Gran Turismo 5 Prologue: Japanese Demo Impressions
It must be great to be Japanese. While the rest of the videogame world waits with interminable anticipation for Gran Turismo 5, the Japanese gamer is downloading the demo as you read this! (well, sort of 
) Released this past week to the PlayStation Network Store (of Japan!), the demo to Gran Turismo 5 Prologue stands as the most visually impressive racing sim ever released (if we don’t count the Gran Turismo HD demo). While virtually unmatched in photo-realism and physics design, the demo still points to one major flaw in the midst of its packed 16 car field. We take a look under the hood.
The Gran Turismo Difference
This large feat was accomplished by a design team that have consistently outdone themselves, pushing the photo-realistic bar higher than any competitor could ever hope to reach, though many have tried. And let’s not forget to mention some of the best driving physics ever created.
However, the Polyphony Digital’s biggest enemy has always been lengthy development cycles since their credo has largely emphasized minute attention to detail (makes you wonder what happened to Gran Turismo PSP). 
With that in mind the latest installment, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, serves as a stopgap title until the full-fledged product - Gran Turismo 5 - hits retail sometime next year. So, you could say, this demo is a demo of the demo of Gran Turismo 5
Sorry Forza 2, This One Just Looks Way Better
The Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Demo features seven cars, but not all of them are playable. The demo features:
• Nissan GT-R*
• Lexus IS-F*
• Mazda Atenza*
• Daihatsu OFC-1
• BMW 135i Coupe
• Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X
• Subaru Impreza WRX STI*
*locked by default settings
Initially the Nissan GT-R, the game’s default car, was pulled just two days into the demo (and my limited Japanese is not telling me any reasons why) [Go ask Chris Kohler – ED]. Besides these iterative lock/unlocks over the course of the demo, the game also features support for almost every steering wheel ever assembled for the PS2/ PS3 console (as well as the new DualShock 3). Individualized settings extend to the GT FORCE Pro, GT FORCE, Driving Force, and GT FORCE RX (all kick-arse Logitech wheels) offering plenty of ways to experience the new physics and handling system featured in Gran Turismo 5.
New Dog, Same Old Tricks?
That hang up is not GT TV – a video channel that will offer downloadable content like tutorials and race footage from real events -, a great way to ‘hook up’ car nuts with the current racing scene. I wonder if they’ll get ‘Click and Clack’ from NPR?
Nor is it the dedicated News section that provides text on all the recent online updates, or the kick ass Showroom that gives you a closer look at the game’s superior visual design.
No, the biggest flaw in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is… A.I. Unchallenging A.I. has always been the franchises’ Achilles heel. A.I. drivers are completely OBLIVIOUS to your presence (they do make a few bad turns behind the wheel, but that’s a small tacos compared to what we were hoping for). This problem turns a great racing sim into bumper cars since you can literally push the competition aside (with noticeably absent damage modeling too). Obviously, it’s too early to strike the game down (and plenty of franchises are guilty of this same problem), but we’re hoping for better A.I. in the final release.
The final Japanese release will be available December 13th on Blu-Ray and for download via PSN. We’ll be looking closer at the demo and it’s improvements until the November 13th cut-off date, but there is still no word on the American release.
