The Drive of Your Life.
Page: 1/2
Supplier: Sony
Reviewed By: Rogue5
Price: $39.99 (MSRP)
Untitled Document
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is the first Gran Turismo game I've ever actually wanted
to get. I see now why so many people use the Gran Turismo series as the bar
with which to judge every other console racing game. I mean, PGR4, Forza 2,
and arcade racers are awesome in their own way, but they lack GT's panache...
its charisma. GT5p’s ultra-crisp 1080p graphics help draw people in, but
it's just as much, if not more so, the feeling of the cars that makes the experience
work so well. You’re not racing, but rather virtually test driving the
cars (some exotic, some mundane). I'm impressed, and that's not easy, especially
when Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is supposed to be merely a taste of what the final
game will offer.
The GT universe is infectious. If you try sinking your teeth into it, it may
end up consuming you instead. It’s more than just a videogame; it’s
a community of automotive enthusiasts who use the virtual world as a consequence-free
driving playground. Being that this is the series first time online, Gran Turismo
5 Prologue serves as a platform with a huge amount of possibilities and not
just with online multiplayer either. Race times and rankings are gathered from
players all over the world and displayed for all to see, taunting you to race
‘just one more lap’ in an attempt to shave off another quarter-second.
You can download the ghosts and replays of the top ten lap times for every vehicle,
as well, showing you first hand where your mistakes are.
GT TV alone has so much potential. It’s a one-stop shop of SD and HD
video content that relates to Gran Turismo and it’s built directly into
the game’s ultra slick UI. The Blu-Ray version of GT5p comes with an exclusive
GT TV 20min HD featurette, called Beyond the Apex, which chronicles the development
team as they geared up for the GT5p unveiling at last year’s TGS. Beyond
the Apex touches on Polyphony Digital’s relationship with Nissan as well
as discussing GT creator Kazunouri Yamauchi’s passion for realism in the
series. Since the game’s launch they’ve already released two 10min
HD video showcases giving an inside look at the Nissan GT-R and Mitsubishi Lancer
Evo X, two of GT5p’s exclusive vehicles. After watching I couldn’t
resist wanting to drive a few laps with both vehicles.
Taking it a step further, I would love to see Polyphony Digital open up some
kind of acquisitions department where gamers could submit their own real-life
automotive video content to be posted on GT TV (after evaluation of course).
Or how about frequent GT TV Top Gear specials and auto show coverage? Inside
the Auto Company features, car reviews, major race event coverage, GT tournament
videos… It would be an automotive-buff’s wet dream and GT TV could
make it happen. It has so much promise and puts GT5p into its own category of
racer by building on its automotive enthusiast community roots.
