GT5 has some flaws and pointless extra’s but the passion and experience of racing it’s about is brilliant and unmatched.

Al right, let’s start of by saying that I wrote this review during the loading times of GT5. It becomes really annoying. I’ve kinda red the manual 15 times as well by now.

My 3 year old Toshiba laptop, on which I’m typing this review now, starts up faster than a race does in GT5. And than there are all the minor loading screens between menu pages. But, hey, there is so much detail in this game and Polyphony did say they where squeezing the PS3 to it’s maximum so maybe we had it coming.

Though I think the development team shot themselves in the foot by choosing to continue the traditional amount of cars from the GT series AND by choosing to add more detail to them (interior view). This resulted in Premium Cars and Standard Cars. Which I think is a bad idea. The indecision in this was a mistake. I like to race on interior view but I cannot do this on every car, and that makes me feel like I’m playing two slightly different games.

But there is so much detail in this game, it’s unbelievable. It’s true some cars don’t look as good as others but the high-end ones are all premium, which will be the ones we’ll be racing most with.

It’s Gran Turismo all out again. From the charistic count down sounds to the squeecking tyres through the corners and the variety of cars to the piano soundtrack. The passion for motor racing is clearly visable. No flames or decals on your cars or babes that stand next to the start/finish.

There is arcade mode but that’s not what this game is about. The B spec mode is a bit odd and not really my thing. Then there is Gran Turismo TV and Track Editor, but all those things are extra’s. What the game is about is the simulator mode. And that core mode is so amazing. It’s unmatched. You start off with some slower cars but but pretty quick you can get your hands on a faster one. By about 4 hours I had my hands on a fully tuned Ferrari 599 and the speed that throw onto my screen was exhilarating.

Never did I experience such an emotion through a computer game. The feeling of the car is amazing, it has became a living thing. When you brake the balance swiftly moves to the front, the G forces onto the suspension and chassis. You don’t actually FEEL it but you do get all the results of it. And because of this great realistic gameplay, it’s actually a crime to play it without a steering wheel.

I’m not going to say you should buy this game no matter what though. If you don’t like racing games, why would you like GT5? And if you have no patience and would rather play arcade racers like Need for Speed, GT5 might not be your game either. This game requires focus, concentration and dedication. But it returns such a rich and pure experience of motor racing, it’s absolutely amazing.

I don’t think it’s fair to rate GT with a classic rating system which gives like 3 points maximum for gameplay, 3 for graphics and rest for sound, story, etc. It does some things a bit poorly but other things just outstanding and unmatched before. Gran Turismo 5 gives you such a pure driving experience, unlike anywhere else.

If you’re passionate about motor racing, this is your game.