IndyCar Series Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm a native of Indianapolis and am a fan of Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) and like PS2 racing games.I enjoy racing around IMS in my PS2 Nascar Thunder and Formula 1 games, so I was very excited about IndyCar Series when it came out and I could race the 230+ MPH vehicles I watched many times in person over the years on the track that I know so well.
But, as other reviewers have noted, there is no steering wheel support for this game (I have the Logitech wheel, which is essentailly the standard for PS2), but I don't think that you would know that from the information on the box for the game.I can imagine the look on my face when I plugged in my wheel and... nothing.
The game plays OK with the standard controller and the graphics and sound are decent, but it just isn't the same as driving with a well-calibrated wheel in your hand.I'll make sure I research my next racing-related product first.

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Tourist Trophy Review

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(More customer reviews)I love motorcycle racing and wanted a good bike game for my PS2. All the professional reviews I had read said that Tourist Trophy (TT) was good, but way too hard, so I never tried it. I'm not a particularly skilled PS2 player, so the "hard" label put me off.

After reading a few reviews here that said it wasn't so difficult, for a racing game, I decided to give it a try and am I ever glad I did! The controls aren't nearly as hard as implied. If you have even a little speed you can lean way over without falling and braking in turns isn't always going to cause you to crash. Like any other racing game, the key is to be smooth, which comes with experience.

Unlike Gran Tourismo 4 (GT4), where I lack a majority of the upper level licenses, I've cruised through three of the four license levels in short order and am winning bikes by racing and by Challenge.

Those familiar with GT4 will recognize the same basic menu design and the same high quality of bike presentation and race tracks. Many of the tracks are the same as on GT4, which helps veterans of that game.

There are over 90 bikes, ranging from Scooters to 1100cc Cruisers to 125cc 2-stroke racers to the custom Superbike racers. The oldest bikes are from the 70s and there are some noticable holes in the catalog, but it is only 90 bikes. I'd like to see the next version expand to include more historic bikes, like how GT4 improved over GT3.

Like GT4 you must complete license tests, which are like interactive tutorials. The first two license classes will show the best line on the track, with blue where you should accelerate, red where you should brake, and white where you should idle. It is a great way of learning how to negotiate the various turns and learning what to look for in the best racing lines.

Ironically, the most difficult of the license tests is the third one in the novice class, where you must ride a scooter around a perfect circle within a specific time, without straying outside and hitting any of the cones. I couldn't have passed this one without the advice given in the Prima Strategy guide, which for those few license tips alone is worth the price.

The strategy guide also shows all the bikes you win for various races or licenses, as well as gives the basic bike stats and serves as a nice guide to see what your opposition is capable of when lining up for a race.

For the third and fourth license levels, you are on your own as far as figuring the best lines. The fourth license level is a timed lap on various tracks with various bikes, so you'll get used to some of the basic tracks by completing this level.

Like GT4, you earn bikes by winning races or race series. If you get gold in a license test, you will also win a bike. The other way to get bikes is in Challenges. With these, you look in the catalog for a bike you want and select it.

To win the bike you must race it against another bike, which is in the lead. You must pass it and lead for 10 seconds or must cross the finish line first. This is easier on some bikes than others even within the same class, because the opponent varies from bike to bike.

For example, to win a street racer in the 1000cc class you have 4 major bikes worth getting, the Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki. To win the Honda, Kawasaki or Yamaha, you must race one of these four bikes. But to win the Suzuki, you go up against the Ducati, which is 20+ hp less and about 10 kg more, and thus is easier to beat.

Unlike GT4. there is no money and the "add-ons" are limited to exhaust upgrades, which come with the bike. You can make a few mods to the suspension, gearing and braking, but the options are much more limited than in GT4. This is a good thing though, as it is way too easy to get lost in GT4 and not so here in TT.

This is another area where the Prima guide comes in handy, as it has 7 pages of sound advice on the various tuning options, which you should mess with and how, and which you should leave alone. Another selling point for the guide are the track maps, which show typical slowest speeds on selected corners. The Prima Guide is a "must have" for this game, IMO.

Like GT4, there are a number of different race classes, which allow you to use a majority of the bikes you will collect from racing wins. There are classes based on engine size, engine type, the year the bike was released, and for specific models. There are a total of 23 racing series/classes, with 3-7 races each.

TT supports replays and "photos" similar to how GT4 handles them. The game supports the use of a USB flash drive plugged into one of the PS2's USB ports and can store the jpgs output by the photo session, as well as the replays, which can be quite large. The game also supports printing of "photos" directly to USB photo printer.

Photos can be generated automatically from the replay menu. The game scans the replay and makes a series of photos as it finds things worth keeping. Some are good, some are not so good. You can save individual ones to the memory card or a USB flash drive. When saved to a flash drive, they are saved as jpgs, which can be read by your PC (not tested yet as I lack a flash drive).

Overall, I find the game easier to approach and play than GT4, which was easy enough to become a best seller. It looks and feels real enough, without being impossibly hard. Once you learn the basics and get used to it, you will find yourself winning bikes and races and getting faster and faster as you learn the tracks.

My wish is that Polyphony Digital will do for dirt bike racing what they've done for auto racing and now for motorcycle road racing.

If you are at all into motorcycle road racing and have a PS2, get this game and the Prima Strategy guide. You won't be sorry!

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TOURIST TROPHY

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Motocross Mania 3 Review

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(More customer reviews)I like this game a lot. It has good graphics and is a ton-o-fun.
You get to choose a weapon to use during a race like baseball bats, e.t.c. and knock people off of their bikes with them. There are a few levels where you drive into oncoming traffic and if you hit the cars and trucks at the right speed and angle, you can flip them over. The only thing that I didn't like is that your bike is a little hard to control and it is easy to run into things. Overall it is a good game for a good price. -Clark

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The first next-gen edition of Take-2's motocross racing series, formerly a budget series for the PS one. Mania has spread across the land as people have turned traditional motocross racing into an intense blood sport. Furious combat mixes with fast paced racing through deadly courses that range from populated city street to harsh open environments. Mania is here and ready to fight. The winner is the one to make it across the finish line still in one piece. Bikers fight hand-to-hand using a variety of weapons, while racing at high speeds on more than 20 unique circuits. Large and distinct environments create an ever-expanding race, aided by a third-generation physics engine that makes every move, fight and crash different and fresh. Riders can also unleash air mania allowing for bigger tricks and increased combat maneuvers.

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Gran Turismo 3 A-spec Review

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(More customer reviews)i love this game but, with that said, i want to get the bad stuff out of the way...
LESS CARS-many less...a lot of my favorites have gone the way of the dodo.126 cars to start with, with a few more added later, is a lot, but when compared to four to five times that in gt2, it pales in comparison...
DUMB A.I.-sure the computer cars are a little more "intelligent" than before, but when a random car that had never been touched slams its brakes, effectively taking it out of the race, just to stop the player, then their is work to be done... besides this, all cars still follow a racing line, albeit not as religiously as before.a.i. could be better...
NO DAMAGE-understandably, the manufacturers will not allow the gt producers to portray their perfect cars as anything less than that(i.e. no scratches or dents in these work machines), but slamming a wall at 200km/h plus,(i have japanese version) will have repurcussions.i will gripe and gripe until this is corrected!
NO WORKING HEADLIGHTS-i will give my right eye for a left one that can see the road!why turn on theheadlights at all?the street lights obviously do an adequate job!the headlights look pretty, but do nothing!yes this is a minor gripe, but simple physics is not too much to ask for!argh...
ok...with that out of the way, time for the good...
GRAPHICS-obviously being the first thing one will notice, the graphics are phenomonal!sure, the audience remains a cardboard cut-out and the rear- view mirror does not present all the fixins(very generic), but with these being the only flaws, this game is truly a sight to behold.the lighting is extremely impressive(i was actually blinded by the sun) and the textures are right on.i have read of texture lighting problems, but have yet to experience any.all the touches are in the right places.and the replays...beautiful!
MUSIC-again, sony got different bands for the soundtrack...like lenny kravitz, feeder, grand theft audio, overseer...it really keeps you motivated.although i do like the music in gt2 a bit better(one of the best video game soundtracks ever), this music was still right on!
MORE RACES-even more races including the gt2 rally races and some f-1 racing this time, the race options are amazing!
IMPROVED PHYSICS-not a very noticeable change, as gt2 had great physics, but a significant one at that. rear and mid engine cars do not flair as wildly out of control as in the past, and the new wet ground physics are great.the pinball action off the side rails remains, however...
running out of space, i realize there is a lot to say about this game, and it is an extremely enjoyable experience.granted, the time to make each car model limited the selection this time around, but there are still more cars than any other ps2 racer.try it out and see...especially if you have never played a gran turismo game...you are sure to enjoy!

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GRAN TURISMO 3: A SPECNLA

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Gran Turismo 4 Review

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(More customer reviews)I got a chance to play GT4 at E3 in May 2003 and GT4 Prologue at the Game Developers Conf in March of 2004. I also own the GT4 Toyota Promotional package. The first thing I noticed was the improved graphic detail, especially in the scenery. Rumor has it that Polyphony Digital, in development, added too much detail and overloaded the processor. It truly should be THE game that pushes the PS2 to its graphical limits. The streets of New York City are incredibly detailed as I lost my first race while being awed by scenery. The rally course is unbelievable. Seriously, the pre-rendered graphics are indistinguishable from reality. See the movies on GameSpot dot com. The real-time game play graphics while driving are equally as good.

The driving physics model was once again improved from GT3. The most noticeable change was improved realism in car handling at the extremes of traction. I have routinely compared driving cars on GT3 with the real cars I have driven at the actual Laguna Seca track. The new physics model in GT4 more correctly depicts the oversteer problems encountered during hard braking. In GT3, I can stand on the brakes and maneuver the car somewhat. But in GT4, the car gets unruly quite quickly if you start to turn while braking at the threshold, which is CORRECT. In the Toyota promotional package, the wheels can actually lock up! It seems to respond more accurately to mid-throttle and maximum throttle inputs while controlling the drifting car.

The new Logitech steering wheel is improved dramatically. It has both the paddle shifters and a "bump" shifter, simulating the sequential gearboxes of racecars and shifter karts. The steering wheel has more turns lock to lock than your typical driving wheel. I felt that the wheel was giving realistic pressures without any surprising yanks. They also improved the feel of the steering wheel while running over the rough, bumpy, inner curbs and the rumble strips on the exits of turns by adding more force to the wheel. It really pulls now and calibrates itself with GT4! Thumbs up on the wheel!

Likely tracks in the final game would be Laguna Seca, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas downtown, Circuit Tsukuba, New York City Circuit, Fuji Circuit, Cita d' Aria, Hong Kong, the Costa di Amalfi tarmac rally track in Italy, and Germany's famous 13-mile-long Nurburgring. I was told by the guys at Infineon Raceway (Sears Point) that Kazunori Yamauchi and the GT4 crew were there for several days to model the track.

Likely improvements include expanding the license tests to act more like a racing school. My friends at the Skip Barber driving school at Laguna Seca tell me many developers from Polyphony Digital have been to racing school there. Also, a detailed replay mode will allow you to pose your car to create a digital image/picture to email or print out.

I need to actually play the game for a few days to come up with any faults. But there are no noticeable faults during the 2 hours I was fortunate enough to play the game. After spending two years beating the gold times and the demos in all of the license tests in GT3, as well as finishing all other races in Arcade mode and Simulation mode, I can truly say that Gran Turismo 4 continues to improve the simulated race driving experience, not just in simulated accuracy, but in entertainment value as well. This is my favourite game. Cheers, Rex.

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Product Description:
Are you searching for a driving game that offers more than just breakneck speed? Look no further than Gran Turismo 4. The most recent installment in this amazingly popular racing game brings realistic driving to a whole new level. With loads of new cars and a vastly improved physics engine, you'll be ready to tackle the roads in your favorite cars from the last century.
The Cars
Automotive history is at your fingertips with Gran Turismo 4. You can select from over 700 cars, dating back nearly a century to the 1915 Ford Model T Tourer. From the United Kingdom's AC to Sweden's Volvo, you'll can choose from practically every car manufactured since 1915.
Beyond the list of cars, GT4 sports a new and vastly improved physics engine. Offering even greater realism than its predecessors, the GT4 engine has been meticulously designed to cover every inch and turn of your driving experience. Using physics to calculate weight, speed, friction, and a host of other nuances, every car delivers performance with its own unique, precise handling and feel.
This game isn't just about the cars, though -- it's also about the competition. The advanced, lifelike drivers compete with fervor unmatched even by some of your video game buddies. Fueled by the latest advances in artificial intelligence, your digital rivals will react to your every move with behavior modeled after actual professional racers.
It may take you weeks to test drive all 700 available cars, but with Gran 4 you'll never truly run out of "new" vehicles. This game is equipped with a multitude of options to customize your favorite cars. Brakes, shocks, and engine components can all be upgraded. You can stylize your car with wings, rims, and color, and you can even change your oil. In short, you can do whatever needs to be done to keep your car tuned and looking hot for the next big race.
The Human Element
Gran Turismo 4 brings something completely new to your gaming experience. In the stands you'll find spectators who comes to life in3D before your very eyes. They react with genuine human emotions to your every move, cheering as you pass, and snapping photographs as you cross the finish line. Your next pit stop will take place as if you were really there. You'll watch the process unfold in real-time as your crew rushes to change your tires and refuel your tank. But that's not all. With the new addition of convertibles, you are truly in the drivers seat. Your drivers will react with precise and fluid motions, and turn just as you would if you were behind the wheel. Gran Turismo has never looked so unbelievably real.
The Courses
Not only does GT4 bring you the rare opportunity to drive hundreds of cars, it also offers you a vast collection of actual racing locations. Rip through the exotic Costa di Malfi in Capri, burn rubber through the urban jungle of Hong Kong, or throw up some serious dust at the Grand Canyon -- no matter where you decide to race, you'll love driving any of the game's fourteen tracks. Feeling nostalgic? With Gran 4, you can even race on some of your old, favorite tracks from previous editions.
LAN Play
Compete against your buddies with the LAN play functionality of GT4. Connect up to three PlayStation 2 consoles and bring together up to six players in a racing frenzy that pits you against your friends. Each console will need a copy of Gran Turismo 4, the proper connecting cables, and all the standard gaming equipment. Once connected, you'll be ready for a life-like battle of driving abilities and mental toughness. With LAN play, the action has never been more intense or more realistic!

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Logitech PlayStation 3 Driving Force GT Racing Wheel Review

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(More customer reviews)Summary [8.5 out of 10]
====================================

The Logitech Driving Force GT PS3 Wheel is an excellent driving wheel with a good build quality at a solid price point that will satisfy any casual or avid racer. Unfortunately not every game makes correct or full use of driving wheels, but the ones that do (e.g. Gran Turismo 5) create a surreal driving experience that will satisfy any driving fan.

For the purist that must reproduce the true racing experience in his or her house, we would still suggest the Logitech G25; it is, however, more than twice the price of the Driving Force GT.

What's in the Box?
====================================

It's a good sized box, about the size of a Logitech 2.1 PC speaker package. As shown on the box there was an instruction booklet, pedals and wheel (with integrated shifter).

What I was really surprised to find in the box, and it might have been a toss-in for some promotion because I don't see it mentioned on Logitech's site, was a full copy of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. If you already have it, then use this copy (if you get one) as a gift I suppose. If you didn't have a copy, you will be so freaking happy they included one, it does the wheel justice while other games don't:

After spending time with this wheel and especially Gran Turismo 5, I would have to say that you cannot review a driving wheel, or al teast this driving wheel, without having a copy of Gran Turismo 5 to test with. The experience is so much better with GT than it is with other "arcade" racers that it's a night-and-day difference. More on that later though under "Driving Experience".

For anyone that has used a force-feedback wheel in the past 10 years, I think the form factor of these things has always been the same. A life-sized steering wheel attached to a tapered base that is fastened to a table or desk of some kind using clamps or grips of some kind; this is very similar:

As you can see the steering wheel reproduces all of the 17 or so buttons you find on a standard PS3 controller. The red wheel and "enter" button on the bottom right can be used for navigation and confirmation as well as in-game adjustments for games that support it (like Gran Turismo 5).

I'm not sure what the split-circle +/- does on the bottom left, I never got it to really do anything in any games.

In addition to the full-sized wheel the base unit includes an integrated shifter. The shifter doesn't have much play up or down as it behaves more like those auto-shifters (flappers) you find on some higher end cars that let you drive in automatic or shift automatically if you want. It just clicks up or down as you are driving and a spring re-centers it when you let go. It doesn't click "up" or "down" into position like a gear shifter, it's more of a toggle action.

Of course you have your pedal plate. I'm a size 11.5" and the plate felt like a nice size, sturdy, good resistence on the brake and gas and my foot never fell off it or slipped off. It's a perfect size.

I did find that the pedals stood upright a bit too vertical, so sitting in a chair and playing, my foot was always cocked up when I was off the gas or break. This made switching from gas to brake with 1 foot uneasy for me and I ended up driving with both feet instead; I just couldn't flip from gas and then cock my foot up enough to clear the brake as I moved it over to the left to push it back down. What ended up happening is that the side of my foot would hit the break as I moved my foot to the left and push the whole pedal pad over.

I would also point out that the pedal pad would be perfect on carpet because it integrates a retractable spike-strip on the bottom of it that can click out, and dig into the carpet. On hard/wood floors like I have, it was moving around a little bit, so I secured it by pushing it up against the table you see in the picture above. I believe there are little rubber feet on it but they don't do as good a job stopping it from moving as the carpet-spike-strip would if it was on carpet.

Keep that in mind if you are on a hard floor and don't have a way to secure it in place, I'm sure putting it on a mat on your hard floor would work fine (like a yoga mat) or something else that will cause it to stay put.

Hooking it all Up
====================================

As with all racing wheels since the dawn of mankind, you fasten the wheel base that everything hooks to, to a table or desk using clamps that tighten to hold it in place:

If you don't have a table or desk that this can be fastened to, you will need to get one if you plan on using this. I lucked out in that our coffee table had a lip on it that I could hook to, but I have a friend that has a low coffee table that he hooked the wheel to that provides a lack-luster driving experience as he is bent over the wheel.

Someone else that came over to try the wheel out didn't have a coffee table at all in front of his TV and was wondering how he would use it; my only comment to him is that he couldn't unless he had something to hook it to.

The base unit is front-heavy with the steering wheel; meaning if you didn't secure it to the table, it would happily fall steering-wheel-first off the table onto the ground. You can't just set it on something and use it; it needs to be clamped down.

Also you will want it attached to something sturdy because you can get to fighting with the force-feedback and turning the wheel and moving quite a bit while racing. This could move whatever you have the wheel attached to in more vibrant racing moments; something I did with our coffee table because it has wheels on it.

For example, if you tried to hook this to a bar stool or something, I don't think that would work out really well.

After getting the base-unit in place, everything plugs to it into sockets in the back of the base-unit, right behind the shifter. You will plug in:

* Power Adapter
* Pedal Plate
* PS3

The wire length between all 3 of these things is pretty liberal, so unless you are trying to spread yourself across your entire living room you should be OK.

The shortest connection is from the pedal plate to the wheel (understandably, since the two will always be near each other) and uses what looks like an old-school COM port connection.

In what I consider the most important connection, the base-unit to the PS3, Logitech was pretty generous. You have a 10' or 11' USB cable to connect to your PS3. In the picture above I am about 10' from the PS3 and that is about as far away as I am going to get without a USB extender.

The power adapter also had a generous lead on it, which I plugged into the wall behind me, about a 5' run total and there was still plenty of slack on that cable.

For those curious, the power adapter is one of those "huge bricks that I have to plug in and will cover a bunch of other plugs" types. The prongs themselves are set high enough on the brick though, that if you are plugging into a wall socket, you can use the top or bottom socket without blocking the other one.

If you are using it on a power strip, I'd suggest making it the last plug off the power strip so it hangs off and doesn't block other plugs cause it will. It's a bit bigger than a deck of cards or there-abouts in size.

Build Quality
====================================

My gut reaction out of the box was "meh" honestly. I have used force-feedback wheels in the past and only once can I remember being impressed with the non-plastic build quality.

However, after using the wheel for a while and playing quite a few games with it, I came to find the build quality above-average. The wheel is solid feeling, it's got a leather-wrap feel to it, the force-feedback is dynamic and consistent and the pedals were sturdy and performed well. If you want to turn the force-feedback up, the wheel can really wrestle with you, so if you like a powerful experience, you can certainly get it with this wheel.

The pedals didn't feel amazing to me out of the box, but playing with them I didn't have any complaints, besides the comment above about how vertical the pedals stand.

The gas is easy to depress but sping-loaded in a firm fashion to make it somewhat hard to push down with your hands. And the brake is firmly spring loaded, but in a smooth, shock-absorber way that makes it satisfying to use and feels more like a real car.

The shifter does feel a little rinky-dink because it's just a plastic knob on a metal pole that is attached to a spring-loaded click-shift mechanism.If you want that tactile feedback, you'll want to get the Logitech G25 Racing Wheel.

If you are a build-quality nut and don't mind paying for you, you really should be looking at the Logitech G25 Racing Wheel; that's more of a direct race-car replica, complete with metal parts, full shifter, clutch, etc. But it's more than twice the price of this wheel (just a warning).

Driving Experience
====================================

First a list of the games we tried (in alphabetical order):

* Burnout Paradise
* Dirt
* Gran Turismo 5: Prologue
* Grid
* MotorStorm
* Nascar '09

The "awesomeness" of this wheel (and I imagine all racing wheels) depends 100%, completely on how well the game you are playing implements it.

Let that above statement sink in... you could spent $900 on a wheel, and if the game you are playing doesn't have a tuned wheel experience, you will likely go...Read more›

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Product Description:
The official wheel of Gran Turismo, featuring advanced force feedback technology.Make your PLAYSTATION 3 experience even more realistic. Enjoy unprecedented integration with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue game functions, while advanced force feedback ...

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Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Review

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(More customer reviews)Note, my opinion is based on the PS3 version while driving with Professional physics, ASM/TCS off, using a Sparco cockpit and Logitech G25 wheel.

PRICE - nearly a no-brainer buy for fans; but a little high considering it's a prologue, limited number of events and cars.

GRAPHICS - improved as expected given the possibilities of the PS3. In a way the sensation of speed has decreased, an ironic side effect of the smooth picture quality.It's easier to look further into the distance.

SOUND - really stunning, accurate, raspy, and powerful.Enormous help to the gameplay to hear unique exhaust notes for each car.Huge improvement from GT4.

CARS - there are plenty of great cars for everyone - rather than recreating hundreds of nearly identical and/or boring, useless-for-racing cars, this game sticks to the cars that are meant to go fast, and does them well.The sound and handling of each is unique and seems to be accurate.And the Ferrari F2007, once you beat the S races and earn the required 2 million credits, is just so cool to drive (even though its quick tune options are limited - you can't modify the power, weight, ride height, springs, or driving physics).

TRACKS - the Daytona trioval is a lot more interesting to drive than a super speedway like Motegi.Daytona also comes with a road course, and even though I feel driving a road course in the infield of an oval feels a bit unnatural, it's still a fun course.There's also Fuji, Suzuka, London, and High Speed Ring.Not bad.

AI - improved number and varied driving personalities, but they still defy the rules of clean racing and the laws of physics with impunity.They drive right through you as you serve your penalties (which they often cause).You'll see shortcutting, using runoff areas for acceleration, wallriding, refusing to back off even when their line is hopeless, and of course bumping and shoving you, leaving you to collect from the new array of infractions.It's getting a bit harsh, but the restart button is only a menu away.

HANDLING - if you select "standard" the cars handle pretty much like they did in GT4; if you put it on "professional" then it takes on a more realistic (i.e. unforgiving) character.Default settings are a little mushy even with cars you'd expect to be nimble, and the professional physics render the supercars (Corvette, Ford GT, Ferrari) nearly uncontrollable.After unlocking the S group and quick tune, some cars can have their downforce cranked up to get some handling back, but cars that are more about beauty than function don't have this available.Many of them remain just a tiny mistake away from an unrecoverable slide.No wonder so many inexperienced drivers crack them up (especially if they turn off the driver aids).I completed all the races (except three of the S races) on "professional" but since the AI is not subject to the same realities, you may occasionally need to set it back to "standard" in order to be competitive.

So far the game has overall been enjoyable, and much of the struggle can be overcome by selecting the correct car for each race, just as it was in GT4.

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Gran Turismo 5 Review

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(More customer reviews)*** As I've updated my thoughts on various aspects of this game, I've wound up writing an extremely long and complex review.My apologies, though it's pretty amusing considering the game I'm discussing.Long story short: the game isn't perfect, but it's awesome and a huge step forward.

This game lives up to expectations as a major leap forward from GT4 and a cutting edge PS3 experience, so long as you're realistic and actually wanted a Gran Turismo style game.If you're expecting a game that is fully accessible quickly, instead of demanding patience and repeated accomplishment, or a game where you're forgiven for a lack of finesse, this may not be what you're looking for.

How to play: I've been a fan of this series since the original Playstation edition.I've generally played all Gran Turismo games by acquiring a cheap car (a used Mazda MX-5 in this game), beating a few license tests, racing for money to upgrade my car, and then buying a faster car and yet more upgrades for it.As this goes along, I wind up building a racing empire, beating all the license tests (which open up access to harder races), and having a great time.

In GT5, there's a new element that changes this. You gain A-Spec exp for various accomplishments and have a level for A Spec and B Spec (B Spec refers to the AI driving your car for you).Every race and car and special event has a level (some are level 0) you must reach before accessing.If you hate the licenses, you can see the rest of the game without them by gaining levels (such as by winning races).Personally, I'm still beating the licenses (and you gain levels very fast this way), and playing through as I always have.

Graphics: The graphics are stunning.I was expecting the quality to equal Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, but they are improved somewhat, particularly with regard to anti aliasing.Tracks look lovely, and even the notorious 800 'non-premium' cars look excellent.If these were the best the game had to offer, GT5 would be the prettiest racer yet.And yet the 200 premium cars take that to the next level.Tracks are astonishing.Nurburgring is stunning, as the shadows from trees reflect off the suede interior of my Aston Martin DBS, and the sun sets, the line from 'uncanny valley' to simply 'you're really there' is crossed.I don't see how graphics can improve from this point and my eyes be able to detect it.One neat addition is how lights reflect off mist, other cars, gleam onto things, etc.The shadows are not as well done as I like, leaving some jagged edges, but otherwise the game looks amazing.

Sound: I have always complained that Gran Turismo's sounds are too synthetic and unrealistic.GT5 has made a huge leap forward.Change your exhaust system and you actually can hear it.I can tell if a car is a V8 or a V6.That magestic sound of a Ferrari's 12 cylinders is actually represented.I still hope the game moves forward with a few details.You don't get the throaty idle of an old pony car [edit: I stand corrected... the Cobra 427 has a raspy idle and sounds great)... but then you shouldn't be standing still in the first place.It sounds amazing on my 5.1 system.Lots of car sims support 5.1, but the doppler effect and different engine noises show incredible realism here.I really like the long list of BGM songs and menu music, but the game supports your own mp3s, which is wonderful because I will be playing this game long enough to want new tunes.The audio improvements also make the replays much more exciting.You will know what I mean when you watch some (or play B-Spec, where you command the computer to drive for you), though it's hard to really describe.You feel much more like you're at the race.

AI: It's great.I could swear that a car retaliated against me.GT has tended to have weak AI that drives in a row, and that is thankfully not the problem.In B-Spec you can monitor the mental fatigue and attitude of the AI competitors, and that kind of thing appears to be tracked in the other cars.The AI gets stronger as you progress to harder races (as do their cars).

Physics: Some will not enjoy racing this series on its full realism settings.If you're not talented, this game's maximum realism settings are simply very hard.The game makes some effort to accomodate the rest of us mere mortals with a lot of aids and settings, but actually being competitive with this game takes work.I think the physics scratch that realism itch many PC gamers have been demanding for years. You have to develop some skills before the game can really be appreciated. There don't seem to be mechanical breakdowns (IE: overheating when you damage your radiator), something I've always wanted to see in this series, but otherwise the realism is excellent.I think most gamers can jump into Arcade Mode on beginner pick the F40, and win a race.

Content: I wish there were a few additional car models and that all of them were premium (you get used to the awesome cockpits quickly!).I think the problem is that GT5 has so many cars included that people get the illusion they should have every single car they can think of.It's so comprehensive that you actually are surprised when something isn't there (ahem, Porsche).In other words, it's easy to be unrealistic and hope for everything... that's how much content you have here.There are so many historic and amazing racing cars in this game that it seems unfair to feel this way.Upgrade parts and fine tuning settings are comprehensive and yet easy for anyone to fiddle with.There are many tracks in this game, though my favorite test track from GT4 is missing.Some of the weather and nighttime settings only work for some tracks, but when they do they are absolutely awesome.There are lots of things like photo album and setting up your personal area that just don't appeal to me personally.Online features are fully fleshed out, though, with very large fields of racers, chat, etc.

I think the game is so large that the menu system, for example, the GT World home's dozen+ things to choose from, seems daunting at first.Just remember this is a game many will play for hundreds of hours.Expect to find the menus a little daunting at first, but I'm already finding them very easy to get around after a few days.

I'm surprised by the track editor.It's easy to use, though you can't design each turn exactly as you'd like.But you'll never run out of tracks!The special events are practically entire games to themselves with a real diversity ranging from Nascar to Top Gear to WRC.

Fun Factor:I think a lot of people are going to complain about this.As gaming has become more and more popular as a form of entertainment, games have accomodated more players by being easy. I am not saying this is right or wrong: but understand this product is not an arcade game.You will have to have patience and practice to fully enjoy a more subtle experience.The fun comes from mastery.I think that's a lot of fun, but some people do not.The Kart racing, Drift, and to be honest, Nascar, present some cheaper thrills.You can also dial up the driving aids and have a very easy experience, but if you're looking for Blur or Need for Speed, this game just doesn't offer that experience.I do have one complaint: the game requires a substantial loading time, and the loading of new tracks took longer than expected the first time.Once it's loaded something the first time, it seems to save some of the content on the HDD, and it's much faster to load that thing in the future.I have a huge HDD, but people who have smaller ones should be aware this game will need eight GBs (or perhaps a bit more).

Value:I am stunned at just how much game is here.It is ridiculous.They could cut the content, tracks, and types of racing by half and you would still have two games worth much more than $60.I've only really scratched the surface, but I already can see this is going to be my favorite PS3 game.

My final thought on this: it's the comprehensive game for people who love cars.Old cars, new cars, fast cars, average cars.It's almost like am interactive museum experience for cars (not to mention the actual interactive museum feature).It's also a comprehensive way to race with depth.Setup, driving styles, etc.It's like a racing school in your living room.The quality has exceeded my expectations.This game will impress you, and you will have fun playing it if you have the patience to advance through the levels.

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Product Description:
The next installment of the award-winning Gran Turismo simulation racing franchise, Gran Turismo 5, is designed for play exclusively to the PlayStation 3 system. Known for its signature beauty and precision, this highly anticipated racer showcases new jaw-dropping cars, real-life tracks, and diverse racing styles. Gran Turismo 5 promises to deliver exciting advancements to the series, and in the process deliver in the most comprehensive racing experience ever.

The Real Driving Simulator is Here
True to its pedigree, Gran Turismo 5 takes the GT series, as well as the simulation racing genre as a whole, to a whole new level. The game features over 1,000 realistically rendered cars. This is nearly 300 more than were included in GT4 for PlayStation 2, and literally several hundred more than what was available in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, the first GT game variation developed for PS3. This tremendous list includes standard categories of vehicles, including stock cars, tuned pre tuned vehicles and tunables, but keeping with modern automotive technology GT5 also includes the latest, hybrid and electric car models. Just like any car, these can be raced, but as with their real-life cousins, players can also do things with these cars like monitor battery power as related to speed and other car usage. In addition, GT 5 features over 20 courses, more than 60 variations, a new physics engine allowing for realistic damage, a new in-cockpit view, HD support, and much more.

The Real Driving Simulator on your PS3.
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