If you’re a SIM racing nut, there’s really only two legitimate options that every get mentioned: Gran Turismo and Forza. Both have their own unique feel and approach to the racing SIM ideology and are literally separated by an unsurpassed divide (Forza being Xbox only and Gran Turismo PS3 only).
Back when Gran Turismo 3 (and even 4) were brand new, all of the spit polish and eye candy couldn’t help me get past the fact that smashing into a barrier at 200+mph did absolutely nothing to the car. That’s a problem. Hence the reason Forza began to win me over. And then, talk of Gran Turismo 5 and it’s long sought after damage modeling pulled me back into a conundrum of not knowing exactly who’s “best”.
So where do we stand?
Yes gamers, it’s finally coming — Gran Turismo 5. One of the longer development times a game has gone through for sure. But out of all those years full of blood, sweat, and tears a truly amazing game has emerged. Though if I’m to be brutally honest, as much as I love the Gran Turismo series, Forza and Dirt 2 have won me over these last few years. The former due to its inclusion of real-time damage modeling giving a wholly more realistic experience. The latter, well, I just love Dirt 2.
Regardless, look for Gran Turismo 5 to hit shelves this November. Oh yeah — it’ll be coming in 3D too.
What type of racing gamer are you: Gran Turismo or Forza? It’s quite simply really. You’re one or the other. You either crave for the seemingly life-like visuals of Gran Turismo or the more (physically speaking) real world of Forza with it’s active damage modeling and more advanced physics engine. Whatever the case, a delay in either games next gen title is a deafening blow. It isn’t hard to guess who the tardy entry is…GT5.
Originally slated for release nearly 3 years ago, GT5 has continued to get pushed back, delayed, and played down in the public eye. Meanwhile, the biggest contender to the sim racing genre, Forza for the Xbox 360 has enjoyed building success with each subsequent release since version 1.0. I for one can attest to the massive improvements the newly released Forza 3.0 depict over the title’s 1st gen release. Everything is prettier. The cars handle more life-like. Crash damage modeling both looks real and affects the car as it would in the real world. The latter is something Gran Turismo can’t claim.
Never before has Gran Turismo displayed any type of damage or modeled it’s effects whatsoever. Though, the stunning visuals for the time period during each game’s reign seemed to make this no damage issue a moot point. Although, mid-way through ’09 pictures and a few short YouTube clips were published showing active damage modeling in Gran Turismo 5 development. Perhaps that’s the reason for such a delay? With over 1,000 cars and 70 racing locations, getting the physics down for damage modeling is no small chore.
I’m a stickler for actual real gameplay. After Forza 1 was released, it was good-bye GT and hello Forza. I quit almost cold turkey. ‘Till this day, I spend a majority of my time on the ‘Box playing Forza giving only a few minutes here and there for glory runs on GT 4. I was hoping Gran Turismo 5 would be “the one” to bring me back, to wow me, to get me excited for GT again. Sadly it appears I won’t get that feeling anytime soon with a “TBA” date for a North American release following shortly after the “delayed indefinitely” verbiage found on the Playstation website.
If you’re still there, who are you before this announcement and who are you after this announcement?
AutoBlog > UK Gamespot
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No, I didn’t misplace a zero. The simulation racing game that has spanned the ages of video gaming time packs a wallop in the latest installment, Gran Turismo 5. $60 million is a lot of money, especially considering it was spent on a single video game. Now I’m not to deep in development costs for other big gaming titles, but I’m surprised to say the least. I’ve been playing Gran Turismo since v2 and have loved every minute….and then Forza came along. In order to keep a Forza vs. GT flame war, I must stress that each game has it’s pro’s and cons. Gran Turismo 5 is graphical eye candy at it’s finest. No game on any platform has ever come away looking so realistic (relative to the time period of course) than GT. Boundaries and hardware are constantly pushed to the limit. Forza on the other hand has the one up with real physics/damage modeling that brings a completely different level of realness that GT has lacked. Though several months back, shots of GT running with damage modeling inside surfaced leading many GT enthusiasts to finally have something to compete with their Forza frenemies. In the end, both games are worth of a spot in your collection. I wonder just how much Forza 3 cost to develop. Anyone care to wager a guess?
What would you do with $60 million?
Geek
