Quality skids in face of quantity

The eagerly awaited Gran Turismo 5 (GT5) is the largest, most comprehensive racing simulator ever to hit a console. More than 1,000 cars race through an unprecedented 71 tracks in 26 different locales with events ranging from go-karts to World Rally Championships and NASCAR, culminating with Super GT. But with all this under the hood, its overall performance feels stretched thin in everything from visuals to gameplay.

Now if there’s one thing the game does right, it’s the cars. Hundreds of makes, models and years await, all rendered in realistic detail, inside and out. Exteriors are as close to photorealistic as we will get in this generation of gaming and interiors are exquisitely pristine. Textures are beautiful and reflections in the cars — even the drivers’ helmets — are sublime. The physics are unique to each car, responsive and tight, and engine sounds are incredible, though when it comes to how a Ferrari 458 Italia looks and sounds from inside the cockpit, we will all have to take the developer’s word for it.

Still, I have to admit that I was disappointed with the graphics. Photo-realism was promised but not delivered. Even my wife at one point commented, “It looks a little cartoony.”

The greatest detriment to the graphics in GT5 is the shadow effects. The fact that pixelated shadows dance across the cars was a real eyesore.

Smoke effects, off course terrain textures and vegetation all lose their gleam under close inspection, especially during replays. Even speed limits sign are way too fuzzy by today’s standards. Ironically, the advertising billboards have some of the sharpest clarity of the game. The Gran Turismo series has the reputation of being leading edge in racing simulation and your surroundings are just as much a part of that immersive quality as the cars themselves. Quality over quantity in the game’s development would have allowed things to look a little crisper.

The game itself is simply massive beyond comprehension. There are the standard races, arcade mode and even special events that add a much needed, quick-cash flavour to the gameplay. The range of events, locales and tracks was impressive and somewhat immersive, but there was a flaw in the formula that took away from the experience.

The biggest issue with GT5’s gameplay is continuity. It’s so huge that there are too many elements that break up the racing experience. The menu system is vast but cumbersome and I had to go the extra step of a “car delivery” system to unlock any cars I won. But overall, I didn’t feel like I was part of a racing experience. In essence, GT5 is simply a series of events, whereas the addition of a “season play” mode with a player moving through a timeline of races would have added that missing continuity.

Having played both PlayStation’s GT5 and Xbox 360’s Forza 3, my vote would be for Forza. The menu system and overall presentation is cleaner and more fluid. While there may only be 500 cars compared to GT5’s 1,000, I didn’t miss the trucks or go-karts. The cars themselves might not look quite as crisp as GT5 and the interior views and reflections aren't nearly as pristine, but there's also no sign of the pixelated shading that was such a detriment to GT5's visual greatness being realized. The lack of such an obvious flaw means that the cars, at first glance, seem closer to the photorealism promised in GT5.

Gameplay in Forza is definitely simpler and more linear, a detriment to those seeking true racing simulation but building through season after season of racing events meant I felt more like a racer, felt a stronger connection to my cars, and felt the thrill of being behind the wheel. And sure Forza’s in-race rewind feature somewhat flies in the face of true racing simulation, but there's nothing worse than losing a race right at the end because of a slip or because your buddy walks in front of the TV while you’re playing.

Compared to Forza 3, GT5 takes the checkered flag when it comes to graphics, realism and simulation. But when it comes to pedal-to-the-metal fun, leave GT5<,> in the pit and give Forza the green flag. GT5 might be more authentic and vast, but Forza is simply more fun.