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Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
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This wouldn’t be bad if tuning vehicles was enabled from the start, but it isn’t. Doing so becomes functional only later on, meaning anyone who isn’t good at racing had better learn fast, or just play the same easy races over and over again to earn more credits to buy better, unusable cars.

They will be usable, just not in the early events list. Should anyone decide to spend their time in this manner, they will be able to race in the arcade mode as they please, which also seems backwards. The arcade mode is limited to whatever you have in the garage, meaning to really experience the game fully requires tens of hours of play before everything really opens up.

The wonderfully rendered menu is only friendly on the eyes and ears.

With the online play, it was expected that Prologue would take over the racing circuit on the PS3, yet once again we’re shown a highly limited version of what could be. Online races run well generally, though we found some hefty ghosting during play. There’s no voice functionality, there’s no private rooms or custom games, and there is no ability to invite friends. All players can do is make or join a race and play with complete strangers without communication, most of whom drive with no regard for human life.

It’s understandable that Polyphony didn’t want to put in vehicle damage, but because Prologue has no damage, there are no repercussions to driving ridiculously. On the one hand, it is nice to be able to tap another car and see no damage, but for online racing it ruins the experience. We expected at least the option to switch damage on/off, but once again we see the limitations of the title.

If you have trouble telling this from reality, welcome to our little club.

GT-TV is among the few things that isn’t partially (or fully) dumbed down, and it’s a function we expect to see more of in the future. The idea is for great races, racing shows such as Top Gear (which has an episode online) and instructional videos to be easy to download. However, the video player is severely lacking, with only a pause and restart button.

Watching replays of the races, however, was something to cherish. The racing itself has a special appeal, using either the Dualshock 3 or a racing wheel such as the Logitech Driving Force GT (to be reviewed), but just watching the replay with full control over the camera is monumental.

Is Gran Turismo 5 Prologue really a full title? No, it isn’t. It simply has too many missing features that should be taken for granted because they’ve existed for years already. It has a lot to offer and is certainly exciting for the single player racing, but like a carrot on a stick, we won’t see its full potential until the release of Gran Turismo 5.

Highs
Excellent driving; graphics; GT-TV.

Lows
Not a full game; lacks hundreds of vehicles and tens of racetracks; frustrating menu navigation and events; lots of "in construction" traits.

Final Verdict
For a full game, Prologue is lacking very highly. Yet for its lower price, and the knowledge that it isn't the full game and is only a taste of what's to come, we're left embittered and wanting more, better, and sooner.

70%

May 14, 2008

Review by James Pikover.