I happened to be in Cincinnati this weekend, and in between bouts of furniture shopping and German beerhalls, Mr. Kuchera kindly let me get some time playing the new Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. I've gone from being one of the loudest GT fanboys to sitting firmly in the Forza camp over recent years, thanks to Polyphony Digital's inability to make deadlines, code AI that works, or implement decent tire physics.
Ben fired up the PS3 and his Japanese download of GT5 Prologue, at which point we were treated to some virtual car launches. The Tokyo Motor Show ended last week, and among the debutantes were the new Nissan Skyline GT-R and Subaru WRX STI. Both of these cars owe the earlier GT games; they might have enjoyed cult status amongst Japanese petrolheads, but being able to wring them around Trial Mountain and Grand Valley did an awful lot to bring them to the attention of a western audience.
The virtual car launch was neat, but straight away I was struck by the graphics, an area where this series has always excelled. Forza II got a lot of criticism online for its jaggies, and it looks like GT5 suffers from the same condition. Taking to the track was more of the same; I'd been expecting something leagues ahead of the Xbox 360 competition, but visually the game was on par with Microsoft's offering.
There was good news on the AI front, though; with many more cars on track and drivers that seemed to take note of the fact that they weren't there alone, the races seemed like races and not a contest as to who could hit the line best every lap. The interior view was a nice touch, but as with Project Gotham Racing, I find it makes me slower, so it's bumper cam all the way.
I don't currently own a PS3, and have been putting off buying one until GT5 (the full game) reaches its final trimester. Currently the title is predicted to drop at the end of 2008, but I'm prepared to eat the hat of my choice* if they actually make that deadline. After today's short exposure, I really hope they do.
Originally posted by: michealo
well, the game is pretty far from release.
here's hoping it only gets better!
Originally posted by: randay
shiny metal pin combining two or more peices of wood into a box.
Originally posted by: Raduque
Will GT5 have all the same cars as GT4? One of my favorite aspects of GT4 was being able to buy my real-world vehicles (my F150, my Accord) and tweak them and race them. I will probably skip GT5 if I can't buy and race trucks and other cars/vehicles I've used/driven in the real world.
Originally posted by: MrPickins
Why is AA on consoles still so rare?
The graphics have come a long way, we shouldn't have to deal with jaggies still.
Originally posted by: randay
Originally posted by: Raduque
Will GT5 have all the same cars as GT4? One of my favorite aspects of GT4 was being able to buy my real-world vehicles (my F150, my Accord) and tweak them and race them. I will probably skip GT5 if I can't buy and race trucks and other cars/vehicles I've used/driven in the real world.
it wouldnt be GT without real cars, also this time around, theyve got ferrari!
Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy
Originally posted by: MrPickins
Why is AA on consoles still so rare?
The graphics have come a long way, we shouldn't have to deal with jaggies still.
Because the resolutions are getting higher and higher. PS2 largely stuck to 480i/p; PS3 games are running at 720p or 1080p (I'm not sure about Xbox360, but I'm pretty sure it's the same situation). 480i is 172,800 pixels at a time (480p is twice that, at 345,600). 720p is 921,600. 1080p is 2,073,600, or 12 times the number of pixels drawn at once at 480i. That's a huge increase in graphics processing just in terms of drawing more pixels. Add to that that models are getting more detailed, textures are getting larger, special effects are improving (smoke and other particle effects), physics are occupying more and more CPU cycles, and you don't have much processing power left for AA or AF.
A computer capable of running HL2: Episode 2 (a recent, graphically intense game) at 60+ fps at 1080p with AA and AF will set you back well over $1,000.00. It's unrealistic to assume that you will be able to get that performance out of hardware that costs you less than $400.00.