14 DAY TRIAL // Gran Turismo 5 is the long-awaited racing simulation title created by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony which has finally been released on November 24 and allows gamers to experience a wide variety of events, from karting to NASCAR and traditional city and circuit races with more than 1,000 vehicles.
That “more than 1,000 cars” idea was the one which focused much of the attention of the video gaming related commentators and a lot of the marketing efforts coming from Sony and, although the number itself is impressive and lends itself to analysis and comparison, it might also have hurt the reception which the game received in some circles.
The problem is how the GT mode, the heart of Gran Turismo 5, is structured.
Only about a fifth of the thousand strong cast of cars is in the Premium category, allowing the player to play from inside the cockpit, with full damage modeled and with a lot of polygons dedicated to simulating the beauty of the machines.
It makes sense to have it all as an evolution, with the player picking up skills and opening up new cars as he manages to beat races, but the concept makes it necessary to start the gamer off with some lowly cars, the type which lack the polish of the Premium category and does not allow for in cockpit view.
So, the initial impression is somewhat disappointing, with some jagged edges popping up here and there and some weird texturing, especially annoying in the race setup when the game tries hard to find angles that showcase the beauty of the car and instead show something taken directly and with little modification from previous versions of Gran Turismo.
The game more than makes up for this with the detail heaped on Premium cars and with the variety of game modes, but it's the sort of small problem that Polyphony Digital could have easily fixed and lead to less than enthusiastic reactions to Gran Turismo 5 from some gamers.