Gran Turismo, one of the largest franchises is the history of gaming is set to hit the PlayStation 3 in the form of Gran Turismo 5 at some point in this current generation of consoles, what is it sure to bring? Massive sales and a huge roster of licensed automobiles from a vast number of worldwide voiture manufacturers.
Prologue, an introduction to this game is exactly that. In all manner of speaking it isn't even a demo, it's arrival is easily at least a year in advance of the fully fledged next incarnation of the series.
A very simple way of acknowledging prologue is to realise it is a chance to play the game and sample a small percentage of the full experience. With the game in development for years already it's the least polyphony digital could do for the fans.
If you've loved the Gran Turismo games and didn't feel connived by the first prologue (Gran Turismo 4 for those taking count) this will most likely already be a part of your collection. I personally wasn't a great fan since the final release on the PlayStation one - Gran Turismo 2 but picked this up because quite frankly it's at a budget price (£19.99) and the feature set for that price is quite a feat.
Prologue consists of a driving test-less career mode, an arcade mode, split-screen multiplayer (for 2 players) and an online mode. The catch? Approximately 70 cars (10% of approx GT5 figures) and only 6 tracks (again maybe 20%). To finish the package off a GT-TV mode is included but why these videos couldn't have been simply offloaded to the PSN store is anyones guess.
With the short-comings marked quite significantly what are we looking at then. First of all it's possibly the best showcase for your HDTV with crisp and smooth graphics but first and foremost it feels like you'd expect a driving simulator to feel, each car as has been the case for years handles as you'd expect. The Dodge Viper, still a monster in need of control; Subaru Impreza, still the closest thing to a Sega Rally emulator.
Split-screen is fine and dandy but the online is on shaky grounds. My first online game was the laggiest experience I've had since eons back and the lack of simple features such as matchmaking and replacement with pre-selected online races hurt the game in what could have been a real bonus to the franchise. On a positive note the first game was an anomaly and things have been quite smooth since.
With arcade games such as Need For Speed reaching a large market a fair number of misguided gamers may well feel their purchase a mistake but unlike Need For Speed Gran Turismo offers an enriched but slow building game. If you're willing to aim for the best cars in the game you've got a great deal of work ahead but if you don't crave a quick fix from this introduction to Gran Turismo 5 it might be best to hold out for the real deal.
Verdict:Good
