Gran Turismo 5

Like normal, _Gran Turismo 5_ begins with a long intro film. However, this time the video is truly astounding. The level of detail is incredible and really shines through as the video takes you through the process of creating an engine: from raw materials, through the factories, and finally finishing with the cars on the track.

Once the intro finishes you are asked to install the game – this is definitely worth it. Whilst the difference in waiting times isn’t always huge, you may as well do it. Over Christmas I played the game on another PS3 at home and skipped the installation so that I could have a quick race, and loading times did painfully increase from what I had been used to when playing installed copy. Your mileage may vary, but the producer of _GT_ has been quoted as saying the game is better with the full install.

Going straight into what is traditionally ‘GT Mode’ takes you to the GT Life screen, the hub of the simulation side of things. The interface isn’t amazing, but definitely feels very _Gran Turismo_. Using a mouse cursor that can only hover on certain areas feels slightly odd, but it feels like a _GT_ game. The screen provides easy access to all of the simulation type features on offer – a lot better than the ‘Cities’ in _Gran Turismo 2_.

It is impossible to review a _Gran Turismo_ game without talking about the cars, so here goes. Unsurprisingly, the selection is huge; with over 1031 cars to peruse, choose and use. The detail of each car is unbelievable. The big difference this time round is that the cars are split into Premium and Standard. Premium cars have very high resolution models and support the new cockpit view, as well as windscreen wipers and enhanced headlights. Standard cars have been imported from previous incarnations, and feel a bit like cars from the prequels. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the Standard models, but compared to the incredible detail of the new Premium cars they definitely feel like a downgrade. The Standard cars are available from the Used Car dealership, whereas the Premium cars are available to buy from the New Car dealerships. There is a great selection of cars, as you would expect – it’s huge fun to scream around the Nürburgring in a Lamborghini Murciélago SV.

The graphics, unsurprisingly, are fantastic. The cars (the Premium ones) look incredible, and the tracks are modelled to perfection. The only criticism is the spectators. They are very flat and look like they have been pulled straight out of a PS2 game. This doesn’t matter when you are racing, and you are either looking at track or the other cars, but the spectators stand out in the replays, and really ruin the photo-realistic feel.

All the old favourite tracks are there – High Speed Ring, Grand Valley Speedway and more. Again, the graphics are superb and they provide a perfect backdrop to the new high resolution cars. The tracks all have a unique feel, which the new level of detail really augments. The Nürburgring feels treacherous and slippery, much like I imagine it would in real life. The race tracks provide a lot more grip and you will really appreciate the space that they offer.

The new Special challenges are great fun. A few are set on the Top Gear track and feature Clarkson-style antics in a VW Camper Van. The feature I was anticipating the most, however, is the karting. There is only one model of kart, and it is a Premium model. It’s incredible driving the kart in cockpit view, and watching the character press the brake and accelerate as you go round the tracks. The races are short and sweet, and it’s definitely a feature I could see being expanded over the lifetime of the game.

The license tests are vastly improved from the tedium of the prequels. No longer do you have to patiently grind your way through pointless ‘stopping tests’ so that you can actually drive some races. Most of the licenses are fairly easy to pass, and I only had to retry a couple. The tasks are a lot more useful than in previous games, covering topics such as overtaking techniques and drafting; they really provide a new gamer with a good foundation for taking on the races.

This does come with a downside: the XP and ‘level’ system the game is now used to control whether you can enter a race or not. This is a highly debated feature and definitely not one of my favourites. At the start of the game it doesn’t really cause any problems – the races are all fairly low level, the licenses are easy and give you lots of XP and so do the ‘Special’ events – but once you get to around level 20 (The hardest normal races require level 25) the grind begins. You need lots of credits and XP in order to buy the right cars and be allowed to enter the races. I’m currently at level 21 and the game is getting a little repetitive. I can’t afford one of the ridiculous race cars and there aren’t enough low-power races for me to practise in. It’s now just a case of getting as much XP and cash as possible before I can continue. I think that this feature will be the killer for the casual gamer. It’s fine to lose hours to a game when you feel like you are getting somewhere – and you definitely get that at the start of _GT5_. Thinking about how my first races used to go, they were pretty embarrassing. Within a few hours, though, I could hold my own and was buying and winning plenty of good cars. However, as I’ve explained above, from level 20 onwards is a real grind, and if you are looking for your fun/relaxation fix for a quick 30 minutes then you will be very disappointed.

If you haven’t played _Gran Turismo_ before, then I don’t think that _GT5_ is the game to make you start. If you are an old fan of the series then this game will have everything you are looking for, and I can’t recommend it strongly enough. All the usual ingredients are here: well worth the wait!