Gran Turismo 5 Preview

Regular readers will notice that the following article is a slight departure from our usual preview style. For gamescom 2010 we've adopted a streamlined structure, allowing us to cover as many games as possible while giving you the important juice and info. In many cases we'll be running longer, more detailed previews upon our return to the UK.

What is it?

For the benefit of those people who have been living under a rather sizeable rock for the majority of their lives, Gran Turismo 5 is a PlayStation 3 exclusive racing game that's been in development for almost six years. There is, however, a reason that it's been in development for so long: Polyphony Digital is ramming as much content onto the disc as physically possible. Continuing to bill itself as 'the real driving simulator', GT5 features (in the region of) 1000 different cars, 20 locations, 70 tracks and online multiplayer.

What was shown?

Presented by series creator Kazunori Yamauchi, the gamescom 2010 presentation revealed a bevy of new information. A new track was announced in the form of Monza, and a handful of new cars were revealed. These included the Pagani Zonda R, Ford Mark IV Race Car and Yamauchi's personal favourite, the Ferrari 330 P. New cars and tracks are nice, but there were some far more fundamental revelations to come out of the presentation - namely B-Spec mode. This is a feature that Yamauchi has wanted to make ever since he finished GT3, and the fifth iteration of the series has finally given him the opportunity to do so.

While A-Spec remains a focused simulated racing experience, B-Spec can be loosely described as a manager mode. Interestingly, Yamauchi described it as 'the racing simulation RPG'. B-Spec mode lets you choose a driver and 'nurture' them through a career. In any given race, the player can dish out commands to their driver, and he'll react accordingly. Yamauchi explained there were five commands available; slow down, maintain speed, overtake, pit and don't pit. With your commands given, your driver will react in accordance with their endurance meter. Push a driver too hard, or put him through too many races in quick succession and his endurance will drop reducing his performance on the track.

Essentially, it's a managerial take on the racing genre. The player is taken out of the driver seat and is instead given free roam of several different menu screens, each centring around a live feed of the race. Command view is probably where you'll spend the most time, and plays host to the commands that players can dish out to their driver. Live Timing view offers a comprehensive list of all the drivers in the race and their times across each sector. Full view strips away all of this statistical gubbins allowing players to follow the action from a cinematic perspective.

The presentation also revealed a track creation mode. Note the lack of the word 'editor' here; track creation mode does not allow players to design their own track, it simply allows them to choose a theme, decide whether it'll be open or closed, and adjust attributes such as frequency of curves and sharpness of corners. The resulting track will always be somewhat of a surprise to its creator, but can be shared with friends online nonetheless.

In addition to B-Spec and Track Creation, the presentation offered a proper first look at Kart Racing mode, which swaps the powerful engines and bulky chassis of the main game with diddy little karts. Interestingly, Yamauchi explained that Kart Racing was originally intended for Gran Turismo 6, meaning that Polyphony Digital must still have ideas they're holding back this time around. Still, let's just be thankful the game is finally coming out and, for all intents and purposes, the game is finished.

Before the presentation concluded, we were given a pair of 3D glasses to check out the game's 3D photo mode. With the glasses on, the car models literally jumped out of the screen, showing off the ludicrously detailed models that Polyphony Digital has become so well known for. Suffice to say, it was pretty jaw-dropping. Yamauchi explained that these photos can be exported in an MPO file format, and outputted to other devices.

Our Reaction

On a purely visual level, it's hard not to be flabbergasted when you see the game running in 1080p; it's easily the best looking racing game in existence. I was slightly bewildered by B-Spec mode, which I couldn't quite grasp in terms of concept. I understand what it offers, and I understand what it does, but I just don't get it. Playing through a B-Spec career might change my mind, but I'm dubious whether anybody would want to play such a passive role in a racing game. Players want to be in the driving seat, not the back seat. Other than this slight scepticism, however, the game looks superb.

Undoubtedly the most frequently asked question that will surround GT5's launch will be: has it been worth the wait. After seeing the staggering amount of content the game has to offer, it's looking likely that the answer will be yes.

Gran Turismo 5 will be available for PlayStation 3 on November 3.