Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Review

Written by: Darren Cartledge Posted: 30th April 2008

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Gran Turismo makes its PlayStation 3 debut.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Details:

	Racing
	PlayStation 3
	Polyphony Digital
	Sony

Out Now

N/A

Gran Turismo 5 is probably one of the most eagerly awaited games for the PlayStation 3. Since the consoles launch, owners have been waiting to get a taste of their favourite driving game so once again Sony has given them a little taster of what’s to come with Gran Turismo 5: Prologue.

One thing you need to remember about GT5: Prologue is that it’s meant as a taster for the full game. There are no licences to gain, not as many cars GT fans are use too or even tracks. You maybe now thinking, well what’s the point, but what you need to remember is that this game is aimed at the hardcore GT fan who simply can’t wait any longer for the release of GT5, but don’t despair there’s still plenty to do in this game until its release.

The games main mode is split into three classes A,B and C, with you obviously starting in C and having to work through all the races before moving up to the next class. Each class has different types of races which have certain vehicle restrictions placed on them. For instance in some races you have to use a specific car or a 4WD or FWD car. Of course some races have no restrictions as to the type of car you can use, so these are relatively easy to find success in.

As with previous GT games credits are awarded for completing races, and as you would expect the better you do in a race the more credits you gain. Credits are used in Gran Turismo games to purchase a new car, which is done by visiting the dealerships. As mentioned earlier if you’ve played previous GT games don’t expect to find the same large ranges that will no doubt be present in Gran Turismo 5 but the game still does offer a good selection from the likes of BMW, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Ferrari and Aston Martin to name a few.

As well as the games main mode, GT5: Prologue also features 2 player battles and an arcade mode. The two player battle is the games split screen playing option while the arcade mode allows you to take part in races or time trails on any track. Also available on some of the tracks in the games arcade mode are Drift Trials, these as the name suggest require you to drift around bends on a track scoring point on each corner, however you will have to keep control because if you leave the track you lose all you points before you reach a checkpoint and make them safe. Pulling off drifts is pretty easy. However, mastering drifting in the game does take a bit of practice. Once you have completed the trial your score is submitted to an online leader board so you can see how well you’re performing which is a nice touch.

One of the biggest and most awaited features of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue is to race online, and this has been implemented pretty well in the game, all the times I raced online I never once encountered any lag and was always easily able to connect to the server to play the game. Online races are split into skill levels such as beginner, intermediate and expert. Of course there are also different race types for different cars so don’t worry about coming up against a Ferrari in your Ford Focus.

Races themselves are fairly challenging, the game employs a very good physics system, that requires you to drive in a real life way, for instance you can’t go speeding into a corner without spinning off the track or bump walls without being slowed down. The game does feature a number of driving options to aid you during races such as active steering, traction control and active stability steering. Also adding to the games challenge, cars seem to have their own handling style which you will have to get use to, this is even more notable between front wheel drive and four wheel drive vehicles. While we’re on the subject of realism, the game still disappointingly lacks a damage system, so after ploughing into a barrier at high your car is always in immaculate condition.

As we’ve come to expect from the GT games Gran Turismo 5: Prologue looks absolutely fantastic. Cars have been rendered brilliantly and are amazing replicas of their real world counterparts. Tracks also feature an impressive amount of detail with people standing on the side of the track and dust flying up should you touch the gravel traps. The game also features some amazing lighting effects, which change depending on your position on the track which is a very nice touch.

Sound in the game is a little limited, car sounds are all excellent and it’s nice to hear the different car engine notes. However, the games music doesn’t really seem to fit, its all orchestral piano notes that seem a little out of place in a high octane racing game!

Overall Gran Turismo 5: Prologue is a good game, however there’s not much to it and you may prefer to wait for Gran Turismo 5 to be released, however if you’re a hardcore fan that simply can’t wait, go out and buy it as there’s enough there to significantly wet your appetite further until the big release day comes.