Demo is a four-letter word

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue

Developer: Polyphony Digital

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Platform: PlayStation 3

Price: $39.99 (Shop.Ars)

Rating: Everyone

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue features 70 vehicles. Six tracks. Online play. On paper, it looks like a robust experience; supporters of the game bristle when it's called a demo on message boards. Having played the game for the past few days I can tell you... it's a demo. I wanted to avoid calling it that, and I didn't think that criticism was fair when it was being leveled against the $40 release, but after spending a significant amount of time racing around the game's six tracks and collecting those cars, a demo is exactly what this is.



The Real Driving Simulator: or at least part of it

The game is already a huge hit in Europe, and it's being released as both a Blu-ray disc at retail and a digital download via the PlayStation Store; if nothing else, it's the latest evidence that Sony is on the right track by allowing "full" games to be sold online. The only difference between the two is the "Beyond the Apex" documentary included on the disc, but the 18-minute video should be up all over the Internet in a matter of minutes, if it isn't already.

There is no compelling reason to choose to have physical media over the download unless you simply like to have that disc and case. Well, there is one: the online version needs to have an Internet connection to play. That means if you travel with your system and can't find a network connection, you're out of luck.

When I call Prologue a demo, I don't mean that as a knock against the mechanics of the game, and there are certainly worse ways for you to spend your $40. But the fact remains: although Prologue is an amazing experience and one of the best showcases for the PlayStation 3 released so far, the thing that will be in the heads of gamers while they're playing is "I can't wait for the full version." What Prologue does the best is show you just how good the full release of Gran Turismo 5 is going to be, while giving you just enough to support that $40 price point.

When I said this is an excellent showcase for the PlayStation 3, I wasn't just blowing smoke. The game can run in 1080p, it features incredible graphics, and the sounds of each car are perfect. Crank the surround sound system. Upgrade your television. Make sure you are playing with a Dual Shock 3 so you can feel the rumble in the turns. It's all worth it.

Prepare for the worst tease of your gaming life.

"The collision judgment may be temporarily disabled..."

I love modern gaming. The game requires a 5GB install, and there is an update already available, so be sure to set some time aside before you actually start playing. Remember when you could just put your game in and go?

The good news is that once everything is up and running, you're greeted with the expected awesome-looking introduction movie and a new layout for the series.



The "My Page" set up is simple and attractive

The new "My Page" menu system is a nice step forward: you get a beautiful moving image of your car in different settings, and all your options are in one row at the bottom of the screen, under a calendar, clock, and weather information. There is a news feed that promises new bulletins regularly, and of course GT-TV, which at the moment only has the introduction movie and the "Beyond the Apex" film. Playing two-player, jumping online, or looking at your cars in the garage are all easy to get to via the menu's XMB-like structure.

There are a few UI quirks that could have been cleaned up, however. In the dealerships, you can only browse by manufacturer, and with only a limited number of cars for each, it can be time-consuming to dip in and out of the menu to browse; being able to look at all cars available by price or by power would have been nice. Also, if you'd like to sell a car you own, you won't be able to do it if you're in the car; you have to go out of the menu, choose a different car to drive, and then sell the one you don't want. The game couldn't just put you in the next car over?

In events that require you to own a specific car, you can't buy the car on that screen, you have to go out to the main menu, go into dealerships, find your car, and then buy it from there. Of course, in the dealerships you can go straight to the event, but it still feels needlessly time-consuming.