Gran Turismo 5 demo out for PS3 free. My basic review

[teh_mewse]

The free download is supposed to be for JAPAN ONLY. BUT if you live elsewhere you can still get it. Instructions on how to download through the japanese store are here .

Well, from a reputable title like gran turismo, i expected more from the demo. Keep in mind its only 1 track, and only 5 or so cars. The 1 track isn't very visually appealing either. I wasn't blown away by the graphics, but i wouldn't go so far as to say the graphics suck. We'll see when some more visually demanding tracks are released. I'm running my ps3 on a 56" 1080p, and using a Logitech G25 steering wheel (WOW worth the money, 6 speed manual with clutch, 900 degrees rotation, INSANELY STRONG force feedback, youtube some videos on it) so i've pretty much got a real good setup for racing games.

In terms of the graphics of the cars, they look too jagged. Its almost as though the ps3 needs a higher AA filter or something. But then again, maybe its a demo that doesn't allow you to run in full hd or something, i've got no idea. I also find the driving experience very bland. For example, i could not tell the difference, WHATSOEVER, between an Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X and a BMW 138 or whatever it is. All the cars feel extremely similar. No unique engine noises, every tire screech sounds the same, handling and brakes almost identical.

Lastly is the gameplay. Its atrocious. Usually, for me to declare a game bad it takes a few days. Becuase usually, i always LIKE video games at first, and then just get bored of them. This wasn't even the case with GT5. After my first race, i was literally left saying out loud, "Thats it?" Your car never appears to be moving fast, yet the game is so realistic that braking and handling is genuinely difficult. So basically you feel as though you're driving slow and all of a sudden you spin out. The handling in the cars is SO under-represented. Say, in real life, you're driving as fast as you can down the road, and you slam the wheel to one side. You'll be off the rode in an instant, even if your car has [censored] handling. But because GT5 is designed for the handheld controllers and the directional pads, there is no sense of degree of turn. What i'm trying to say is, if you use the directional pad and you want to go left, you press left. But how does the game know how hard left you want to go? Your steering is seemingly never senstive enough. You can never make hard turns and be aggressive, which is what fun driving is all about.

Take a game like motostorm though. Now this game is, i would argue, more realistic. The handling is much more sensitive and you GENUINELY feel like you're going fast. I think this is one of the most underrated games for the ps3. When you use first person mode, you genuinely feel like you're there. If there's ever a huge crash in front of you, the physics and explosions are phenomenal. Whenever i have near misses of crashes in that game, a friend sitting next to me will instinctively gasp for air out of fright. Motostorm is a game that can actually get your heart rate up.

I guess all in all, the demo is too insignificant to REALLY give a significant review on. The track isn't anything special, and there aren't any supercars to drive. One thing i will say is, this is an absolutely RUBBISH demo. Usually companies release demos to get people excited for the full release. I cannot imagine anyone, even a huge lifelong GT fan, being excited about this demo.

I'm still going to buy GT5, just because it still looks so promising.

Does anyone know of any racing games i should look into that offers motostorm realism and fun with gran turismo tracks and car selection?

[astroglide]

<font color="blue">Lastly is the gameplay. Its atrocious.</font>

i thought it sucked, too.

<font color="blue">I'm still going to buy GT5, just because it still looks so promising.</font>

heh.

i've never been into the racer genre. after hearing so much praise of motorstorm i was looking forward to trying it, but i actually thought it sucked compared to excite truck on the wii. i'm not kidding, excite truck to me is like motorstorm except less attractive and way more fun. lack of online play obviously hurts, though. there are a bajilion racer demos out there though, maybe one is for you. if you try them all, let us know which one you like the best.

[daaaaahawkz]

try playing the regular gt demo thats in the u.s. store, theres 10 different cars you get to race with and there is a huge difference between them in speed and handling. i have a g-25 also and im loving loving it btw [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[ThaSaltCracka]

Interesting, I always had the same problems handling wise in GT2.