Sorry, I claim the mantle of the biggest fan :P
Had the game for a couple of days. Obviously not enough time to create a review, but first impressions, I think, will last throughout the game. Maybe I'll give it a verdict next week.
Anyway, the game deserves two kinds of scores. One score as a "Gran Turismo Game" (GTG), where we compare it with other Gran Turismos (because they're in a league of their own), and one as just a "Game" (G), where we compare it with any other game out there. I have mixed reactions on both subjects (except gameplay, where it's superb wherever you want to look).
Graphics:
The much publicized photorealism of this game kinda falls short on several marks. Lots of screen tearing, bad textures, horrible anti-aliasing, low resolution surfaces, etc. The damage is a mixed bag of results. On one hand, you can say that it looks realistic when it does come out. On the other hand, if I crash my car into a wall at 150kph, it shouldn't just leave a tiny dent.
But the game still looks good relatively speaking. The amount of things going on as you race is just amazing. Rain looks great, wet tracks at night is breathtaking, and the moment when you get out of a tunnel in Eiger Nordwand on a sunny day just takes your breath away.
As a GTG, it's not as good as I thought. I compare this to my experience with GT3, when back then I was just totally blown away. With PS3 tech, I expected much more. As a G, however, it's better looking than 99% of the games out there on any system (aside from PC of course).
Sound:
The engine sounds are just amazing. The first time I heard Jeff Gordon's racing car, my little nephew was in the room reading a book. When he heard the engine, he started crying and thought it was a dinosaur. The selection of music is also great, with lots of classical pieces mixed in with alternative.
As a GTG, it goes beyond expectation because this time I can pick which music I want to play. As a G, the sound is better than anything out there, especially with 7.1 surround sound.
Gameplay:
Oh man, everything works the way I remembered it! As fans, we all know the GT formula and that doesn't need to change. But this time, so much more stuff has been added to make my head spin. This is the first time I've ever played B-spec, and it's a really welcome addition. The photo mode is also extremely obsessive. Tuning has been made to be more intuitive even for beginners at cars. Skid reduction is a good addition to the driving, as it gives beginners a much easier time transitioning from arcade racers into GT.
The new leveling system is also a welcome change. It gives users the ability to track their real time progress and see how good they really have become. Now no ordinary newb can just keep on winning the Sunday Cup and then buy himself a Ferrari.
As a GTG and a G, everything is solid. A all the way!
Content:
A thousand cars is a lot, but the fact that only 200 of these were modeled properly is a disappointment. I find myself unwilling to dirty myself by driving a standard car.I know Kazunori-san is a perfectionist. I wonder why he included this kind of thing in the game. If I were him, I would limit the number of cars to just the premiums and forget the rest, and spend the rest of the dev time to further improve the graphics. The number of tracks, however, is superb. I love the new additions, especially night racing and weather changing. At least in those things, PD didn't hesitate to perfect them.
As a GTG, it's disappointing. GT3's cars were all modeled to perfection and there were no cut corners in any position. My philosophy as a GT gamer is that if it's not perfect, remove it. The damage system also seems half-assed. As a G, it's a great thing that there are so many cars to collect and I can't see anything wrong with it.
A.I.
The computer is still as clunky as always. Improvements have been made noticeably, but they still don't care where you are on the track. If I stop in the middle of the racing line, they will just smash into me without restraint. They also like to ram into you from the back right after you overtake them, causing you to spin out.
As a GTG, it's very disappointing. I thought that by now, they would've improved the A.I. such that they would behave at least a little rationally. As a G, well, every racing game has clunky A.I. that doesn't notice where the player is. It's normal.
Well there. To my eye, gameplay is 10x more important than the other things I mentioned, and GT5 wins in that department as always. As for my final verdict, I don't know yet. But for first impressions, as a GTG, I might give it an 8.5 or 8.7 (compared to other Gran Turismos of the past, it's a little disappointing), but just as a G, I'd give it a 9.8 (it's better than any game out there for sure). I'll put together a final score after I've played more.
The only reason why this game falls short in many people's eyes (including mine) is that we expected sooooo much.. Kazunori-san has been spoiling us for years and we just wanted something bigger and brighter than the whole game industry put together, and we just can't get over some of those enormous expectations we made. However, whichever way you look at it, it's still an amazing technical achievement and an incredible "Game" in every respect of the word.
