To all those who say GT-games or driving sims in general are
all about physics and the rest is irrelevant eye-candy or cockpit view being a useless gimmick here's my explanation to why I think it isn't.
Aside from the fact it's expected in a driving sim in this day and age and the taster of what GT5 would be like called Prologue featuring cockpit view on all cars bar one (the GT-R Proto) making people grow accustomed to using it within the context of GT, a lot of people who really, really love cars think a dashboard design is an integral part of the design and character of a car.
I've loved cars from a very early age and always found the interior of a car often as intruiging as the exterior, the dials, gearlever, steering wheel, design of the dashboard itself, even the buttons, etc. to me were as important to how I perceived the car (as a whole) as the exterior shape and details such as lights, grille or the wheel design.
I'm probably preaching to the converted anyway as those who say it's only about the physics probably think this is jibberish or incomprehensible within their logic or perception (which thankfully isn't mine).
Thing is, the reason I bought the very first GT after renting it in a videostore once were exactly those physics which impressed the hell out of me.
I had played some driving games before (even with a rudimentary cockpit view) but I'd never experienced an accurate physics engine before (which even after obtaining my real drivers licence seemed very convincing) and coupled to the revolutionary game-structure it made me an instant convert despite not having a cockpit view.
Even after 4 iterations GT4 provided me plenty of fun without cockpit view 6 years ago despite the physics being a bit of a let down for me.
Then came GT5 Prologue combining the physics I liked with something new to GT and the combination was what really brought a new dimension to the game for me, much more important than 3D ever could be I reckon.
I've played games before with beautiful rendered cockpits (at that time) but with an appalling physics engine which weren't fun at all, so only eye-candy isn't the reason.
I've played games with a good physics engine but with appalling graphics (even at that time) and it wasn't fun at all, as it took away the realism for me.
The killer
combination is what's important, not singling out one aspect and claiming that's the only aspect of importance.
Saying a driving game is all about physics is the gaming equivalent of those people who say after being asked about their car: "don't care really, as long as it gets me from A to B" (nothing wrong with that ofcourse, although I don't regard these people to be true petrolheads).
) like the first gen Citroën C5 for example and therefore counterbalance the total number.
)
.
