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(More customer reviews)Lets remember I'm reviewing a game - although some might suggest it is a driving simulator.
I've been a hard core Formula One fan since the 1960s.
I've also been playing Gran Turismo (Prologue) for more than a year on my PS3. A game I both like and find quite frustrating.
The first thing to realize is this game is geared toward a very hard core F1 fan, who wants to role play and engage in the strategy of a race weekend or season. IF you are looking for most of the nuances of being a F1 driver OTHER THAN DRIVING - this may be your game. This is NOT a hard core driving simulator. There is a great deal to the game that has nothing to do with driving and a great deal to do with how you interact with the press, how you set up your car, how you manage pit stops, how you deal with changing weather, etc. So if you want to live the life of a F1 prospect - then this is your game! For most gamers - the races are excessively long (even at the shortest settings) and I doubt many will want to pretend to be a F1 driver.
This game is certainly meant to be played as a role player, you have to be smart about your interviews with the press, smart about set-up and smart about pit-stops. Your goal is to progress to being a top level driver which also includes wise contract negotiations.
The actual driving/physics are mediocre --- which means that most game players will find the physics reasonably friendly. You can turn off ABS braking and the only result you will find is that you can not steer if your brakes are locked. Traction control can be turned off and the only problem you'll encounter is that you can't mash the accelerator if you are in a Low speed turn. But there is no real simulation - the physics are quite simplistic but that does not mean easy!
I've been playing the game with all these aids off and I can say this game offers very little regarding the true physics of a race car. I've taught performance driving, using real cars, for over 20 years. Nevertheless you still have to be very accurate with your steering, pick your braking points well and modulate your throttle in low speed turns. The game is still a challenge. To get a good lap you'll have to put in a lot of time but just to be clear - the physics are simplistic and far from entirely accurate.
This game offers none of the subtitles of driving a real car at the limit. I don't necessary mean that as a criticism. Very few gamers would want a true simulation. Cars, driven at their true limits, are very difficult to control. However ---- if you want a true DRIVING simulation - this game offers little approaching that lofty goal!
I think the appeal of this game is limited to true F1 fans. You certainly have to be exact in your driving and you also have to deal with weather, pit stops, tire choices, when to change an engine, etc. It will take a lot of effort to advance your career and complete the game. But the races are excessively long (yet mimic a true F1 race). A major problem with the game is you'll be unaware of any opponent behind you because the mirrors don't work. Overall, this game strikes me as a lonely and often dull (abet technical) form of competition.
I suggest you pass on this game unless you like the idea of role playing as an F1 driver.
Your wiser choice MAY be the forthcoming Gran Turismo 5 (due November 24, 2010)Other comments:
1.) The graphics are either excellent (for still frames) but only good (in the actual game play) when viewed on a 1080p monitor connected to the PS3 via an HDMI cable
2.) The multi-player (on-line) is OK but not great. You can set up custom races as short as 3 laps and restrict what driving aids can be used. You can also turn off collision so you are freed from other people ramming you off the track. But it is all a bit confusing to use and it may be difficult for someone to find a race you set up. Nevertheless - it has more options than Gran Turismo Prologue and thus has to be viewed as a minor step up. I hope the upcoming Gran Turismo 5 will have a far better on-line lobby. Overall you will find few racers competing on-line.
3.) The weather effects are nothing less than stunning. When it rains --- well ----- it seems like it is really raining! Graphics fans will love this.
4.) There is no manual/user guide available within the game (and the tiny brochure included in the packaging just covers the bare basics). For a game so immersed in the details of Formula One it amazes me there is no in-game manual. I know the sport extremely well but will everyone?
5.) Driving Aids: The map of the race course that you can (optionally) display is too short to be of any real help and the racing line, another option, is too short and hard to see to be really helpful. So I doubt anyone will find much help from those aids. But Beginners will find considerable comfort with the game's other aids such as automatic braking, ABS and traction control (all of which are banned in the real world of F1).
6.) As previously noted, one of the biggest problems with the game is that the mirrors don't work. You won't have any sense of the cars behind you except for the maps. That really lessens your sense of competition and hurts the game-play. More often than not your greatest threats come from behind. This is a major oversight in the game and often makes a race seem lonely and quite dull.
7.) One major advantage of this game, for hard core F1 fans, is you will gain a very realistic perspective of the tracks. As a game, I can't say I enjoy it very much but I keep playing it because I get a very real sense of the tracks and that heightens my enjoyment when a race is televised
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