Gran Turismo-5 Prologue

Cayenne S, Aston Martin, Ferrari. If your mouth’s watering already then Gran Turismo-5 Prologue is the big feast. Gran Turismo games are known for their realistic game play with meticulously crafted design elements, which are true to the last nut and bolt of the physical world (as every vehicle in the game is a licensed reproduction). The graphics are pure eye-candy. You’ll feel the power of the true-to-life graphics the moment you pick a car. Hook up to an LCD to know what we mean. A friend saw a Bavaria hit the road and found it hard to believe that this wasn’t a real world race. No wonder the game has always been used as a barometer to measure console power.

To top it up, Gran Turismo-5 Prologue features 16-player online races, over 70 cars (Nissan, Ferrari, Ford, GT-R Black Mask, Lamborghini, you name it and Gran Turismo-5 Prologue rolls it out. There are performance-enhanced cars as well), six tracks including High Speed Ring, Daytona, Fuji Speedway, Eiger Nordwand from Gran Turismo HD Concept, Suzuka Circuit and a section of central London. The track layout is divided into reverse and forward, and there is a video guide describing each track which will allow you to gauge your car’s performance.

The dividing line between Gran Turismo and other racing games begins right here in the game play. It’s very basic ”“ you pick your car, start off with basic points or money, vroom through the tracks, win races and slowly turn into a superman on wheels. The more races you win the better car you get, or play one-on-one with a friend in the co-player mode. As it’s a game simulation and not arcade mayhem remember that coordination is key not power. The average gamer may find the game monotonous because there aren’t quick crash modes or chase modes unlike other racing games, but for most part the game is a dream if you’re more interested in car design.

If you’re really brave try the 16-player online racing mode. And it’s okay even if you want to just bum around the garage and soup up your machine. The basic goal in the initial stage is to upgrade from the B-segment of Suzukis and Hondas and reach the A-class. This is where you can get your hands on the top cars and fine tune them to your specs. As you move up you also gain skills.

The learning curve is slightly difficult for most newbie’s since the game requires patience in terms of learning how your car behaves, reading the track patterns and turning your car at the right moment(understand each curve of a track).

Get yourself a steering wheel to enhance gameplay or use your D-pad to manoeuvre the track, but the game doesn’t get any easier.

My only complaint with the game lies in the fact that it’s again the same game in new avatar. With each passing year, it’s just added cars, more polygons, and a few game-modes and little else. But  then again simulation freaks will argue that it’s about beautiful driving in a beautiful car with your chest all puffed up and giving yourself a pat on the back about the little lovely details like the logo on the wheel or the glint on the dashboard. Drive responsibly.