Here's some actual impressions from someone who has played the game, not some rabid Forza lover who doesn't even know how to change the oil in the game (because he doesn't own it). The good; UI - Everything is a click or two away. It was a piece of cake for me to navigate and I'm not sure how much simpler they could have designed it. Graphics - Premium cars/tracks are beautiful to look at. Best looking car simulator to date. I find myself watching my spec B racer drive because of how good the game looks. Sound - I'm not a expert in how the engine/exhaust sound for each individual vehicle, so I can't really comment if it's true to life or not. From the videos I saw of them recording the sound, it's a safe bet that the sounds in the game are what they would sound like in real life. Gameplay - Typical GT. If you enjoyed the previous GT's, you'll love it. One thing I noticed that they changed is the way licenses/races work. Before, you had to get a certain license to unlock races, but now it's level driven. This is a nice design change because you don't have to try a million times to pass the A or International license to get into a race. On the other hand, you're spending your time racing the same races to get your level higher. Online - Mind blown. I didn't have much expectations, but the online is very well thought out and designed. You can view your friends info, gift them vehicles, email them, in game message board, etc. In the races online, there is a spectator mode and the computer races for you when you hit the start button. In the games I played, I didn't notice any lag and the voice chat is incredible. Best voice chat out of all the ps3 games I've played. Content - If you're a racing fan, you owe it to yourself to play this game. Not only does it have the best physics, it also has the most content and the best visuals. From kart racing, nascar, rally and the usual GT races. Spec B - This is a nifty feature for people who aren't that good at the simulation part or are too lazy or don't have the time to race. You basically manage your driver to victory. I've been playing B mode a lot because it gives me time to do other things while earning credits. Little details - The little things most people will miss. Side mirrors actually display shadows/road/etc. Lighting, the lighting in this game is insane. I think this is what separates this head and shoulders above the competition. There were some other things I wanted to point out, but forgot. The bad; Graphics - Standard cars aren't pretty. If they weren't next to the premium cars I would've thought they were good enough, but when you compare them side by side, it gets ugly. If you're wondering why there's a disparity in the graphics between some tracks, it's because they have standard and premium tracks. Screen Tear - When I'm playing the game, everything looks great in motion. When I'm watching my B-spec racer race in the camera view that's behind the car, I noticed some tracks have a slight tear in the top middle of the screen. Load times - At first, I got a few long loading screens (30 seconds + ?), but after playing the game a little they disappeared. All the maps loading prior to a race only takes five to ten seconds for me and there's no loading when switching from the garage/home/a-spec etc when there was some before. This will vary for you guys because I have a ssd in my ps3, not the standard 5400 rpm hdd. Damage - Perhaps my level isn't high enough, but I haven't seen enough of the damage to think it was worth adding in the game. The damage on standard cars look weird and on the premium they look a lot better, but not what I expected. When I think of damage, I think of bumpers, car pieces getting smashed/deformed/destroyed or falling off. GT6 - What I would like to see Kaz improve upon. Premium models for every car with cockpit view and premium for every track. Fix every performance issues from the minor tearing in some tracks to the slight fps drop in some maps. I don't notice it, but I did see a video online which shows the fps drop anywhere from 1-10 fps. It doesn't really make a difference when you're playing, but it is better if the game kept a rock solid 60 fps. Realistic damage or don't do it at all. Comparisons, because we all love thumping our chests about which game is better. I'm 100% sure all two of you guys who claim Forza is the superior game didn't even know Forza 3 reused the same car model/assets from Forza 2. In essence, this means that there are some cars that look great in F3 and a lot that don't. The premium cars in F3 look slightly better than the standard cars in GT5, but the premium cars in GT5 is a lot better than the premium in F3. 1,000 cars vs 400. More is better despite what others would have you believe. 16 cars in 1080p vs 8 cars in 720p, you tell me which one you would prefer? Livery, I haven't messed with GT5's, but I think F3 wins this. If you like spending all day painting your car to look like a pikachu, this is definitely the game for you (rezdawg). Damage on both games are pitiful imo. Damage on both games are pathetic compared to the arcade racers. Cockpit mode - while every car in F3 has this option, it's half assed. You only see half of the cockpit and there's little difference between most cars. In GT5, you get the full replication of the actual cockpit from each car. The only downside is that it's for premium cars only. Tracks - wash. Some tracks in F3 look better while others in GT5 look better. On an ending note, why does F3 only have 400 cars and 8 cars at a time after two games on the 360 when GT was able to do all of this and more with their first try on the PS3? You would think that with a development team of over 150 people with over 4 years of development, Turn 10 should've been able to model more vehicles and increased how many cars could be in a race in F3. I guess this is why GT5 is and will remain the King of racing simulators. Maybe next year when F4 is released, they'll shrink the cars on screen to 6 and the available cars to 200 so they can claim they have better graphics than GT5. Here's a neat tidbit I found. I guess I should take back what I said about damage. Damage on GT > Forza by miles.
The negatives in regards to graphics, screen tear, and damage are precisely what is so disappointing about the game. You proved my point that it doesn't take 20 hrs of gameplay to figure that out.
lulz, I was wondering why I could never gain speed out of corners and do what I wanted in B-Spec mode while racing. So I'm supposed to be the manager dude. JFC, that was driving me insane. Also driving me insane is not being able to finish my A-spec license. Every time I have a clear shot to finish the last race I either barely clip someone or someone hits me and it's time to do it all over again. I'm sure the 14 beers and it being 4am wasn't helping. BTW- I love this game. The soundtrack sucks ass, but still very pleased.
Question for some of you using wheels/pedals instead of the controller: What do you guys use to mount the wheel? Just a simple table/desk, or something more fancy? Any suggestions? Pics of your setup? Thanks!
I'm about 12 hours in now (7 straight hours tonight) and I'm loving it. Haven't even entered an A-Spec or B-Spec race yet. I'm just doing licenses and Special Events. My wheel/shifter/pedal combo cannot get here soon enough! When I get mine I'm going to have my brother-in-law (mechanic / handyman) build me a racing stand / cockpit. I need to start looking for a junked car seat.
Man, even this beginner challenge on the TopGear track is a pain in the ass. lol. I didn't think the busses would be a problem.
Just played another 6 hours straight. This game owns me now. It is indeed a little b****, but the way to get through it is to keep calm and use late braking to pass 1 or 2 buses at each turn.
I am using a simple desk and chair. If you are willing to spend like 300 dollars, you can certainly get some fancy seats.
Lens of Truth did a comparison of the two racing games. http://www.lensoftruth.com/?p=24784 The biggest issue I have right now with GT5 is that its forcing me to decide between that and Black Ops. Splitting time between 2 games is annoying when you want to play both.
Is anyone interested in a brand new Logitech G27 racing wheel? If so, I will have one in the near future that I will be looking to sell. New ones are sold out everywhere. You can only find them used, and for over retail price on eBay. I imagine it will only get worse as Christmas gets closer. FYI, I am not trying to price gouge anyone, as I am not the type to buy up the year's hot Christmas item just to flip it for a ridiculous premium. There are too many kids out there whose parents get priced out of the market for me to do that with a clear conscience. I just happen to be a in a unique situation where I'm going to end up with two of these things and simply need to make my money back on one of them. You can e-mail me through the board if you have any questions.
Does everyon just get a license with bronzes and go about their day? I am asking because I really would like to finish the game with all GOLD license tests. Or maybe I just want those free cars.
The damn Top Gear race is driving me insane. I cannot place without getting clipped first, every single time!
I tried getting all gold on the first set of tests but gave up on the last challenge, couldn't get better than bronze on that. On the A tests, I did bronze on all except the first. At this point I'm just trying to pass all the tests, I don't care about gold anymore. I may go back and try later.
I've completed all the tests except for the S license group, and other than about 5 gold and 3 bronze, I have all silver. On most of them, gold just seems ridiculous to me.
