Gran Turismo 5: Prologue

Part of the joy of any video-game racing experience lays in the realism of the cars. In that regard, Polyphony Digital has nailed the experience throughout the years of its Gran Turismo franchise, and with the power of the next-gen console behind it, the fifth installment could well prove to be the best yet. And that it definitely is.

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue is a stunning visual achievement, with cars that look incredibly realistic, racing through venues that are semi-photo realistic. The sounds back up the look of the game and using the DUALSHOCK 3 controller gives the game a great feel. All of which means that it comes down to the gameplay experience to fully determine whether the game is a hit or a miss.

In most regards, the game is a solid hit. The challenges are there, through all three stages (broken down into C, B and A categories – with C targeted as the beginner point in the game) with 10 races each. To advance in the game you have to meet all the challenges in a class, finishing in the top three in each of the events, before you can move up a class.

The game does hit a few speed bumps when it comes to the online portion, though, but more on that in a bit.

For those who have yet to experience the grandeur of a GT title, this is a racing game, featuring tracks in various world locations, incredibly detailed cars and driving challenges. Because of the licensing with automotive manufacturers, when you crash, the car does not show physical damage. But when you are trying to win a race, against solid AI competition, a crash will rob you of time. And because the AI does not make many mistakes, dropping even a few seconds is not something you really want to do. That puts the onus firmly on driving well, reading the tracks, understanding drifting, braking, accelerating, car set-ups for the tracks (yes, you can manipulate the vehicle’s handling) and even how to bump to keep yourself on the course while perhaps knocking an opponent off the track.

GT5 offers several ways to play – the 2P Battle (a two-player split screen using cars purchased and in the garage), an event (career) mode, arcade mode and online. The career mode is the aforementioned class challenges that may require a certain type of vehicle for an event. Winning races earns you money, and money translates into a trip to the showrooms of a range of dealerships (from Astin Martin to concept cars, with stops in between to the likes of Jaguar and Ford) to purchase a new ride from the more than 60 available in the game.

The sound is what one would expect from such a game, but when it comes to the game’s graphics, they are unparalleled and run at 1080p. About the only time you can tell that you are looking at real-world images is when a pit crew is shown, or you roar past a crowd.

Using the new PS3 DUALSHOCK 3 controller, with its rumble technology, gave the game a terrific feel. Drifting onto the corrugated area near the infield on tracks was very nicely realized and you could ‘feel’ the impact of bumping other cars or hitting a wall. The control scheme is not hard to understand, or to jump into the game and play. The controls are also responsive and in quick order players will realize that having the right car set-up is vital to success as you move through the game. You can enter the options menu and tweak some of the car’s elements, like traction, or changing it from a manual transmission to automatic. The set-up has to be unlocked to totally appreciate the depth, but once you unlock it, you gain access to tweaking everything from the engine's power to weight and suspension.

In addition to the online multiplayer elements, GT5 also has something known at GT TV, which is accessed online and is a ‘clearinghouse’ of motor-driven videos.  

Multiplayer has moments of joy and some disappointments. Yes, you can earn more money faster by competing in races, but the downside are server disconnects, frame-rate problems that create jerky motions, and – of course – other drivers that realize there is no such thing as damage to the vehicles so instead of driving well, they try to create their own demolition derby en route to the front of the pack. As you enter the online portion with the car you selected from your garage, you are matched by the servers. One player is designated the host of the race and it is that person, and their connection speed/bandwidth that determines the way the game runs. One one night of gaming, there were no disconnects, but during the next day, frustration was the order of business as disconnect after disconnect spoiled the gaming session. Imagine being in first rounding the last short corner at Daytona, the finish line maybe 100 yards away and victory in your grasp when you get the message you have been disconnected from the server. Or finishing a race in third (with a 10,000 pay out) and before the pay-out screen pops up, and you actually bank the credits, you get the same disconnection message.

Connection comes into play when you are on the backstretch, going 164 miles per hour in a matched race and a car with lesser power passes you like you are standing still. Or even worse, you are in second, coming out of the last big turn and a car pulls slightly ahead of you, with plenty of room to pass, and then slams you into a wall, causing you to lose control and bang off the wall and skid, spinning, across the track into the infield to finish second to last in the race. Adding insult to injury, the game assesses you a time penalty for using a short cut by entering the infield grass.

When a race runs smoothly, regardless of where you finish, it can be fun and challenging, but when you hit one day, in prime hours, when you get disconnected (and all other machine connections were fine) in three of five races, it can be a reason to drop offline and head back to the single-player game.

This is an amazing visual effort, but the game falters in multiplayer just a bit. Tighten that up and this franchise will blow the doors off any would-be competitors.

Gameplay: 9.2
The controls work well and the single-player experience is a joy. The online multiplayer takes a bit of a hit at times though, making for a sometimes bumpy ride.

Graphics: 9.5
The people don’t look as realistic but then again, the cars and environments are the stars of this game and they look amazing.  

Sound: 8.7
The music is Ok, but nothing to get worked up over and the car sounds are as they should be.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.9
A racing game is about the racing and in that regard little has changed – well, in the mechanics, that is. There are some new racing events and time trials. The additions of GT TV and the in-depth tuning are welcomed additions.

Multiplayer: 8.7
Disconnects and frame-rate stutters lead to some frustrating moments.   

Overall: 9.2
GT5 is a joyride into the next-gen racing simulation scene. The graphics are amazing and the supporting cast of controls and sound do a good job. Online needs a little tuning to run smoother, but the elements are there for fun and challenge. This game is a must-have for all racing sim lovers.