Gran Turismo 5 Review

2011 Ferrari 458 Italia

Finally! It's been a rough five years, but Gran Turismo 5 finally made it's way to the gaming shelves. Millions of you guys have the game right now, and most of you are enjoying it. But, during the five years of production, Forza Motorsport came out with 2 sequels, each being greater than the first. But, to most of you, it didn't matter. To some of you, however, it did. Even though it appears to be a very realistic simulator, I've noticed a lot of bugs that have kept this game from being so great. On the other hand, there are a lot of features and details that make this game so beautiful. So, with that said, this game is two things: horrible and purely awesome.

2010 Chevy Corvette ZR1

Here are the awesome things. You see that Yellow Vette ZR1 in front of you? Looks unbelievably nice, doesn't it? That's the clearest and the realest you'll ever get to the cars. This car is one of over 200 cars classified as premium. These premium cars have everything: amazing detail, interior view, realistic damage, working wipers, working headlights, and other things.

2008 Audi RS6 Avant

Here's another picture. This time it's an Audi RS6 Avant, another premium model. Looks beautiful, doesn't it? Another good thing: all of the cars in this game are buyable. Yes, buyable! Every single freakin' car in this game you can buy, from the Audi R10 TDI Race Car to the Pagani Zonda R. You might win them in events, but you will be able to buy them from used car lots and dealerships. The tracks are also very stunning. If you're a die-hard Gran Turismo fan, you'll be at home with tracks like Trial Mountain Circuit, Deep Forest Raceway, Autumn Ring Circuit, Grand Valley Speedway, Special Stage Route 5, and others. But, what Polyphony Digital has done is that they've made your favorite tracks much more colorful and realistic. It's breathtaking!

2010 Chevy Corvette C6.R Gran Turismo

Then, there are the events, which are also very good. For the first time ever in Gran Turismo history, you do not need a license to participate in any event. Unlocking events is now based on skill level. You level up every time you complete a race in the top 3 positions. There are five levels: Beginner, Amateur, Professional, Expert, and Extreme, and if you can handle them all, you'll move on to Endurance. The number of laps now depend on what mode you're playing in: either A-spec or B-spec. In A-spec, the maximum amount of laps for any race is 5. The most you can actually have is 10, but that's only on Tsukuba Circuit. Then, there are the Endurance races, which can have a lot, depending if you're going to drive that long. In B-spec, you can have over 20 laps because, as you level up, you get to bring more than 5 drivers to a race to race for you, and AI drivers last longer than we do. No offense.

2009 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG

Gran Turismo also got a hold of NASCAR and WRC licenses, so now you can have a dirt brawl at Eiger Nordwand in Sébastien Loeb's Citroën C4 WRC and slipstream stock cars in Jeff Gordon's #24 DuPont Chevy Impala. Gran Turismo also got a hold of one popular BBC motoring show, Top Gear. Now, players have a chance to be The Stig and show off their skills on the Top Gear Test Track. You will also have a chance to race in go-karts in Tokyo and drive an SLS AMG at the Nürburgring in the AMG Driving Academy. Gran Turismo also got a hold of the most exclusive brand on the planet: Ferrari. These guys don't share their cars with anyone, and Gran Turismo was worthy enough to have some of their best cars in this game, including the all new 458 Italia as you saw at the top of this review. In this game, it's all about sharing. You now have a chance to share your progress with your friends and even exchange gifts like cars and parts. That's pretty cool. So, here are all of the awesome things about this racing sim.

Standard Racers

Now here comes the horrible things about this game. One of them, I'm most certain of, are the cars. Yes 200 premium cars does sound like a lot, but it's not enough. The are also over 800 cars with no interiors and little details known as the standard cars. These look horrible. I mean, if you were to going transfer cars from GT4 to this game, it should at least be more detailed, but no. They aren't detailed at all. There are even some that don't make sense.

2010 Jaguar XFR

I mean, look at this. This is a Jaguar XFR, the only four door saloon to go toe-to-toe with an BMW M5, which is a premium car. This, however, is a 2010 model, and a standard car! I mean, come on Polyphony! This car should be a premium model and have very good details and such. It's a Jag! It needs to be respected!

My SLS AMG Stealth Model

Anyway, then there are the tracks. Yes, the ones in this game are all very good, but they left out a few. First: Test Course. This was one of my favorite tracks that I used to test my tuned cars with, and they threw it out and replaced it with crummy NASCAR speedways, where you can't even max your car on them. Disappointing. Another one: New York. I know we have a few new city courses, but this was one of my favorite ones. It's New York! I'm from New York. This track is like racing my cars on my home streets. One final one: Midfield Raceway. This was an ideal track making it's way in Gran Turismo 2. They left it out for selfish reasons. Unfair, isn't it?

Trial Mountain Circuit

And there you are: all of the negative issues with this game. You thought there would be more, didn't you? Well, I could tell you that some of the internet features are not up to par and that you can't re-win cars from events like you did in Gran Turismo 4, but those are kind of irrelevant. What is relevant is how beautiful and real this racing sim is. So, here's the lowdown. I give this game 4 stars out of 5 for it's beauty, number of cars, realtime physics, and new features. So now, you have a choice. If you want a racing sim that relies on the mear matter of racing with a couple of beautiful cars, then this is your game. If you want a racing sim that's innovative, stylish, and has more premium cars, then Forza Motorsport 3 is your pick. Then, if you want a racing game that relies on the feel and the action of racing in progress, Need For Speed: Shift is your pick. Anyway or another, Gran Turismo 5 has come all this way to produce what still is, the Ultimate Driving Simulator.