PS3 Review – Gran Turismo 5
B-Spec mode brings new meaning to Gran Turismo‘s tagline of being the real driving simulator. Surprisingly, in B-Spec mode, you don’t actually drive a car. Instead you manage the driver, much like you would control the actions of the supporting characters in an RPG. You have access to several cues which tell the driver when to pick up the pace, maintain speed, or even overtake opponents. As the manager, you are privy to a number of statistics and a live feed of the action, so it is easy to see what effect your commands have on the car and the race. The drivers themselves start out as novice and can be molded into an imposing force behind the wheel. They even have their own temperament, so if you’re hot-headed, you may want to pick a more reserved driver for your team to balance things out. Choose and manage up to 6 drivers in total through a series of difficulty levels, challenges and races. This mode is a great addition to the overall package, and does offer a significantly different experience versus being in the car.
Moving back to the levels in Gran Turismo 5, it’s worth mentioning that as you rank up you’ll gain access to a variety of extra modes. This is where you’ll find additional ways to play, such as Kart racing, Nuburgring, and NASCAR modes just to name a few of the many. Kart racing is great fun, but requires a lot more practice than you might be expecting. These karts are no joke, and similar to the other game modes, you’ll need to adapt quickly to the physics behind the wheel to succeed. The NASCAR school is a nice treat for fans of the sport, and it does a great job of layering-in some of the fine details that make the sport so popular in America. NASCAR mode is all about heart-pounding, exhilarating speed, and learning advanced racing techniques like drafting.
New to the series is the addition of both car damage and weather effects. Car damage is available on all vehicles, but only the premium cars see the real intensity of collision. While paint chips and steel mangles, the end result looks more like the car was a lit candle left out in the hot sun. The end result is slightly underwhelming, but the impact on performance is a welcoming component for the series given the game’s simulation heritage. Weather effects, however, are extremely impressive. Not only does it significantly change the way the car handles, but it makes the track all the more challenging. Slick roads from fresh rainfall are much easier to slip on, especially if you trail off-track a bit and your tires run over wet grass. Snowy corners are treacherous and must be approached with caution. Lower gears work the best in order to stay in control, just like in real wintry road conditions. Snow and dirt kick up from cars racing ahead of you, impairing your sight. To top it all off, windshield wipers sway back and forth clearing away these acts of nature while in cockpit view, and the visual presentation of such conditions is absolutely stunning.
Also new to the series is a Course Maker mode. Hopefully you aren’t thinking this means you can create tracks as sophisticated as ModNation Racers, because you can’t. GT5‘s Course Maker mode doesn’t let you add customization or personal touch to your created tracks. Instead, you’ll simply be given a list of pre-made layouts. From there you can select how many “sections” you want the track to have, then go into each “section” to further tweak it. Customization comes in the form of section difficulty settings, and to add further challenge, you’re able to increase or decrease the width of the road as well as the sharpness of turns. The end result is usually a decent track to race on, but the entire mode lacks deep personalization. In the day of Play.Create.Share., the Course Maker mode just doesn’t make the grade. It doesn’t detract from the game experience and it’s not badly done, it’s just the fact that we’ve come to expect more out of this type of feature. With that said, its addition means once you’ve raced on the dozens of pre-installed tracks a few hundred times, you can play some of your own. Great concept but just not executed to the fullest.
The game’s Online mode will certainly appeal to those of you looking to race alongside fellow humans rather than AI controlled cars and doing so can make for a more exciting experience if you’re racing against someone who knows the ins and outs of the apex. Find a novice who doesn’t know the rules of the road, and you’ll be more frustrated than anything else. Though, that’s not the game’s fault. Hopping in and out of the game’s online lobby is a breeze, and setting up races with friends is just as simple. To make it easier to join friends, each room is assigned a 20-digit numerical code. Just click on the globe that says “specify room number” and punch in that code to be brought directly to the room your friend is in. Races were smooth and without a hiccup in connection. Voice and text chat is available in the lobby, with only voice available in the races themselves. If you want to best experience, it’s best if you install the game data, and this will not only help you but others as well.
Gran Turismo 5‘s racing experience is phenomenal. Each and every car has its own personality. The game’s physics engine is finely tuned to properly match each car’s weight, torque, horsepower, and other attributes. The stimulation gained from racing a Ferrari at breakneck speeds is something truly to behold. Turns are unforgiving if you’re moving too quickly, in the wrong gear, or brake too late. Various road conditions have adverse affects on your performance on the track. It really doesn’t get anymore life-like than this. AI is much improved over previous iterations in the series, and other drivers seem to pay more attention to your location. Many times another driver will catch you off-guard by forcing you off the track, and nothing is more fun than coming back from behind and showing that guy who’s boss.
Even though it’s difficult to do justice to such naturally beautiful vehicles and landscapes, Gran Turismo 5 does them more justice than any other game seen before it. In the case of the premium vehicles, every curve in the car’s exterior down to every crease in the interior’s leather is there. Environments are breathtaking and give a sense of believability when cruising down huge open environments with trees, hills, and the like. Superbly done lighting effects are the icing on the delicious cake. It’s not all perfection, though. Premium cars have noticeably more detail than standard cards. Human character models look stiff and low-res. Voices don’t sync with lips or facial expressions and look downright strange. However, these issues are quickly rectified once you jump into one of the game’s feature cars, turn on cockpit view, and race down any stretch of road, snow, or dirt that the game provides.
Engine sounds are created from recordings of the actual cars they’re representing and you can hear the difference from model to model. Changes to your car even leads to changes in the aural experience. The sound of screeching tires and the following impact to the car in front of you sounds realistic. The small, subtle sounds help make the game even more immersive, all the way down to the ‘thunk’ noise you hear as you ride over metal grates in the road. The game’s music ranges from upbeat or classy to cheesy elevator music. Luckily the game features custom soundtracks, so you can add your own musical tastes to the game and make your favorite dream car your own.
Don’t expect to finish this game in a few short hours. In fact, there is so much game packed into GT5, you could easily play for a month straight and still miss out on trying a few toys. The Online mode and the fact you can keep trying to beat your best lap times give the game virtually endless replay value.
Gran Turismo 5 is the pinnacle of the racing simulation genre. After years of technological progression, hardware is finally powerful enough to provide Polyphony Digital the platform needed to deliver such an unbelievably lifelike experience. Kaz Yamauchi’s passion for the racing sphere shines through every aspect of the game. The incredibly-detailed cars, the slick presentation, the spot-on physics. Polyphony Digital brought its A-game. Nothing else on the market can come close to the realism and immersion you feel throughout. Gran Turismo 5 is virtual racing at its very best.
PlayStation LifeStyle’s Final Score
+Cars, tracks, even menus – everything is presented gorgeously +Tons of modes and new features really help to expand on the driving sim experience |  |
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49 Responses to “PS3 Review – Gran Turismo 5”
This game is a beast. Over a thousand highly-detailed cars, beautiful weather effects, and an overwhelming quantity of game modes? I’m sold!
*I know I said the same thing on a different GT5 post but this article was posted while I was writing. I wish there was a delete post feature. hint hint lol*
I must say that after so long in development I have not been that impressed. I honestly probably would not have bought the game but I won it in that Subway think a few months back. It is sad to say but I had more fun in the NFS: HP demo than I have had with GT5 so far. I hope it gets better the further I get. I didn’t play the game too much because I had other things to do. Thanksgiving weekend will be a good time to try it out with the family. I really do hope it gets better once I get some money and am able to buy better cars. Beautiful graphics though.
Forgot to say, Was I the only one who got pumped during the intro video once Planetary (GO!) by My Chemical Romance started playing haha? That was the perfect song to set my mood to race even after the install which took so long probably because I sat and watched it.
sounds like you like arcade racers more then sims.
I’m right there with ya Dark. After seeing the GT5 reviews, gameplay, etc., I’m just not sold on the game. Now NFS: HP on the other hand…
Completely different games. Need for Speed is great, but that formula has been done to death with the Burnout series and more. Simulations are done few and far between, and the satisfaction of driving real cars in a real environment is truly spectacular.
Driving cars that look like real cars at breakneck speed with nitrous oxide, police, spike strips, and Japanese body kits is fun, but nothing will ever beat the genuine simulation and RPG-like experience of a Gran Turismo for me.
I love cars. I love Gran Turismo.
awesome! pre-ordered & can’t wait! I will use my custom BGM from GT2 yay!
Cant wait for this game have to sleep for 8 hours then pick it up. Im going to race to the initial d soundtrack lol
Insal – check! Motorheads new album – CHECK! Drink – CHECK! cigs – CHECK!
LETS GET IN ON…!
Just done 30 hrs on NFS since Sat so nice to have a change
Oh & Awesome review to as always
The game is good and all but there’s a lot of negative feedback from gamers.5 years into development gives very high expectations.Polyphony did a great job adding a lot of content in there but they could put less and give much more attention to details,
i think Polyphony got their lesson.Quality over quantity and in less time next time around
true, if the game had released 2 years ago with half the content everyone would be happy. but the wait was just enough to turn down the happy meter and got some people angry.
feedback from gamers or feed back from irresponsible gaming journalists?
I don’t read reviwes, but since this is a PS lifestyle reviwe about gt I had to.
Fantastic review, and It just makes me more anxious while I wait for my copy to arrive.
Awesome, so jealous I don’t have the money to pick this up today.
Had 5 hrs and have seen nothing apart from freezes,crashes and HUGE loading times so far
2nd load up i had no pointer on the menu screen so couldnt select anything?? Back to nfs for me so far 
Not impressed at all… Maybe its my system 
Good day to Bad in 5 hrs 
WoW i was done! All my troubles were caused by a totally dodgy internet connection… Once sorted GT5 was smooth as butter! Chuffed…….
I heard that the game’s graphics really aren’t that amazing and that the graphics of Need for Speed Hot Pursuit are better. I also think that’s bull crap………
Great review. I should have mine later today (shipped through Amazon). Can’t wait!!!! See y’all on the track!
Wow how does your money hat fit?
The one thing I have noticed so far is that the Tesla roadster is totally wrong. The car has one of the slowest accelerations in the game, where as in fact it has a 0-60 in 3.9 secs in real life. This really makes me wonder if these cars are really anything like they really are in real life. I was driving a Subaru WRX, which has a similar 0-60 time but should be slightly slower but I was killing the Tesla off the line every time, it was a joke. I could crash in the wall off a turn but because my acceleration was so much faster I won every time.
I normally prefer arcade racers to sims, but this is where I make an exception… I actually fear the day I get this, it will consume far too much time.
Excellent Review. GT5 deserves 10/10. I’m glad
Great review, Sev.
Although I really didn’t need any more convincing; I’m deadset on this game.
Heh, the description about the ONLINE part was both short and vague. I’ve been reading some reviews and it seems the online is kinda still in “beta stage” , it works for racing with friends but everything from leaderboards to public matchmaking is still in the rough. I guess this was part of the last-minute delay and hopefully it will be addressed with future patches. After all, the GT Academy Tournament starts on Dec 10, so I would say another patch for the online mode is to be expected for that week. I really , really hope they don’t rest on their laurels and finish polishing the online mode this great game deserves.
Mine will be arriving later today
Looking forward to it – I like to bitch about the imperfections I’ve seen in the videos and the small track list and ridiculous bias towards Japanese economy cars, but that doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to it very much.
I’m usually a guy who doesn’t get racing games with few exceptions (Modnation+Motorstorm) but I think I’m gonna have to ask for this for Christmas.
10/10, are you kidding, as much as I want it to be, it’s far from perfect. Graphics are in SOME cases great but in others terrible. Some cars have been treated so poorly it’s stupid. The games menu system is bloody awkward, sometimes bizarre. Car sounds are ok at best but otherwise poor. Yes the gameplay is much the same as number 4 which is good but what am I honestly getting in this for my 6 year wait……not much. GT5 concentrates too much on little details and forgets the gameplay element as a whole losing for me, it’s credibility as the benchmark for racing games.
Let’s now have an honest review!!
the bottom line is, do you buy a racing game for the driving experience or for the menus that get you there? From what I hear there are about 200 vehicles that look amazing and the rest, which are the standard class cars that no one wants to drive anyway, don’t look quite as good. I do, however, think that sound is a HUGE factor in racing games (I need to hear the roar of the beast I’m driving) so I do agree the game needs to be docked for that. Overall though, the menus are meaningless to me when it comes to a review score so with some sound problems I feel the game deserves a 9/10…keep in mind this is without playing it and basing my opinion completely on the things I have read/heard and videos I have watched.
9/10 at best. I think this game is being judged more-so on how MUCH it delivers as opposed to how well it actually delivers it. Actually, I do believe it deserves a 10/10, but there are much better games out there… like Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. =)
IGN gave this an 8.5. What a joke.
To be fair to IGN they reviewed the game objectively and I have to agree with their review. This game is great but falls down in some basic ways. I am a huge champion for GT but it’s due a kick up the bum and it doesn’t deliver like a game developed over 6 years should.
I feel like they are holding back to sell us a big update. As for 1000 cars, it’s not really as there are so many versions of the same car, I think over 70 for the Skyline!!
I feel like there is room for serious improvement.
There are many versions of many cars. Thats just how it is. I take IGN’s review more seriously if other sites were giving this the same scores. Even Dustructoid was able to see past their bias and score the game objectively. IGN has been far from objective for a while now.
I agree, IGN has gone down the toilet lately. Every review I have read lately seems to be written by someone I have never heard of and they all seem extremely biased (and entirely against the entire idea of motion controls I might add). I don’t know if these are new hires, or people who are just now getting a chance to publish articles but I feel like they are all morons and 360 fanboys.
FU*KIN GREAT GAME.
Lovely options, great menus, interface, great online lobbys, great sounds, visuals. This game is easy worth £30-£40. I feel that ive already got my moneys worth. This game will last years, with unlocks, dlc, a community of track builders, videos, and even educational content.
Ok some stages do look better than others, but its so f*ckin big.
10/10 for its genre, if anyone disagrees i will meet them in a pit in greece naked as the day they were born, to fight to the death.
After waiting 6 years for this game, I got my copy today. After playing it, I was amazed by the level of detail and realism of the game. I was instantly addicted to it.
I drove the Ferrari during my track day, and I couldn’t believe how realistic the gameplay was… the attention to detail was immaculate, it was like I was back in that car again.
The music is just right, and the online gaming is what I expected it to be… the online competition, has kept me going for hours. Now I’m working my way through the game and customizing the cars.
My friends have gone out and bought a PS3 just for this game, this was the exclusive we have all been waiting for. I’m working through the game and improving my time… it isn’t so easy like Forza or Need for Speed, this is the challenge I need.
Anyone who has driven these cars in real life, will truly understand how much attention to detail this game has.
The Modifiying guide from the collectors edition was really helpful. It’s totally worth it for any real car enthusiast who knows what they are talking about… not a two minute thrill, this is the real deal.
Yea great review. I just got GT5 all installed and about to go into my first race
Well….i preordered my copy of GT5 over six months ago from Amazon….and i just received an email stating “were sorry to inform you that your shipment has been delayed”. BTW – i am a premier customer if your wondering. Amazon already took the funds out of my account and i have no game. So i give GT5….BIG FAT ZERO. Thanks Amazon for nothing….!!
you realize they are probably just delaying it until after the holiday…so if you didn’t ask for release date delivery you were bound to get a delay
Not to mention giving GT5 a zero because of what Amazon did, makes no sense at all…Overall I think it’s your fault you don’t have the game right now and you need to quit blaming others for your shortcomings.
Yes – i ordered same day delivery (overnight….of course)….and they said maybe should be delivered next week —-> WHAT….??!! The reason for me ordering it this way was to play over the holiday weekend….FAT CHANCE of that now….huh….Mr. “know it all”. i work next week from 6:00 am in the morning till 7:00 pm at night (5 days a week)….i do have a life you know….with kids. And before you say “you should spend it with your kids then”….i do, so don’t go there. BTW – i am up late writing this because we have new puppies and they’re awake. But if you want to offer constructive criticism then sure i will listen…but to say it is my fault….well….maybe you should troll somewhere else. And….yes i am blaming Amazon only because i am lashing out….i mean how would you feel….?? Or do you….??
I’ve been playing it pretty much all day and have to admit GT5 is EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING. First of all its unbelieveably ugly when you are actually playing the game. The higher polly premium cars look strangely out of place in the bland environments. The city tracks do look a little better but still lacking compared to other games. Overall its just hard to fell anything but extremely letdown given the amount of development time PD has had to work on this. Now that GT6 is underway I hope PD brings in some fresh talent because the competition has closed the once enormous gap.
Mitch I will see you in the pit
man people want to nitpick this game into the ground. I am having a blast playing this and I am not even a racing game fan. The game looks great and from what I have played of it, it plays great too.
this is what a game gets when it takes so long to come out and sees multiple delays…
I guarantee you, that even if this game took the exact same amount of time in development but there had never been a delay announced everyone would be raving at how amazing it is…it’s ridiculous how artificially high everyone’s standards get once a game sees a delay or two. They automatically think that a delay for a game with this much hype gives them permission to demand a game that probably would have taken 10 years in development.
10/10? I don’t know, long loading times are noticeable and annoying even after installing 8 GB on your HDD.
Also, I’ve been playing A Spec and finished Amateur and beginner races and I did not notice any car damage. They say car damage is only applied on some premium cars in some modes. If that’s true, why would they do that?
Other than that, the game is simply perfect.
After all the hype, it’s here at last – the grown-up brother to GT5 Prologue. And I have to say I’m more than a little disappointed.
Those buying the new GT5, or thinking about it, presumably fall into one of two camps; either they’re familiar with Prologue, or they’re not. In my case I’ve had Prologue for the best part of three years, I was stunned when it first came out, and really its only shortcoming back then was that there wasn’t all that much to it. What you got was great, but you wanted more. Meanwhile if you’re completely new to Gran Turismo in any shape or form (it’s been going for 13 years) this might be highly impressive, but somehow I don’t think everyone will feel the same. There are some very good alternative racing games out there, and since Gran Turismo is (or was) something of a benchmark, I expected this latest version to raise the game to unseen levels. To be unequivocally the BEST and by a large margin.
It doesn’t.
In a way it’s like going back in time. I feel slightly nostalgic seeing those many Polyphony racetracks, as they have been seen before. The style and dynamics have hardly changed at all, and I can’t help but wonder what its makers have been doing behind the scenes for the past couple of years, especially with all the delayed release dates which only served to raise expectations higher. Basically, if you’re a die-hard Gran Turismo fan you’ll probably like this full-on version, but even then I think a lot of those loyal fans will find it difficult to hide their slight disappointment. It’s just not that special, it doesn’t really take the franchise any higher than Prologue did. Or should I say, yes it’s special but not much more so than anything Polyphony have released in the past relevant to the competition at that time. I’m comparing expectation with result here. I expected something mind-bendingly new and original (they’ve done it before, after all), what I got was more in quantitive terms but much the same in quality terms. That’s the downside of hype of course – some of us were expecting something miraculous and it simply isn’t.
Once up and running, and despite a lot of new things to examine later when qualifications entitle, it all looked worryingly familiar. As a seasoned Prologue user I wanted to get into a supercar and race against the best, but as usual it’s necessary to go through the dreary motions of getting licences and winning money in races with tiny-engined hatchbacks. That was the story with Prologue; I didn’t want to do it all over again but it seems there is no option. And it’s very boring. Winning these beginner races accumulates financial winnings at a snail’s pace, when what I really wanted was to get behind the wheel of a Ford GT LM. That will take quite a while yet. I would have thought that, since GT5 Prologue is basically a skinned-down version of this, my qualifications could have transferred to the new game. Just wishful thinking.
Other familiarities include the racetracks. Autumn Ring and Autumn Ring Mini, for example, have been there from the start in 1997 on Gran Turismo 1, and again on GT2, GTC (not the Mini), TT and GT4. Of the ‘original’ or make-believe courses, only the Cape circuit (very nice, admittedly) is new; but Deep Forest, Eiger, Grand Valley, High Spped Ring and Trial Mountain have all been seen before on most GT versions. Of the nine City Courses, only Madrid is completely new. Better news though when it comes to snow and dirt courses, there are eight new ones all based on the Chamonix and Eiger platforms. There is also the Top Gear test track, which is a great way of mimicking the Stig. Finally there are the real-world circuits, and in this respect there are a total of twenty-one (based on Monza, Fuji, La Sarthe, Daytona, Indianapolis, Laguna Seca, Nurburgring, Suzuka and Tsukuba) although only ten of these are unique to GT5, with Daytona having been seen on Prologue only prior to now. Most of the remaining circuits were on GT4; only Monza and Indianapolis are fresh and new for GT5.
There are a lot more cars and more track options, which is what Prologue was crying out for, but I can’t help but feel short-changed. So far, at least. If I had been able to borrow a trial copy for a day, I definitely would not have bought it. Yes, it’s moved on in terms of variety and options, but the fundamental racing experience hasn’t really changed at all.
It does offer many new features, of course, including damage-modelling, a 16-player online mode called Gran Turismo Live, dynamic weather changes and night racing. New official licenses include Ferrari, WRC and NASCAR – as well as the test track from the BBC’s Top Gear show.
Yet it still has a ’2007 look’ and feel to it though, somehow, if not earlier. Despite all the extras, it doesn’t blow me away with its cutting edge technology. In fact, I’d go so far as to deter anyone from buying it unless they’ve tried it out first, and I never expected to say that.
So if quantity is better, then this is better than Prologue and every Gran Turismo that has gone before, no doubt about that. I had just hoped that in addition to addressing all of Prologue’s shortcomings – and there weren’t many – we would have ended up with not just more of it, but an enhanced virtual driving experience. That’s where my disappointment lies.
GT5 10/10 simple as that.
Find a better driving sim, there isnt 1 lol.
Been playing this game all night and all day. I cannot get enough. This is the new digital crack.
PLEASE dudes dont listen to Mitch cumstain and buy this game, its the best driving sim ever. Nothing comes close:
vishinatorgame’s points not mine, but i agree.
1. biggest racing game ever
2. biggest number of vehicles(including the coolest cars even Forza 3 doesn’t have)
3. biggest number of tracks and circuits ever
4. best graphics ever
5. the most realistic driving simulation ever
6. course maker
7. weather control system+ day time or night
8. Rally
9. NASCAR
10.Go Karting
11.Top gear
12 A-Spec and B-Spec
13.Licenses
14.cars can be imported from grand turismo PSP
15.Photo travel
16. free of charge on-line multilayer racing experience with up to players maximum (remember Forza 3 supports 8 players maximum online mode+ you have to pay more than 50 dollars per year just to play on-line
17. it’s included all the features above and it’s only 60 bucks.
18. don’t forget that you can also play this in 3D
19 animated engineers working for you in GT Auto and tuning shop
20. this is the only game comes with the world’s fastest car X1