Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Review: Quality, Yes, Quantity, Hrm...
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is a demo. A big one, yes, but a demo it remains, one that gives us but a taste of what we can expect from the full, final Gran Turismo 5 when it ships on the PS3 sometime next year. Serious fans of the series will no doubt already know what they're getting themselves into with this whole "Prologue" business, then, and won't give a monkey's brass balls what I say from here on in.
But if you're still on the fence over whether it's worth shelling out 60% of the full game's asking price for what's probably less than 10% of its content, read on, dear readers, read on.
Loved
• Graphics - Still a little sterile as far as the tracks are concerned (London excepted), but gorgeous nonetheless. Between the cars, in-car view and HDR lighting tricks this is the game you'll want to use if you're the type who has friends over just to show off how important your PS3 is to you and your home entertainment setup.
• Difficulty Curve - GT5P's got a new, improved assist mode for beginners, and it's the best I've seen in a racing game. Not only do you get an indicator for where the racing line is and when you need to brake, it actually tells you how fast you need to be going when you hit the braking-point. Very handy.
• Car Handling - No surprises here, it's the series' strength. Cars feel reasonably real, there's a marked difference between cars, blah blah blah. It's GT, you know the score, and even feels a little more forgiving than GT4, especially in some of the shittier cars. Oh, unless you turn off the assists. Then it's brutal as hell.
Hated
• Collision Modelling - The prettier and more realistic this game gets, the more its poor collision modelling stands out. I don't need to see scratches and broken glass on my car. What I do need - and what I expect of a series that's striving so hard for realism - is that when I hit a wall or another car, I feel like I've hit a wall or car. Not a stack of fluffy pillows stuffed with marshmallows.
• Six Tracks? - There's only six tracks, and even then, you spend most of the singleplayer events on only three of them (you race on the beautiful London track once). Those are slim pickings.
• The GRIND - The game's short on singleplayer content (I finished every event in just over a day), so it resorts to grinding to pad things out. Example: many races force you to buy a specific vehicle. So you have to repeatedly complete earlier races to get the cash for it, then usually only use the thing once. Next time you run into a car-specific race, you'll need to grind out the cash all over again. In a full GT game, this is fine, as there's a wealth of races to enter to spread things out and give you a little variety. With only a handful of tracks here, though, the grind is noticeable, and it's boring as hell.
• Online Play - I entered 30 online races, and not a single one was without serious issues. Cars blinked in and out of existence, and poor net code resulted in opponents that zoomed off into the distance at lightspeed, only to then reappear right in front of you. Makes racing, especially on packed circuits, really, really hard.
Look, as a demo, it's a good one. What's already on offer looks great, and feels great, so GT fans should have little doubt that when the full game's released - with hundreds of cars and dozens of tracks - Gran Turismo 5 will be everything they want it to be. But now, as a retail product? With a limited singleplayer experience and unstable online play, I just don't think it's worth $40. Not until they add more content or fix the online multiplayer, anyways.
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue was developed by Polyphony Digital, published by Sony Computer Entertainment and is due to be released in the US on April 17. Retails for $US 39.99. Available on PlayStation 3. Played singleplayer events to completion, completed 30 online races.
4:00 AM on Sat Apr 5 2008
by Luke Plunkett
View: AU Comments (0) | US Comments (190 comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this entry.
One of my mates tells me that with all the assists off this games is more exacting than GT4, i.e more realsitic, less tolerant of braking and steering at the same time and so on. However, he's not been a big GT player in the past. I always play GT4 with the assists off (except sometimes I have a touch of TC on 600 bhp + cars). I thought that GT5:P had the same handling engine as GT4. What's the truth here, please? Is it any harder?
Badben
I payed for this game, and it's worth every swedish krona. Just thinking about how this is just a taste of what's to come - blows my mind.
Ravenous
I really was going to get it. But some of the online issues are swaying me. Damn, I really want the FULL GT5. I guess I'll wait for more reviews, but if they all say the same thing, I guess I'll wait for GT5.
artofwar420
Err wait... Prolouge is a PAID demo pretty much? WTF?
Thats sony for you.
Altima NEO
@LittleBigPlaneteer: Don't you always bring up "hype" on 360 game posts for games that score within GT5:Prologue's review range and still sell well?
Tepoz
I was going to say something detrimental but there's no point. Like someone else said, this is the kind of game for a very specific kind of consumer. A friend of mine talked me into getting Forza2 and while upgrading and customizing a couple of cars was fun, the actual playing of the game just continuously bores the shit out of me. There's something about "driving properly" that drives me crazy with boredom. I've had times where i've booted the game up, got into a race, get off the starting line and just instantly get so bored i had to just quit the game immediatly.
To me this kind of game is like a teadrinking simulator. That's fine, i enjoy a warm cup of tea myself, but a game in which i do so and am supposed to do it impeccably according to some very strict standard (liquid leaves cup, enters oral cavity and subsequently stomach with no spillage) over and over and over again, only to be rewarded with increasingly larger cups.. Oh dear sweet jesus, let me get back to ninjas, pirates, dinosaurs and space aliens.
I do enjoy PGR though, but mostly because they manage to tread the line between driving properly and driving like a lunatic, and often call for the latter explicitly through their kudos system. I found myself wishing desperately for more to do in Forza2, and that's exactly what i've felt the few times i've played earlier GT games. I have the utmost respect for the people that can put up with it though. The car tribe exists, and for them this rests on quantities intangible to the rest of us.
Then again, these are "Simulations", no? It's not like Falcon 4.0 was for the Myst fan, or SSN-21 Seawolf really appealed to the Battletoads fan. I myself have a bizarre hangup on helicopter sims where difference in handling really makes a profound impact on my choice of helo. Longbow 2 for the win.
Sunjammer
@jynxce:
Dude I agree with you, you know that. BUT, we've been fighting this battle for weeks to backlash and no avail. If idiots want to spend money on a $40 of a game they'll be buying for $60 anyway, what business is it of ours?
ca$h
@Gjerven: Yeah, looks like some are downloading p0rn whilst playing the game eh.heh.Ive seen this happen but put it down to others having crappy connections as i see wierd stuff in every online player game ive ever played on my pc.
Dont think the guys that made prologue can do anything about others connection dropping,poor wifi signal,multi users on 1 connection,incorrect port forwarding etc.I could be wrong and it may need tweaking from them, most games do i suppose.Ive never had a problem personally though with GTp.
Sure i curse unbelievably at times when i spin out and go from 1st position to maybe last,then i laugh after.It just cracks me up this game.Lovin it!
UFO
i managed to pick this game up in ASDA (the uk walmart basically) for £19...i would say thats a reasonable price, how much you folks paying for it in the states?
lucky_7s
Totally Agree,
Very realistic, although on daaytona when you hit the side, you watch it back on the replay and you always stay at least a metre or 2 from the barrier; also when your in some of the quicker cars, the cars you overtake appear to have been made using stop motion.
The retail is very much overpriced, BUT DONT BUY IT AT RETAIL VALUE, got mine for under £18, brilliant buy.
adswright
@edhe (xbl):
??how is that sony you fool??? they been doin prologues forever bro. Its for people who love actual driving sims. Not for dumb people who wanna play juiced or need for speed. This is for the serious fans who love cars.
CQC_NastyN8
I must be playing this game wrong... because the handling (to me) feels slightly more arcadey than Forza 2.
As for the bumper cars malarkey... if people are going to call it a 'realistic driving simulator', then they should be prepared to accept perfectly valid criticisms of its supposed realism.
Price-wise, for those in Europeland... I got the disk version off Play for 15 euros cheaper than PSN. Little odd that the downloadable version's more expensive. Or is it just at that one retailer?
Muckley
People who won't buy this are like NASCAR fans. To fat, lazy, poor, and ignorant to know anything about driving or racing accept how to drive in freakin' circles. People who will buy this game are like F1 fans. They care about the pursuit of the ultimate lap, technical achievement, and real driving on the limit of perfection and disaster. Example… 40$ is only about 8-9 cups of coffee at Starbucks, it's not even enough to fill your gas tank nowadays, and it is 10$ less than you paid for GT1. Granted you only get a little less than half the total car lineup of GT1 (170+ cars) but one car in GT5P has more polys than the entire car lineup in GT1. That's not worth 40$? Second, besides the fact that damage has been confirmed for the final version and as a download in the future for GT5P, at this point all you have been missing is a lot of frustration. I mean do you really want to crash out of an enduro event on the last lap, because if the series keeps up with its pursuit of realism then crashing will most often lead to the end of your race. I mean that's how I want it when we get it, but I'm glad I get to "break in" to the next gen GT without it first. Besides you are only bouncing off of cars or walls if you suck anyway. Lastly the number of tracks is irrelevant if you really love driving. Last summer I spent about 6 hours lapping Fuji in GT4 driving the polyphony formula car to see if I could get a time even close to the real F1 pros. By the end I was chasing hundredths of a sec but when I posted a lap time within 2 tenths of the race pole qualifying it was the greatest moment of my 20 year video game career. Do you really think I'm going to get bored now that I get the real Ferrari F2007 and Fuji? Hell no, and neither will any true racer. As for the online errors they'll get fixed with time, even though I have hardly noticed them. Maybe I've just had good luck with my online races, or maybe the GT gods just love me b/c I respect real driving and the way it has been respected and portrayed in this series. Even laymen can improve their real driving skill by playing in this safe game environment. GT forever!
vtsupra
its certainly unfortunate that prologue is such a disappointment.
it does the things well that its always done well, but seems not to improve on anything its been bad at in the past.
the limited track selection and shoddy online play have convinced me that i will CERTAINLY not buy it. (and i was considering it too!)
joelface
@squidboy007:
The 'bumper cars' is a design issue. I never seen people get excited about barely touching a wall and falling out of the race. If you keep bitching for something like that get ready to bitch when you learn how poorly you 'really drive'. Do you even disable assists?
Mongoosekun
My pre-order is nearly paid off! I'm a huge GT fan and can't wait to get a good taste of what is to come from GT5 in a year or so. If you don't like paying for a demo, then don't, and stop bitching at those of us who see it as a good value. Its not like we are paying $50 for a glorified expansion pack complete with all pop-in textures, ala Halo 2...
DrunkRaba
@Canadian Impostor: You know.....now that I think about it....I have yet to stick a PS3 game in my PS3 too! And I bought my 60GB the week Sony dropped it a hundred bucks to $499! Wow....O_O....didn't even realize that.
Played a lot of PS2 and PSN games though. ;p
Knoxximus (360/PSN)
Bah. For that money you're better off getting Forza 2 and hoping that when GT5 finally drops next year, Polyphony used that extra time to get it right.
Knoxximus (360/PSN)
Let me just make it clear for y'all hard of reading -
"PROLOGUE"
It's in the title for everyone to see. You are not being cheated, it is what it is. It's a small game, it's cheap, the online's not perfect....but it's still fun and entertaining, and all of us folks bitching about it is going to make the full game better for it.
So if you like cars, and have a PS3, just buy the game. I loved it, you'll love it, it looks pretty, sounds pretty, and you can drive a pretty looking Ferrari or two (I personally don't own a Ferrari or two so find this point quite appealing)
The real problem is the FUCKERS in 90% of online races who think ramming other cars off the track is the way to get ahead in a race..... where's the god damn skill and etiquitte gone.
Anybody else shout at the TV screen and throw the old sixaxis across the room when they get arse-ended off the track on the final lap?
Eura_Spaztic
@UFO: Here's a video that have both what you are talking about ("ghost mode") and what Luke talk about (blinking cars and other online errors).
+ Watch video
After seeing some GT5P online gameplay videos on youtube, it seems that some have problems, and some doesn't. I'm one of those who have problems :/
Gjerven
Oh please. It's not a demo.
71 cars. Six tracks... many of which has more than one version. For example, Daytona and Suzuka. Both have short version and a long version. Some tracks can be driven the other way around... almost becomes a whole new track.
The game has 10 challenges/races in four classes: A, B, C and S. Thats a total of 40 races.
And now I'm not counting the manufactures races, which would make this number a lot higher.
It has online play. I have never seen a demo with online play (maybe laggy for you, but works PERFECTLY here in Norway).
You have 2-player split screen, Time Trail mode and a Drift Mode.
So please shut up with the demo talk. It's not a full game, hence the price tag, but it's not a demo.
Last time I played a racing demo, it had two tracks and three cars. One game mode. No multiplayer etc.
Not. A. Demo.
fresky
I'll take Forza, yes this looks better graphically; But that doesn't change the fact that GT has some of the most outrageous driving physics out there. For most cars there seems there is almost no traction and if you take anything that has more than the slightest curve with any speed, you lose all traction..... If they could fix the physics it would be the best sim hands down, but I'm afraid Forza has them beat in that category.
Lucidity
@Derigor: "internal" mechanical damage modeling will eventually come, we have to be patient and understand what a computing feat doing such represents.
However, this increasingly high level of simulation can eventually narrow the audience further down, while increasing development costs, and thusly costs to the consumer. Hence, $40, not $15. For that, a gamer can purchase the new bionic commando instead.
The fact that the Gran Turismo experience continues, and continues to improve over time makes me happy- regardless of my actual interest in the content. The "videogame" industry is holding up well in this economy, when so many other things are collapsing.
Time to go back to school...
Mega-Driven
I don't understand what a lot of people are complaining about here.
GT5 Prologue is exactly what it is the 'prologue', you don't read the prologue of a book and complain that it didn't contain the entire book. (Admittedly, the prologue is usually contained within the same volume as the rest of the book). Prologue is basically half the price of a full game and is clearly y much more than a simple demo. I don't recall all this fuss over GT4. Hell, I imported GT4 Concept from Japan and loved it.
djack
The GRIND is why I stopped playing GT4 after a couple of days and haven't picked it up since. And GT4 was the reason I bought a damn PS2 to begin with (fortunately I found other games to justify the purchase).
Oh, and the car info going away. That pissed me off. The little narratives that you saw in GT1, 2 and 3 when you went to buy a car. I missed that. I read the entire manual hoping there was some button I had to press to see it, but no.
GT4 left such an awful taste in my mouth I would have to be completely assured that all that shit was long gone before I'd even consider getting GT5.
I want Gran Turismo 2, except with better physics, better graphics, more tracks, and more cars.
@Fluffy22:
It's a cheap and lazy way to make a game longer. It makes the game longer at the cost of making people want to spend less time playing it.
TechnoDestructo
@edhe (xbl):
Your XBL tag reveals you stupidity, therefore your stupid comment.
neoraul20
For me is as simple as this:
Love cars.
Loved GT series.
Got a PS3 (and love it)
Got the $40 (this I don't love that much to keep for life)
Will buy GT5P.
Why is it so difficult to understand?
In the end GT5P will sell millions and GT5 even more. No one will be forced to buy something for it to happen, THEIR MONEY WILL BE SAFE. DO NOT PANIC. DO NOT WORRY.
For the reviewer: Finished with the game in a day? Lack of content? To little for 40 dlls?
Easy=boring, hard=hell? Well... THANKS! This will keep away many gamers real GT players don't want to race online.
OrangeR
@alba:
Oh THAT's what "Prologue" means -- Buggy, Lacking in Content, and Over-Priced.
And here I thought Prologue just meant Introduction. You know, the actual meaning.
When I played Prologue all I was thinking was "Prologues are supposed to give you a taste of the full thing to come, if all I'm gonna get is more of this, they can keep it." It has absolutely no redeeming virtues outside of the eye-candy (which is bountiful).
And I'm a HUGE GT fan -- I bought a PS2 JUST to play GT on. And the PS3, which has seen other titles in it, GT was 95% of the driving force (no pun intended) behind that purchase.
SigmaHyperion
@celery: Thumbs Up.
ckranger11
@excel_excel: Because outside of the private GT4 online part that wasn't released and was only in beta in japan, this is their first online GT that's why it's basic for now but they'll keep updating the game and it's been confirmed private lobbies are coming along with damage this fall.
As for the previous (most of the comments for the idiots) it's GT5: [b]Prologue[/b] hope you get the prologue part, so it's a good way for PD to test it out, it's mostly aimed a GT fans and so and if you think it's too expensive, then just don't fucking buy it, it's THAT simple.
alba
Even though 6 tracks is more than the standard 3 tracks FREE demo, a demo stays a demo, and it's not worth 40$. Online multiplayer? I don't know about PS3, but we've got a lot of free online multiplayer demos, such as Frontline, Army of Two, Splinter Cell, etc.
reptile168
@kommanderk: when some one can smash you out of the way and just take over the lead.
I do that, it works surprisingly good some times :>
My complaints about this game so far:
* No replays for splitscreen
* It doesn't seem like you can have different control layouts for different players
* The sense of speed isn't that good
Haven't tried online yet...
(I should note that I usually enjoy arcady racing games more)
Harteex
@baxterpunch: its more of the fact you are playing 40 bucks for a gt "demo" that doesnt ahev 40 bucks worth of the final game you will be paying 60 for.
it doesnt matter what you say it is, its a demo they make you pay for. add that to the final game price and thats 100 dollars + what ever microtransactions that will surely come
kommanderk
you know what? i think the problem here truly is the fact people arent reading the "prologue" part of GT5: Prologue.
pandafresh
@LittleBigPlaneteer: "Polyphony are perfectionists. They already stated that they won't add damage modeling until it's perfected."
Er...that doesn't explain the broken online play then
excel_excel
Online play has serious issues? Thats wierd because ive not seen these problems and ive played a HELL of a lot more than 30 online games.
The flickering cars you talk about are players that have messed up and have the potential to take out others that are coming up behind or alongside them.So basically players who spin out or deliberatly try and fuck everyone up by crashing,driving the wrong way etc cant spoil anothers game!
Sure it isnt perfect but i thought it was a pretty damn smart way of doing it and it isnt so sensitive that it stops the bumping and nudging of each other in a hot race which can be real fun.The racing is supposed to be hard,its competative but whilst your thinking how hard it is the ones out in front are laughing as they leave you behind yet again for the 10th time.
Dont blame the game for you not being as good as the other players.
The game is astounding fun and having now played it i would have gladly payed double what i did pay for it which was £19.99, and considering most ps3 games vary from £39.99 to £49.99 so it was less than 50% of the average game.
UFO
@wild_world_girl: haah thats a total pile of bull, games didnt have car damage early onbecause it was harder to do, it has NOTHING to do with the car companies not likeing it
its 100% bullshit that gameing fanboys came up with as an excuse.
as for damage, i dont really give a rats ass it isnt 100% realistic in forza, the bigger point is it effects your cars handeling, which has a huge impact on raceing. its not fun to play multiplayer raceing when some one can smash you out of the way and just take over the lead.
i playd all the gt games and enjoyd them but ultimatly got bored of them fast. Forza is actually fun and plays more like a game. though I would say id take gt over forza if they fixed a few things. damage being one of them.
kommanderk
I didn't really need to grind except on S class races. Also online worked fine for me. It lacks many things, but still work.
It's really worth of that 40e imo. but then again GT is the only racing series that i play and like. So i don't really have any other racing game to buy. hehe.
TaMs
@Gam3r: I think it's because "$40 dollar demo" is fun to say or something. Notice how the thought goes from "somewhere between a game and a demo" to "glorified demo" to "little more than a demo" to "just a demo." Someone, please, tell me where I can find these magical expansive racing demos? I'm guessing most people haven't even played a modern racing demo lately.
Forza 2? You got one track and like 24 cars. Moto GP? One track and one bike. PGR4? I remember 2 tracks, and I think you could pick one of two vehicles for each. DiRT? 3 events, and you are stuck with the car they give you. NFS ProStreet? 2 events, and you can't choose what cars you drive.
Really, where are you people getting your demos?
baxterpunch
Given the responses here, ranging from boredom or feeling that Sony has a gun pointed to their heads forcing them to buy it, a western release may have been a mistake.
Remember GT4? That had a Prologue version released only in Japan. I bet that Japanese players didn't whine though, and most waited for the full version.
SG79
It's not a demo at all, it's much more expansive. In racing demos you usually can access only 1-3 cars & 1-3 tracks and that is the only thing you can do. This is a much much larger experience than a demo, and its sad to see people writing it off as merely like a demo.
Gam3r
I haven't been keeping track of GT5's development- racing games more sophisticated than, say, DiRT, are just too damned hard to control- but I was pretty shocked to see the sticker price on this thing.
How could this not be a bad idea? Especially for the people who don't read these gaming sites and wander into a best buy and hand over $45 for what is really a demo?
I'm sure that a ton of GT fans are psyched to play anything at all- but they're gonna get burned by the folks who thought they were buying a racing game. I doubt the box actually says "Demo" or "not a finished game" on it, does it?
KilgoreTrout__XL
I was expecting alot more from it... the graphics are nowhere near as good as the awesome trailers IMO (though I didn't see the London track etc., didn't have the heart to play enough of the single player).
The game is $60 Australian which is a joke, the ONLY reason I would want to keep playing right now is for the Ferrari F1 car.
And let it be said, Forza 2 is still by FAR the premier driving game on consoles, the driving is like 10x more realistic, GT physics are still the same as they have always been, aside from visuals, Forza wins out easily (gameplay, sound, car damage, good online, actually SEE and FEEL a difference when you do up cars, custom paint jobs etc).
Let's hope Sony can get their act together for the final one, they DO have another year..
Y2Jason
@JackB99: So it's using Nintendo WFC? Oh wait, not even friend codes.
Torgen thinks AAA means “Costs $60”
Ugh, the prospect of a $40 demo immediately made me lose any interest I may have had.
Strangelove
No amount of damage modelling can represent what Polyphony is doing to their reputation and goodwill.
celery
"How different is this from Forza? Forza has had this for 1 & 2. Just curious."
Fairly sure all the gran turismos have had some form of racing line.
p4ddym1607
@LittleBigPlaneteer:
You clearly not have put Forza 2 on "Simulation Damage" because if you did you would only be able to go 5mph.
/sigh fanboys.
I think what the major issue is that, you're getting essentially a multiplayer demo, yet the multiplayer is quite broken. From what I got through friends and following comments here, you cannot play with friends, no voice chat and it is very laggy. If Forza did this (selling a broken demo for $40) next game they make, you can be sure that I'll be as mad as hell. I'm sure the finished and final product will be a great game, I have no doubts about that. But the development process is taking too long, and this I think will tick off anyone who was interested.
Covert_Knight
@Bon5ai:
Forza is garbage, in response to all those Forza fanbois out there.
It is? When I played it I thought it was one of the best racing packages in the history of videogames. You must be a hard man to please. To outright call a game that was hailed by critics "garbage" must mean that you taste in forms of entertainment eclipse those of the great Roger Ebert and the food critic from Ratatouille.
Leobebes
@seafisch: EA doesn't charge for demos, sure. But then again, let me play that Madden demo I just downloaded -
Oh, right.
Spoony Bard
@thegunshow: Actually no that's just comparing a larger game to a smaller game. This is a trial version of a game that isn't complete so it's a demo. A demo is a pre-release version of a game designed to let you experience the gameplay and features so yes this is a demo. It's just a big one that GT fans are happy to pay the money for. It's not my place to say if it's worth it to each individual but to the majority an educated guess would be no. It only has 6 tracks and it's online is buggy, the collision detection is also pretty bad.
Nice game...well demo really, but it's up to whoever is buying or not buying to decide whether it's a worthwhile purchase. Worthwhile or not though it is an expensive demo.
Llost
I'm all about online racing, because I'm never satisfied with AI drivers, so I need real human agains human racing.
Online right now has more problems than just lag and the bumper cars approach with the wierd penalty point system for crashes.
The other online problems are
1. No voice chat at all.
2. No ability to play with friends it's 100% random rooms without voice chat. A lonely, anonymous experience.
3. When hosts drop the room crashes.
4. No lobbies, so you're in a race and then dropped out.
5. No ability to customize the online races (ie no settings).
6. Leaderboards...
All of these things can be fixed by the time GT5 releases, but for now Prologue is really either a demo or a beta depending on how you look at it.
JackB99
@1981suede: Haha, look, I didn't mean to come off as an ass. Look, what I'm saying is that everyone is entitled to spend their hard earned cash however they see fit. But I don't agree with this decision by Sony, and I'm just making my voice heard, as are many others.
I played the demo of GT Prologue and enjoyed it, but I just don't feel that it offers enough for $40. Hell, I played GT HD LOTS of times, and that was just on ONE TRACK! So I'm sure that you and others will get plenty of play out of it.
Again, I just don't agree with the price personally. And I don't agree with those that buy this and support this type of release. Nor do I support those who buy the same sports game every year just for the rosters. You're just allowing them to justify gouging the customer - which is ultimately you and me both.
Spoony Bard
$40 for a demo? That's a joke right? I think I prefer cakes as an April fools joke.
PurpleMonkey
@LittleBigPlaneteer:
And Turn 10 has low standards? Please
When all is said and done, the GT damage modeling is probably going to be purely cosmetic in nature anyway.
Snuffbox
people, just dont fucking pay the $40, that is all you have to do! thats it! just dont play the game!
pandafresh
The reason I dropped $35 (thanks $5 GT5P amazon coupon!) was because this is a work in progress. Polyphony is going to be adding stuff to Prologue constantly until GT5 comes out, allegedly.
This will be the first PS3 game disc inserted into my year old PS3.
Canadian Impostor
As a work in progress (as a fan of the series) I can agree with some things but, as a Racing fan:
1) The grind is to be expected. The same can be said for Forza, Moto GP, or GTR2. You race for money... you win/lose...rinse and repeat.
2) 6 tracks.... Its a demo.
3) Collision Model... I'm not sure what setup you have or even what settings you tested but on "simulation mode" the handling and collision kicks up a notch even on my old GT3 wheel. But for the full effect I was glad to have played it on the Logitech G25 at the NYC 2008 Car Show. The G25 had excellent feedback but if your playing with the dualshock 3 or less don't expect the feel of a car through a controller.
dadeisvenm
Good review. Exactly what I expected. I'm a huge GT fan but there is no way I'd support the $40 price tag on a demo.
I can't believe so many people don't realize the fools they're being taken for. But then again there's that old saying: "A fool and his money are soon parted".
skink
ya know...
I had the impression that Gt wasnt incorporating damage because all the cars are licensed from the makers. and the makers either want Hokey damage or none at all.
they dont want people to see what happens to there cars when they collide, it kinda takes the wind out of driving fast, and buying a fast car to drive fast
sickboy1138
@LittleBigPlaneteer: Forza's damage is the way it is for that very reason. However you can kill your car in 1 hit if you hit a wall as fast as you say. sure the body wont be utterly destroyed but shit will fall off and you will be lucky if you can drive it.
@Smadubaku: I agree, its a total rip off to charge us almost full price for what amounts to a alpha test of the game. If i decide to buy it and I dont fall in love then I wont end up buying GT5 no matter what they add. Instead I will wait for Forza 3 because I already know the AI and Physics in Forza 2 were top notch and thats what is important.
parad0x360
People are obviously forgetting that this isn't the first GT Prologue, and that it actually has a lot more content than GT4 Prologue. They're also forgetting that it has a lot more content than Motorstorm, or the majority of other racing games. As well as the fact that there are actually 12 tracks (reverse or alternate layouts which are completely different to drive around).
I haven't bothered much with the online but they've said they're going to add private servers/invites. Considering you can earn money in online races and how easy it would be to win millions in a few minutes if you have a friend sit on the start straight, it's obvious why it's not in there already.
lordofsword
Let's call it what it is, people -- GT5 Beta.
My guess the game ain't finished, and this is a way to boost a little capital AND get some paying testers in the process.
Hey, didn't Ms. Greene post an article about this a couple days ago? Okay, it was about localization, but this is the concept in action.
boopadoo
@Bon5ai: god bless you for remembering GTR.
Now THAT was a real racing sim: for better or worse.
jp182
@Magic Emperor Anima: funny how only 1/3 of them actually brought the game.
i was think of getting this honestly but then i noticed that it only had 6 tracks...and i quickly lost interest.
Jmontilla2786
Forza is garbage, in response to all those Forza fanbois out there.
This game is going to be good, but in terms of the best racing sim I doubt it will beat GTR by SimBin.
Bon5ai
@DigitalHero - My Brain Hurts:
Because it's not completed yet? Honestly if you're a die hard fan of the series and you're just dying for a taste of the game, what would you prefer: Having the Prologue available just like previous iterations of the game OR waiting a year before you get to play it? Considering nearly 1.5 million games have been sold so far in Europe, I imagine people don't mind having it right now to satiate them while they wait.
LittleBigPlaneteer
@Modus_Operandi: Are you saying that everyone who buys this game is stupid? Or are they just stupid for not bitching about a game they are allowed to not buy?
baxterpunch
Why waste time and effort with Prologue when you could have just released the full version of Gran Turismo 5. It's going to take a bunch more to make me pay for a glorified demo.
DigitalHero - My Brain Hurts
The way I see the whole "It's just a demo" "debate" is that Digital Polyphony has been completely open about what the Prologue version is and what is not. Anyone who is buying the game knows what they're getting into.
Personally, as a big racing game (1st GT game though) fanatic, it's well worth $40. Some people disagree. They probably won't buy it.
The mere fact that it has Kimi Raikkonen's 2007 World Championship Ferrari F1 car alone would probably make me go get this game, but I know that's just me.
Pixelantes Anonymous
Screw this. I'll just keep playing Forza.
Let me know when you have a finished game, Polyphony.
BitterOldMan
I was a little put off by the first line of the review, "GT5:P is a demo." I understand that reviews are just opinions and you're entitled to yours but if you reviewed the game with that frame of mind going in, then it's no wonder you thought it wasn't worth $40 by the end of the review.
It's all subjective anyway. Some people will pay $40 for a taste of GT5 and some people won't. Hell, there are people who are buying a PS3 *just* so they can play GT5:P.
rawg
@Kyle81: And I guess Halo and Forza dont have brand name status that anyone cares about. Wow. No I expect people to have bitched so much upon hearing this idea that they would have forced Sony to rethink the strategy of releasing for this price point. Thats not asking much. Its been done. But youre right. The majority is stupid and the majority wins.
Modus_Operandi
It costs US full retail price? Costs UK less than half the going retail price for games, which is good considering it has a similair amount of content to Motorstorm.
Gladman
@wild_world_girl: Even in that game, the extent of the damage is not nearly as realistic as the real thing. The cars in Forza are much tougher than cars in real life. Crashing a Maserati MC12 at full speed will likely look much different in real life than in any track playing XBox.
Kaiser-Machead
@Modus_Operandi: "Sony does it and no one even questions it."
Have you read the previous 100 comments?
baxterpunch
@Leobebes: "Wait a minute here. Sony is expecting us to pay $40 for a demo with six tracks and broken online functionality?"
It's got 60+ cars and six tracks. That's more than some full retail racing games have.
Broken online functionality...I don't know about that. The review sounded more like extreme lag. Whether it's the game or the net connection or something else is anybody's guess. It is a little alarming, but without further information I'm not going to start making any wild assumptions like some people.
Pixelantes Anonymous
@Modus_Operandi: Because people care about Gran Turismo. With brand name recognition comes perks.
And how is Sony getting away with it when everyone is bitching about it?
Or do you expect some kind of morality police to pull them over and give them a rip off ticket?
Kyle81
gt3 and gt4 both had a prologue version that was just like this, only a few tracks, about 1/3 the cars, but they weren't released in the us. everyone in the us bitched and moaned about it not being released here. now for 5, prologue gets released here, and oh no, it's not the full game.. make up your minds, people. if you don't want to pay for the prologue version, don't. just wait till the full version comes out.
trav23
@wild_world_girl: Sure did misunderstand. Thought the quotes meant you thought is way far more than just "petty."
Apologies.
baxterpunch
I guess all other racing games are consider demos if you compare it to the sheer amount of cars and tracks that was in the previous GT series if you really want to argue about how much content should a "full game" have. Which to me just isn't fair to compare other racing games to GT.
thegunshow
Look Im not an MS fanboy as I own each system but I have to say this. If MS had done something like this with a demo for Forza people would have been eating babies in the street. Sony does it and no one even questions it. $40 for a demo. At least when Bungie pulled the same act they gave you a whole game along with it in the form of Crackdown. Sony gets off because the PSN network is free? Lame.
Modus_Operandi
@Kyle81: -sigh- Yeah, you're right. Well, I'll be first in line for GT5. Just wish they'd get a move on. Development really seems to be going a lot slower than necessary. If the past is any indication with GT, it will be worth it.
Smadubaku
"Then it's brutal as hell."
"it's boring as hell."
Wouldn't you also say the online multi-player is "buggy as hell?"
Looks like playing this game is hell. Hell, I think I'll go play something else.
:)
jrleek
@Smadubaku: Again and again and again, the prolugues have been done before, and they didn't affect the sales of Gran Turismo.
Kyle81
I will be buying the game day one! Can't wait! I dont care what anyone says this is a game not a "demo".
GamingNinja
@DARTH_TIGRIS: Lol. I forgot about that, too. Didn't that Halo beta come bundled with a full game? Now that's a steal!
Smadubaku
@dead_red_eyes: Yeah, no way I'd spend $40 for a demo - hell, I wouldn't even spend $10 for a demo...
I don't think even EA is greedy enough to charge people for demos. Charging full price for roster updates, sure. But not demos. Polyphony Digital has major cajones for that, I'll admit.
seafisch
I wonder if this will come back to bite Polyphany.
I love the GT series. I thought Forza has done a great job of holding me over to GT5, but to me there's only one GT. I think Prologue is shameful exploitation of the fanbase. They will sell millions of copies of Prologue to the unsuspecting, who don't sit on video game message boards, follow development, etc. I hope the people who buy it DO enjoy it and feel they get their $40 worth. If a few cars, fewer tracks, unpolished graphics, and broken online are your thing - have at it.
I will not pay $40 for a demo and %10 of the original. I don't think it's okay to support this kind of behavior from a developer. This is a gateway to the kind of gouging that not a single person on this site wants to have to deal with in the future.
I suspect when GT5 does come around, that same ignorant fanbase might feel a little burned and wary.
Smadubaku
This is just as bad as that Halo 3 beta that cost $60!!!!
Say wha? There was another game with that? Crackdown, you say? And it was a ton of fun that had gamers spending upwards of 20 hours doing wild stuff in single or co-op play?
Oh ...
DARTH_TIGRIS
@Niric: Agreed 100%.
HaydenTenno
@baxterpunch: You misunderstand :) *I* don't think it is petty, but that's the way public perception sees it unfortunately. I'm sure they wish they could just let loose.
wild_world_girl
@edhe (xbl): Nice subtle comment. I was starting to wonder where all the ignorant Sony bashing had gone! We could all learn something from somebody with their XBL tag in their title. Thanks holmes, see ya on Monday!
BoffrO
@Niric: Of course a simulator isn't like driving in real life, that's why it's called simulator. By the way, i can't believe someone let you drive a car that expensive at those speeds. You are the luckiest man in the world.
joebobfunguy
I'm fairly offended at anyone that thinks 5 tracks and a 70+ cars is a demo.
creid
@Niric: Your comment literally didn't make any sense at all.
But I'll attempt to respond: on the box, it says "The Real Driving Simulator" so people expect it to be realistic. (And it is!)
dowingba
So it's just like real racing until I hit something, and then it's like driving a shopping cart. I can't wait to hear more explanations on how collision modeling hurts the gameplay experience.
joebobfunguy
Financing the development of an ambitious game with a souped up demo? What's not to like about that?
Still, it is tempting considering that there is NOTHING else in sight for the PS3 for months. Of course I'd like to play GTAIV in the quiet comfort of that shiny black box, but, everyone who I'd multiplayer with is on the 360. If only I could share my save file, I'd buy GTAIV twice.
d3p0
@Niric:
what cars out of curiosity?
Cause I'll tell you that my wrx and my buick grand national handle pretty damn closely as their in game counter parts once you turn off all their assists. As do several of the other cars in the game that I have driven but dont own.
Derigor
@Everyone - Some of you don't want to subsidize the completion of GT5. Some of you do. Both positions can be reached by reasonable people. Quit implying that people who reach conclusions different than yours bark at the moon and drool on the nice couch.
Personally, I'm getting this. I'm a huge GT fan, and I like to have all the versions of a series when I like it. So there's a collector reason to have it. I have a steering wheel and I've played all hell out of GTHD, so I'd like some different PS3 native GT content. If $40 is the asking price for that in April, well, that's what I will have to pay to get what I already know I want. It's up to me to do the math now, and my personal calculations tell me that $40 is a little steep but not outrageous. For me. That's the fan-with-cash-to-burn-reason. I just read that they are adding collision damage as a download later on. That's a first appearance mechanic in the series, another collector chit.
I do like this review format. Having digested it, I agree with the author's assessment: if you're a fan, you're getting it no matter what the review says short of a declaration that it destroys systems and 10 years after you download it, BAM! Herpes. He didn't say that, right?
SaintWaldo
@ManjiKengo: I wasn't directing anything to you, sorry if it came out that way. I was just telling the guy that as long as he enjoys the game that's all that matters. Like I said, everybody has a preference and that 's why all these different types of games exist. Having different options is what makes gaming amazing.
thegunshow
@usfslacker:
Just for the record, it's Po