Sunday, May 22, 2011

Gran Turismo - GT5


This is the game for which I was willing to buy my first ever console based game platform (PS3) so that I could play it. It's a car racing game. I recall playing the original a long time ago on one of the predecessor playstation models, and then got to play the current version against my nephews over summer when I stayed over their place for a few days. What a buzz!

The usual comments about GT5 amongst those game afficianados that have visited our PS3 since purchase is that it 'takes ages' to learn, 'isn't very easy', 'swallows up the hours'. For that reason various other driving games are mentioned as more suitable, social, alternatives (such as Need for Speed). However, when playing these other games they seem just that, games. GT5, on the other hand, seems to swallow one's sense of the here and now when playing the 'campaign' mode, in that familiar immersive effect that is one of the gamer's holy grails.

Here's the gamespot review for GT5. I haven't had so much fun with a driving simulation since that old game of 'Driver' (campaigned the 2002 Australian V8 Supercar season - I can't find a link to it).

Some silly facts to do with the economics of GT5 - five years and $80 million for design and production, 6.5 million copies sold in the first couple months. Do the maths yourself.

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