Did PD arse up the Top Gear licencing?

[JSAllen]

I've just seen Inside Sim Racing's clip of Turn 10 director Dan Greenawalt (I think that's how it's spelt...) discussing and highlighting the new features in Forza 4, and the bit that struck me the most wasn't the new lighting model of the updated career mode - it was how they've implemented Top Gear into the game.

Not only will there be the expected fully renditioned Top Gear Test Track as well as single player modes, but also multiplayer gameplay (which I presume means online as well) and even a bit where Jezza provides a running commentary on every single one of the cars that'll feature on the game. Turn 10 really seem to be pushing the boat out with this, especially compared with GT5's efforts.

What we get in comparison with Forza is the Test Track, a few novelty events...and that's about it. Oh, and a short intro clip of The Stig thrashing a DB9.

I know that the guys at PD had tons of stuff to do whilst making GT5, and I'm sure they'll do a better job in GT6 (if the licensing deal isn't restricted to the current game), but I feel a but short changed by the whole TG aspect of the game. Especially when compared with the upcoming Forza's content.

Anyone else here feel the same? Do you think that PD could, or should, have given the Top Gear feature a greater impact on overall gameplay? Or are you someone who doesn't really bother with the whole TG issue, and doesn't mind if it's in the next game or not?

 

[II IVORBIGUN II]

Yes they did arse up the Top Gear licence as they also did the Nascar. Both very poorly implemented.

As some will know one of my biggest complaints about GT5 is the lack of leaderboards especially as GT5P had stock time trial leaderboards. Now in my opinion the Top Gear TT should of had a leaderboard for each stock car in GT5. This is about the most obvious track to have leaderboards!

My opinion is if PD didn't spend so much time modelling the premium cars and Kaz spent more time directing GT5 than racing in the real world, then A Spec, Nascar, TGTT and other aspects of GT5 would of been much better.

 

[frason]

"Anyone else here feel the same? Do you think that PD could, or should, have given the Top Gear feature a greater impact on overall gameplay? Or are you someone who doesn't really bother with the whole TG issue, and doesn't mind if it's in the next game or not?"

This. PD had the rights (or very close to) (remember The Stig Challenge), but it was pulled just before release and changed to Top Gear Challenge or whatever it's called today. Hence PD didn't care a lot more about it and pulled a lot of the features/content from the supposed to be Stig Challenge.

My guess is Turn 10 bought the rights to The Stig.

And now we know that they bought Clarkson as well..

 

[amar212]

My guess is Turn 10 bought the rights to The Stig.

And now we know that they bought Clarkson as well..

Pretty much this.

Microsoft established a licensing deal with BBC/Top Gear in September 2010, just 2 month prior to release of GT5.

Just for notice, Sony/PD established their deal back in 2007, when release date of GT5 was still planned for 2008/09. And as we all know, all those type of deals are not signed for infinite time.

It is very plausible that Sony's deal ended in 2010, and that new bid for 2010 onwards went to Microsoft. That is probably the reason why we never got any comprehensive content regarding Top Gear.

 

[TenEightyOne]

I think Clarkson only narrates the 'premium' cars that are available to view in the Auto Vista thing, doesn't he? Those cars have openable doors, bonnets, more polys etc. etc.

Did they mess up the licence? Who knows - there's no reason why two games companies couldn't buy into the name, the BBC opens the licences in order to make money.

I do wonder if the death of White Stig caused some problems, as we know TG now have Baby Stig

 

[MikeTheHockeyFan]

GT5 did the same thing with Top Gear that they did with every other type of racing they have in the game: just touch on it and move on.

Gran Turismo as a series seems to want to give you the chance to drive as many cars as possible, but not accurately represent those race series via a race weekend.

It's the ultimate Track Day Sim offline, but at least online you can organize racing leagues with your own rules and whatnot.

 

[Robin]

Yes they did mess it up, big time.

They didn't put in the Suzuki Liana, Chevrolet Lacetti or Kai Ceed.

They don't have the top gear lap camera angles.

No track leader board or any special gameplay specific to the show.

Basically they put in the track, that's the extent to which Top Gear is a feature which anyone can do. Just like with the WRC and NASCAR license it was beyond half assed.

 

[robbo6]

They did arse it up 100%. I was looking forward to it so much and it was just one more crushing disappointment for me. The only redeeming feature is being able to drive the TGTT, altho doing the godawful challenge to unlock it almost made me want to kill (it's such a friendly word).

 

[UN_OC]

Not just the TopGear they mucked up, also the Nascar.

AND the WRC!!!


They got the WRC cars, advertised the idea of rally racing and what do we get....


3 time trial races and the ability to create our own dirt or ice tracks.


No A-spec rally racing. No B-spec rally racing. Only A-spec rally time trial (wrc style) is the shor 'special event'.

That is all.


And the F1 isn't exactly there either... ehere are 2 F1 cars.. but you can't use them anywhere.....

Glad we atleast time trial them though. Good fun there. And the rights are controlled by Bernie Eccelstone, world renowned tight arse and money magnet.


But WRC has no reason. They aren't well known.

 

[Morphisor]

There's not a single license they did NOT mess up to be honest.

Not a single series is actually featured properly.

 

[MikeTheHockeyFan]

Gran Turismo has never treated any particular genre of racing seriously beyond tarmac track day races, really.

Just look at rally racing. It's been in since GT2 and it is still just racing on a smooth gravel plane with a little bit of banking sometimes. There has been no attempt to make it realistic (rocks, trees, any kind of trackside danger, multi-stage rallies, etc).

 

[drivingmeinsane]

The whole game is half arsed, so why should the TG aspect be a fully accomplished part of the game!?!

 

[boshuter]

The biggest problem with GT5 is they put in too much stuff that is poorly done instead of doing one thing really well (quantity over quality). I'd much rather have seen GT5 as a sports car racing game that is well done and leave out the WRC, NASCAR, AND F1. If I want to run one of those series, there are better games out there for them than GT5.

I understand (somewhat), why they stuck in all the "crap". GT5 is supposed to be a casual racing game to play with friends; it's not a "sim" (despite what it calls itself). People who seriously want to do realistic racing in whatever series will not be using GT5, they will be running one of the PC sims.

 

[MikeTheHockeyFan]

I've always noticed GT is like a pastiche of different worldwide types of racing. The player can jump from one to another, but with limited immersion in any of them.

It's the style of the game design and I wouldn't expect it to change in the future.

 

[Instrumental]

They messed up all the licensing. They could have had so many more events and such a grandiose set up of racing seasons and championships in A-spec if they implemented it properly. Instead we got the rather lackluster product that was given to us.

 

[599GT]

GT5 isn't a racing sim, it's a driving sim.
It lets you race street cars, race cars, rally cars, formulas, NASCAR, DTM, Super GT but it doesn't excell at any race event.
It does everything but rather sloppy.

 

[Alex p.]

It's really kinda stupid or childish but I really get so angry reading all those comments because they simply tell the truth. THIS WHOLE GAME IS HALF ARSED. I mean people really, what did they do FOR 6 YEARS? The tracks look mostly like **** (almost as bad as ps2 quality), we have only some 200 premiums, oh, and FAR too little tracks, where did they all gone? And then there are the hundreds stupid design mistakes in every area of this game, I'm just so dissapointed with this game-as a game, but I LOVE driving, testing cars in the game on the Nordschleife, really never gets old.

 

[TurboProp]

Uh-Oh...the GT5 lovers are going to be hatin' on you guys. I agree with the "half-arsed" sentiment stated above (we call it half-a$$ where I come from).

Like my Mom used to tell me, "if you are not going to do something right, don't to do it all".

 

[slims]

Yeah they could have done more. Things like the reasonably priced cars and shows camera angles for the replays would have gone a long way towards giving it a more Top Gear feel. Even the track itself could do with some work. Get rid of the cones which are EVERYWHERE and maybe do something about the invisible barriers which are also everywhere. I still enjoy driving the track but they definitely should have done more. Same goes for all the licensed series.

 

[cuco33]

Not even a question. Of course PD botched the TG licensing. It's presence in GT5 makes you think if PD ever watched the show. I can do without the reasonably priced car but no standing starts on the TG track!? I don't eve recall a rolling start on TG's track for any even they ever did in all the 15+ seasons...

 

[Tireseas]

To be completely honest, they need to stop trying to be everything to everyone and focus on doing a few things incredibly well and in a timely manner. Throwing in Top Gear and NASCAR and the likes sounds cool, but it's just more directions to lose focus with. It's the sort of thing that could've been an extremely cool DLC expansion pack 6 months after release with content that did it justice.

 

[tre12]

Pd can easily fix the issues regarding the top gear track its just they have their priorities somewhere else, hopefully they see the forza implementation and get of their arses and put the top gear track to proper use.

 

[NFSCARBON1]

I think PD removed a hell of a lot of stuff before GT was released. Top Gear lost the Stig challenge, cars are missing, tracks are missing, the original damage modelling is missing and the entire flag/penalty system was removed.
There was a rumour (jokingly) that PD had broken the master disk just before GT was being produced. Perhaps this was true!

 

[dudeondacouch]

I can do without the reasonably priced car but no standing starts on the TG track!?

This. It's incomprehensible how they could have muddled this up. 👎

 

[RazorsEdge]

Forza series = Copy of everything in GT5 (Starting from photomode and top gear), but more appreciated, maybe because of Micro$oft has bribed all the critics.

 

[Smoothherb]

There was a rumour (jokingly) that PD had broken the master disk just before GT was being produced. Perhaps this was true!

Loled!

Yea they broke one disc and didn´t have any backups! That sounds like a true story

 

[eran0004]

a running commentary on every single one of the cars that'll feature on the game.

As I understand it it's not every single one of the cars in the game. It seems like Forza 4 will be "two games in one", one racing game and one car museum (or whatever it's called) game. While all cars are available in the racing game section, there's just gonna be a limited selection of cars in the museum part, and those are the cars that will get the commentarys.

 

[deep_sky]

PD did mess up the license, but to be honest, the TG Test Track wasn't the great addition that I thought it would be.

Maybe standing starts and leaderboards would change that, but I dunno. It's just a pretty bland track at the end of the day.

*shrugs*

 

[trk29]

Pd can easily fix the issues regarding the top gear track its just they have their priorities somewhere else, hopefully they see the forza implementation and get of their arses and put the top gear track to proper use.

It might be a little to late for for that. If Turn 10 has the license it will just be a track with nothing Top Gear about it.

 

[Josh__F]

Will GT be able to call it the Top Gear track if they dont have the rights?