A well-written article about the level of realism found in Gran Turismo 5: Prologue has been posted over at Kombo. If you don’t have any experience pushing a real race car to the limits, Brian Alexander has done a good job of explaining what that feels like – and how no game will ever be able to compete with it.
“No matter how realistic a game is, it’s still just a game. The one thing Gran Turismo doesn’t accurately simulate is the terror of being in a race car. Gran Turismo will never make you push your personal limits as a driver because when things go wrong in GT5, whatever; you can just restart the race. When things go wrong in an actual race car, the end result is often catastrophic, and racers often find themselves pushing their personal limits of comfort, not the limits of the machinery they drive.
Gran Turismo will never be able to recreate the panic of going into a corner too hot, the hard clap of a bug splattering on your visor at 130 mph and blinding you, the sound of an engine screaming its way towards 10,000 rpm just inches behind your head, the anxiety of keeping your foot planted on the throttle through a turn you have never attempted flat-out, the whistling of wind through your helmet above 100 mph, the chatter of a locked-up tire under braking, the thrill of knocking out a smashingly fast qualifying lap, the agony of defeat or the frustration of putting a car into the wall. While online racing promises more passionate competition, these experiences are still reserved exclusively for the real thing.”
I couldn’t agree with him more. Despite the fact that it’s, um, not the real thing, Brian was thoughouly impressed with the latest iteration in the series. Check out his full article here.
A VERY good write-up, and an honest R/L Race driver’s perspective on what, if we are members here, is probably the most eagerly anticipated releases in the history of racing games.
And Hurrah for the plea for more bikes!
Neil