Progress and technology are inextricably linked. One cannot exist without the other, and necessity will always be tossed aside in the race to innovate. In as much as it is possible to tell where the videogames industry is heading, the available evidence seems to suggest that downloadable, and specifically episodic, content will be the next morsel prepared for our consumption. Xbox Live, Virtual Console, PlayStation Network, Steam – the systems are already in place to provide us with the level of entertainment to which we are accustomed, but without the unnecessary hassle of packaging, shops, or getting off your arse and actually leaving the comfort of home.

There are benefits in the switch to downloadable content, but there are far fewer for episodic games, and many have made the assumption that they are as vital to each other’s existence as technology and progress. There have been several examples recently of episodic content enjoying critical and commercial success – namely the new instalments of the Half-Life 2 and Sam & Max franchises. Both are plot-driven sagas, and as such are ideally suited to an episodic template. Gran Turismo, however, is not. It is a racing game, bereft of story, and Sony’s announcement that GT HD would be similarly drip-fed was met with some consternation.

While the concept was intriguing – an initial free download would be followed by a stream of saleable elements, allowing the player to construct their own game – the fact that Gran Turismo 5 was still to be released made the premise seem somewhat redundant – a realisation that was not lost on Sony, who has recently scrapped the idea. The Gran Turismo HD we are left with, then, is a difficult product to evaluate. With only one track, albeit laid out two different ways, and no other cars to race against, this is more a tech-demo, and the presence of ten different cars to choose between does little to compensate for the complete lack of competitive edge. The fact remains, however, that Gran Turismo HD is free, and it would be ridiculous not to at least give it a try. The PlayStation 3 has what it takes to make any game beautiful and this is no different, with predictably solid gameplay suggesting great things for when the fifth game gets a release.

Until then, however, Gran Turismo HD is a tease. Anything would be great value at that price, but this is far too flimsy to take up more than a few hours of your time. When you can get the splendid Tekken HD for just nine quid, it makes you wish that Sony had stuck to its guns and given that little bit more. After all, progress really should come at a price.

Matthew Handrahan