Game reviews: Gran Turismo 5: Prologue – Review – 70

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue

PLATFORM: PS3
PLAYERS: 1-12
RATING: 3+
GENRE: Racing sim
RATING: 5/5

It’s hard to believe that 10 years have passed since Gran Turismo first set bogan hearts aflutter. Gran Turismo was the first game to really push the original PlayStation’s hardware to the limit, and now its great-great-grandchild, Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, looks set to continue this tradition by making the PS3 sing like Jeremy Clarkson on a coke binge.

GT5: Prologue may only be the entree to next year’s full-on petrol hedonism banquet, but its stunning graphics and addictive gameplay really showcase just what the PS3 is truly capable of. Each of the six tracks available in Prologue is exquisitely rendered, and its 70-plus cars have also been produced in near photorealistic detail. Cars and tracks aside, there’s also a host of nice visual effects. Emerging from tunnels leaves you momentary blinded by glare, while veering onto grassy verges at speed results in an ultra-realistic dusting for cars in your wake.

The audio is equally awesome. Each exhaust note on all of the cars is faithfully reproduced. Ferraris deliver a satisfyingly throaty roar while an Aston Martin really does sound like something straight out of Top Gear. Environmental noise has also been added. Hitting the Select button to switch to an external view instantly alters sound to include wind buffeting the cockpit, which helps to make Prologue incredibly immersive.

My favourite race track, Suzuka, returns with both east and west layouts, giving Fuji Speedway (the current host of the Japanese Grand Prix) a real run for its money. Visually, however, the London track takes the prize for eye candy. Blasting across Trafalgar Square and hurling priceless automotive machinery down streets instantly familiar to anyone who’s done a UK OE is a great way to showcase Prologue’s impressive graphics.

If you’re looking for an excuse to dump the un-rumbling SIXAXIS controller, Prologue’s full support for a multitude of racing wheels may be just what the doctor ordered. Using a wheel with force feedback like Logitech’s G25 gave me a dose of burnout bliss by translating GT5: Prologue’s ultra-realistic car handling and physics into the real(ish) world.

My only grizzles with GT5: Prologue stem from its lack of car customisation and its damage model. It’s not until you’ve reached A class racing events that you can finally customise the cars you’ve purchased with race winnings. Being able to boot it around a corner and pile into the side of a competing car to slow down with absolutely no damage is frustrating, especially given the focus elsewhere on realism.

So does GT5: Prologue cut it as the best car racing sim known to bogankind? You betcha. Minor gripes aside, GT5: Prologue is about as addictive as crack cocaine, especially when you’ve got broadband and you fancy showing some 12-year-old in Toronto how it’s done.

PAT PILCHER