Gran Turismo 5 Review

A common proverb states that “All good things come to he who waits”. The same can be said of Grand Turismo 5 on the PS3 – after countless delays, teasers, and even a prologue game, the wait is finally over. Having spent a lot of time playing as much of the game as possible, I’m tempted to say that in many areas the game was certainly worth the wait, but there are certain parts that I think could have been improved upon.

Gran Turismo touts itself as being a ‘real driving experience’, and it certainly delivers on this lofty claim. The game is simply packed with so many different racing modes and goodies that it’s sheer racing bliss. The game kicks off with “Gran Turismo Mode” which is where all the fun begins – essentially this is a dashboard where you can choose to run through many of the various racing events. First off, you buy a car from the Dealerships panel, or comb through the Used Cars Dealership for cheaper options. Once you have a set of wheels, you can jump into the A-Spec events, which are a series of races broken up by driver experience. Each race takes place in different areas and weather conditions, so no two races are even remotely similar. As you compete in and finish each race, you earn both credits and racing xp. This racing experience is crucial to increasing your driver’s level, as only with higher levels can you enter more advanced racing modes, while credits can be used to buy new cars and modifications.

Once your driver has reached Level 4, you’ll be able to compete in the B-Spec races. These races turn the tables on you as instead of driving in the race you have to issue commands from the racing pit. While this seems like a novel idea, there are only four commands you can issue your driver – reduce pace, increase pace, maintain pace, and overtake. While there is some bit of skill required to ensure you don’t aggravate or wear out your driver, there is little else to do here other than switch camera angles. And should you give the wrong command by mistake, you can’t cancel it and instead have to wait for the command to cool down before you can issue a new one. Some racing fans may enjoy this kind of backseat driving, but I didn’t find it too appealing.

Apart from A and B spec races, there are Special Event races that you can take part in. The first one I was able to unlock was a go-kart race, which I found to be loads of fun as I sped around the track on the little speed demon. The next racing event I was able to unlock was NASCAR driving school, led by driving legend Jeff Gordon. Sadly his character model lacked any real enthusiasm or expression, so I was quick to skip past his very boring opening monologue. There are other special events such as the Top Gear Racing  track that you can take part in, but are only available to unlock at higher driver levels, which again puts the focus back on leveling up your driver by completing races. You also have access to a ‘Licenses’ section, where you are taught a series of driving maneuvers and tricks, and then asked to put these into play during a final race. It’s a good way to better your driving skills and learn some valuable tricks that can shave seconds off your lap times, and there is a regular Practice area available as well. You also have access to the GT Auto and Tuning Shop, where you can maintain and tweak your cars to the style and performance that best suits you. There’s a fair amount of detail put in here, and car enthusiasts will purr with delight as they pore over every detail of their prized chariot.

Of course the true challenge lies in the online mode of the game, where you simply jump into a game lobby and choose which race to enter. There is much to be said for racing against 16 opponents, and I was pleased to see that overall the racing experience was uninterrupted and in short a whole lot of fun. There are also Seasonal racing events that are updated weekly, which can give you great bonuses if completed successfully. You are also given access to an online dealership, where you can buy and sell cars with other racers, and this helps to build a sort of ‘community’ among other GT5 players. If the GT mode doesn’t sound like your thing or you just want to get into a quick race, then the Arcade mode will let you do a regular race, Time Trial, Drift Trial, or a 2-player split screen race. Thanks to the large selection of tracks and cars that are unlocked from the start, there’s plenty here to keep gamers of all levels occupied.

Two other features appear in Gran Turismo 5, and they are the Course Maker and Gran Turismo TV. Course Maker will let you select a template and create your own racing course. Each course is split into a number of sections that you specify, and you are able to individually tweak each section’s attributes such as complexity and corner sharpness, which determines the overall complexity of the track. It’s a no-brainer system which seems to work well as there are any number of combinations you can produce. Gran Turismo TV allows you to download HD-quality content from various channels – the default Gran Turismo channel allows you to download trailers, special segments, behind the scenes videos, and much more – all for free. There is paid content available as well, from the likes of Better MOTORing, which provide downloadable videos of recaps from 2008 and 2009 races. It’s a novel concept that I’m sure hardcore racers will appreciate, as there is a balance between free and paid content.

For all of GT5’s bells and whistles, there are unfortunately some flaws that are hard to miss. The biggest of these seem to be the computer AI – during your first few races it seems that the AI doesn’t really care where the cars are on the track, and you’ll constantly get boxed in or crash into the car in front of you that just suddenly decided to brake. Only as you gain experience levels does the AI seem to suddenly sprout a brain and drive properly. The visuals are also sometimes not as stunning as the rest of the game, which is evident in some of the car models and a few of the tracks. Thankfully, you’re mostly always driving at breakneck speed so it’s easy to ignore the occasional visual hiccup.

Gran Turismo 5 is packed with variety when it comes to racing – while you may spend some time unlocking everything in order to appreciate it, the vast number of racing options and styles is enough to get racing fans excited. Was the game worth the wait? It most certainly was, but in the time that it’s taken to finally release, there have been some worth contenders on the horizon.