Gran Turismo 5 Video Game Review (PS3)

Gran Turismo 5: Limited Edition

                Being  a Gran Turismo franchise advocate since the very beginning, I suppose it's safe to use the cliché "good things come to those who wait" because after 5 years in the making, various release date delays and weeks of waiting and resisting the urge to buy the regular version have finally paid off, I finally found a store that had a few stocks left of the Limited Edition version of Gran Turismo 5! (Sadly, I didn't get to reserve or pre-order on time for the release so all the Collector's Edition copies were off the shelves faster than a chicken on fire!) What came with this edition aside from the game of course was the Apex: Ultimate Car Guide book (pretty awesome), a DLC Redeem Code (plus a neat holographic card of the car you get, I got the Nissan GT-R GT500), a Gran Turismo decal set (various sizes and designs) and a poster. Not bad, considering the regular version and the Limited Edition only differed by a few hundred bucks (Philippine Peso).

                 Now, we have one nagging question in mind, was this game really worth the wait? I will do my best to answer this question as this review goes on.

                So upon running the game, I was prompted for a software update, naturally, I'd accept it, thinking it would simply take a couple of minutes, little did I know that the update was 608MB worth! I stared at the progress bar that seemed hopelessly frozen, after 20 minutes, I couldn't stand it, I cancelled the update and ran the game without it. As expected, Polyphony Digital and the rest of the developers will treat you to a quite long and beautiful intro movie (except for the music that didn't seem to go with it), I will not go into detail, but I will say that one may encounter a graphical overdose (trust me, this is one overdose you'd love.). After the movie, you are led into a simple menu screen. I decided to choose the Arcade Mode first to see what beauties they had to offer. I was pleased to see some very sumptuous vehicle choices, from exotics, to muscles, to supercars to daily drivers, to classics, to rally, to F1 and more, way more, real world automobiles.

                Aside from the vast vehicular selection, the game also has some new features:

1. My Home- This is the "main menu" for your career as a racer, in this area you can prepare for races, join various events, access your garage, tune your vehicle, visit the used car lot, practice, acquire licenses, etc. In this screen, you can also customize your GT Profile which is pretty much who you are in the Gran Turismo world, I liked the fact that they made it highly customizable, you can change the theme, color, wallpaper, profile photo of your GT Dashboard screen. This is where it all starts.

2. Level Up Aspect- For anyone who has played a Gran Turismo game, you know that in order to participate in certain events or have access to certain vehicles and events, you need to acquire licenses. Gran Turismo 5 has now decided to use an "experience" system wherein a player can gain experience points to level up, these in turn allow you to participate in events or purchase cars based on your level.

3. A-Spec Events and B-Spec Events- This is a new addition, it's pretty much the main events of the game. By competing in either of these events, you will earn money and experience points. The A-Spec Races are your usual, straightforward, first place wins kind of race, from here, you work your way up until you unlock more events and vehicles as you level up. Now as for B-Spec events, this is a totally new concept, this pretty much a "hands free" event wherein you no longer have to drive the car. Here, you create/select a driver and then enter him in a race. You also earn money and experience points from these events. The drivers have certain types of "personalities" that bring with them various traits and abilities, these aspects will affect how the driver performs during a race. Once you have chosen your driver, you can now begin the race, the players only task here is to "coach" the driver with 4 commands that tell him to either lower his pace, maintain his pace, pick up his pace and overtake. Now this may seem simple enough, but there are things you need to consider, excessive commanding may cause your driver "lose focus" and end committing mistakes that may cost you the race.

3. Create A Race Track- Aside from just all out racing, the game has added a feature that allows players to create their own race track and upload it for the use of the gaming community. You can create the scenery of the track, the length, the sharpness of curves and turns and the weather of the track, this feature certainly adds to the replay value of the game.

4. Online Multiplayer- Now this is the first time this feature was included in the entire Gran Turismo franchise. The concept of multiplayer is quite simple, enter the Open Lobby on the My Home menu screen, find a room, look for a race (either Free Run or Shuffle Race) then hit the gas and enjoy! Another concept added to the online aspect of this game is being able to join the Community Area on the My Home menu, here players can view their online friends, post messages and give gifts (you can give away cars! O_o).

5. Special Events- Aside from the two main events mentioned above, this is another one where players can participate in, by earning experience points and leveling up, one will be granted access to various special events, such as NASCAR, Rally, Drifting Events and Go-Karting which is a pretty good add-in to the game.

6. The Concept of Vehicle Damage- This is one thing I've always thought was lacking from the Gran Turismo franchise, finally, they have added this feature, although it is nowhere near the damage modeling that Grid possesses, I'm very pleased that it has now been included. 

                Of course, with new features come the maintenance of the old ones, personally, I'm glad they maintained the License Test feature, this was one of the defining aspects of the entire franchise. For those who've never played any Gran Turismo game, the name of the feature speaks for itself, you go through a series of driving tests in order to earn a certain license, the degree of difficulty varies, it's quite challenging but still fun overall. Also, I liked that they maintained the Used Car Lot in the Career Mode because here lies the discovery of rare vehicles that are not offered in the Dealerships, always be on the lookout, you never know what you might find. O_o Also, the usual Arcade Mode, VS mode and Practice Mode has also been retained.

                Sadly, this game is not perfect and there are some things that did leave me quite disappointed. First off, the graphics aren't that amazing, for a game that was in development for five years, I was expecting a lot more. In all honesty, if you were to compare this game to Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, graphically, Need For Speed would have a slight edge. But I'm not saying the graphics of this game aren't superb, because they are, all I'm saying is that given the amount of time it took to make, I think they could have done better. Another minor detail that I wish was worked on was the fact that Porsche isn't included in the car list, sure RUF is the closest you can get to it, but Porsche is Porsche, most car enthusiasts would share the same sentiments I suppose. Haha.

                Overall, I think that this game is a must-have for every car enthusiast and racing gamer alike. For die-hard Gran Turismo game players such as myself, this purchase was inevitable, because not getting this game would be as foolish as challenging a Bugatti Veyron using a Kia Pride. Hahaha.

Ranking:

Story: 8/10- Very enjoyable career mode

Gameplay: 8/10- Physics could use a little work, but you'll get used to it

Graphics: 9/10- Pure beauty, simply amazing. @_@

Soundtrack: 8/10

*CARS: Very vast selection, you will not be disappointed! @_@

Overall: 9/10, a very satisfying game with a high replay value, blessed with tantalizing graphics and an insane amount of vehicle choices.

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Video Game Review (PS3)

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

                As a kid up until now, I've always loved cars, so it was already pre-determined that I would purchase a pre-ordered copy of the latest Need For Speed Franchise installment, which is Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit. The latest version of Hot Pursuit is simply a "remake" of the Need For Speed Hot Pursuit sub series which had versions for the 1st and 2nd Playstation, both were great by the way. But EA's partnering up with Criterion (developer of Burnout Paradise) has added an edge over the competition when it comes to an adrenaline pumping, high-speed, intense racing game.

                Right off the bat, you will already notice how simple the interface of the game is, it has a  very straightforward Career mode basically composed of various point-to-point races over a vast map and long stretches of road. You can blow past the whole career as either a cop or a racer and choosing either path will have no effect on anything as each side is independently progressive, plus if you feel like playing cop, you can take a break from being a racer and participate in a police event at any point your career. Being a cop or a racer offers a uniquely different experience with its own set of challenges, aside from the obvious reasons where as a cop you do what you can to stop racers and as a racer, you do what you can to finish a race without getting busted by the cops.

                When you start racing, you will notice very precise controls and response which is very important in a game like this where split-second decision need precise response in order to execute effectively. But aside from the dead-on controls and responsive system, NFS: Hot Pursuit is awesome because its core concept is so simple and yet so diverse. It's more than just escaping from the police as a racer and catching felons as the police, there's a certain uniqueness to each that even though you're driving on exactly the same roads, the same map, the two roles make things feel entirely different. Each location, which is linked into one big map that gives you varying scenery, from the desert countryside to snowy mountains, which are all graphically pleasing if I may add, not only do they and an element of size to the game, these locations also offer you various shortcuts and side roads that can be used to your advantage as either a cop or a racer.

                The game has opted not to use a currency system and has switched this out with "Bounty Points" which you earn by driving well (insane yet precise), winning races, busting bad guys, etc. which then boosts your rank as either a cop or a racer, which in turn, makes new vehicles, car classes, equipment (used for either catching or escaping from the cops which are exactly the same items except used differently depending on what role you choose.) as well as upgrades for these equipment.

                Another cool factor that I liked about this game is the new feature called "Autolog" system which is pretty much the heart of the game because your career progress directly affects your online gaming experience, what you unlock in the career can be used online, it also happens vice versa because the progress/bounty system is one and the same, this feature allows you to keep constant tabs on your friends' progress with regards to all the events they have accomplished, this boosts the replay value of the game because we all have competitive side right? Your friend beats yours event, you beat theirs, and it just goes on.  The Autolog system tracks events in real time (you need an internet connection of course, access to PSN and the Autolog network) meaning while you're playing in the career, you could get a prompt telling you that your friend just topped your score in another event, then by simply pressing R1, you load directly into that event and try to reclaim your title. Aside from this, you can also set challenges for your friends under the event suggestions tab, for example, you finished a race under a certain time, you can suggest it and see if your friends can beat it. There's also a message board function where messages and screenshots can be shared. This is where the game truly stands out in my opinion, the online experience. For one, I really enjoy the Hot Pursuit game mode (one of the various online modes), because it's pretty much a no holds barred cops-and-robbers/cat and mouse game that really involves a lot more strategy than most people think, bottom line is that it's a fun experience playing online.

                Last but not the least, I cannot forget about the CARS. @_@ I'm drooling as I type this (okay not really, but you get it.) I do not want to discuss this in detail because knowing me, this review might turn into a novel. So let me just give you the down-low, the cars are beautiful, graphically sexy and visually appealing, they all seem to be handcrafted by the automobile gods themselves. Excellent detailed.  And just to give a little overview, you will be seeing manufacturers such as Porsche, Lamborghini, Maserati, Bugatti, Bentley, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, McLaren, Chevrolet, Dodge, Aston Martin, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Pagani, Koenigsegg, Ford, Audi and Jaguar. (I think I said em' all?)

                So if you love cars, you enjoy speeding, you like challenges, you like running from cops, catching bad guys, making records and breaking records, doing it in style if I might add, then Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit is a game for you!

Rating:

Story: N/A

Gameplay: 8.5/10

Graphics: 8.5/10

Soundtrack: 8/10

*CARS: 9.5/10, could use the Gran Turismo lineup, but all is forgiven thanks to the vast selection of exotics. @_@

Overall: I believe this game deserves an 9/10, a very straightforward game with a very rewarding online experience, not to mention visually rewarding as well as a high replay value.