Gran Turismo 5 for PS3. If you love cars, you gotta love this!

15 September 2011: Car racing games make up a huge chunk of the gaming market, so it isn’t odd that there are thousands of racing games to choose from. But then it’s really up to you to decide what type of game you choose – F1 racing, super car racing or rally racing. But if you want all three together, and don’t want to shell out a fortune buying multiple games, then there is a solution. Presenting the Gran Turismo 5. Bringing back one of the most famous gaming titles on PS2, the Gran Turismo 5 (popularly called GT5) is the successor of GT4 and is a first timer on the PS3 platform. But for a first timer, Polyphony Digital and Sony Computer Entertainment have done an excellent job! The game got a well deserved 10/10 by IGN and GameSpot.

I’ve played the game and I can say it is well worth it. Starting with the stats – the game has more than 1000 (!) cars….Ferraris, Lambos and McLarens, you name it and they have it! Then there are some rare gems like the Bugatti Veyron, Mercedes Benz DTM race spec version and also concepts like the Audi Quattro. F1 and rally cars are also available, so the game offers racing on all platforms. And surprisingly, it also includes day to day cars like hatchbacks and family sedans. Strange but interesting!

Once you get a hang of it, the game gets pretty addictive. Specially for someone like me, who still doesn’t get to drive the real thing legally! You can buy new cars, or buy from the used car dealership if virtual money is a problem. You can also customize your ride – customization ranges from turbo chargers to weight reduction to suspension changes or getting a set of new tyres. You can actually do just about anything and get the exact car you want. The graphics are one of the best ever and takes virtual realism to another level. (Check the screen shot on the right.) The crashes feel stunningly real and the cockpit view is much better than that of the NFS Shift. The game also has most of the renowned tracks including the Nürburgring and the Sarthe circuit. The online mode, though a little sluggish is intriguing and makes up with its many options. Overall, an awesome power packed package.

So should you buy the GT5? Of course you should! It sells for about Rs. 2500 (US$ 55) in India and it’s completely worth it. Rather than buy different F1 and rally games, you get an all-in-one which is undoubtedly the best racing game in the market today. And come to think of it – a 1000 cars at this price and you don’t even need a garage to park them. How cool is that!!