Customer Reviews

Gran Turismo 5 Collector's Edition

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A note on the downloadable content:
You get 5 really sweet Chrome Line cars (427 Shelby Cobra, BMW M3, Audi R8, Lambo Mercy, MB 300SL).
A note on the "Collector's Edition":
-I destroyed the custom packaging trying to get the game out; "Custom" equates to a bigger box with fancier cardboard.
-The keychain is decent, but I probably won't use it for anything.
-The die-cast model is cool albeit a little on the small side.
-The book is awesome. It has tips on everything from suspension and engine oil to the rule of thirds when taking pictures. There's also a listing of all the car makes/models in the back.

If you have your own music on the PS3, I recommend making a playlist of driving music before starting the game. You have the option to play your own music while racing.

The game asks if you want to install data files onto the PS3. This is supposed to speed up various processes in the game by taking up 8GB of HDD space. Just as a word of warning on this, the prompt says 20 minutes, but it was twice that for me, in addition to various initialization screens. This could be because of my aftermarket HDD. I don't know for sure. Also, be careful when peeling the silver sticker off the promo insert. You don't want to risk tearing the paper and losing your downloadable content.



I also wanted to give a shout-out to Amazon for delivering it to me 5 days earlier than estimated.

Car notables for me in GT5...
Old:
Plymouth Superbird
Mercury Cougar XR-7
RUF CTR "Yellow Bird"

New:
Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 Super Veloce
HPA Motorsports FT565 Twin Turbo Audi TT

It's like GT had a high school reunion, but also invited the new kids.

New GT5 features:
-You need to create a driver BEFORE you start any races. I assumed that the game wouldn't let me use DC cars in A/B-Spec races so I blew my seed money on a used car out of ignorance.
-Selectable Soundtracks - You can choose from various music genres.
-B-Spec is comparable to GT4, but a new feature is that your driver will get agitated by his surroundings, i.e. the computer getting all Dale Earnhardt on your bumper.

More to come.

Please note, this is a review of the value added items included with the Collector's Edition of Gran Turismo 5. A proper review of the game itself is not possible without investing a great deal of time in it, as Polyphony Digital has packed this game with SO MUCH content for absolute automotive enthusiast to digest(this is a good thing!)

Collector's Edition Box and packaging: It's an attractive package/box that folds open, encased in an embossed, branded slip cover. Will look nice on display. Upon folding the box open, the spine, glue, and binding separated, leaving ugly exposed white portions, like a poorly removed sticker. This was disappointing. The contents on the other hand, were neatly packed and fit into each compartment with no risk of destroying the packaging when removing each item or placing them back inside.

The stainless steel keychain looks good from far, but on close inspection, mine had visible pitting and burrs. Laser etching of the GT5 logo was good, but the machining of the keychain itself was poor. I've seen Chinese manufactured, unlicensed GT branded stuff of better quality. Kind of disappointing. Nonetheless, it's still going on my keychain.

The die cast GT5 R35 GTR is really sweet. Very good detail work, decal placement is precise, and will make for a great addition for collectors of die cast cars. I would have preferred a die cast Mercedes SLS or a Ford GT, but the GTR is really quite well done.

The Apex car guide is a nice little book. Not quite large enough as a coffee table piece, but the content is great. The book goes into great detail with the minutiae of various motor's inner workings, driving dynamics, and many other automotive related subjects. I did notice a couple editing errors (duplicate words, missing punctuation), but they are easily overlooked. The content is very Japanese centric in its approach to notable automotive historical events; this may upset some people. Paper stock is ok, but mine had some waviness to the pages. I anticipate that I'll read this book several times, over a series of bathroom trips.

Unlockable cars (M3, 427 Shelby Cobra, Audi R8, Murcielago, 300SL) are very cool.

Certificate of Authenticity - It's authentic alright! Just don't believe you have a super rare thing with the collector's edition. My serial number was in the 42,000's-- that's more Collector's Editions out there than sales numbers in a year for some games.

Overall, the Collector's Edition value added items are good, but the quality is hit and miss. I am satisfied with the purchase, but if I wasn't in such a rush to play this game after waiting for so long, I would wait until after Christmas when you could probably snag the Collector's edition for a bit less. I'd recommend the Collector's Edition for hardcore fans of the series and fans of all things automotive.

As far as the game goes, I am greatly enjoying it so far and looking forward to the countless hours I will inevitably spend trying to get 100%.

The collectors edition is great I love the Apex book and the die-cast model 1:43 scale of the Nissian GT-R. The image quality is amazing so is the sound. The cars are just beautiful. Get this game is you love racing and great cars OVER 1,000 Cars !!.

Lucas Ordoñez went from GT4/GT5 sim driver to taking 2nd at Le Mans this year.

Polyphony Digital and Sony sponsored the GT Driving Academy where sim drivers could qualify during special events in the Gran Turismo simulation. Qualifiers then went on to real driver training and eliminations and Lucas Ordoñez worked his way all the way up to driving in a Nissan-sponsored race car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

You can do a web search on the driver's name for more information on Lucas.

This is a really great simulation and is absolutely amazing in 3D. But the fact that a gamer was able to take 2nd at Le Mans in a real race probably says it all. Sure, he had real training, but most of his training came in the sim.

Pretty cool.

I highly recommend this game for anyone. Many hours of adrenaline rush.
Don't stay up too late playing.

Great graphics, great engine, great selection. So glad to see the license system reduced in terms of necessity. Only complaint is the sound, really.

Ok, so the detailed reviews of the game are very well documented in the GT5 Standard Edition reviews. The graphics are amazing, the sound is incredible and the physics are crazy real. Honestly, I've never played Forza but it must be a hell of a game if it can beat this! Anyway, the limited set is very nice. The book is full of information, the die cast model is very detailed and well made and the additional download-able cars are nice too. Glad I got the SE set. I highly recommend this game.

Best Game Ever !!! ... and it's not just me saying that ... as of December 6 2010, GT5 sold over 5.5 million units !!! GT5 is the best-selling video game for PS3 ...if that doesn't tell you something, well !!!

Gran Turismo is, has been and will always be the best racing game out there !!!... in terms of simulation and overall experience, GT5 is simply outstanding !!! ... I totally enjoy the game and each and every feature in it... nevertheless I want to leave the door open for more amazing improves that might and certainly will come ... as Kazunori himself has expressed ... Gran Turismo saga is still far from over !!!

The Collector's edition features completely fullfils the expectation of getting more out of the whole GT5 experience...

The Apex guide takes you as deep as you wish into the car's world from knowing how the materials used to build the car are manufactured up to how to understand the importance of knowing the rules when being behind the wheel ...

The 5 DLC cars look beautiful...

The 1:43 nissan GTR model is a great addition to any scale cars collection...

The keychain with the etch GT logo is nice... not much to say there ... it's a GT keychain.

...and even the box looks really cool !!!

No doubt this is a MUST HAVE for anybody who considers himself or herself a REAL DRIVING SIMULATOR enthusiastics !!!

Sit back ...grab your wheel ... and ENJOY the ride !!!

I'm sure many other people have put in their 2 cents on how they feel about this game. While I will not go as far as calling it "perfect" I would have to say it is as perfect as they could have made it. I am as immersed in it as the previous GT games and then some. However for this review I will concentrate on the Collector's Edition of the game and leave the judging of the game to others who can put it to words much better then me.

The Collector's Edition of GT5 comes in a pretty hefty box (compared to a normal video game) and is filled with several goodies: First of course, the game. It is the same version with the exception that you get a code to download 6 additional cars that form what they call the "Chrome Edition". These cars vary wildly from one another in terms of year, make and type but have pre-modified a bit and have been given a subtle but very cool cosmetic makeover. Then you will find the key chain with the etched GT logo on it. Very cool. Now all of us GT freaks will be able to identify each other on the street without having to say a word. Then you get a Kyosho scale model of a Nissan GT-R decked out in GT decals. That particular item is proudly on my desk for all to see now. But the true gem of this edition is no doubt the "guide".

I put "guide" in quotations because frankly I don't know what to call it. Guide? Book? Bible? The source of all knowledge about the universe? Okay so its not that last one but its close. Having owned all editions of GT, I have bought my fair share of strategy guides and even actual books about race driving. However none of those even comes close to the amount of information contained here. It literally begins with the creation of everything (which begins the explanation on how raw materials are extracted and processed to make the components to put cars together) and takes off from there. No stone is left unturned. Car history, engines, transmission, suspension, tires, driving dynamics, racing, racing history... etc. Anyone who reads this book will find something new here. You will not only become a better player but a better real world driver as well. Of course, it won't hurt to be able to brag to your friends with all the car knowledge you will have acquired. If the Collector's Edition of GT5 would have been comprised of only this guide along with the game, I would still think it was worth it.

Of course, it is not only the guide. The other stuff seriously sweetens the deal. If GT is an obsession, I highly recommend this Edition.

This edition is phenomenal! The miniature is perfect! The book is complete and has lots of important information. If you're a fan of GT, you have to buy this collector's edition!