Driver’s test

by ERIK LEIJON

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (PS3/SCE, Polyphony Digital) advertises itself as being the “Real Driving Simulator,” and it’s a title that developer Polyphony Digital doesn’t take lightly. The Gran Turismo series of racing games, including this latest iteration, is painstakingly realistic—almost to a fault.

It takes a certain person of strong intestinal fortitude to negotiate countless hairpin turns at 60 mph without resisting the urge to slam down on the accelerator in frustration. Gran Turismo humbles you, and the rewards are far from immediate, but if you’re that special creature who can play a racing game with human nature-rejecting restraint, I suggest you take the wheel.

GT5 Prologue may not be the true sequel gearheads have been clamouring for since the release of the Playstation 3, but there is enough gameplay and options to justify the retail price, so don’t let the Prologue suffix turn you off. Polyphony Digital has done a good job in recent years of making Gran Turismo more accessible and beginner-friendly (especially by ditching the laborious licence tests), yet there’s a steep learning curve with Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. As is typically the case with driving sims, one must start with a rust bucket before upgrading to the concept cars and Ferraris.

Not that my Volkswagon Golf GTI 2001 was constantly pulling up the rear, it’s just that it can frustrate players used to arcade-style racers to have to earn the right to drive something better than an oil dripping lemon. What was especially irritating early on was that in order to complete the beginner C class missions—and only by winning trophies in every C class race can you join the B class—one mission required the use of the awful Suzuki Cappuchino.

During one particularly frustrating time trial, I could imagine the developers taking sadistic pleasure in forcing players to race in a car nearly incapable of hitting 100 mph.

That being said, the early struggles only make getting that sweet ride that much more fulfilling. Oddly enough, rage is what will typically power you through the hair-pulling early stages of Gran Turismo, a feeling that makes the series unique. Usually I would say it’s Gran Turismo’s greatest charm, but this series also marks a graphical transition to HD (aside from an earlier demo), which makes the real driving simulator all the more lifelike.

A few Web sites have done side-by-side comparisons of the game to real-life photos, exemplifying just how detailed the vehicle models are. Even the terrible vehicles are a thrill to drive the first time out of the garage because much of the experience is to simply gawk at the cars.

I don’t have a 1080p resolution television, but supposedly playing with that clarity totally eliminates even the minor jagged edges seen at 720p resolution. On any screen, the lighting effects are incredible enough to distract you from the checkered flag. Notice the blinding light when you exit the tunnel on the high-speed ring track. Also included is a new camera angle from the driver’s view, showing off each ride’s unique dashboard. It looks cool, even if it’s not very practical for racing purposes.

There are only six tracks, including the same Eiger Nordwand track from 2006’s Gran Turismo HD Concept. At this snail’s pace, it might be a long while before Polyphony Digital finishes the actual GT5, but in the meantime the three racing classes, 70 cars and 16 player online races should keep rabid racing sim buffs at bay for the time being.

Also note I utilized the Playstation Store’s download service instead of playing from the Blu-Ray disc. It’s a 1.85 GB file, so it did take a whole afternoon to download it.