Racing in any form.

That's the first thing that comes to my mind when talking about GT5(Gran Turismo 5). The variety of things to do is second only to the amount of things to do. Even in a single class of car, you can do so many different types of racing. Everything about GT5 just scream quantity. Seasonal Events alone can easily be the only thing you play, and you wouldn't get bored.

If you enjoy racing, you can't get bored.


To sum up all of GT5 in a single review would take pages and pages, and I would still be summarizing the content. Go-Karts, Nascar, Touring, F1, F2, F3, Sports car racing, Production car racing, One-make, Rallying, Targa, Off-Road, Endurance, Pickup Truck, Drifting, Rally Cross, Historical Racing. Everything is here. Not to mention the plethora of special events designed by polyphony digital. I wouldn't be surprised if they added Hill climbing in the next update.

If you have a certain desired type of racing, GT5 has hours of content for you. Even if you just want to play Nascar races, there is a good 3 to 5 hours of content, just in the main game for you to enjoy. There is just so much content, so much to do, and yet it is handled so well, that it's never overwhelming, and there is always a clear 'next step'. Quantity, is GT5's biggest selling point.

To be honest, the only thing it's really missing, is highly specialized vehicles and courses. There are no Class 10 vehicles, or Trophy trucks to speak of, and not a mention of a stock Mini. You could potentially slight the game at the lack of motorcycles, but that's not fair. Gran Turismo, as a series never had motorcycles, and there was never a intention of having them. But highly specialized vehicles, aren't here, and we may not see them in a GT for a long time. But I wouldn't be surprised, if in a future iteration of gt, that we are racing the BAJA 1000 in a Class 5-1600, Or doing a point to point in a solar vehicle.



But, Do not think for a second, that this amount of quantity, diminishes any of GT's quality. GT5's racing is superb. Every vehicle feels completely different then the next. A Ferrari f430 handles differently then it's sister car, the 430. An Audi R8, has a near polar opposite feel of the Corvette ZR-1. The way
the weight of each car is thrown in the corners, the way they feel at high speeds, the roar of the engine coming out of the apex, it's amazing, and that each car is different, makes it incredible. The Folks at Polyphony Digital, they are car people, and it shows.

For example, the Ferrari 430, one of my favorite cars to drive. In the corners it's amazing, and it can really giver' down the straights too. But when you start creeping past that 260, 270 kph range, your car starts to vibrate. It feels as if nature itself is holding you back, and your car is going to fall apart. The
visceral feel of everything blurring by you, in this hunk of metal, no other racing game does it quite the same. And once you have to slow down, the Ferrari jerks forward, and all the weight is at your front. And If you even dare to try and turn at that time, you'll spin out. Contrary to this, if you were to take Nissan GTR, you'll never get the same sensation. You'll gain speed smoothly, everything seems perfectly engineered. You'll swing by corners at a 100 kph to the sound of your tires smoking.
Both cars incredible, both cars completely different.



I think the prime example of GT 5, comes from the most hard core of modes offered in the game, Endurance races. Hundred + lap races, fuel, tire wear, all now important. Are you being too aggressive in the corners, and too hard of the gas? Your tires well wear down too fast, and you'll have to pit far too often to win a race. Although the gas mileage seems a little archaic, almost simple (I don't know for sure, but when it seems like, is that the game simply goes weight + engine size = fuel economy, something stupid simple like that), If your picking a beast of a vehicle, you may lose simply due to having to refuel to often. Endurance races create a awesome dynamic between performance and practicality. Speed and survivability.

Oh, and doing an endurance race Hud-less is probably the best way to experience this.

You'll be counting laps for a while, but soon, probably after your second pit, the questions well happen, and then the tension well build from there. Did my opponent who just passed me, was he in second? What place was I in when I got in here. How many laps was I on? Did I need to fuel up to full? I wonder how warn out my tires are. Who am I about to overtake? Should I pit again? It is so intense, and so gratifying on completion, even if you don't get first. Although, to be frank, if you can't possibly think of a way, you'd sit down and race around the same track 200 times, I don't blame you. Endurance races are for nothing but the hardcore GT fans.

Next to endurance races, I would put point to point rally as the most fun i've had in the game. There are only a handful of point to point rallies, making up just a few hours of entertainment, and I certainly hope they well add more, but man, what they have is a blast. The handling seems spot on for dirt courses, and getting into a good drift around a wide corner gives a fantastic sense of accomplishment, even just for that short time.



There is just so much to do in gt5, and the quality matches the quantity. Yes the Menus are clunky, yes the online isn't the best, yes the loading times and constant tiny installations can be annoying, yes it took them 6 years to make(which apparently is a problem...) But when your in a race, when your behind the wheel, none of that matters. Racing, in gt5, is incredible solid, and that is what counts. At the end of the day, it's not about whether a few buttons are clumsy put together, it's about being on the race track. That is where GT5 shines, and it shines very bright.

Before I end the blog, I just want to point out, that I didn't mention all the other modes of gt5. Kart racing, drifting, pick up truck racing. In fact, I didn't even really mention Drifting, an entire mode in gt5. There is just so much to do, and I can't drill that point in enough.

If you don't care about racing, you won't care about GT5. If you never liked gt in the past, you still won't like it. The formula for gt hasn't changed much, although it has changed in the right places to move from 4 to 5, if your still in the past. If you like racing, in any form, gt5 has something for you. And I bet, you'll be coming back, for hundreds of hours.

Result: (if you like racing games)MUST PLAY
Result: (if you only like one type of racing)RENT
Result: (if you don't like racing)SKIP

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