Gran Turismo 5 Prologue

by Sony

Product Features

• The award-winning Gran Turismo franchise returns with its 5th installment, exclusively for PS3. With its signature realism and physics, it continues to blur the line between simulation and reality.
• Race more than 60 meticulously detailed cars from worldwide manufacturers, including Ferrari, BMW, and Nissan in stunning 1080p at 60 frames per second.
• Each car features an all-new interior dash view with driver animations and gauges that track vehicle performance in real-time.
• In addition to racing with up to 16 players online, it features Gran Turismo TV, a new dedicated online channel that delivers motorsport and automotive content from around the globe.
• Get a jump on the competition. You can transfer your Gran Turismo 5 Prologue progress to Gran Turismo 5 when it releases.

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000FPOJOS
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches ; 1 pounds
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: April 15, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (185 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,639 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #11 in Video Games > PlayStation 3 > Racing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com

The award-winning Gran Turismo franchise returns with its 5th installment, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, exclusively for PlayStation 3. With its signature realism and unrivaled physics, this highly anticipated precursor to Gran Turismo 5 continues to blur the line between simulation and reality.

"Prologue" is defined as an introductory or preceding event or development, and true to every letter, Gran Turismo 5: Prologue treats both long-time fans of the Gran Turismo franchise as well as those coming to it new, with a generous sampling of what they can expect to see in Gran Turismo 5 later in the year and further releases on the PS3.

The new direction of Grand Turismo

Take your ride online for the first time. View larger.

Race across six international tracks. View larger.

Customize your ride in the garage. View larger.

Developed By the Best
Polyphony Digital is the developer of the Gran Turismo franchise, led by creator Kazunori Yamauchi. Polyphony Digital is known for pushing the limits of the PlayStation hardware, and with its realistic graphics and physics, Gran Turismo 5: Prologue is no different. In addition to receiving CAD data from the auto manufacturers, they have taken thousands of photos to model each car (and track). As an example of the level of detail, a car in Gran Turismo 4 has the same number of polygons as a headlight in Gran Turismo 5: Prologue.

Polyphony works even closer with the automotive industry to make sure that the cars look and drive just as they do in real life. In fact, Kazunori Yamauchi designed the on-board computer for the real Nissan GT-R. If you’re lucky to buy one when it releases, you will notice the Polyphony Digital logo when you start your car.

Take Your Cars and Tracks Online and Off
Gran Turismo 5: Prologue features over 60 stunning cars – including vehicles by Lotus, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Ferrari for you to race on seriously realistic, real-life tracks: including the Eiger Nordwand, the London City Track and Suzuka – all rendered in incredible High Definition graphics. There's also all-new driving physics for the most lifelike driving experience ever and new, improved opponent artificial intelligence for the toughest race challenge yet.

But that's not all – for the first time ever in the history of Gran Turismo, players will now be able to race online. Up to 16 players will be able to go head-to-head on some of the world's best racetracks on PlayStation Network. All you need to get racing is a broadband connection and PS3. Once you're up and revving, Global Online Rankings and the My Garage homepage feature will leave the world in n o doubt as to just who is the best at Gran Turismo.

And then there's the Online Dealership, providing a wealth of information on cars and manufacturers and also Gran Turismo TV – a dedicated online channel available exclusively from PSN and packed with some of the greatest content that Motorsport, car manufacturers and TV has to offer.

Key Features:

• Race over 60 cars from worldwide automotive manufacturers, precisely modeled both inside and out.
• All-new interior dash view, featuring full driver animation and working gauges.
• Compete on 6 tracks with 12 total layouts, including Fuji Speedway, Suzuka Circuit, and for the first time ever, Daytona International Speedway.
• Online racing with up to 16 players, complete with detailed rankings, plus downloadable ghost cars and race replays of top racers.
• New online community features including Gran Turismo TV, featuring worldwide automotive and motorsport programming.
• Tune vehicle performance, from suspension and tires to gear ratio and engine modifications.
• Rendered in stunning 1080p at 60 frames per second with crisp, realistic lighting and camera effects (replays rendered in 1080p 30fps).

Full Car List (71 cars):

Lexus IS F '07 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II Nur '02 Nissan Fairlady Z Version S '07 Nissan Skyline Sedan 350GT Type SP '06 Nissan Skyline Coupe Concept '07 Nissan Skyline Coupe 370GT Type SP '07 Nissan Skyline Coupe (V36) Tuned Car Nissan GT-R Proto '05 Nissan GT-R '07 Honda Integra TYPE R '04 Honda NSX Type R '02 Acura NSX '91 Mazda Atenza Sport (2007 Tokyo Motor Show reference exhibit) Mazda RX-8 Type S '03 Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) Mazda RX-7 (FD) Special Tuned Car Subaru Impreza WRX STI (18inch BBS Wheel Option) '07 Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STI spec C Type RA '05 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR '05 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR Premium Package '07 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR Tuned Car Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR Tuned Car Suzuki Cappuccino '95 Suzuki Swift Sport '07

Suzuki Cervo SR '07 Suzuki Cappuccino Tuned Car Suzuki Swift Sport Tuned Car Daihatsu Copen Active Top '02 Daihatsu OFC-1 '07 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 '06 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6) Tuned Car Dodge Viper GTS '02 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe '06 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe Tuned Car Ford Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07 Ford GT '05 Ford Focus ST '06 Ford GT Tuned Car Audi R8 4.2 FSI R tronic '07 Audi TT Coupe 3.2 quattro '07 BMW Z4 '03 BMW 135i Coupe '07 BMW M3 Coupe '07 BMW 135tii '08 Mini Cooper-S '06 Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG '02 Volkswagen Golf GTI '01 Volkswagen Golf V GTI '05

Alfa Romeo 147 TI 2.0 TWIN SPARK '06 Alfa Romeo Brera Sky Window 3.2 JTS Q4 '06 Ferrari 599 '06 Ferrari F430 '06 Ferrari 512BB '76 Ferrari F40 '92 Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione '91 Citroen C4 Coupe 2.0VTS '06 Renault Clio Renault Sport V6 24V '00 Clio Renault Sport V6 24V Tuned Car Aston Martin DB9 Coupe '06 Jaguar XK Coupe '06 Lotus Elise 111R '04 Lotus Elise '96 Lotus Elise 111R Tuned Car Lotus Elise Tuned Car TVR Tuscan Speed 6 '00 TVR Tamora '02 Art Morrison Corvette'60 Amuse/Opera Performance Gran Turismo 350Z RS Amuse S2000 GT1 Turbo Mine's BNR34 Skyline GT-R N1 base '06 Blitz Dunlop ER34 '07

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars GT5 Prologue - some improvements, some issues remain, great for fans, April 22, 2008

By 

Dying Fetus Mike - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (Video Game)

Note, my opinion is based on the PS3 version while driving with Professional physics, ASM/TCS off, using a Sparco cockpit and Logitech G25 wheel.

PRICE - nearly a no-brainer buy for fans; but a little high considering it's a prologue, limited number of events and cars.

GRAPHICS - improved as expected given the possibilities of the PS3. In a way the sensation of speed has decreased, an ironic side effect of the smooth picture quality. It's easier to look further into the distance.

SOUND - really stunning, accurate, raspy, and powerful. Enormous help to the gameplay to hear unique exhaust notes for each car. Huge improvement from GT4.

CARS - there are plenty of great cars for everyone - rather than recreating hundreds of nearly identical and/or boring, useless-for-racing cars, this game sticks to the cars that are meant to go fast, and does them well. The sound and handling of each is unique and seems to be accurate. And the Ferrari F2007, once you beat the S races and earn the required 2 million credits, is just so cool to drive (even though its quick tune options are limited - you can't modify the power, weight, ride height, springs, or driving physics).

TRACKS - the Daytona trioval is a lot more interesting to drive than a super speedway like Motegi. Daytona also comes with a road course, and even though I feel driving a road course in the infield of an oval feels a bit unnatural, it's still a fun course. There's also Fuji, Suzuka, London, and High Speed Ring. Not bad.

AI - improved number and varied driving personalities, but they still defy the rules of clean racing and the laws of physics with impunity. They drive right through you as you serve your penalties (which they often cause). You'll see shortcutting, using runoff areas for acceleration, wallriding, refusing to back off even when their line is hopeless, and of course bumping and shoving you, leaving you to collect from the new array of infractions. It's getting a bit harsh, but the restart button is only a menu away.

HANDLING - if you select "standard" the cars handle pretty much like they did in GT4; if you put it on "professional" then it takes on a more realistic (i.e. unforgiving) character. Default settings are a little mushy even with cars you'd expect to be nimble, and the professional physics render the supercars (Corvette, Ford GT, Ferrari) nearly uncontrollable. After unlocking the S group and quick tune, some cars can have their downforce cranked up to get some handling back, but cars that are more about beauty than function don't have this available. Many of them remain just a tiny mistake away from an unrecoverable slide. No wonder so many inexperienced drivers crack them up (especially if they turn off the driver aids). I completed all the races (except three of the S races) on "professional" but since the AI is not subject to the same realities, you may occasionally need to set it back to "standard" in order to be competitive.

So far the game has overall been enjoyable, and much of the struggle can be overcome by selecting the correct car for each race, just as it was in GT4.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing introduction to the franchise., July 30, 2008

By 

S. Nackers - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (Video Game)

I've been a fan of racing games for a long time, and actually race in various forms of SCCA racing myself. I've raced high and low powered front and rear wheel drived cars and have learned a lot through competing and the various schools and classes I've attended. I had never played a Gran Turismo game prior to Prologue, having always had XBox or other consoles previously. I had heard so much about it that I didn't even bother with demos and simply bought the game the day it was available. Now having played it for several months all I have to say is I don't think I'll even consider buying the full GT5 whenever it makes it here.

My major gripes are as follows:
1) Atrocious game play layout
2) Poor physics
3) AI and damage are absolutely laughable.

To start with the game play is ridiculous. It reminds me of the old days of games where you do routines over and over and over to gain points/experience/money to buy the next level. The success you have in the races and your carrer mean little in GT5, only if you have the right car or not. You can breeze through each of the various classes by simply buying the right car. Buy the Ford Focus for C class and you cruise through... buy the GT-R for B class and you cruise right through. Buy the Ford GT for the A class and you cruise right through. The only hitch is the little added difficulty of the car specific races. So then you have to repeat races over and over to get enough money to buy the random extra cars. Disappointing, tedious and overall abysmal game play layout.

The online gameplay is even worse... it degrades into bumper cars with idiots and no penalties of meaning, and the pairing system and time from game to game is horrible! It is a very nice touch though that you can actually earn money racing online for your offline activities. That I thought was well though out and appreciable.

On to the physics. I've spent years learning to drive the right way and how to execute proper control. There are tricks of the trade on how to guide a car through certain types of corners and how to achieve certain handling. It simply does not exist in this game. Trail braking and various power on scenarios are not met with the appropriate vehicle responses. Additionally, vehicles with wildly different characteristics will handle nearly identical in this game. It doesn't matter what aids are or not enabled, or what level of physics you choose. Throttle on response was one of the poorest aspects I though in general, but turn in effects weren't far behind! Amazingly pathetic for a game that bills itself as a "the real driving simulator". It also appalling that in some cases the fastest way to execute part of a track is to bounce yourself off a fence or wall. I started doing it out of humor and was horrified to see it actually help in certain situations.

The AI and damage are really in that same vane. They do nothing, they don't exist, and it's all just superfluous featuring. Everyone else has covered these in other reviews, so no need to rehash the well known here.

All griping aside. The graphics are beautiful. The tracks are well rendered. The overall effects and feel of the game are beautiful. But as far as a driving experience and something fun to play... it just doesn't hold any allure in any way for me. Really a true disappointment on many levels from a franchise that I had always heard to be the best out there. There are already much better other racing games out there on the PS3 that I feel have given a lot better game play experience as well and while their physics engines aren't anything great either, at least they don't try to claim "simulation" and get at least a few things down better than GT5 even does even if they are less complete packages for the physics.

184 of 236 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Different console. Same problems., May 25, 2008

By 

Chris Longhurst (Salt Lake City, Utah United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (Video Game)

Right up front, I'll point out the three most obvious things about GT5 Prologue.
1. It looks gorgeous
2. The AI is abominable.
3. There is still no car damage.

To use a lovely english expression : it's all mouth and no trousers. Look past the HD graphics and hype and you'll find Gran Turismo 1 lurking here.

The Gran Turismo games are known for their accurate car handling and fantastic graphics, and GT5 Prologue is no exception. The problem is that it is all absolutely ruined by the other driver AI. Previous Gran Turismo titles have never exactly shone when it comes to the AI, but in GT5 it's simply non-existent. It's not that the AI is dumb, it's just not there. The other cars all drive on rails, irrespective of where you are. For example, on the High Speed Ring circuit - there's a challenge to get from the back of the pack to the front in a single lap. In the car they give you, it is 100% impossible to come any higher than 3rd, and that's a stretch. The driving-on-rails is so accurate and predictable that you can actually predict exactly where every car will be at any given point. You'll come up behind the Ford Focus at the end of the second turn, and don't even think about passing him on the outside because he will always jink to the left for no reason as he goes across the bridge. If you're in the way, then tough. The game will just force you off the track. At the next corner, the Mazda 6 will always follow the identical line inside the corner, again irrespective of whether you're there.
The same is true in the other types of race. Within minutes of playing this game, you will find yourself making a tidy corner only to have a much faster car come right up behind you and ram you off the track because you're in the way of it's pre-programmed line. To see how truly awful it is, start a race at the back and watch the 15 cars in front of you. They'll all cut the same corner in the same way, every lap, all with the identical puff of dirt as they do it.
It is simply abominable.

The problem is that this issue was solved long ago by the likes of - well - just about every other racing franchise out there. It's compounded by the fact that there is still no car damage or dirt in GT5. You can stuff any car into a concrete armco at 175mph and it will simply bounce off without so much as a scratch. To think that Polyphony could put out a game with no car damage and ruinous AI on a next-gen console in 2008 just boggles the mind given how accomplished the competition is (think: Project Gotham Racing).

So what about the eye-candy aspect? Well - it runs at 1080p (full HD) and it looks absolutely spectacular. The textures are crisp and don't blur out at highly obtuse angles like they would on an X-Box. The car models are beautiful as are the various effects like the real-time reflections and the colour-flip paint jobs. There is some aliasing on high-contrast areas but detail popup is minimal. There are very noticable level-of-detail swaps on some of the cars where they swap from a low detail to a high detail version. It's most noticable on the Daytona circuit where you'll occasionally see the shading on the back of a car pop noticably as the model swaps to it's higher resolution version. In fact the eye-candy aspect is only marred slightly be the fact that the game clearly doesn't run at 60 frames per second. Well - it does on sparsely populated tracks but in the thick of the action on some circuits, you'll see noticable slowdown which you just shouldn't have on a console as powerful as a PS3.

What other things to know about? Well the online aspect of the game has a lot of promise but it's buggy at best. If your PS3 isn't set up pefectly on a broadband network (NAT type 1) it just won't connect to the servers. If you're lucky enough to have a good setup, then even when it does connect, the racing is a bit dodgy. It's obvious that the sample rate for your system communicating with all the others is fairly slow as you'll often see your opponents cars jump across the circuit from one side to the other, or suddenly appear to brake or accelerate at light speed as the servers catch up.

When you come to use the game for the first time, be prepared for a long wait. It seems to copy the entire blu-ray disc on to the internal hard drive which takes a good 15 minutes, then as soon as you connect, it will download a huge update which will take 5 to 10 minutes to download and another 5 minutes to install. So out-of-the-box to first race is about 30 minutes. That seems a bit odd to me - I was entirely expecting the game to run off the disc like many of the other PS3 titles.

So GT5 Prologue : it's great eye-candy, sure. But the two biggest, most long-standing problems with the GT franchise are still present. Awful AI and no car damage. The press previews and talk from Polyphony indicate that the full game will have car damage, but historically, they've never been known to change their underlying game engines between the 'Prologue' and the full versions of GT. They have always claimed that they've fixed the AI with each successive version of the game, but honestly - GT5 Prologue has taken a massive step backwards. They say it's better than ever but it's actually worse than ever. So when they say there will be car damage in the full game, I say 'cry wolf' I'm afraid.

It's an ominous omen for GT5 later this year. Sure it'll have more cars and more tracks. But chances are it will have the same problems the GT franchise has always had, and that's simply not good enough. Couple that with the questionable frame rate and online problems and that could be disastrous.

I dearly love the GT franchise - I've had every one of them and I've been hoping and praying that they would one day fix the AI problems and the lack of car damage. If they've not done it on the PS3, then it's just never going to happen, and that is a sad indictment of Polyphony's marketing strategy. I've played this game a lot, desperately wanting to like it but I always put the controller down and am left with an empty feeling. It's just not exciting.