21 February 2010

is it possible to draw real-world conclusions from playing GT5?


i recently picked up Gran Turismo 5 Prologue for PS3, which is a great bit of fun. lovely graphics, good gameplay, boatloads of depth and addictive -- what's not to like? you race, you get money, you buy new cars for your garage. and then race those (complete car list here).

you can pit your mini cooper against other hot hatches, like the Ford Focus ST, or you can be a dick and race your Ferrari against them.

i like that the cars are pretty distinct, though given my lack of real-world experience, i can't say how close of an analogue they are.

still, i'm happy to pretend that these are valid impressions and will state some.

Biggest disappointment: the 4WD Audi TT Coupe. it's just too underpowered. That's followed closely by the Alfa Romeo Brera 4WD. Really sluggish in the low gears for a 6 cylinder.

Biggest surprise: the Fords! i'm not at all surprised that the Ford ST does well (i get better times in it than i do in the Mini Cooper S). The Mustang doesn't suck! My times in it are similar to those I get with the 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. And I must say I like the Ford GT a lot. It's ridiculously over-powered, and I initially thought it didn't corner well. Then I realized I was taking those corners > 100 mph, much faster than I had tried previously.

The GT compares favorably to the Ferrari F430. Not in every way, but the Ferrari is a good bit twitchier. Also, the Audi R8 makes up for the TT, my times in it are nearly as fast as the GT and F430.

Other nice surprises are the Renault Clio Sport V6 and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. I get consistently better times in the Lancer vs the Impreza, the latter feeling a little too heavy and weak in the low gears.

other impressions: the BMW M3 is heavy but handles well for its weight. The Lotus Elise 111R is one of my favorites -- tough but rewarding. The Honda Integra is fast and undramatic. And the 2001 VW GTI is slow, predictable and boring.

regarding my original question, after playing this game, is it fair to say i'm no longer interested in the Audi TT?

8 comments:

pyker said...

I think that's fair. How's the aston?

pyker said...

Do you use a steering wheel rig (e.g. logitech one) or just the standard ps3 controller?

zim said...

I haven't yet acquired the Aston, though I intend to. Shame I wasted credits on the Alfa.

I initially played using the standard controller: rubbish! The Logitech wheel I got (driving force gt, iirc) is a serious improvement.

Now the gas pedal isn't just on/off, e.g.

zim said...

i got the DB9. very nice, actually. i feel it's most similar to the M3, though a little lighter on its feet.

i re-ran a few cars in the race called C7, and my times were (roughly) as follows:

1. R8 @ 2:45
2. DB9 @ 2:47
3. M3 @ 2:50
4. Elise @ 2:54

iirc, the GT and F430 were in the 2:42-2:45 range. and the Mustang was around 2:58.

zim said...

i did some more comparisons, but on the B7 course. C7 is short with many tight turns. B7 is a long track with a nice mix of tight turns, medium turns, and long straights.

results (1 race each):

1. Nissan Skyline GTR @ 4:48
2. F430 @ 4:54
3, 4, 5. DB9, R8, M3 @ 5:02
6. Ford GT @ 5:22*

* "lost it" a number of times

funny, on this run, the GT was much twitchier than the 430.

pyker said...

shame there's not ariel atom

zim said...

that would be a nice addition. maybe in the full GT5?

no Porsches here, either.

zim said...

updated times:

DB9 @ C7: 2:43
DB9 @ B7: 5:00
Mustang @ B7: 5:25

it's really getting to the point that the 2 most fun cars are both English! (DB9 & Elise)