Gran Turismo 5 is an amazing racing game. Let’s get that out of the way right now. Among mainstream console titles, you can’t find a better simulation of what racing cars really is like, and the selection of cars and tracks is remarkable. The graphics and sound are unparalleled in the genre, and the GT Life mode has a truly satisfying sense of progression that will keep you playing over and over again. Now that all that has been said, this can be a really frustrating game at times, so let’s talk about its flaws.
For example, one of the main selling points of Gran Turismo 5 was the late introduction of damage to the series cars. Many players don’t like the look of undamaged racing “bumper cars” as their car can fly unrealistically against walls without getting scratched and damaging opposing drivers with timely collisions. Well, the game has car damage … But you really won’t notice any damage until you’ve played for about thirty hours. This is because the car damage in GT5 is progressive, getting worse as your driver level increases in-game, reaching full effect at Level 40, which is the furthest you can expect a car to go. regular player. Also, only premium cars have damage effects, a small percentage of the number of cars you can drive. So anyone who’s bought the new car damage kit will likely be disappointed, as dozens of hours go by before experiencing the new feature.
Otherwise the main outlets are pretty well executed. Kart racing and NASCAR feature quite prominently in the new, realistically simulated title (karts will feel totally different from the rest of the vehicles in the game). Jeff Gordon lends his voice to the game for NASCAR racing lessons, and fans of the British show Top Gear will be delighted to find that The Stig even has a cameo in-game. The Top Gear test track is quite a fantastic track to race on and is an excellent licensed addition.
Since there is so much in GT5, the loading times are terrible. There is a large optional hard drive installation to decrease loading times, yet loading still takes too long. Especially when you are doing license tests that will take no more than a minute for each segment, you will find yourself watching a loading screen for longer than you are actually driving. Server overload worsens load times due to the amount of online data also being downloaded all the time, so disconnecting from the PlayStation Network can improve load times. But the fact is, the load is too long when online communities discuss which is the best hard drive to avoid long loads.
While looking at those loading screens, there’s one more irritating aspect: the repetitive music. There’s a ton of music in this game, and on regular menu screens, you can go weeks without hearing a repeating tune. However, inexplicably, the game uses only very specific songs for specific parts of the menus, so you’ll end up listening to certain songs an annoying amount of the time. One tuning area plays “The Entertainer” every time, which is a strange choice. The loading screens go through around three synthetic tunes, which will age quickly. The rest of the music is so well done, it’s hard to understand why the game doesn’t go past its soundtrack for the prevailing loading screens.
Despite all this, Gran Turismo 5 is a fantastic game. Feeling the different physics for each new car you buy can really be a cool experience, and there’s a nice balance of challenge in the game that will keep you practicing for certain races. Some features weren’t implemented particularly well, but that doesn’t stop the GT5 from being an absolute must-buy. The game’s dedication and obsession with cars is contagious, and that’s a really beautiful thing.