14 DAY TRIAL // Game developers have been snowing us for years with features that in many cases didn't even exist or that have been gravely exaggerated. It's not uncommon and has become a usual practice to list a number of so-called features in a press release or on the back of a packshot. I was living with the impression that most gamers (and implicitly, buyers) don't even bother to read those specs unless it's something great or some vaporware that was finally released. I was wrong: not only do buyers look at those epic-like features but they also hold them to be true and, when we combine this naivet? with some good old-fashioned console fanboyism, we get a lot of people doing PR for free on forums, constantly shoving the features from the cover in our face.
Sony and Polyphony make no exception from this rule and this is what we can see listed as features for Grand Turismo 5 Prologue:
- "Race more than 60 meticulously detailed cars from worldwide manufacturers, including Ferrari, BMW, and Nissan". That is not entirely true. I don't debate the number as I never counted them, but "meticulously detailed cars" - I don't think so. There are games out there that have really good looking cars and I only have to give one example: Toca Race Diver 3, launched more than two years ago (on a number of platforms including PS2, Xbox and PC), had detailed cars; I fail too see why I should believe Sony, two years later, when they're present this like it's for the first time that it's happening.
- "Each car features an all-new interior dash view with driver animations and gauges that track vehicle performance in real-time". I'm sorry to say but it has been done before.
- "Stunning Graphics". Sony probably thinks we've been living under a rock for so long, that gamers can still be tricked with graphics. Granted the game looks good but I don't see the stunning part. Sony has been showcasing this title as a flagship for graphics on PS3. It's not making me buy one...
- "Customization - Tune your car performance to shave precious seconds off your lap times. Adjust each car's suspension and tires for improved handling, and boost performance with gear ratio and engine modifications to harness every bit of horsepower under the hood." I know that EA is loosing fans by the hour, but they are responsible for one of the best racing games in the last ten years: "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed" was released 8 YEARS ago and it featured much of the same stuff. Granted the level of customization was a little bit lower, but you could do the same things: replace parts with better ones, like brakes, manifolds suspension and God knows what else. You could also adjust several factors like brakes or power ratio. I case you didn't get it the first time, this was 8 years ago. Sony can't really expect people to believe they are doing it for the first time in history, 'cause they're not. Come on people, is this the best you can do?
- "Experience ultra-realistic racing with brand-new driving physics and improved, smarter AI that reacts to your every move". What exactly is ultra-realistic racing? Maybe for kids, 3-10 year-olds that haven't picked up a steering wheel. The game is not even all that realistic and the physics kinda suck. If you don't believe me, let's take a look at this amazing spin (it's not that difficult to find examples of wacky physics on YouTube) that doesn't even come close to what it should look like; and this is just one example.
Smarter AI? Not really, the game doesn't present any kind of improved AI. The cars are governed by an AI, of course, but it doesn't stand out and it's not all that great if you think about it: it lets players cut corners as it follows the optimal path of the track and it doesn't take advantage (just like the players do) from the lack of damage, like taking a fast curve using the rail. I'm used with racing games to have a bland AI and I know that only FPSs have come with some serious examples of what an AI should be like. The only racing game I found to be worthy of mentioning is the latest installment from Codemasters, Race Driver: Grid that features a really aggressive AI that actually tried to stop me from passing it on straight lines and I had a hard(er) time overtaking the best drivers.
These are just a few of the things that are falsely used to describe this game. We keep hearing about the awesomeness of the Cell processor but, so far, there isn't a proper damage model implemented in the Grand Turismo series. Many will say that it was because of the car manufacturers that didn't want to see their precious cars destroyed. It has nothing to do with that, as Sony promised that Grand Turismo 5 would feature damage. Do you think that car manufacturers have suddenly collapsed from all the pressure coming from the gaming community? There wasn't any plan for damage in the first place, as it would have made the game too difficult for the average console gamer. Who wants to play a game in which, 50% of the time, you can't even finish a race?
Which brings us to the final conclusion: this game is not the "Real Driving Simulator" and, based on the over-inflated features for Prologue, I'm not going to take Sony's word on that the future games will come even closer to this concept. For a game to be even considered a driving simulator, it has to feature controls that resemble real-life driving (and please don't give me examples of famous drivers that said GT5 was realistic, I would do it too for the appropriate sum of money), realistic fuel consumption, realistic tire wear, AI that actually gives a damn, real damage, not only to the body but to the engine parts, penalties for illegal overtaking on other surfaces than the tarmac or intentional damage to other cars, and even the possibility to lose a race in the 99th lap. There are few racing games that can be called simulators, like Live for Speed and GTR 2 and even if they are not the real thing (not just yet), they still are a lot closer to what "Real Driving Simulator" should be. I'm not saying Grand Turismo 5 is a bad game, it's actually a great game, but until you get at least some of the features I mentioned above right, please change the name to "Real Arcade Simulator".