The definitive racing title on the
Playstation has finally arrived on the PS3 which gives us a
taste of what this driving simulator has to offer in Gran
Turismo Prologue 5 created by Polyphony Digital who once again
challenges gamers with a variety of accurate real-world cars
that almost makes it feel like you are actually behind the wheel
of one of these high performance super cars.
The Prologue
edition of Gran Turismo offers the player 71 cars and six world
class tracks that include Daytona, High Speed Ring, Fuji
Speedway, Eiger Nordwand, Suzuka Circuit and a section of
central London which is graphically quite amazing. What really
sets this incarnation apart from its predecessor is that it has
been fully designed for high definition which also includes
split screen racing and online gameplay to top it off. The
gameplay of Gran Turismo Prologue 5 also offers the play 30
different race events through three different car classes where
the player must start with the basic cars and move their way
into the super cars. Customisations is also available which is
definitely an enjoyable aspect of the series.
The game does a stalwart job of stretching out the
content into a full game experience. It
provides some 30 race events that are tackled through three
different car classes - starting out with the cheaper Suzukis
and Hondas, before graduating onto the punchier Skylines and
Mustangs until finally unlocking the ability to customise your
cars' mechanical setup before hitting the grid. This process
will easily see you spending four or five evenings before they
are done. Once you've lapped all this up, you
can move onto the extra credit events such as manufacturer
events, time trials and drift trial events.
Those that put the hours in with Gran Turismo HD, whilst waiting
for Prologue, can return to Eiger Nordwand in this expanded
collection of cars and more fuller graphical rendering. This
really took us back to the hours of honing we ploughed into that
Grindwald circuit of GT1 and GT2. Eiger Nordwand not only offers
breathtaking views but a surprising amount of nuance and depth
to each of its twists and turns.
Graphically, everything is as HD crisp as you would hope. The
frame-rate is a solid 60fps and it will now go up to the full
1080p resolution. The main window dressing is the aforementioned
car interiors. But these turn out to add a lot to the overall
experience. It just feels so different racing round in a cramped
Suzuki compared to the Walnut dash of a high performance motor.
We still have to wait for any weather effects, or in fact
anything but bright sunny days, but hey, if you have to pick one
weather type that has to be better than wet and windy.
The incredible thing here is that this is essentially the same
game as was delivered all those years ago. But somehow it is
just as exciting and fresh as it ever was.
Add into this mix the superb
support for Logitech's range of wheels and you have almost the
perfect racing setup. Although it may seem a lot to spend on an
accessory, the level of extra information provided by the force
feedback in unprecedented. Whether it is the tugging of the
wheel as you try and persuade the car around a corner, the heavy
handling under-braking, or the looseness of the wheels when the
car momentarily flies over a jump, the realism offered here is
simply stunning.
If you don't fancy a wheel you will probably want to get hold of
a Dual Shock 3 - the controller is also fully supported with its
re-integrated rumble feature. Whichever way you cut it this is a
great taste of what is to come in GT5. The only downside is that
this is only a taste of what is to come :(
