Gameplay:
This is where GT truly shines, and GT5 doesn’t disappoint. There is no game out there that can rival the realism of driving physics that GT5 has to offer. You can’t take a hairpin turn at 100kph and survive, even if you’re Michael Schumacher. It’s impossible to do an ‘S’ curve at full throttle. You can’t just keep abusing your tires with late braking stunts every lap. In this, you can expect perfection.
When they say ‘simulator’, they really mean it. It can take newbies a long time to understand how to not hit the wall or spin out because it does have a rather steep learning curve. Even for veterans, some cars offer a unique challenge every time you take to the track. The amazing thing is that they all drive in their own unique way, depending on the drivetrain and maker of the car. Fortunately for newbies, there are many driver assists that can help maneuver the car until one learns to drive without them.
Sometimes there are strange occurrences that are very unrealistic. The much promised mechanical damage isn’t available (I’m not sure, maybe only to higher end race cars?) to most cars, and so I have no fear of just slamming into the car in front to make him lose balance. Damage doesn’t carry over to the next race, and only a hidden chassis realignment cost gives you a feeling that you truly damaged the car (frustrating, because you don’t know what you’re spending until you look at it). Riding walls in some tracks net some faster lap times. Some cars handle like absolute shit though we know they can’t be THAT bad (some cars, you just touch the brake ever so lightly and they just spin out of control).
B-Spec is also a very welcome addition. Though there are some people who don’t see the point in this mode, it actually adds a lot of flavor into the game. Racing drivers are just a small part of the whole racing machine, which includes a huge team of engineers and strategists. Being able to get behind the team radio and dictate how the race should go is an interesting experience that I enjoy quite a lot. If only the AI drivers we have weren’t complete knuckleheads.
Customizing the car is still as good as it has been before, streamlined and simplified a little for beginners, but still as complex as before for enthusiasts. Included are detailed explanations for how to tune cars effectively. The amount of options available is as expected of GT, though more wheels and aerodynamic options would’ve been better.
Despite some nagging issues, there can never be any doubt with GT5’s gameplay. Some things could be fleshed out more for newbies, as the learning curve can frustrate some people into quitting altogether. However, its gameplay is, in my mind, the hallmark of the series. Even if everything else fails, the driving will always be enjoyable and realistic.
Gran Turismo gameplay score: 9.7
Just a Game gameplay score: 9.2
