Gran Turismo 5 Turns 10 Today

May not have been the best in the series (3), but it without a doubt had the best soundtrack. That lounge music is still to this day untouchable, and the race soundtrack was pretty good too, even though 3/4 had a stronger race soundtrack.

I miss the shuffle lobbies, the dirty racing lobbies, the cruise lobbies, custom tracks, and the actual rally point-to-point special event. So many memories throughout high school for me :)
 
Aside from the:
  • Scandal of 800+ PS2-quality cars
  • Rally, NASCAR and Top Gear licenses that were horrendously wasted
  • A janky course maker that wouldn't let us make point-to-point tracks even though they were in the special events
  • A broken performance points system
  • Unstable online
  • Horrendously grindy levelling system in single player

GT5 at least holds the accolade of getting me into competitive online leagues and I wouldn't be here now on GTPlanet either without it.
 
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10 years. Wow. Time sure flies. I even skipped class at college just to get my copy.

I have mixed feelings for GT5. PD took forever to develop it and presented it like it was going to be the 2nd coming of Jesus, and in the end, I think it was a very, very mediocre game.

Still, I have good memories because, well, I did play this game a lot: The GTP's Marketplace, that competitive Rally Tournament I entered once (pretty amazing courses btw), the hype of the Aventador DLC (1st time I ever pay for additional content in a game), the hunt for ALL Bugatti Veyron's colors, that cool looking new intro when they released the Aventador DLC, etc, etc, and most importantly, me discovering this site.

In the end, I think the game served it's purpose: I played it and enjoyed it, but I can't help feeling it was not even half of what it could or should have been.
 
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I remember being so hyped for this game. That game is also the reason why I joined GTPlanet. :)
Click to expand...

Count me in! I was a GTP reader leading up to the release of GT5, but I became so engrossed by the game I created an account 2 days after launch! :cheers:
 
This is the most underrated game in the series, at least in my opinion. It had so many good features, such as much improved physics over GT4 (making drifting possible), fun online with shuffle racing, huge amount of content, amazing soundtrack, amazing graphics at their peak, dynamic time and weather, a traditional career mode with cool special events and prizes for winning events, regularly-added seasonal events, trading cars and items, and Ferrari and Lamborghini making their debut, among other things. Really, the standard cars were the only real issue for me compared to other games in the series (except GT6).

Also, GT5 is actually the best-selling game in the series in terms of having sold almost 12 million copies on the worst selling PlayStation home console. It's definitely one of my favourite games in the series.
 
Gran Turismo 5: The video game that lived inside of my PlayStation 3 for three straight years and never came out, that is until Gran Turismo 6 came out. It was an incredible ride all throughout its lifespan and forever changed my expectations of racing games, video games in general really. The online experience I had shall never be forgotten and I made so many memories: Meeting friends online to go race, share what new cars we acquired, show off our own custom rides and throw 'em down on the course, Shuffle Racing, lending cars for one another to borrow for whatever the occasion, competing in the Seasonal Events to see who can get the best Performance Point Multiplier bonus, and making millions of Credits when you were away from home with B-Spec Remote Racing. :D

In my opinion, GT5 is still the most-ambitious title that Polyphony Digital has developed, considering their scope of features they wanted to implement before succumbing to feature creep (a lot of the features they wanted to implement made it, but others got postponed) and the hardware platform they were developing the game on. GT5 still has the highest number of "Firsts" for the franchise:

  • Use of licenses for unique in-game content and challenges (even if they were severely underutilized) such as NASCAR, Top Gear and more
  • Introduction of karts; they are the first other type of vehicle to co-exist with cars in the franchise
  • Course Maker; while it was underwhelming to a majority of players, the idea of having an infinite number of courses to race on was a very ambitious and quirky idea for the franchise
  • Online community hub, where you can check out what your friends are up to in the game, comparing their progress and stats to your own, see what photos they've shared, check out some of their car collection, receive and send messages to, post bulletins on their bulletin board, receive and send gifts to, and much more (I think I got them all but there could be more; it's been seven years or so!)
  • First game in the franchise to have a lobby system over the Internet (not matchmaking, but lobbies and rooms where you can join a group of players that you want to race with custom conditions and rules set for the room instead of fixed settings)
  • Shuffle Racing! Such a cool departure from the traditional bring-your-own-car racing everyone was accustomed to; instead, everyone is given a random car to drive and competes with one another which makes for some unpredictable yet fun racing (bring it back, PoDi!).
  • Seasonal Events; if you've cleared all of the game's offline events (A/B-Spec events, License Tests, Special Events), then the developers put together some (sometimes very hard!) additional challenges on a regularly scheduled basis to test your mettle; they had all kinds of different conditions and they gave out some very rewarding prizes should you manage to complete them (Performance Point Difference adjustment multiplier was a fantastic idea that didn't return in GT6)
  • More in-depth personalization and customization for cars with custom body and aero parts, and if you wanted to paint your car a specific color that was featured on another car, you could do that, with paint chips (with some licensing exceptions).
  • Multi-monitor support, 3DTV support, and head tracking with the PlayStation Eye.
  • Online B-Spec Racing; I mean, it was pretty much like betting on horse racing because you didn't know who was going to win, but at least you always gained Credits instead of losing them; it was always nice being away from the game all day to come back to millions of free Credits! :D
  • Saving and suspending endurance races (which was eventually added into the game with an update)
  • Cross-platform interactivity; you could drive your car collection from Gran Turismo PSP on the game if you linked your PSP
  • Trophies/Achievements for bragging rights
  • Introduction of DLC (while GT5P received additional content with free updates, GT5 had all-new content released for it available for purchase on the PS Store); I still remember the day when it was first-announced; I think the community exploded with all the excitement it generated. :D
...and I'm sure that I forgot a few, but that's what I can remember off the top of my head. And thanks to its fans and several communities, we know much more about the game than ever before. Just last night I had updated the game's page(s) on The Cutting Room Floor, which, if you don't know what it is, is a website for the documentation of unused and hidden content in video games. With all of the features and content that this game came jampacked with, it was inevitable that some of it had to be shelved for another time, or was just changed/removed outright. The "What Could Have Been" factor of GT5 was so immensely high, much more courses, more cars from the PS2-era, even all of the fan-favorite courses from the PS2-era could have been in the game. Imagine that!

As of today Gran Turismo 5 is one of my Top 20 all-time favorite video games and probably my 2nd-favorite in the franchise (sitting right behind GT4), bringing back the old and blending it with the new for a grand gaming experienced enriched by the Internet. I'll be replaying GT5 this week to pay homage to the game that managed to spend three years of my life and I enjoyed every second of it.

Long Live GT5's Legacy! :cheers:
 
The menu navigation, load times, and late-game grind were rough, the paint chip system and inability to upgrade the engine and weight outside the main menu was a pain, the visuals and customization options on the standard cars were underwhelming, and the special events and licensed content were severely underused, but this was my first GT game, and man do I still love it.

The sense of scale of the game with the diversity of its content was wonderful, even though GT6 expanded and improved most things GT5 always felt “bigger” to me. The whole game felt like a celebration of the car, from the intro that showcased the full construction of a car from steel/glass refining to mass assembly, all the way to the diverse representation of almost any kind of car with detailed descriptions of the models, parts, and brand history.

I know the UCD was divisive, but I loved opening it genuinely never knowing what would pop up there. 5 also had better AI than 6 and I think more options in arcade mode, so I often found myself coming back to it when I didn’t want to go online.

I hope GT7 can rekindle some of the magic from the better parts of GT5.
 
GT5 is where the series peaked. Features such as B-spec, RaceModding cars, Top Gear Test Track inclusion, full-scale 24hr enduros with savepoints during pitstops, dynamic time and weather, collectible cards about historic cars...can't remember how they looked exactly...

It had all that despite Kaz saying they had a terrible time with the PS3. I can't even begin to imagine what the PS5's GT7 will have. Most of that, but even better? Here's hoping...

Regarding GT5, I remember seeing it in the shop and asking my parents to buy it for me even though I hadn't had the PS3 yet! I thought doing so would make them buy the PS3 sooner...but they refused at the time... Later, I got it anyway, and much fun was had. :D

Best part about it, doing the 24hr races, listening to that great, sometimes trippy soundtrack, and watching the sky turn gradually darker and darker...then, rain starting, and having to change to wet tires...and of course, seeing the sky turn just a shade brighter every lap as the night faded away...

Favorite car? Lexus LFA. Bring. It. Back.
 
Recently picked up a PS3 and GT5 in time for its anniversary, it actually holds up well, standard cars aside

I still like it as much as I did when I was younger
 
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A turning point for the GT series, and not a good one at that. The problems that the series had for years finally came home to roost, and gave the series the reputation that it deserved for stuffing a game with 1000+ sub standard PS2 models and triumphantly touting a pitiful 100 or so actual models in most every piece of media released before hand. Ultimately, Polyphony is still living with the failures of the seventh generation, and still not even coming close to fixing the problems that GT faces, even with GT7 on the horizon.

No wonder Forza effectively won the generation, looking back.
 
Despite PS3 being unfavourable era for PD I wouldn't have had a fascination with a GT game like this since GT2. Got PS3 for the prologue which wet my appetite for this game and I really ended up enjoying the final release a lot. The various updates it got were a revelation to me.

  • Increased grid sizes from 6-16 was incredible to me, certain endurance races only featured 12 but it was still double that GT4 featured.
  • The inclusion of other media like the Nürburgring documentaries, and access to the GT channel episodes(which were awesome)
  • Finally a cockpit view in a GT game! Immersion was unreal, I've never consider racing in any other view since.
  • RM was back!, only 17 cars which was a downer, anyone else tried to RM the F430 Scuderia, or DB9? Among other ones of course :(
The other motorsport media outlets included in the game, really proved to me PD were trying to break that virtual divide and was taking itself a bit more seriously, which I respected and appreciated. Consequently it would be the game that really peaked my interest in motorsport, especially the VLN and N24H. I mean I knew I liked motor racing prior but had no idea where to watch other forms on TV beside Formula 1. Not having any friends or family as invested in motorsport as I was (not even owning sim cades or sims) also kept me distracted of that fact.

I was in my teens and GT5 was the era where I made the final decision I was going to find and watch a whole championship season of GT racing, I found the GT1 world championship website. The result was I did not miss a qualifying session or a race for the 2 seasons it ran 2010-201.

In short hail GT5, had a lot of fun with it and it inspired me at the same time, It had a lot to do with the fact that GT5 was really my first, then, next gen racing game after GT4, and I think I was just really appreciative with just the little improvements. I rank it very high :cheers:
 
Not to mention it did have those Ferrari F1 cars. Those were pretty cool.

I got an Xbox instead of a PS2 and while never getting into Forza, I played a lot of TOCA 3. So going from GT2 to that game was a huge jump. Then I put down games while I started college and when I came back, GT5 was already a few years old. So this game was my reintroduction to gaming.

And it was a heck of a game. While I love that GTS and even GT6 had more race cars I liked, GT5 was just a much more fun game.
 
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This is the thing what i love from GT5, the Grand Tour is memorable.

Much better than GT 6 in terms of content, inmersion and AI, despite for the car list what obviously in GT6 is bigger.
 
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When somenone says GT5 to me, only one thing is on my mind, Vettel X challenge, it was hard as hell, but i beat the gold times with a pad, and platinumed the thing, i was swearing and destroyed 1 joystick in doing it with the vettel challenge, it cost me lot of nerves and got some gray hair, bit looking at it now, im proud of it that i did it 100%
 
I'm going to unapologetically voice my total support for GT5. Yes, the standard cars looked awkward and the XP level system was a pain to work around, but I genuinely loved the game. The menus were beautiful, clean and colourful with gorgeous lounge jazz playing. I used to just sit on the home screen listening to music for hours. For me atmosphere and interface is a huge part of enjoying a game, and GT5 had that in spades.

The driving physics of GT5 were probably my favourite in the series, every car and every corner felt different, with none of the understeer that plagued GT4. The WRC special events were especially fun, and I wish they'd integrated more dirt courses into the game.

The premium cars were flat-out gorgeous. I'd loved GT5 Prologue simply for its smooth menus and amazing graphics, but sitting on my living room floor at Christmas 2010 and looking up at a beautifully rendered Ferrari 458 was one of my favourite experiences. I used to scroll the dealerships looking at all the supercars I couldn't afford, reading the little info snippets. GT5 really was a virtual shrine to the car, and it always reminded me every time I logged in.

GT6 felt a bit sterile, less like an experience into car culture than GT5, and I'll always respect GT5 for that sense of scope and wonder that Gran Turismo is famous for.
 
The game that took me out of the series until GT Sport. We used to LAN GT3, GT Concept and GT4 weekly in a friend’s garage. To lose the LAN functionality was the biggest downgrade of all. Losing iLink functionality in GT4 was a sad omen of things to come.
 
Even if Gran Turismo 5 did have some faults and questionable gameplay mechanics, this game will forever hold a special place in my heart. This was probably the game I was most hyped for throughout my lifetime and I even pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition (I think I still might have some of the goodies that came with it too). The day I got the game, after years of waiting, 10-year old me was in awe at how stunning and in-depth the game was, especially with the car list and new online features. I’ve spent countless hours throughout the years playing it and yet I still never fully completed it. I go back to it every so often, and while it’s not the same without online, it’s still just as fun as I remembered. It’s not my favorite Gran Turismo, but I like it enough for me to consider it my favorite game of 2010 and probably one of my favorite games of the 2010s decade too.
 
DLC lol what DLC Kaz+PD are too loyal to make you buy they'll just put in some update @ no cost

Yes the wait and constant GT5 launch announce to delays was excruciating misery!! Then thanks to GTP news article pretty sure is when I seen her listed on Amazon. Pre-ordered and on the very day the man dropped her in my mailbox!!!!

Broke the wrap, smelt her, lol me first blu-ray, then my GT5 had to sit tight for me to acquire the superslim PS3 December of 2012

The update wait back on crummy DSL was bonkers! But suchhh worth it I cherish

Soon to get another PS3 to "customize" her to rock out on xlink exploiting the hidden LAN function!

EDIT: Again, hoowee gee whiz why did they do away with the intoxicating title screen of your currently equipped vehicle.. GT6 really needed to carry that on don't know about GT Sport nor think I wanna know lol think I'm not touching PS4 ever so long as the few titles are always going to be backwards-compatible cuz in this new era games hardly if @ all differ across console generations.. right xP
 
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Honestly GT5 disappointed me, it looked too much like a GT4 with missing features, online and a few better looking car models tacked on.

It just for me lacked a lot of true innovation and had too many random half realised ideas bolted on here and there. The long development cycle had clearly taken its toll and it was a bit of a mess.

Also in the early days GT had no legitimate competitors that could equal it, by the time of GT5 the competition had upped it's game and for the first time there really were alternatives out there.

It's not some untouchable franchise anymore I'm afraid but it's not to say it isn't worth celebrating and appreciating what it's done for the genre.
 

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