Currently Playing: GT5 Time Trial

I've lost count of the vast number of hours I've spent playing the PSone and PS2 versions of Gran Turismo. I'm sorry to have to say then that this 'demo' version of the long awaited fifth proper game of the series, and first on PS3 is absolutely terrible.

First off all despite having no other cars on track (There's a ghost of you're best lap but that's kind of semi shaded and flickers in and out) the graphics in game are very poor. Compared even to a similar track on Forza it looks dull and flat.

Because of it's time trial nature, presumably, nearly everything is fixed. You stuck in car view. Which I always hate. I didn't buy a 42" inch TV so I could peer out at the track through a tiny window. It's not realistic. When you're driving a car you can see everything. You're certainly not looking at your hands spastically turning left and right on the steering wheel.

Mainly though it's the combination of the handling and the sixaxis/dualshock 3 pad. It's telling that the default control scheme still utilises the facebuttons for brake and accelerate which of course with their tiny amount of travel are useless. Sadly because Sony have failed to fit proper X-Box/Dreamcast style triggers the L2 and R2 buttons aren't much use lacking both the feedback and comfort of a proper trigger. Personally I find that the Left stick becomes uncomfortable to use when I use L2 and R2 and feel the left stick should've been switched with the barely used d-pad ages ago. Worst of all though is the input of the left stick is very sensitive and it's just not up to the job. You can't input the deft control required.

Then we come to the handling. The traction control is locked on. But surely that can't be responsible for the car understeering off the track at every opportunity. Even trying to take a slow low speed corner can see you heading off into the grass. Prologue wasn't like this and suffice to say real life isn't like this. I've driven a Nissan 350Z and I managed to not slide off a corner once. Of course much like Prologue your ears are constantly assaulted by the sound of screeching tyres too. It's almost undriveable with the pad in my opinion. Considering I love driving games I still don't want to have the hassle of a wheel and paddles knocking about.

It's a crying shame that if this is indicitive of the finished product I won't be buying it. Apparently by giving Polyphony unlimited time to finish the game Sony appear to have let them disappear up their respective behinds.. A sad day.