Gran Turismo 5

[mmosu]

B-spec was introduced in Gran Turismo 4 - I dabbled in it back then, but I haven't done any B-spec in GT5.  In GT4, you could race the literal 24 hours of Le Mans and I think B-spec was introduced primarily as a method of completing this and a few other long endurance races - as in, it wouldn't take undivided attention for 24 hours to complete it, but rather you could figure out how long you had in between pit stops and check back in periodically as needed.  In GT4, any event could be selected for either A-spec or B-spec, rather than having a set of specific A-spec events and then a different set of specific B-spec events, so you could try to drive for 24 hours if you really wanted  :-()  Overall it seemed a little more flexible, although I can't say for sure since (as I said before) I haven't done any B-spec in this game yet.     

[mmosu]

Ok, this is a test . . . Aha! It works!  PZ, you sir are a genius  :-() :-X
Ok, more pics on the way . . .
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[mmosu]

Commence car porn . . .  :-()
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[PZ]

Stunning automobile, with equally stunning game graphics  :-X

[spaceboy]

yeah, beautiful isn't it?  It's hard not to crash sometimes especially driving through the world circuits!

[mmosu]

It sure is!  Here's a couple more creations - both V8 Ferrari's.  First up, my 430 Scudiera:
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[mmosu]

. . . and my 458 Italia.  Both cars are screamers, with redlines around 10,000rpm and the Italia tops out well over 200mph since it has a sequential 7-speed transmission (the cars in the background of the last picture are finding that out  :-D)!
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[JRD]

Hehehe... except for the red horns, that last picture looks like this guy -  >:D

[PZ]

Very nice, mmosu!  :-X

i need to get some of those fast cars  >:D

[mmosu]

Both of these cars beat a field of full-blown race cars in a lap around the Nurburgring once fully tuned, so they are definately worth the price  :-X

[Art Blade]

nice pics  :) :-X

[mmosu]

Now at driver level 23 and with most of the main game behind me, it's time for some final thoughts...
First off let me reiterate that this game looks and sounds flippin' fantastic, and while I'm a GT fan going back to the first game in the late 90's, I'm going to try and form an objective and picky review and not gush like a pathetic fan-boy.  So with that in mind, let's start with what isn't so great:

-Premium Cars vs. Standard Cars:  It's a dirty, dirty little trick they played on us.  Yes sir, a clever ruse indeed, but a painfully obvious and disappointing one.  We all heard the hype – "over 1,000 cars".  Here's the problem – only about half of those are the beautifully rendered "premium" models, which can be painted, have new wheels fitted, and can be driven using a super realistic cockpit view that puts the player right in the driver seat of some of the most incredible machines on the planet.  The rest, however, are the "standard" models which are forever stuck with their stock showroom wheels and mysteriously all have tinted windows that seem to hide the lack of attention paid to the space inside their doors.  Their lines are not a smooth as the premiums, their chrome doesn't seems to shine quite as brightly, and forget about feeling like you just literally slipped behind the wheel of one of these babies because cockpit view is not an option.  I can understand why the devs did this, I really can.  1,000 cars is a daunting task, especially considering where the bar was set with this game.  The biggest issue isn't that they created two levels of detail for the cars, but rather that some of the cars that didn't make the "premium cut" don't make sense.  While my Honda Civic Type R is rendered in full, beautiful premium-level detail, my $1 million and 1,000+ horsepower Bugati Veyron is a second-class citizen with only standard details.  Why is beyond me.

-Dumb driver AI:   the opponent drivers might be blind . . . or stupid . . . or a bunch of dirty bastards . . . or maybe all three.  Let me set the stage for you:  Tokyo, the final leg of the Japanese Super GT series.  It's the second lap of ten, my foot is on the floorboard, the needle is beginning to tick upwards of 160mph, and I'm door-to-door with the race leader heading in to turn number one – it's a game of chicken to see who can wait the longest to break for the turn, and the lead.  I'm on the outside lane, and since I have brass ones and ice-water for blood, he breaks first.  I wait just a split second longer, stab the breaks briefly and dive-bomb the apex for a perfectly clean pass and the lead – international racing etiquette demands he must give way as I've already overtaken him.  But what does he do?  Well I'll tell you – he tags me, hard, on the rear quarter, making my back end step out and almost putting me into the wall.  Shaking my fist in the rearview mirror, I manage to power out of the slide and maintain the lead with a dirty brake-check of my own, then pull away (with a lead I will be able to maintain for the remainder of the race) while issuing a two-finger salute a la Steve McQueen in Le Mans.  It's strange – left alone the opponent AI will put down textbook laps, rarely smoking the tires or missing an apex.  However it appears that the logic that governs this excellence is so rigid and inflexible that it can't readily adapt to a human player with an aggressive and risky driving style.  It makes for some really frustrating moments, and more often than not I find myself in these situations when victory is on the line.  In the real world someone driving like that would earn themselves a black flag, in the world of Gran Turismo 5 all I can do to vent is return the favor on the next corner . . .   

-Beautiful background and scenery – at least until you start looking really hard . . . – This is something that bugs me – if you know there is a weak area in the track scenery, don't put a camera right across from it!  In GT 1&2, spectators were little more than cardboard cut-outs positioned along the circuit.  In GT 3 some of them got upgraded so that they could wave their arms in the air as you drove by, and GT 4 saw a few more complex animations.  So naturally, it was no surprise to find that spectators in GT 5 were full 3D rendered models with multiple animations and who would even react to your driving, cringing and drawing back if you lost control near their area.  But wait, what's this?  Alas, it appears not all GT5 spectators are created equal, for if you look hard enough you can still spot a few cardboard people out there as you fly by.  It's understandable – like the extras in a movie, it doesn't matter so much what they look like but rather that they're just there.  But what the designers have done in a few areas is the equivalent of giving the biggest uggo on the street a closeup in the next summer blockbuster, and the biggest offender is the London circuit.  There is one particular corner toward the end of the lap where the replay camera is up on a balcony of a nearby building.  This particular balcony is co-inhabited by a guy I affectionately refer to as the "cardboard cameraman".  There he stands, frozen motionless, fingers fused together in an amorphous blob of a hand gripping a black box that's supposed to be a camera, all with a polygon count that would have been a joke on the PS1.  And it's not that you just barely glimpse him in the shot – rather he bloody fills the right third of the screen!!!  It's frustrating to look at really.  If you really have to put a camera right there, then don't park that guy next to it!  In such a beautifully put-together environment that is like looking at a moving photo of the real world, it's these little non sequiturs that briefly take you out of the experience.   

Ok, so now that I've established my objectivity, lets talk about the good stuff:

- The open world of racing at your fingertips – It's all here:  JGTC, DTM, the American Le Mans Series, SCCA, Formula One, WRC, D1GP, and for those who like to watch a bunch of rednecks drive around in a left-handed circle, NASCAR!  Almost every major racing organization in the world is represented in spirit, if not explicitly by name.  The competition ranges from casual weekend warrior stuff to intense pro-level races where having the wrong final drive ratio or aerodynamic settings can be enough to keep you out of the winners circle.  The tracks are diverse in design and location, with a good mix of real world street courses, world class circuits like Monza, Daytona, Laguna Seca, and Sarthe, and both classic and new "original" circuits designed specifically for the world of Gran Turismo.  Whatever your skill level or interest level, if you have any interest in four-wheeled vehicles, there is something here you can enjoy.     

- Creative and unique challenges – How do you feel about racing around the Top Gear test track in a field of 16 VW Buses?  How about participating in the Grand Tour, a unique series of races stretching down the Italian coastline?  What about private drafting lessons with Jeff Gordon or a drifting tutorial with Sebastian Loeb?  Hitting 80+ mph in a go-kart?  What about a performance driving course from Mercedes-Benz?  This game is full of unique events that will push your skills to the limit and add more for the completionist who has to do everything.  Not to mention that special "seasonal" events are constantly being added online for additional challenges – we're talkin' replay value people!

-Massive online support - GT online is a huge online community in which you to create a profile similar to Facebook that allows other players to view your accomplishments, cars, photos, race replays, and more.  Competitions are constantly being organized, world records updated, and legacies created.  Plus, with GT TV, you can watch tons of exclusive racing and production content that is also being continually changed and updated. 

- It actually does look pretty good – As I hope some of the image I've posted point out (and my earlier comments haven't detracted from), despite the occasional hitch, glitch, or "what the heck is that" moment, this game looks and sounds amazing!  Overall the visuals pop with vibrancy and detail, from the weave of carbon fiber aero-parts to the sparks that jump from the underbody of a low-slung race car as it passes over a rumble strip.  There are moments where textures and effects tear in a funny way or shadows will, for a split second, detach from their source, but aside from these occasional instances it looks almost perfect, and could certainly be considered state-of-the-art for this genre of console games. 
The soundtrack is appropriate without being distracting.  The menus have a smooth jazz theme that is reminiscent of what you would hear in a lot of high-end car dealerships, and the race tracks (er, songs) fit the feel of what's going on with a good mix of rock and techno.  The engine sounds are recorded from the actual cars that they represent, so in a big race your ears are presented with a symphony of 6, 8, 10, 12, and even 16 cylinder engine notes that can raise the hair on your arms when the volume is cranked up.  The engine sounds even change and become more aggressive and harsh as the engine and exhaust are tuned toward maximum power – you'll immediately notice the difference when going from the stock exhaust to fitting a full racing titanium set-up. 

- Infinite tuneability - almost every parameter is tunable, from brake balance to gear ratios, from suspension settings to tire softness – you could spend days fine-tuning your ride for each track if you wanted to.  While it might not be necessary for winning many of the races, this is one of the areas from which I derive much of my enjoyment from this game – extracting every single drop of speed out of every single car I build – it's what separates the casual player from the hardcore perfectionist. 

All in all, despite a short list of flaws, this is the realization of the game that GT5 Prologue promised and had us all on the hook waiting for for the last few years.  With so much to offer, I know I'll be coming back again and again – well, at least until GT6 comes out!   

[PZ]

Nice review, mmosu - although I'm nowhere near where you are, in my mind I can visualize much of what you wrote  :-X

[Art Blade]

Nice, mmosu! That earned you a thumbs-up slap on the back, mate :) Kudos  :-X

[mmosu]

Cheer guys  :-X Next thing I want to do is try to get some replay footage uploaded to Youtube, not sure how it's going to w@&k out but I'll keep you all posted.

[mmosu]

Some new additions to the garage - a BMW M3, Lexus LFA, and Audi R10 TDI, the car that broke Peugeot's back during the last 24 hours of Le Mans - worth every penny at $4.75 million ( :o)

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[Art Blade]

I loved that car when playing RaceDriver:Grid. Most excellent  :) And whoa, those pics look fantastic  :-X

[PZ]

Wow, those are great pics!  :-X

[Art Blade]

Thank you, I'll tell him. :)

I told him. He then told me that he had finished all A challenges, which left him with Bs.. those he didn't like at all.

[PZ]

I have to admit that they are not terribly exciting.

[Jim di Griz]

B-Spec is something you like or don't, I think and going through the whole can be...challenging but not always in a good way. I say that as there are some B-spec events where your carefully trained Driver (or Bobs as they are affectionately known) forgets absolutely everything. The NASCAR event is one of these and your Bob will have shredded the tyres and lost all chance of winning long before all the AIs.

However, B-spec has really come into its own in the occasional Seasonal Event. As mmosu says, PD have been updating the game frequently since (I think) spring 2011 and now the seasonal events are weekly additions alternating with TT and drift events. There have been a few good B-spec ones such as the Spa Francorchamps GT500 one, which I loved so much I did about six times.

On that note, Polyphony Digital have improved a lot of the original points of concern. Standard cars are still pixellated messes in some cases though you can now drive from the 'cockpit' view - it's more often than not a simple black frame to suggest the interior of a car, but on some such as the Caterham and other open top cars, boy it's fun! You can also change their wheels and paint the rims, including some race cars.

The AI difficulty levels can now be adjusted in Arcade mode, so you can get a good challenge going in practice. Online though is the bit that keeps most gamers coming back, though not so much in random lobbies as you still get those who spoil the fun of the ones hoping for a serious race. Toward this end there are hundreds of groups that meet up regularly and I was there having loads of fun with the Casual Racing Affiliates Program (yes, CRAP because were all were at the srtart) until my PS3 decided the GT5 disc wasn't one of those it would randomly refuse to play. I played that game every day from launch - I've even reach level 40 in both A and B-spec twice due to a corrupted game save; even so, I've loved this game all the time.

There have been track and car DLC packs, including a slew of racing suits, helmets and specialised colour chips. Those new tracks haven't been many, only two so far but Spa has weather and Route X has time progression - that last one is basically a very pretty test track with 15km long straights  :-D

My only disappointment has been the rally in GT5. It was GT3 that got me into driving rally car games and GT4 improved upon that. Other than a severe under representation, GT5 has done something weird with the physics I think. Though having said that, I still race it when I can and have fun with the track editor, creating fine circuits for all of the rally classes.

Roll on GT6!

[PZ]

 :-X

My f'in dog chewed through the USB cable to my driving wheel  :D

[Jim di Griz]

Ouch - not good. I hope it's not a sealed unit cable...

[PZ]

She chewed the end that plugs into the bus - I was hoping to find some kind of repair kit.

[Art Blade]

I'd be hoping to first find a dog swatter to whip that plug out of her  >:D