Consider yourselves lucky. I'm only writing this review because I'm not playing this game right now. Gran Turismo 5 has been out for a little while but I just got it for Christmas. Even with that, it wouldn't be fair to review this game without at least getting an idea of how much it has to offer. The world hadn't seen a full fledged Gran Turismo game in 4 years and if you ask me, GT5 doesn't disappoint in its attempt at a triumphant return.
Gran Turismo has always been known as "The Real Driving Simulator." Polyphony decided to giving that phrase new meaning with GT5. The first word is real, and real is something this game does well. The cars, the tracks, the environments, and everything in between look incredible. Premium cars have the 'in car' view for races. It's not my favorite way to race but it's done extremely well. Cars damage this time around and it's somewhat realistic. Remember, this isn't Burnout so you can't total your car halfway through the race and finish with your bumper hanging and your door off... unless you're in a rally car battle. If we're being completely honest, having a car that looks wrecked but runs fine is less realistic than the mechanical damage that your car may suffer in GT5. If you do mess up, your car can start veering or have other problems. I've also always loved the use of the pit stop in GT games. Tire damage can be a problem if you feel like dealing with it, just to add another layer to the realism of the race. The environments are no less authentic. At one point in a race through London, I actually stopped paying attention to the race to check out the scenery.
The driving itself in Gran Turismo 5 is spectacular and accurate. You really need to develop skill to be any good at this game.I remember playing Gran Turismo 1 and never using the breaks at all. It was acceleration or no acceleration and hitting the wall was something you could recover from easily. In GT5 you've got to incorporate breaking, drafting, and genuinely smart driving if you want to win some of the tougher races. Cars feel genuinely different from each other for the most part but if you're good enough, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to drive anything well. If not, the game has a "driving line." It's basically a blue line that tells you pretty much exactly what to do on the course including when to brake and where on the track to be.
The last word we need to cover is simulation. The scope of GT5 is really summed up in this word. You can simulate just about anything your heart desires. You can drive rally cars, NASCARs, Go Karts, F1 racers, and tons of other cars from the past and present. If you're into Top Gear or ridiculously long famous German courses, you're taken care of as well. I've never been a professional race driver but I have to imagine that if there was no drama or story to it at all, it would be exactly like Gran Turismo 5. Polyphony once again decided to forego a story. They always fail in racing games anyway. With the special events, seasonal events, license tests, online capabilities, and arcade mode, anything else just wouldn't be necessary.
I've only just begun scratching the surface of Gran Turismo 5. This game can be described as racing purity. No gimmicks, turbo, weapons, or meticulous meaningless customization (do I need to be able to change the color of my brake calipers?). I understand that some people want more freedom with the cars, but honestly you can probably just buy something that looks exactly like you want already. Also, this is a racing game and the developers make sure they give you what you need to race. I'm expecting more updates in the future since there have already been quite a few that have added content. I'm waiting patiently for whatever they want to give us but with all this game has to offer already, neither Sony nor Polyphony owe us anything.
I'm rating this game over 1000 cars. OVER 1000 cars! Chyeah!
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