I'd assume that there is
some worry at Sony, because they are coming to the party late and missing the lucrative holiday season. I'm heartened that the 360 will indeed have at least two versions, one being a $400 enthusiast version with a hard drive. I still don't want one, at least not for a while - I still don't have an X Box, but that's just me. Sony should feel encouraged to do something similar with a PS3 SE with extra goodies and features.
I don't feel that I'm missing out if I don't get an XBox360 with Ridge Racer 6, the only new racing game I'm remotely interested in, and by interested I mean passingly curious. I'm sure that Microsoft sold the development community some excellent dev kits, or they have no real need as the 360 is a glorified computer. And seriously glorified at that, since it's a streamlined system which should outperform the most bleeding edge current gaming PC. I don't doubt that the racing games for it will look astonishing. I do doubt that they will feel as good as GT4.
I've seen Forza. It doesn't look as good or feel as good as GT4 running on a much superior X Box. It doesn't even look like it has a decent framerate all the time. Forza on the 360 should be much more like the game it should be, but will it feel like I'm in the car, like I do in GT4? I have my doubts.
I had company last night, some of my relatives and racing nuts, even more skilled than I am, and I invited them to play GTR. They immediately disliked my setup and started poking around in the options, so I'm going to have to see if anything has to be put back.
But I did want them to get it tuned to their satisfaction. And I didn't dog on it, I actually enthused about all its strong points and just hinted at my dissatisfaction with it to see what they thought with something resembling an unbiased opinion, tho I think I gushed about it too much for that.
And they didn't like it, thinking it was a lot like Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit. And they're right, it feels and looks a lot like a NFS game, with nice but outdated graphics and an Electronic Arts feel to its handling. Is that a bad thing? Eh, not if you grew up on EA PC racers, and I think that's why everyone who loves GTR does. I did too, since they became outdated quickly and dropped in price drastically, with marginal improvements with each new release. But I never thought that it was the ultimate driving experience.
I did think that when I came across Gran Turismo, and with each new GT, I felt even more like I was incontrol of a vehicle on a road, not throwing polygons around virtual curves. Kazunori is all about involving you in all the nuances of the driving experience, and in GT4, I was amazed at how closely these virtual cars responded like physical objects, even to the the gradual onset of tire squeal as you began to push the car harder around curves. It's a much more authentic experience than any other game offers. I think all of you who insist on having elements like more realistic engine noise and damage or you aren't happy, are involved in visceral game mechanics, not the driving experience. I haven't lived with GTR enough to catch all the subtleties, but so far the only thing that really impresses me is the weather and how the other drivers slow down and manoeuver around wrecks.
I have many racing games covering a decade of game development, and I used to like them a lot. I was a huge Sega racing fan, and I enjoyed the EA racers as well. But I don't play them any more. Many of the PS and X Box racers look nice and feel decently built, but I'm not interested. When I finish GTR, I may never play it again either, because I've come to realize that only one developer gives me all I need in a racer, and Sony has enough sense to realize this. And they have enough sense to realize that they have become the Nintendo of this millenium.
I don't like that fact at all. Sony is a customer hostile company, much like Microsoft. I want Nintendo and Sega to regain their dominance, because as far as a company can, they care about their fans. And they have real fans. Until that day, unfortunately, I'll be a reluctant PlayStation buyer.
But I'll never be shy about being a fanboy of certain game companies. Sega will always be at the top of my list, but one other will hold a position of VERY high esteem. So needless to say, I'm only waiting for one new racing game to grace my high def TV and British stereo.
And I guess that unless you decide to repair a car, it would remain a wreck, it's that way in other games too.
, as for reporting theres nothing in any of my posts to warrant such action, unless you've taken something the wrong way that I've not noticed. I do get where your coming from, we just have different expectations for the next GT thats all. Don't ever take any of my comments as a personal attack though, they are never meant in such a way, but once my fingers start to type theres no stopping them till I hit that submit button. Consider it let go.
no damage?
