Product Description

The 10th anniversary of "Gran Turismo" has arrived, defining a new standard for racing games.

10 years have passed since "Gran Turismo" was first created in 1997. This has set the theme for the development of "Gran Turismo 5 Prologue". This title takes the fundamental elements that make up a racing - modeling, physics simulation, and AI - to a new dimension. 16 cars racing, in full definition 1080p HD, at 60fps. This is the new standard for racing games.

The evolution of the fundamental elements was turned into reality bu the PLAYSTATION3. With the creation of this new standard, this title is the prologue to the continued popularity of the "Gran Turismo" series throughout the globe for the next 10 years.

• 37 cars
• 5 Courses, 10 Layouts
• Game modes: Arcade (Singe Race with Maximum 16 Cars), Arcade (Time Trial), Race Events (3 categories / 24 events)
• Visual Output: 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #711 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2009-03-10
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
• Format: Unknown format
• Dimensions: .25 pounds

Customer Reviews

A tantalising taste of what is to come
Provided you know that this game is a glorified demo of what is to come, I would heartily recommend it to you. Solid graphics, decent range of cars, extensive driving physics. The game does, however, lack depth as you would expect.

I bought this game to test my new G25 wheel an to get a taste of what GT5 will be like...mission accomplished.

Cutting Edge driving game
The Platinum badging denotes this game's commercial success compared to other PS3 games and otherwise does not differ to any significant degree from the standard GT5P game.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is a fully-fledged game in its own right and should not be mistaken for a make-weight until the real thing comes along later. That's because this is good enough, hard enough and dare I say pure enough to satisfy those who want something different from the arcade-like 'fun' of Burnout etc. I can understand why some say that GT5P isn't fun, but believe me it's very satisfying when you reach the top, when you win at every level.

In two words, it's all about discipline, and tuning. Controlling your emotions (anger, frustration) takes time and practice. For the first three levels - C, B and then A, it doesn't matter much if you hit other cars or take short cuts. But then, when you've cleared level A you suddenly find there's a new level, called S, and it demands a wholly new and different approach if you want to win. Barging other cars out the way won't work, because you will incur time penalties each time you do. Touch, yes - but not too much! After a while you have to learn just how far you can let your aggression go; there's a limit, and while it's not 100% consistent in that some moves are punished while other seemingly more aggressive moves are permitted, the bottom line is you have to show restraint, common sense and self-discipline. And then there's tuning, which takes quite a while to master because if it wasn't complicated enough in its option list, you will need to understand that there are different set-ups for different cars, and for different circuits too. The ultimate test is 'S-10' at Suzuka, a demanding but very enjoyable track once you've mastered it. And for me the best car to use in order to win there is the Ford GT LM Spec II - however in its standard set-up you are unlikely to win so you need to know how to get the most out of it, especially in terms of traction, braking and acceleration.

Anyone who has tried and tried without success at S-10 will benefit from the tuning set-up I use with the Ford GT because it almost transforms the car from a lumbering bus into a hugely pliable, neutral and drift-friendly machine. There are surely hundreds of combinations, but here's one that works - for me, at least.

Power/BHP : Down 33
Weight : Down 90
Tyres : R1/R1
Aerodynamics : 17/27
Ride Height : -9/-15
Springs : 8/7
Dampers : 8/7
Toe-in/out : -0.09/+0.22
Camber : 1.6/2.0
Brakes : 7/8
Torque Split : n/a
Steering angle: 45
Traction cont : OFF
ABS : 1
1st gear : 2.288
2nd gear : 1.632
3rd gear : 1.218
4th gear : 0.932
5th gear : 0.789
6th gear : 0.686
Final drive : 5.00

The steering angle I have chosen (45) is one of the most sensitive, I believe, to individual preference. I don't like understeer and while some have suggested an ideal of 30 I prefer the sharper cut-in of 45 and the added drift that this can allow. And it's important to switch the traction control off because otherwise it delays throttle response, making life next to impossible if you really want to make progress.

The same car and set-up can be used for the Fuji circuit (S-7) but some might want to tweak the gearing a bit as there is a very long straight which demands a maximum top speed. I've managed to use the same set-up for both circuits successfully, mainly because once you are intimately familiar with every nuance of the car's dynamics it can be unsettling to change even a single aspect of its tuning. Familiarity breeds confidence, and confidence is king.

This isn't a game that will make you laugh. It's not 'fun' in the conventional sense of video gaming. It's a game for purists, for those with a competitive instinct and a desire to win. It's not easy to win, and even when you do it's just as hard to repeat the success, but that isn't the point. It's not designed to flatter you, you have to be nigh-on perfect and you need to make no mistakes. My mantras include 'stay on the track' and 'don't hit anyone'. The temptation is always there to knock another car off the track but you soon learn (at S level, anyway) that this just doesn't work, and the mindset should be one of making sure that you don't make any mistakes. Contain your aggression - you will get another opportunity to overtake in a few moments.

There are dozens of cars to buy with the credits you accumulate from winning, but in my opinion only a handful are a real pleasure to drive. I never thought I would say this after I first drove it (it was a pig) but the Ford GT has to be up there with the best. I love the tuned Corvette, and the Blitz and Mine's Skyline GTRs (of previous years), while I found the current GT-R a bit of a disapppointment. The most annoying car must be the iconic Ferrari F40, you spend a fortune buying it and it feels like an oil-tanker at times in terms of agility and chuckability. Maybe I need to tune mine - as I said, I hated the Ford GT LM at first, but tuning it is a revelation. On lower levels, the tuned Elise was good and true too.

Personally I think GT5P is the cutting-edge PS3 game, full stop, and the flagship for the new Blu-Ray generation. The graphics are just a quantum leap beyond what has gone before, it's almost as if this game is the one to demonstrate what PS3 and 1080p upscaling in high-definition is all about. It's indispensible, a bargain and I can't recommend it highly enough. Roll on the fully-loaded version, later in 2009 I believe.

Oh yes.....can't wait for the full game! (updated)
I've just finished this game and wanted to go back and update the review...all of the below plus more at the end:

i never played GT1 or 2, but 99% comleted GT3 and about 90% completed GT4....

It took me a while to buy this game as I wanted to wait for the full version, but as it still appears a while off and at this price it seemed worth the purchase....

So, i played it last night for the first time....it was like sinking into a comfortable armchair again...! I can't wait to get back on there again...

There appear to be lots of comments about boring, too hard etc play Burnout instead etc....these are commnets from people who do not understand the game I feel. GT is about starting off small, winning some credits, buying beter cars, but more importantly tuning the cars....there is no way you can just rely on driving skill alone...if you don't understand this you could not have got far in any of the other games either to be honest....

Anyway, so last night I finihed off C class and I'm into B....relieved to see that there is an S class and also hat more tuning is possible reading one of the reviews above.

The only things missing so far are more tracks and buying add ons to improve the car -nothing like slapping a big turbo onto a Yaris...! i guess these will be featured in the full version...

The only downside of this game is my wife is about to become a GT widow yet again for a while.....!

UPDATE:

This game is real value for money....as well as the C, B, A and S levels, there are also individual car events, which can be very challenging, but also forces you to drive a wide variety of cars, much like GT4.
The S levels themselves are very difficult and I would recommend for GT hardcore drivers only or for gamers with a lot of persistance. I managed to complete them yesterday, wlthough S-10 did take some time being honest....recommend using the Amuse S2000 for this one, with some tuning i handles like a dream round Suzuka. Even then you need to drive perfectly to even come in the top 3 for this one....

there are some minor bad points about this game too....I'm not too keen on the fact that you can't buy upgrades for each car and are limited to a performance points system....I hope this is not going to carry over to the full version. Also it does take some serious hours of driving to save up fr the F1 car, which is a bit of a luxury, considering you have to complete all S levels to be allowed to buy it anyway...but still Ok if yo uwant to go back and get golds in previous races, wlth though there seems to be no incentive for doing this?

My main gripe is my driving force wheel does not have any force feedback with this game, which renders it useless.....so faced with having to buy a new wheel, I used the controller instead, whcih is nowhere near as much fun....will certainly upgrade wjen the full version is realeased though!