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 - TurismoExcellent graphics, precise response, and very challenging. When I first got it, I spent 5 straight hours playing. Rating:  - Great racing funGT5:Prologue does a great jog whetting the racing enthusiasts' appetite in preparation for the full game release next year (hopefully). With unparalleled graphics, a wide variety of cars, and some very challenging courses, GT5:P will keep you busy and entertained. Buckle-up though, as this racing simulation will stress precision and accuracy at every turn. The best way to play is with a quality racing wheel. A regular controller does not do this game justice. I recommend the Logitech Pro GT, which was specifically designed for GT5:P. However, it has worked on nearly every PS3 racing game I've tried it with too. Overall, GT5:P may not be a "full" game and is not without some flaws (no car damage modeling for example). But for true racing game fans as well as those interested in trying out the genre, this game makes for an excellent buy for the racing simulation experience. Rating:  - Over rated as a Game - vastly over rated as a Driving SimulatorThis game is hyped for its great graphics. That should give anyone pause because graphics alone don't make a game. The highest definition pictures only extend to the scenes when you are NOT actually playing the game. Once you are driving ---- the graphics quality drops and while you still have very good graphics they are far from photo-realistic pictures you see elsewhere. (I'm using a HDTV, connected via HDMI, at 1080p) The graphics you see when actually playing the game are good but far from stunning. As noted - graphics alone don't make a game anyway. Another claim of this game is that it is a driving simulator. That claim is very questionable. At the basic settings you can do crazy things like hit your brakes at their maximum and still steer with relative ease. I'm sure that makes the game playable but not realistic. If you even want to even approach a simulation you will need a steering wheel with gas/brake pedals. Logitech sells one for about $120 here on Amazon. The regular Playstation controller does not give you the finese to even approach a simulation. Still the physics seem odd even with a wheel and the game set at advanced physics settings. On-line racing (the reason I purchased the game) is horrible. You can't meet up with a friends at all. Select a race and you'll be grouped with a bunch of strangers (no options - no on-line lobby). Play consists largely of each player trying to ram other players off the track. Even if you are not rammed off the track (which is very doubtful), you'll find you will lose the race because you have not mastered the art of crashing into barriers at high speed. Done right - you can smash into a guardrail at an insane speed and you'll pass all your opponents. In short: on-line racing consists of bumper cars and learning where to crash. As far as a simulation goes - online racing is a total failure. If you are just looking for a game to play and aren't expecting much of a simulation this game may suit you. Like any game you'll learn how to play it and I'm sure then enjoy it. For many - going on-line and playing an engaging game of bumper cars suits them. Rating: - Looks good. Plays bad.I agree with the review about the horrible AI and no car damage. To add to that, here are 3 more problems I had with this game. 1. Game progression. This game operates on a credit system where you have to win prize money in races to buy better cars. This is coupled with race events that are very particular about cars that you are allowed to use. There are races where all cars are permitted, but a good portion where you don't have any of the cars permitted. This means that you will end up racing the all-car events over and over again to get enough money to buy the cars to get into the specific-car events. Furthermore, race events are grouped into 3 classes depending on difficulty. The problem is that since you can't move into the next class without completing ALL races in the current class, you're further stuck in reracing certain events to buy the cars you need to race for EACH and EVERY event in a class before moving on. Kinda fascist if you think about it. Same thing for online racing. After playing for a night, I was still not able to compete online because I didn't own any of the cars allowed in any of the races. Frustrating to the nth degree. 2. This is more an extension of the no-damage complaint. When you drive by and hit a car, it sort of just slides around you. There are no spinouts or pileups. Feels like those old arcade racers on the Atari. They just go back on their predetermined track. That means winning a race consists of avoiding contact to maintain the highest top speed. 3. Perhaps the biggest problem: the cars just don't feel like they're going fast. Maybe it has to do with the graphics, the sound effects, or the handling. It pisses you off when your car overshoots a curve and spins out in the sand when it feels like you're not going that fast (despite what the speedometer tells you). This effort just shows me that the designers were not of the right mindset when this game was made. Graphics and realism over gameplay and fun. One of the ugliest deaths for any well-intended game. Rating:  - Great but leaves you wanting for moreWith only a couple of tracks, this gets boring after a while but there is nothing like it.. The handling is realistic and the visuals are spectacular... HD gaming at its best.
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