we recommend installing as it helps the game load quicker.

Gameplay

In GT5 you will encounter numerous modes. I started off by beginning the GT Mode, the main portion of the game where you will probably spend the most of your time as well due to it being the career mode. The career mode has the functionality to make you progress through the different license tests, A-spec events, and car dealerships which can be accounted for from previous instalments, but with a better presentation.  Some of the new instalments include the B-spec Events which give you the chance to create a team of drivers. Through this mode you partake as the coach,you will have to coach  them through a series of races, this does include issuing commands as you spectate their performance from your choice of camera angles.  It is very different and an interesting concept which I have come quite attracted too, this said it doesn’t have many options for you to fiddle around with causing the mode to be over too quickly.

The good thing I like most about GT5 is the amount you can do due to the different types of races and the different types of game modes. This includes the new different racing types. The first new racing type you will unlock will be Kart racing, now i know what your thinking when I herd this announced…Kart racing? Mario Kart? Don’t worry It’s nothing like Mario at all…  It actually plays really well and feels and looks like how Kart racing is, the gameplay differs dramatically compared to the normal car races – as it should.  If you weren’t following any of the announcements or news around GT5 before its release then you wouldn’t of known that GT5 is the new home of NASCAR. You can play in NASCAR special events, in these events you can learn all about the ins and outs of NASCAR racing.  Its nice and enjoyable as it features a great change in difficulty throughout the races. Its a shame its nothing like Destruction Derby!

Something I also enjoy within the game modes is the course editor which allows you to create new circuits by using tools that randomly generate track-parts according to certain player-selected specifications, including the amount of corners, the time of day and the amount of sectors. It’s nothing like Modnation Racers customisation, but then again there is a variety of themes you can choose from to act as a base for each circuit design.

Design

The design in Gran Turismo 5 blows away its predecessors.  This could be due to the fact that the optional Stereoscopic-3D resolution causes the game to stand out much more.  I would say that  it could be because Gran Turismo 5 is the first game in the franchise to include both mechanical and external damage modelling, including a real-time deformation engine that will process model deformation according to the speed and angle of impact. It is also possible to overturn cars for the first time in the series,  Its a brilliant feature and really does make the whole experience differ from the previous. It’s just a shame that some of the less appealing (lower priced) cars look. It is understandable they are not meant to look as beautiful as the premium cars but it also makes the team behind GT5 look lazy.

Ignoring the minor graphical hiccups between different cars, the game is actually really hard to tell the difference from real life cars to the in-game clones, yes I said clones. They just look amazing, I have constantly found my self just stopping the car and changing through the driving views just to see the beauty of the cars, its mesmerising.

Multiplayer

The multiplayer is one of the modes I dislike the most. Now I may be sounding really impartial to the people that do enjoy the multiplayer but for me I don’t.  The main issue I have with it which causes me frustration is how long it takes a lobby to start up and get going. I managed to spend more than an hour in a lobby waiting, of course I went to a different one and managed to get into a race about 20 minuets after. If you are one that has a lot of time on their hands waiting around for a multiplayer match to load then you wont encounter the same issues I have had. This said…Online play lacks almost all of the appeal and innovation of the single-player game.  That is not to say it isn’t interesting. The modes provided make the online experience a bit more interesting as you can either choose random cars from the garage or choose the car you have been building up in the campaign.

Overall

Its not to hard to appreciate the love that the Gran Turismo series has for its cars and driving. Over the years the series have been building up to this title and delivering a solid gameplay experience. Sadly for myself the online mode causes a lot off issues for me and causes me to just focus on the single player modes, which isn’t a bad thing.   For realistic racing, beautiful cars and an all round gameplay experience Gran Tursimo 5 stands out compared to its competitors.

The Good

• Huge library of cars!
• Perfect and realistic gameplay.
• A lot of modes
• Beautiful graphical detail

The Bad

• Graphical issues on less exotic cars.
• A lot of loading screens even when installed.
• Difficult for first time players. (Controlling of the car can be difficult for first time players)
• Multiplayer just lacks what other racing titles have to offer.