Gran Turismo 5 review by progamer664.
"Polyphony is back with their next installment of Gran Turismo!"
I am an avid Gran Turismo fan and have been eagerly awaiting this installment. The Gran Turismo series is one of the most acclaimed racing game series, and has always set the bar high for the racing genre. Please bear with me as this will be my first review.
Presentation: 10/10
The game opens with a beautiful cinematic that shows the production of cars from the metal being created to the cars being started up. The menus are easy to cycle through and are very user friendly. The game includes a detailed description of every aspect of the game so you know exactly what you are about to do.
Graphics: 7/10
For the most part, the graphics are beautiful, especially on the premium cars. The premium cars are cars that were intricately detailed and were made from the ground up. You can even see the dials from the radio in cockpit view! Premium cars have cockpit view, windshield wipers, and high beams. Unfortunately, the standard cars are not so detailed. They are ports from Gran Turismo 4 and Gran Turismo PSP in HD. These cars also lack cockpit view and high beams. The tracks are gorgeous. You can see the level of design that Polyphony went into to form each and every one of them. However, the people still look like cardboard cutouts.
Sound: 9/10
The sounds are clear, crisp, and distinct. The engine sounds are great and make you feel like the car is actually near you. The engine sounds on premium cars change when you make adjustments to it just like in real life. Unfortunately standard cars are not the same. The game includes a wide variety of music and even lets you add your own songs to it.
Gameplay: 10/10
The gameplay is just like the old Gran Turismo games, but with a few added twists. The game starts with Gran Turismo Mode, Arcade Mode, and the Course Maker. Gran Turismo Mode includes A Spec and B Spec modes. A spec is when you drive the car. B Spec is when you command the driver and tell him what to do. You start out at level 0. To gain experience to level up you need to complete races. Another way to level up is to complete the license tests.
License tests are just like in the previous games. They teach you how to drive properly through a series of conditions. Arcade mode is your standard arcade mode, just like the other Gran Turismo games. You choose a car and track and race against a human player. Arcade mode also allows you to transfer 50 cars from Gran Turismo PSP. The course maker lets you create your own tracks. The course maker starts out as a topographic map. You place 2 points on the map and the course randomly generate its curves and width. Then you can edit each section.
The physics has been revamped and it is even more realistic! For example, when you drive on the grass and go onto the road, dirt gets into the grooves of the tires and you lose some grip. Weather effects, NASCAR, and Karts have also been added. The weather effects are outstanding. You can drive in the rain or snow but unfortunately only on select tracks. Weather also affects the physics of your car. Your car will be harder to maneuver in these conditions. Gran Turismo 5 even has buttons mapped so that you can turn on your windshield wipers or headlights at any time. NASCAR is a bit disappointing. There are only 11 NASCARs in the game and you can only race with up to 16 cars. Racing with karts is a lot of fun. You race others on a small track with many turns.
Online mode is another feature. The online mode allows you to race with up to 16 other players online. 16 additional players may spectate the race through various camera angles. The game also allows players to create private matches so you can set up matches with your friends without any rude interruptions. You can also send photos to people and race against them on your own custom tracks.
Lasting Appeal: 10/10
This game will last people quite a while. With over 1000 cars to collect and a variety of races to complete, it will take a good amount of time to even complete a chunk of this game. Even if you get bored of the “career” mode, you can still burn rubber with others in the online mode.