Expected, But Exceptional and Expandable
Since the first game on the original Playstation, the Gran Turismo series has appealed to the hardcore fan. The realistic physics and high demand for technique turned off many gamers. However, it is this aspect of the series upon which it thrives. With Gran Turismo 5 expected late 2009 / early 2010, Polyphonic Digital dropped Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in Q2 2008. Similar to Gran Turismo 4 Prologue, this game was meant to be a sort of demo, not only to give the fans something to play but also to provide the arena for the GT5 developers to experiment.
The game features five tracks and over 60 cars. However, the carlist is expandable via downloadable content. The most recent update introduced three new cars into the lineup. It is the idea of regular updates that makes GT5 so intriguing. Owning and playing this game is as if you are a part of the development process for GT5, and the idea of watching the game grow from the Prologue to the final release is more than enough to warrant the $40, for fans of the series. It has been 8 months since the launch of Prologue, and a slew of updates have passed since. The game has been minorly improved upon several fronts, including difficulty, carlist, camera angles, and race regulations. However, the promise of an update including damage simulation is still prominent in the minds of GT fans.
The decision of buying this game comes down to whether or not you can wait until Gran Turismo 5, as it will be at least a year until it is released. If you are new to the series, perhaps this would be a nice $40 entry into the series. The gameplay is refined from GT4, the graphics are sharp, and maneuvering cars is as fun as ever. In essence, Prologue is a snapshot of the series in it's current form. If you hated GT on the PS and PS2, you'll probably want to skip this, as the series has stayed true to its roots. The die hard fan probably already has this. But if you're on the fence, and are looking for solid racing and jaw breaking realism, I would highly recommend Prologue not only for the state it's in, but for the updates to come.
