Gran Turismo 5 Prologue - updated 01/02 with impressions of imported version.

[warcrow]

IMPRESSIONS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST


Hot damn! Really really looking forward to this one. Some people in the US and EU are popping over to the Japanese PSN and are DL the game. Early adopters are saying that the cockpit view is really well done. It's insane looking!

Japanese retail - http://i221.photobucket.com/al...0/poorboysp/gt5001.jpg
Japanese retail - http://i221.photobucket.com/al...0/poorboysp/gt5004.jpg
In the pits - http://i221.photobucket.com/al...0/poorboysp/gt5012.jpg
Racing - http://i221.photobucket.com/al...0/poorboysp/gt5015.jpg
Racing - http://i221.photobucket.com/al...0/poorboysp/gt5016.jpg
Racing - http://i221.photobucket.com/al...0/poorboysp/gt5018.jpg
Cockpit view! - http://i221.photobucket.com/al...0/poorboysp/gt5020.jpg



-update- 12/14 _______________________________________________

Just found this screen shot comparison: http://static.pici.se/pictures/ZYyJGsZUN.jpg
(Real shot on left and in-game shot on right)




-update- 12/17 _______________________________________________

Kazunori Yamauchi Spanish interview translated:

In GT and GT2, both for PS1, a designer spent a day to model a car. In GT3 and GT4, for PS2, the same worker spent a month modeling the same care due to the increased amount of polygons. In GT5 for PS3, they require 6 months to do the same job.

We're before something immensely detailed. It's a lot of work. We could consider and I'd like to think Gran Turismo is like the benchmark, the acid test, to measure the limit of each console generation. At this point, I'd like to show the limits of Gran Turismo itself, or else we couldn't call it Gran Turismo. At least I could not. It's a great responsibility.

"Why are you releasing 'Prologue'? Many people don't want to spend their money in what they consider a demo.

Yamauchi: We believe that at our current pace, GT5 will be ready by December 2008. 4 years have passed since GT4. It's too much time, mostly for the series fan. There are plenty of things left to do. We also have the online features. It's a completely different product compared to GT4. It's way superior in all aspects. We need to test it fully so that it becomes a perfect product. I consider it dangerous, to say the least, to release a game like this one without having subdued it to the toughest quality assurance tests. Also, since it's something so important, I fear of online features failing. That would be a fatal blow. I intend to introduce online features bit by bit. Another reason to release Prologue is the simple fact that it's been too long since GT4. I want to get the user feedback ASAP. And Prologue is a good way to obtain so.


So, when is GT5's launch due? End of 2008?

Yamauchi: Yes, Christmas 2008 is the the planned release date for now. Anyway, it's not final yet. It's been tough to develop Prologue. To get the picture, if my current development team did GT1 again, they would finish it in two weeks. Back then we spent 4 years. It's very hard work.


I see. And the fans also expect that tremendous quality in the new Gran Turismo, right?

Yamauchi: Yes, it's a great responsibility. That's why I want it to be perfect. And that's why I can't tell for sure when it'll be released.


Regarding the vehicles, have they been redesigned completely?

Yamauchi: Completely, from scratch. We have reused absolutely nothing (*emphasis on this*) from previous versions. Everything is new.


[Yamauchi elaborates on how he even wants the back seat interior to be perfect even if the players would rarely see it]


How long did it take to model all the cars?

Yamauchi: A designer spends roughly 6 months in average. 50 cars are 300 months. That's 25 years. The tracks are a lot more work. It's longer than a year each. We have 30 people working on the tracks.


[Yamauchi talks about how PS3 is the system that can provide the absolute best picture and how perfect he wants GT5 to be again, how it'll support Full HD 1080p60, how the players will actually see the very same they'd see if they drove a given car in a given track in real life, etc.]


Regarding realism, when will we see car damage?

Yamauchi: Right now we're testing this. We will see car damage in GT5. There are three problems to solve though. Firstly, some car manufacturers don't care to see damage in their cars but others would never allow that. Some cars will be damaged and others won't, depending on the manufacturer. Secondly, the simulation. In Daytona Speedway, for instance, going slightly sideways when getting out of the banked curve and entering the straight section and hitting slightly the rear part of our car against the sides of the track will make our car become utter junk. Game over. It's a small mistake, but physics calculations tell us we'd undergo a 150 G force. That equals death. The car is literally disintegrated. We do not want that. We do not want to destroy the cars. I don't like that. That's ultrarealistic simulation, but if it happens, the game is over, you lose your car. I'm resisting to accept that kind of effect. Right now we're looking into how to make pure simulation and these kind of situations be compatible with each other. And the third problem, the fact that many driving games out there feature this kind of accidents, but I've never seen one which actually provide something positive or are perfect from a technical standpoint. I've got to think a lot about it yet, but I understand the series supporters do want damage and accidents because, for the better or worse, they're an integral part of reality.


[Yamauchi talks on how they're trying to emulate human behavior for the game AI, and how tough it is to do so.]


Is Sony imposing any restriction or forcing you to do something in particular?

Yamauchi: Just the release date. Till now we had some flexibility in that aspect. I'll let you know we're the movie's villains to Sony. But we don't listen to them that much (*laughs*). Fortunately we have quite a lot of independence. For that reason, GT5 won't be out for sale until it's finished according to my criterion. Sony understands I'm a perfectionist and they allow me that. The hardcore fans would notice if something's wrong in the game. They're like me. That's why I want to perfect it to the max. In terms of conceptual aspects or limits, Sony does not interfere a lot, I have a lot of freedom in those regards.


Would you like to take a breath of fresh air and create a new successful series in the videogame world?

Yamauchi: I've wanted to create an RPG since long ago but I don't have the time to do so. (*laughs and remains thoughtful*)


[Yamauchi says that PS3 has the power but it's still expensive. It features Blu-ray for the future, and says he's very patient.]


Excuse me, but are you telling me Gran Turismo 5 is only possible on PS3 at the moment?

Yamauchi: Yes, exactly. On the other hand, Xbox 360 is not a system designed to support Full HD since the beginning. There are very few 1080p60 games on Xbox 360. It seems like a system designed for the inferior 720p. We're talking about significant differences in this very generation of home consoles. Soon enough people will give credit to the strong attractive of Full HD, of the true high resolution. I want to do videogames that take full advantage of each generation's technical abilities.


[Yamauchi says it would be totally frustrating to develop for Wii because of its lack of processing power and that while people, the industry and media say PS3, Wii and 360 are "Next Gen", the only true Next Gen is provided by PS3].


When will we see Gran Turismo Portable?

Yamauchi: We are developing it right now. It'll be released after Gran Turismo 5. We're going to make it a complementary game.


Will you take a rest after GT5's release?

Yamauchi: Due to the online nature of this game, we still need one more year to get it out. We'll progress day by day. The plan is not to start working on GT6 immediately after that. We'll keep adding features or improving things in GT5 taking advantage of the Internet connection. That's why I won't have time to rest. In these 15 years of Gran Turismo I haven't had any holidays.


[The interviewer asks Yamauchi if he spends any night at the studio and he says it's not the case lately but there was a year when he only spent 4 nights at home].

[Yamauchi says that the Japanese videogame industry peaked in the 80's and 90's and that the current game designers aren't open to true innovation, something he hopes will change].

-update- 01/02 - IMPRESSION _______________________________________________


So Santa put the game under our tree for me--yes!

I slipped the game in to my PS3 and had no issues with it starting up (although--no pretty wallpaper displays--what?). I did have to DL an a few updates which took roughly an hour in total time to download and install. Everything was in Japanese until I got to the "My Page" menu (which is basically your portal to all the game's features/options) which ended up being mostly in English. Once starting any type of game, a menu that is 90% Japanese opens up and will totally cause some navigational confustion. But in the end it worked out fine mainly due to most of the answers being in English.

Oh, I want to add--I had originally planned on creating a huge post of my complete impression of GT5P with pictures and detailed explinations--but that's not going to happen. I didnt spend nearly as much time with the game over my break as I had hoped. So I'm just going to jot down some notes and points in hopes that you guys find it useful or interesting enough.

I should also, first, probably state my postion on racing games in general. I do prefer the arcade types (NFS:Carbon/Burnout) as opposed to the simulation types. I enjoyed both Forza 2 and PGR4 alot (however I did not beat either one of them if that matters). I did really enjoy GT2, but 3 and 4 never made it's way into my library mainly because I lost interested in the franchise back then. I just felt like the game had run its course at the time. My attraction to GT5P, now, was to find out if this was going to be the killer app for the PS3 and had some new features that might pull me in besides the lush and amazing graphics. (Also, I had $100 to blow for a x-mas present from a relative.)

- The game looks absolutely gorgeous, technically speaking. The graphical fidelity is deffinitely near or on top of PS3 list (with Uncharted) in this department. The game has been touted as a 1080P graphical masterpeice running at 60 frames--and that's exactly what you'll get--kinda. Let me explain. From what I understand, the game is apparently being rendered internally at 1280x1080 and being upscaled to 1920x1080. In the end, does this really matter to me if the game looks good? Nah, not really. Will the game be optimized for the N.A. release? Who knows. I do know that one of the patches I downloaded fixed some tearing issues that the game was having. But, really, I feel that this is worth mentioning because I know the games association with 1080P and 60FPS was great.

- Ok, so here it is--GT5P, overall, is a bit of a disappointment to me. I think that people who really like the GT series will enjoy it, but for someone like me who wanted to be pulled back in? It just didnt happen. I do recognize, understand and respect the thorough and amazing amount of detailed work Polyphony has put in to the game. I understand what they are trying to acheive here. But GT5P is just so boring. I had a huge problem with the fact that I could not upgrade any of my cars (or at least I could not figure out how to). To add to the bordome-- the first few cars you get are incredibily boring to drive because they're so slow and handle so poorly.

- I think the physics model is good, but not fantastic or even great. I think Forza 2s physics model is much more "realistic" which really surprised me because I expected more here. Again, I didnt unlock all the cars or sink dozens and dozens of hours in to the game so maybe I'm missing something here and I dont know if I am articulating this properly, but when racing any of the cars I raced--they just didnt feel like they had much weight. Most of the cars I drove felt like someone screwed some bicycle wheels to a thin plastic box and slide it down an icey road. It just felt floaty. I'm sorry for sounding a little ambiguous here--but it's the best I can do right now on one cup of coffee.

- The on-line mode seemed to be pretty cool, but I was surprised that there was so VOIP support. Am I missing something here? Also, I want to add that I dont know the PSN architecture, but my ping times were really good. I cannot imagine all the games were hosted in Japan because it was really responsive.

Anyway--sorry if this is a disappointment to some of you--but please keep in mind that I feel off the GT wagon (note: I'm not implying anything there btw) years ago, so those of you who loved GT 3 and 4 will probably be in heaven. It's also fair to say that Polyphone fixed some of the issues that cropped up with GT5P that the users were outspoken about. Who knows what will change with the NA release.

 

[warcrow]

This game looks amazing!

http://ruliwebimg.empas.com/da...uliweb_gt5p_ps3_64.jpg
http://ruliwebimg.empas.com/da...uliweb_gt5p_ps3_67.jpg

Video:

1 HD http://ruliwebfile.empas.com/m...iweb_gt5p_01_ps3hd.wmv
2 HD http://ruliwebfile.empas.com/m...iweb_gt5p_02_ps3hd.wmv

1 SD http://ruliwebfile.empas.com/m...iweb_gt5p_01_ps3sd.wmv
2 SD http://ruliwebfile.empas.com/m...iweb_gt5p_02_ps3sd.wmv

 

[gi0rgi0]

The demos awesome!!!

 

[herkulease]

I don't care if it looks pretty.

They need to fix the AI to make them smarter and drop the drivers license section. Its stupid and total waste of time.

Stop with the variations of the skyline and lancer evo. I don't want a billion skylines/evos just so they can claim they needed 50gb of space to do it.

after 4 versions you think they've heard enough complaints and address some of them.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: herkulease
I don't care if it looks pretty.

They need to fix the AI to make them smarter and drop the drivers license section. Its stupid and total waste of time.

Stop with the variations of the skyline and lancer evo. I don't want a billion skylines/evos just so they can claim they needed 50gb of space to do it.

after 4 versions you think they've heard enough complaints and address some of them.

Yea serously, I'm sick of having all those versions of the same car. It can be the same car but man make sure they have big performance differences between them like the regular mustang gt and the gt500

 

[beat mania]

Would there be a working manettino in the Ferrari?

 

[R Nilla]

I love Gran Turismo (I have 2 through 4). I'm fairly confident I will like this a lot more than Forza 2.

The reasons for me to add a PS3 to my gaming capabilities are increasing. I may have to cave in sooner rather than later. I have nothing against the PS3, I'm just not up for spending $400 on one at the moment. I was half-thinking I'd wait for some price drops and the PSThree/PS3 Slim or whatever they end up calling it, but I don't really think I'll be able to wait that long assuming it will be at least 2-3 years.

 

[JasonSix78]

I own 2-4 also and really enjoyed them. I have Forza 2 and while I enjoyed it, GT5 just one upped it after seeing the in-car view screenshot. Why in the world they didn't do in-car views for Forza 2 is beyond me.

 

[ChaoZ]

Damn I need a new computer. I can't even play the hd videos.

 

[gi0rgi0]

2 was my favorite of the gt's all though i liked 3 and 4 to. But from playing the Prologue demo with the in car views and gorgeous graphics this will definitely be my favorite. I dont knitpick though.

 

[warcrow]

I just did something I havent done is years--I just ordered an import version from play-asia for $49.90. Since the PS3 is region free, I figured why not. People are saying that it looks and plays phenominally well, and that the Japanese version actually has some English in it.

What the hell--why not. The game's Na launch is a few months away and the game is actually $10 cheaper.


http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-...-bp-49-en-70-2bns.html

 

[warcrow]

Just found this screen shot comparison:

http://static.pici.se/pictures/ZYyJGsZUN.jpg

Real shot on left and in-game shot on right.

 

[blurredvision]

So what are the stats on this "prologue" as far as number of tracks and cars? I'm not sure I see the point in buying a stripped down version of the game for the same price that the full retail game will be when it comes out less than a year later. And seeing as to how they haven't announced any release date for NA, does this mean that it'll follow in the steps of the last GT prologue game and not be released here.....also, if it is being released here and it'll still be a few months, then there's no telling how far off the full GT5 game will be.

 

[warcrow]

Originally posted by: blurredvision
So what are the stats on this "prologue" as far as number of tracks and cars? I'm not sure I see the point in buying a stripped down version of the game for the same price that the full retail game will be when it comes out less than a year later. And seeing as to how they haven't announced any release date for NA, does this mean that it'll follow in the steps of the last GT prologue game and not be released here.....also, if it is being released here and it'll still be a few months, then there's no telling how far off the full GT5 game will be.

I'm not totally sure on the stats, but here is what's on wikipedia:

This short version title is a precursor -hence the titlename- to Polyphony Digital's planned Gran Turismo 5. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue features 16-player online races (starting in Christmas 2007), 37 cars, 10 tracks, and support Full HD resolution (1080p) and 7.1ch (LPCM) high definition sound

New to the Gran Turismo series, is the ability to race with up to 16 cars at once. The AI has also improved from previous Gran Turismo games.

Also new to the series, is the new, realistic in-car view feature. It includes functioning speedometers and odometers, reflecting rear-view mirrors, wing mirrors and real time in-car lighting effects (casted shadows). Players driving with a supported steering wheel have the ability to look left and right in the cockpit of the car by using the D-pad. Any PlayStation 3 compatible steering wheel works with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. The engine also sounds different according to which view is selected among the available four. Back view is also specific, including with in-car view.

Thirty-seven cars from twenty-one worldwide automakers (including Nissan, Ferrari and Ford) have been confirmed to be available in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. [16] Some are included in the demo, though most of them are not playable. The vehicle list is available on the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue official website.

A total number of thirty-seven cars have been announced, as well as ten cirucits in total with variations and reverse versions. Some of the tracks will have different versions instead of a reverse mode. For instance, the Fuji Speedway circuit has an "F" circuit and a "GT" circuit. The tracks (including their variations) are, Suzuka Circuit, Suzuki Circuit East Course, Fuji Speedway F, Fuji Speedway GT, Super Speedway Daytona, Road Course Daytona, Eiger Nordwand Course, Eiger Nordwand Course (reverse), London City Course, London City Course (reverse).

I'll try to post detailed impressions with photos and such once I get some time with the game. That will happen after x-mas since Santa is getting me this for x-mas so it's still at the north pole.

 

[JAH]

Does it have a third-person view (behind the car) or is it the same as Gran Turismo HD where there's only a first-person view (inside the car) while driving?

 

[warcrow]

Originally posted by: JAH
Does it have a third-person view (behind the car) or is it the same as Gran Turismo HD where there's only a first-person view (inside the car) while driving?

GTHD has a chase (3rd person) cam.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Originally posted by: herkulease
I don't care if it looks pretty.

They need to fix the AI to make them smarter and drop the drivers license section. Its stupid and total waste of time.

Stop with the variations of the skyline and lancer evo. I don't want a billion skylines/evos just so they can claim they needed 50gb of space to do it.

after 4 versions you think they've heard enough complaints and address some of them.

the weakest part of the GT series is the engine/exhaust sounds, and unrealistic crash physics.

 

[R Nilla]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
the weakest part of the GT series is the engine/exhaust sounds, and unrealistic crash physics.

What's wrong with the engine/exhaust sounds? They're recorded from their real life counterparts.

 

[Jeff7181]

If anything could make me buy a PS3, this might be it.

 

[herkulease]

Originally posted by: warcrow
Just found this screen shot comparison:

http://static.pici.se/pictures/ZYyJGsZUN.jpg

Real shot on left and in-game shot on right.

they both look like computer graphics to me. Like ps2 vs. ps3 or something. anyhow The Left can't be real. If it is, it is a horrible photograph. Or it is a scanned photo. The photo angle is rather odd too. What is the car supposed to next to? a big giant black box?

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: herkulease

Originally posted by: warcrow
Just found this screen shot comparison:

http://static.pici.se/pictures/ZYyJGsZUN.jpg

Real shot on left and in-game shot on right.

they both look like computer graphics to me. Like ps2 vs. ps3 or something. anyhow The Left can't be real. If it is, it is a horrible photograph. Or it is a scanned photo. The photo angle is rather odd too. What is the car supposed to next to? a big giant black box?

I think you need to adjust your brightness/contrast. It's clearly on pavement with grass along the side.

 

[Modeps]

Why is it called Prologue? Is this only PART of the game?

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: Modeps
Why is it called Prologue? Is this only PART of the game?

pretty much, its a very large demo. very large.
has a handful of tracks, iirc, and I don't know how many cars. online play is included.
they wont be charging full price, but it's pretty damn close to full price.

 

[herkulease]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181

Originally posted by: herkulease

Originally posted by: warcrow
Just found this screen shot comparison:

http://static.pici.se/pictures/ZYyJGsZUN.jpg

Real shot on left and in-game shot on right.

they both look like computer graphics to me. Like ps2 vs. ps3 or something. anyhow The Left can't be real. If it is, it is a horrible photograph. Or it is a scanned photo. The photo angle is rather odd too. What is the car supposed to next to? a big giant black box?

I think you need to adjust your brightness/contrast. It's clearly on pavement with grass along the side.

I can see the right side fine. The left side the car is probably parked on some place.

I'm just saying it a rather poor comparison, probably due to a crappy photo. You really can't tell much.

Maybe OP can link us to thread where this comparison shot came from or link a better one.

 

[herkulease]

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: Modeps
Why is it called Prologue? Is this only PART of the game?

pretty much, its a very large demo. very large.
has a handful of tracks, iirc, and I don't know how many cars. online play is included.
they wont be charging full price, but it's pretty damn close to full price.

Unless they decide to change their minds between now and release here in north america.

Amazon currently lists it for 59.99 to preorder.

places like play-asia and yes asia lets you buy the japanese version for ~50

but I can't seem to get an idea of what japanese games typically retail for if we were in japan and walked into a store. They(play-asia, yes-asia) seem to market up some quite a bit. like Time Crisis 4 is 120 bucks for the japanese. While its only 60 to 80 here in the states. while other games like Uncharted are roughly the same price.