It’s diffi cult to know whether or not Polyphony Digital has been hung by a misjudged consumer love for its longrunning series of racers. Or if, on the other hand, whether giving us what’s essentially an extended demo, is little more than a revenuegenerating exercise. Whatever its motive, Polyphony Digital has been working on Gran Turismo 5 for over two years now. And while Gran Turismo 5 Prologue certainly offers us more of the Gran Turismo experience than last year’s Gran Turismo HD – instead giving us 40+ cars and six tracks (12 if you count reversals) – it’s hard to get too enthused about something that you’re paying good money for, even though it’ll all be incorporated into the fi nished article when it fi nally emerges later this year. Something which you’ll have to pay for again.

Admittedly, you’re not paying full price for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, but in and of itself, it feels incomplete. Tuning is conspicuously absent from the very beginning, with only a quick-tune option available once you’ve completed the ten events for each of the three classes; A, B and C. Thirty events, not including online, may seem like a reasonable amount for the money, but we managed this feat in just one afternoon. And with decent cars starting at around 40,000Cr, it’s going to be quite a while before you’re driving anything with power beyond that of your average family saloon or hatchback, which, to be quite honest, is about as much fun as taking the kids to Sainsbury’s. Class C, where you start, is almost totally lacking in challenge. Your Suzuki Cappuccino ’95, or Mazda Atenza Sport, is unable to reach suffi cient speeds to make the events either exciting or fun. What’s more, each of the events has specifi c car requirements, from cars under a certain weight, to cars with a certain drivetrain. This means that rather than saving your money for that tasty B-class motor, you’re going to be forced into spending it on cars that you really couldn’t give two hoots about owning. And the impetus to take your toddler bus online is utterly shat upon by your inability to customise your ride.

The default setting for each race is to have steering and braking assistance switched on, each acting as a guide for numpties who think that braking and steering at the same time is a good idea. Although, it is a good way of learning the ins and outs of each course, these fi gures and racing lines will be different depending on what you’re driving (a Ferrari F430 ’06 is going to be able to handle the bends slightly quicker than a Renault Clio Sport V6 ’00). We recommend then, that you turn these off as soon as possible. Instead, try to attain the feel and weight of each car, because, once practised, it’s a far sexier way of racing than being dictated to at every turn.

Polyphony Digital has always made the best-looking driving experiences for each of Sony’s babies and Prologue is no exception. Visually, this game is nothing short of stunning, attaining a level of nearphotorealism that’s so mind-fooling at 1080p, you can pretty much brush off critics as fi ckle. This is especially the case during replays, in which the game’s razor-sharp detail and HDR lighting will burn the word ‘impressive’ clearly and decisively into your retinas.

Quite apart from reaching unmatched levels of visual fi delity, the series has never really got beyond the car-train approach to AI. That is, each of the AI cars – six previously, up to sixteen here – do little more than follow the ideal racing line at a designated speed for the duration. So, has it been fi xed? Well, yes and no. On the one hand, you will occasionally see the odd overtake, but usually only after you’ve personally cocked up a corner. AI cars will attempt to avoid you now, instead of simply carrying on with their perfect racing line and into your rear end.

The online game is positively schizophrenic. For example, we haven’t played another game which is quite so easy to just jump into with up to 15 other players – fi nding a suitable lobby takes mere seconds. But Polyphony Digital hasn’t applied the necessary rules to allow for a fair and competitive race. For example, adding time penalties for leaving the road, cutting corners, or deliberately knocking out opponents; barging opponents off the road almost always leaves you better off. So, what we’re left with, sadly, is a mildly fun diversion. Imagine Destruction Derby. Without the destruction. Just... derby.

GT5 Prologue certainly isn’t for everyone and those thinking of purchasing it for a miniature racing experience that will tide them over until the release of the real deal, will most likely be disappointed by the lack of tuning options, cars, and the short trackcount. However, those who are willing to accept these caveats will fi nd a competent racer that will not only have you salivating for the release of GT5, but also allow you to bear witness to what your PS3 is truly capable of.

Dan Howdle