Gran Turismo 5's development time has become something of a legend within the industry. To some degree, this is unfair; after all, the original Gran Turismo shipped in the same year that Duke Nukem Forever went into development, but Polyphony Digital have managed to put out quite a few games since then. However, there's no denying that expectations for Gran Turismo 5 (henceforth abrieviated to GT5) have stoked by the numerous delays that the title has suffered, ostensibly in the name of delivering the perfect driving experience. The game is now on the shelves and the initial reviews have ranged between the good and the great. However, given the sheer scale of the game, I thought it worth taking a little more time to explore it before posting anything resembling a review.
I've now spent a good number of hours with the game, have seen the impact of a substantial patch and have tried out all of the significant game-modes. I've assessed the game across five key categories; graphics, sound, gameplay, structure and longevity. I'd hope that this might allow for a more comprehensive - and fairer - assessment of the game than the average zero-day review based on a pre-release build. I've done my best to score the game on its own merits, set against the backdrop of the general position of the racing game genre. However, I've added a short section after the review doing a side-by-side comparison with GT5's most important competitor; Turn 10's Forza Motorsport 3.
Before I move on to the review proper, I think it's probably appropriate to make mention of the game's Signature Edition packaging. While expensive (I paid £120 for mine), this is probably the most impressive packaging I've ever seen for a game. The Signature Edition comes in an attractive (and heavy) metal box, the size of a large briefcase. Inside the box, you get a copy of the game (in its standard packaging), codes to download the pre-order and signature edition cars, a reasonable sized book with a comprehensive guide to race driving, a short but glossy coffee-table book with screenshots from the game, a small model car, a keychain fob, a USB stick loaded with a promotional video and a servicable wallet. Inside the wallet is a code that allows access to a competition to win a real Mercedes SLK. The competition is not yet open, but it has been announced that it will be based around GT5's driver-management mode (about which more later), meaning that entrants will not need to be professional level drivers to have a chance at success.
Graphics - 7/10
GT5's graphics are difficult to sum up concisely. At times, the game presents graphics on a par with the best that we have seen from the current generation of console hardware. At other times, it looks like a resolution-upscaled version of Gran Turismo 4.
A large part of this inconsistency is down to the game's division of its cars into premium and standard tiers. The premium tier cars have massively detailed models, including fully detailed interiors. The standard cars have essentially the same level of detail as cars in Gran Turismo 4. With the standard edition cars outnumbering the premium cars by a ratio of roughly four to one, you can expect to spend a lot of time looking at some rather dated models, particularly in the earlier stages of the game's career mode.
The game's tracks are also rather inconsistent. While a few, such as the famous "green hell" of the Nürburgring Nordschleife are lovingly detailed, many of the others, particularly the tracks inherited from earlier games in the series, are extremely spartan by modern standards. The city tracks can be a particular disappointment; a few key locations are well detailed, but many of the sections in between feel like they've been copy-pasted. As a Londoner, I found the London circuit a real let-down, as it looks nothing like the streets it is supposed to be modelling.
If you play GT 5 for long enough, you will encounter some shockingly pretty moments. When you have half a dozen premium cars on screen, ploughing through the rain on the Nürburgring, the game can look incredible. To describe such moments as photo-realistic is to do a serious disservice to the game; it's rare to see photographs that look so good. Unfortunately, you will spend most of your time with the game looking at something that more closely resembles a resolution-upscaled Playstation 2 game.
Sound - 6/10
GT5's sounds are, much like the graphics, something of a mixed bag. Indeed, I tend rather more towards the negative end of the spectrum with the sounds than I do with the graphics. Engine and wheel noises are a key part of the game; not only do they add atmosphere, but, as in any racing game with pretensions of realism, they can be a vital aid in determining how hard you can afford to push a car in a corner.
With the engine sounds, the same two-tier approach is in evidence that we saw with the graphics; the premium cars' engines sound extremely realistic, while the sounds for the standard cars do not seem to have come along much since the days of the Playstation 2. Wheel sounds are uniformly disappointing; wheel-screech sounds vary very little depending on the car you are driving and the speed you are going at.
There is, however, one strong positive worth mentioning. While the game's soundtrack ranges from the eccentric (the elevator-style music on the menus) to the inoffensive (the race music), the game does offer the option to load your own custom soundtrack. This is, of course, nothing new to Xbox gamers, but it's the first time I've seen the feature on a Sony console and it is a most welcome addition.
Gameplay - 5/10
I'll talk here about the "in-car" sections of GT5's gameplay, leaving issues such as the career progression system for the "structure" section of the review.
There are two distinct themes to consider in GT5's gameplay; "driving" and "racing". The driving side of the game is excellent. The game has a huge range of cars on offer and the modelling of their handling is much improved from previous Gran Turismo games. The series has, in the past, been accused of making some of its cars feel rather heavier than they should, resulting in a somewhat leaden, under-steer oriented driving experience. This is now gone.
The handling model in GT5 is excellent. Lightweight rear-wheel-drive cars feel properly skitish, while heavy cars will wallow around the track. I've tested a number of cars that I've driven in real life within the game and can confirm that they are modelled extremely accurately. If you are only interested in GT5 because you wish to drive a large range of cars, many of them extremely desirable, around circuits, then you can add 4 points to the score above.
If, however, you want to go racing, then I'm afraid the situation is far less appealing. Shockingly little has changed since the days of Gran Turismo 4 (and, if we're honest, since Gran Turismo 2). The AI opponents are still incredibly poor, completely unaware of the player's presence. The new damage modelling is laughably bad, with major collisions resulting in only cosmetic damage even with the modelling set to maximum. Collision physics feel outright buggy, with impacts between cars occasionally producing results which break at least two major laws of physics.
The difficulty level of the licence tests and special events is erratic, veering wildly between "ludicrously easy" and "so incredibly prescriptive as to be impossible on a Dualshock 3". There's very little sense of fun to any of the events (though the rather excellent kart-racing events are a welcome exception) and many, particularly the NASCAR events, feel like an outright chore.
It feels as though, in building the car collection and simulation sides of GT5, Polyphony forgot that they were also making a game, and that games are supposed to be fun. A little more work on issues such as AI could have had a truly transformative effect upon the game.
The B-Spec driver management mode is an interesting addition, but unfortunately, with no time-acceleration and the same dismal AI as the more traditional modes (albeit with the ability to instruct the player's car to make mistakes), it is unlikely that many players will have the patience to stick with it for long.
Multiplayer remains difficult to review at present, due to the pace with which Polyphony are continuing to evolve it. The initial implementation of multiplayer was dismal, with no matchmaking support and no sensible way to limit the cars that can be used in an event (turning every event into a scramble between top end race cars). A major patch has already added some useful functionality, including proper limitation options, and far more patches are in the pipeline.
All I can really say regarding the multiplayer, therefore, is that it is unsatisfactory at the moment, but likely to improve significantly in the near future.
Structure - 7/10
The non-racing structure of the game is also largely unchanged since Gran Turismo 4, although this particular aspect has stood the test of time rather better. The singleplayer game follows broadly the same progression; you create a driver, pass some licence tests, buy a cheap car, do a few races, upgrade the car, do a few more races, buy a new car and essentially repeat this cycle many times.
Many players, including myself, will be disappointed to see the licence tests making their return. However, there are, I believe, people out there who enjoy them, so this is probably not an area on which to mark GT5 down.
The huge range of cars available gives a multitude of options for new players; the series has always offered the choice between starting with a car that uses up almost all of your starting cash and racing it untuned, or picking up an older, cheaper model and tuning it ahead of your first race. GT5 adds plenty of scope for experimentation within the two options outlined above. It's a little disappointing that the game's standard cars, sold via the used car shop, are only made available 30 or so at a time, however, as this makes it difficult for players to jump to a particular favorite. The usual suite of Gran Turismo tuning options are available, though they have not expanded substantially since Gran Turismo 4.
Progression is slower than I would like. Races award relatively little cash, and even taking into account the rewards available from special events and B-Spec mode, players will likely have to repeat a few of the early events several times to get the cash needed to buy a car for the next set of races. Jumping into the special events early and often is a good policy; the rewards they offer can only be won once, but are far higher than those from the races.
There is an arcade mode, which, I confess, I have spent rather less time with than I should have. It is probably of less interest to most players than the career mode, but it is a good way to see the damage modelling and other "advanced" features, which are not unlocked in career mode until the player has reached a fairly high level.
Longevity - 8/10
At first glance, GT5 feels as though it should provide countless hours of play. There are over a thousand cars to play with (at least some of which aren't Skylines) and dozens of race events. Indeed, if playing around with as many different cars as possible is your thing (and for many Gran Turismo players, that's the most important part of the game) then GT5 will indeed last you for many months.
A few notes of caution, however. The size of the game's list of circuits, while by no means poor, is still relatively limited. You will notice them repeating fairly quickly and over time this may sap your enthusiasm. The general lack of adrenelin that results from the poor opponent AI in singleplayer may also prove a bit of a drag.
Overall (not an average) - 7/10
GT5 is a good game. On occasion, it is a very good game. It is hard, however, to escape from the feeling that it falls a long way short of what it should have been, in light of its budget and development time. One gets the impression that most of said development time was spent on the endless polishing of a few narrow areas of the game, while large and important sections went neglected.
The game feels, in a way, something of a prisoner of the series's history. There are elements, such as the AI, that have clearly not been revisited in many years. There are also elements, such as the licence tests, that need to be reviewed to check whether they are still enhancing the game. With Gran Turismo 6 already under development, a more imaginative approach is needed, as well as a willingness to blatantly copy elements of the series's main rivals, where they would enhance the game. Whether the current development team can rise to this challenge is open to debate; personally, I suspect that new blood at the top is needed.
That said, if you bought a Playstation 3 in anticipation of this game (and hence have missed out on developments elsewhere of the racing genre), you probably won't be disappointed. There is enjoyment to be had here, provided you can look past the infuriatingly rough edges.
Postscript - comparison to Forza Motorsport 3
The most direct competition to Polyphony Digital comes from US-based developer Turn 10, whose Forza Motorsport series has been through three iterations since we last saw a main-series Gran Turismo game. The original Forza Motorsport, released on the Xbox, felt very much like a poor man's Gran Turismo 4. However, Forza Motorsport 2 and Forza Motorsport 3 (henceforth referred to as FM3), released for the Xbox 360, have evolved significantly, incorporating new features and eliminating old ones that were deemed to have failed.
In visual terms, somewhat to my surprise, FM3 comes out as the winner. It cannot match the quality of GT5's premium cars. However, FM3's cars do not have a two-tier system, and consequently have a higher average quality. Moreover, FM3's tracks look significantly better than GT5's. I've done side-by-side comparisons of a number of tracks, and while both games are close enough to call it a tie in their renditions of the Nürburgring, FM3 comes out significantly ahead on every other track.
FM3's sound is also slightly better. Engine sounds are more consistent, with none of the premium/standard split in GT5. Tyre sounds are also far more useful; FM3's sounds are a vital component of the game that provide information to the player in a way that GT5's never quite manage.
In terms of the gameplay, I would say that GT5 has a slight edge in terms of the "driving" (its handling physics are awesome), but that FM3 is a long way ahead in terms of "racing". FM3's AI opponents react to the player, will apply pressure to him, and on occasion will respond to pressure from him. FM3's collision physics work properly and fulfil their primary purpose; giving players a real incentive not to get into collisions in the first place.
FM3 has a far more "open" career structure than GT5. All events and cars are unlocked from the start (although you will need to collect the cash to buy the cars, of course). There's no licence system and, in a welcome change from Forza Motorsport 2, no level requirements on events. This does mean that FM3 lacks some of GT5's role playing game elements, but it also means that it probably has the edge as a racing game. I'll acknowledge that this one is largely a matter of personal preference.
And in terms of longevity, it should be noted that FM3 has a car list that, even in its ultimate edition is only half the length of GT5's. Of course, a large part of the difference here is due to FM3's vast numbers of near-identical variants. There are some real differences in emphasis, though. FM3 has very few cars older than 20 years old, but has a large number of extremely recent (or concept-stage) high end cars. GT5 has some startling omissions at the modern top-end (no Koenisegg), but does have a good number of interesting vintage cars. GT5 also has a small advantage in terms of its list of circuits, though the difference here is not huge.
FM3's car tuning system is more advanced than GT5's and the game offers a wide array of impressive visual customisation options (and an online marketplace for sharing them). This depth of customisation helps FM3 make up a lot of the ground that it loses to GT5 in terms of the size of its car list.
In conclusion, these are both good games, but it is hard to avoid the conclusion that FM3 is rather better. If you own an Xbox 360, do not own a Playstation 3 and want to play the best racing game around, you do not need to go out console shopping. If you own a PS3, do not own an Xbox 360 and just want a decent racing game, then GT5 will suit you just fine. If, however, you want the best racing game around, then this might become an expensive Christmas for you.
For the rest of the racing games development world, the message is clear; Turn 10, rather than Polyphony Digital, now set the standard by which other games should be judged.