Drooling race fans can now dry their mouths as the long awaited GT5 hit shelves this past Wednesday! If you are loaded, or have a “sugar mama” the GT5 collector’s edition is available for $100. Here’s what you get for your hard earned loot!
- Gran Turismo 5 game
- Exclusive limited edition Kyosho designed 1:43 scale die cast 2009 Nissan GT-R Spec V
- In-depth 300-page car-lover’s guide written by the experts at Polyphony Digital
- Custom etched Gran Turismo key chain
- Voucher for 5 downloadable exclusive high-end cars with custom delivery and performance upgrades
- Numbered certificate of authenticity
- Custom collector's packaging
Alright, let’s get to the good, the bad, and the ugly!
The Good:
The graphics are fantastic; racing doesn’t get any more realistic, unless you are literally driving the cars! Polyphony Digital added roughly 300 more cars upping the total to 1000! There is finally an online feature which includes 16-player support, Open Lobby, Text / Voice Chat, Private rooms, Online Photo Album, Online Replay Album, YouTube replay output. Yes! You can now race friends for bragging rights!
The Bad:
The courses seem oddly familiar. Oh wait! They are basically the same from GT4, with some slight modifications. Modifications, meaning the idea of a different course is you drive the same one but in a different direction. When attempting to get a license to unlock new races you can’t hit a wall or bump another racer or you will be immediately disqualified! That doesn’t seem like realistic racing! So instead of racing to earn money, and experience you’ll be stuck on the final stage of acquiring a license or making a trip to the store for a new controller.
The Ugly:
Riddle me this…If you are lucky enough to have some of the free cars to start the game why is it mandatory to spend 20 grand on a car? I guess you could sell the car immediately, but you won’t recoup your initial 20,000 credits. Also, where is the real-time damage Polyphony spoke of? I have hit the wall countless times yet my vehicle is always intact. Guys that is not realistic at all, indestructible vehicles? I have yet to see anything fly off my car from smacking a wall or hitting another racer. With a 5 year wait and an initial PS3 launch why can’t you design a car? I think it would be great to have a design feature. Just saying…
Overall, GT5 is the best racing game available, but for a company of perfectionists there are still plenty of flaws. If you invest the 100 hours it will take to unlock, purchase, and win everything the replay value will be extremely low. My advice, take your time it will probably be 6 more years before another GT release.
Score: 8
Key Game Features
- 1,000 Vehicles - 170 Premium new models, including hybrids and EVs, and 830 kinds of standard models similar to those seen in previous games
- Plenty of Courses - Rip it up in more than 20 courses, more than 60 layouts
- New Physics - The in-game physics system simulation is brand new to the series, and allows for greater realism and damage
- Arcade Mode - Allows for single race functionality and 2-player battle
- GT Mode Features - World Map, My Garage, Car Dealer, Tuning Shop, Car Washes/Oil Change, Race Championship (Series system, point system), License Test
- Online Features - 16-player support, Open Lobby, Text / Voice Chat, Private rooms, Online Photo Album, Online Replay Album, YouTube replay output
- Photo Mode - Photo Drive and Photo stage
- Gran Turismo TV - Video output to a PSP or PSP Go, Progressive Download, Improved user interface, continuous play for videos
- Sound Features - Custom soundtracks pulled from your PS3 hard-drive; Dolby Digital 5.1 and 7.1
