GT – Gran Turismo 5 – The real Driving Simulator (PS3)

Description

Polyphony Digital’s long-awaited PS3 exclusive mix of car racing simulation, car racing management, and arcade driving game, Gran Turismo 5 has been a long time in coming to Sony’s next-generation console but it comes with a fantastic history and more than 1,000 cars.

Brand new to the franchise is car damage both cosmetic and mechanical. The latter means that if your car takes a hit then its performance will suffer.

Also new is the fact that you can now flip cars when going at high speeds or when cornering badly. Added into the game is the test track from hit BBC TV series Top Gear.

This is opened up to the gamer as a series of ‘special events’ wherein you get to drive the same course as the show’s Sting does each week – starting in a Volkswagen Camper Van.

The game also includes the opportunity to race the US NASCAR circuits; the World Rally Championship and also the Japanese Super GT high-speed racing events.

The driver management element of GT5 enables the player to create their own team of race drivers including their temperaments, physical and mental strengths and driving styles. Once the driver or drivers are created, the player then issues them with orders in order to get them around the track.

All this – plus the fun arcade levels with local split-screen play – comes with a huge online component in which gamers can compete with other drivers around the world as well as messaging and instant messaging (and giving and receiving in-game gifts) to their competitors.