You know, there's a couple of things I could talk about, but I'm not going to deviate from the main story.
During Christmas time, I like to go do stuff. It's actually quite cold out which is nice. I decided to check out that old mall arcade (old Daytona 2 place) to see what's up. I went alone since TBQH, my family is a bunch of duds when it comes to going places. So anyway, they have Crazy Taxi there which is a miracle as far as I know. And seeing that I just got some practice on the Xbox 360, I played it four times (50 cents a game).
I think when you go from a console to an arcade cabinet, there is an increase in difficulty. The cabinet's bigger, it may be broken or defective, less decisive controls, you need to exert more energy turning the wheel and so forth, you can't tweak the settings in your favor, it costs money per try, and there's no restart button so you screw up and you have to live with it until it's over.
Before I mention how I did, it's worth noting that there was one glaring flaw--the seat kept moving around. It wouldn't lock into a certain position so it was a pain in the ass. Oh yeah, and the best that I did was $7,000 with Gena which I'm not too pleased with. Other than the seat shaking, I couldn't get the timing on the limit cut down. Not sure what the heck's going on there. The timing window when you shift just feels off for some reason. Hey, it's not like pressing a button on a controller so that's a disadvantage.
I must be the only person in this arcade that has ever seen the credits (make over $5,000). In all seriousness. People just don't take these games seriously anymore. Oh, correction--the only exception is DDR and maybe Street Fighter, but that's it. Doesn't help that you got this Fast and the Furious crap everywhere.
...Boy, I tell you what. I talk about all these great games on my blog and I practice and have fun, but I never reach that "one level of achievement." Like I wish I had a real knack for this stuff, but I can only do well enough to get by. And this doesn't get me much social clout either--like if this guy can't play for real, then get the hell out of here. You know I wish I were better at a lot of things, but I won't bog you down with this right now.
So while I'm out, I go venture around the mall. Boy, this is an old mall. FYI, it's Northshore Square Mall in Slidell, Louisiana. I've been here for years. It's not a "crap mall" but it's just a one-story middle-class establishment. It's in a major commercial zone with Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Home Depot, all the fast food places, and a highway on-ramp so it's not like it's isolated from the public.
I know it's a Tuesday night, but it's the Christmas season. I just don't see a whole lot of anything going on. Like I looked to see what happened to the old Babbage's (game store like GameStop) which closed up years ago and there's this antique/house decor store instead. I sat there, eating my Auntie Anne's pretzel and just thinking about what the heck I'm doing here? The arcade has hardly anything going for it, I don't have anything to buy, and no one wants to go here with me. Maybe I just showed up on a bad day, I don't know.
When I drive to and from the mall, I play the Daytona 2 soundtrack (with the windows rolled up, I'm not one of "those people") hopefully to impart some good will on the place and put my mind to rest.
Oh, and I saw a Now Hiring sign at the arcade. I wonder what a job there would be like. I have plenty of time this upcoming semester for a job. I would rather work in an environment like that than some place like McDonald's where it's easy to screw up. I'll give it a shot if the sign's still up in a few days.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Gradual Decline Of The Racing Genre
Super-old (like two weeks), but it's gone viral and you should see it if you haven't already:
No need for skill or input commands, just stare at the screen. The future of gaming is here, boys and ladies.
No need for skill or input commands, just stare at the screen. The future of gaming is here, boys and ladies.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Daytona 2 Posts Of Grief -- The Pain And The Yearning
rjay told me "Look at these old links," so I did. I am SO SORRY I stayed up late again, but it's worth it. These are from Google Groups. I'm sorry I couldn't sift through the whole thing but trying to sum up this big lump of posts is hard enough already. Not only am I going to post the link to the post, but also the year it was posted. You don't have to read everything cause a lot of it is what you'd expect...:
The day we dreaded has come (1999)
Long drawn out post, loves the scenery porn, it's a classic, bring the game to Dreamcast. Don't understand what he means by dreading this day. Also, this Brian Fox guy is a Debbie Downer who wants all racing games to be bland with no eye candy whatsoever.
RAVE RACER, SCUD RACE, DAYTONA USA 2 (2001)
Bring these games to a console.
Daytona -- When, Sega, When? (2000)
Bring Daytona 2 to Dreamcast. Everyone loves Daytona. Also talks about "Daytona 500" which would later become Daytona for the Dreamcast (I presume). Love the last comment about Daytona 2:
I believe this is one of Sega's surprises that they are keeping quiet on because they know how much demand there is for a Dreamcast version. Expect to hear nothing on it until Sega wants to let the cat out of the bag.
We're still waiting.
Sega's Scud Racer and Daytona USA 2 (2003)
Give us Xbox ports. How about this:
OMFG, what I would give for a completely accurate port of Daytona 2 + Power Edition on XBox with Live support. I'd give my eye teeth!
Eye teeth?
Daytona USA 2 (2000)
Why is Sega not working on this Dreamcast port?
Daytona 2! WARNING: I may get deep on this one!! (1999)
Wow, this is one huge-ass lump of text. The enter button is your friend. Now this Julian Smith guy..we kind of think alike. Like it's just strange to see another human being that salivates as much as I do over a Daytona 2 game.
These two racing games are in my opinion the ABSOLUTE GREATEST racing games on this or any other planet!!
Oh look, Mark Kim, the dude that wrote those Daytona 1 and 2/Scud Race/Crazy Taxi guides on GameFAQs. I have no idea where he is now. He also gave NASCAR Arcade a higher rating than Daytona (via GameFAQs reviews) so he's useless. I even sent him an email years back and told him about the Marubaku videos, but he didn't reply.
SEGA-Daytona is awesome-Now Listen-Make Daytona 2! (2001)
Just more of the same. Oh look, it's our good friend isamu. Wow, he was way into this before I even knew about it.
The fact that Scud Race and Daytona 2 weren't released when the Dreamcast came out *LITERALLY* drove me to tears. Yes I wept like an uncontrollable baby.
I won't lie--I cried over Daytona USA 2 too. Come on man, we're all entitled to cry over ONE thing that's not a family member, pet, or disaster.
WARNING Sega: If you're reading this, you have a severely mentally obsessed and crazed fan out here that will do *ANYTHING* to own these two games. So I advise you to proceed with your Dreamcast plans with caution!! That's it I'm threw.
Caution is good. And yes, we're all mentally obsessed with this crap. It's our curse, our burden. We wander the world and people shun us. It's not easy. This is going to you Halo and Final Fantasy fans who will always be happy cause your devs will throw you a bone every few months. On the other hand, us Sega dudes will rip the tooth out BY THE ROOT just for a lick of SOMETHING.
'Sega Racing Classic'? Is this at last Daytona USA 3 ??? (2009)this link is down DAMMIT
Remember that Sega Racing Classic is the Daytona USA remake for arcades? And there's nothing new about it except the removal of the Daytona trademark and the enhanced screen resolution. Just heartbreaking to read everyone's heightened anticipated which fell crashing to the ground. I felt the same way at the time.
-----------
Aaaaannnddd....that's it. I honestly can't post anymore topics. Oh hell, for all of you guys, I posted way back my own rant about Daytona USA 2. There, read it and enjoy it. I still feel the same about it.
Now, let me say why I added the dates. You know how back then, back in 1999-2003 or whatever, people really wanted Daytona 2? Scud Race? Well, guess what...
I never thought I'd be saying this, but it's the year 2010. Scratch that, almost 2011. Let me rephrase that, it's the Year Two Thousand Eleven in the year of Our Lord. Which means as of now, Daytona 1 is 16 years old, Scud Race is 14, and Daytona 2 is 12. And people have been waiting for a decade.
Do you think as time passes that the odds of a re-release of some sort go down? Well, when you have Sega in dire straits and Nagoshi working on these generic FPS/adventure games, I don't know. I just don't know. Peace out dudes. Until then, we must keep the faith alive. Cause that's all we can do.
The day we dreaded has come (1999)
Long drawn out post, loves the scenery porn, it's a classic, bring the game to Dreamcast. Don't understand what he means by dreading this day. Also, this Brian Fox guy is a Debbie Downer who wants all racing games to be bland with no eye candy whatsoever.
RAVE RACER, SCUD RACE, DAYTONA USA 2 (2001)
Bring these games to a console.
Daytona -- When, Sega, When? (2000)
Bring Daytona 2 to Dreamcast. Everyone loves Daytona. Also talks about "Daytona 500" which would later become Daytona for the Dreamcast (I presume). Love the last comment about Daytona 2:
I believe this is one of Sega's surprises that they are keeping quiet on because they know how much demand there is for a Dreamcast version. Expect to hear nothing on it until Sega wants to let the cat out of the bag.
We're still waiting.
Sega's Scud Racer and Daytona USA 2 (2003)
Give us Xbox ports. How about this:
OMFG, what I would give for a completely accurate port of Daytona 2 + Power Edition on XBox with Live support. I'd give my eye teeth!
Eye teeth?
Daytona USA 2 (2000)
Why is Sega not working on this Dreamcast port?
Daytona 2! WARNING: I may get deep on this one!! (1999)
Wow, this is one huge-ass lump of text. The enter button is your friend. Now this Julian Smith guy..we kind of think alike. Like it's just strange to see another human being that salivates as much as I do over a Daytona 2 game.
These two racing games are in my opinion the ABSOLUTE GREATEST racing games on this or any other planet!!
Oh look, Mark Kim, the dude that wrote those Daytona 1 and 2/Scud Race/Crazy Taxi guides on GameFAQs. I have no idea where he is now. He also gave NASCAR Arcade a higher rating than Daytona (via GameFAQs reviews) so he's useless. I even sent him an email years back and told him about the Marubaku videos, but he didn't reply.
SEGA-Daytona is awesome-Now Listen-Make Daytona 2! (2001)
Just more of the same. Oh look, it's our good friend isamu. Wow, he was way into this before I even knew about it.
The fact that Scud Race and Daytona 2 weren't released when the Dreamcast came out *LITERALLY* drove me to tears. Yes I wept like an uncontrollable baby.
I won't lie--I cried over Daytona USA 2 too. Come on man, we're all entitled to cry over ONE thing that's not a family member, pet, or disaster.
WARNING Sega: If you're reading this, you have a severely mentally obsessed and crazed fan out here that will do *ANYTHING* to own these two games. So I advise you to proceed with your Dreamcast plans with caution!! That's it I'm threw.
Caution is good. And yes, we're all mentally obsessed with this crap. It's our curse, our burden. We wander the world and people shun us. It's not easy. This is going to you Halo and Final Fantasy fans who will always be happy cause your devs will throw you a bone every few months. On the other hand, us Sega dudes will rip the tooth out BY THE ROOT just for a lick of SOMETHING.
-----------
Aaaaannnddd....that's it. I honestly can't post anymore topics. Oh hell, for all of you guys, I posted way back my own rant about Daytona USA 2. There, read it and enjoy it. I still feel the same about it.
Now, let me say why I added the dates. You know how back then, back in 1999-2003 or whatever, people really wanted Daytona 2? Scud Race? Well, guess what...
I never thought I'd be saying this, but it's the year 2010. Scratch that, almost 2011. Let me rephrase that, it's the Year Two Thousand Eleven in the year of Our Lord. Which means as of now, Daytona 1 is 16 years old, Scud Race is 14, and Daytona 2 is 12. And people have been waiting for a decade.
Do you think as time passes that the odds of a re-release of some sort go down? Well, when you have Sega in dire straits and Nagoshi working on these generic FPS/adventure games, I don't know. I just don't know. Peace out dudes. Until then, we must keep the faith alive. Cause that's all we can do.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Christmas Funtime Is Here Again -- Crazy Taxi Tips, Rock Band FCs
For me, Christmas break unofficially begins now. All I have are three exams left which I've got "in the bag." Next week, just study a little, drive up there, turn in your books, and then I'm done.
I really can't believe it's Christmas time again. Everything is nice. Christmas lights, Santa, snow (in limited amounts), cookies, nativity scenes, crazy shoppers. The air is cleaner, the food tastes better, you get the idea. It's cold in Louisiana which is nice. Just being here is a Christmas gift itself. Oh yeah, and no school or work...now that's my kind of vacation.
Also would like to wish our Jewish friends a Happy Hanukkah. I'm not a fan of the term "Happy Holidays," so if I have to list every holiday, I'll do it...
------------
Last night, I got some good video game time in. One thing I played was Crazy Taxi. I wanted to see how much better I could do if I tweak the options to the easiest settings. So I play the arcade course as B.D. Joe and my first score is a mediocre $18,000... Okay, there's gotta be something that I'm missing. So let's learn how to do the Limit Cut. I read the GameFAQs guide and I still couldn't figure out how the hell to do this because the instructions weren't specific enough. But after fooling around with it, I finally figured it all out.
If you want to make crazy money in this game, this trick is ESSENTIAL. You'll get speed boosts like the Mushroom in Mario Kart. Let me tell you how to do it.
1. Be cruising forward, preferably in a straight line.
2. Let off the gas pedal. Don't worry, you'll hardly lose any speed.
3. Shift to R.
4. Wait for about .3-.4 seconds. THIS IS CRUCIAL. If you don't wait long enough, it won't work.
5. Shift to D.
6. Right after you shift, hit the gas pedal. Once again, timing is crucial but it mostly hinges on how long you wait to shift.
At first I thought it was just R-D-gas as fast as you can but that didn't work. You'll know you did it right when the engine revs really high and the controller shakes. Do this every couple of seconds. Speed boosts allow you to get MAJOR air and increased tips as you zip by traffic. Please note though that it's harder to turn when you're limit cutting so don't do it when you're turning hard.
Now why this isn't common knowledge is beyond me. The game never specifically tells you how to do it. Not even the Crazy Box gives you tips for this. This is probably the game's biggest flaw. But hey, now you know so good for you. Knowledge is power.
First time I tried limit cutting, I got $60,000 with Gus (Arcade course). Picked up 154 customers. I just ran out of people to pick up. I could try harder next time because it wasn't a flawless run by any means. Maybe it's time I take my newfound skills to an actual arcade cabinet!
Crazy Taxi Maps and Links here.
------------
Now about Rock Band. Well, I know that I'll never be able to FC hard songs like Rainbow in the Dark or Peace Sells so I might as well go for high scores on easier songs to get a morale boost. What I mean is FC an easier song and use Overdrive (Star Power) when there's the largest group of notes. So I'm playing Tangled Up In Blue by Bob Dylan on Expert Guitar and I get the FC for the first time and I get #1 on the leaderboard. I just about flipped out. ICE WATER in my veins. Also impeccable Overdrive path. 433,869 points. Ok, no one cares but I do and that's what matters!!
I really can't believe it's Christmas time again. Everything is nice. Christmas lights, Santa, snow (in limited amounts), cookies, nativity scenes, crazy shoppers. The air is cleaner, the food tastes better, you get the idea. It's cold in Louisiana which is nice. Just being here is a Christmas gift itself. Oh yeah, and no school or work...now that's my kind of vacation.
Also would like to wish our Jewish friends a Happy Hanukkah. I'm not a fan of the term "Happy Holidays," so if I have to list every holiday, I'll do it...
------------
Last night, I got some good video game time in. One thing I played was Crazy Taxi. I wanted to see how much better I could do if I tweak the options to the easiest settings. So I play the arcade course as B.D. Joe and my first score is a mediocre $18,000... Okay, there's gotta be something that I'm missing. So let's learn how to do the Limit Cut. I read the GameFAQs guide and I still couldn't figure out how the hell to do this because the instructions weren't specific enough. But after fooling around with it, I finally figured it all out.
If you want to make crazy money in this game, this trick is ESSENTIAL. You'll get speed boosts like the Mushroom in Mario Kart. Let me tell you how to do it.
1. Be cruising forward, preferably in a straight line.
2. Let off the gas pedal. Don't worry, you'll hardly lose any speed.
3. Shift to R.
4. Wait for about .3-.4 seconds. THIS IS CRUCIAL. If you don't wait long enough, it won't work.
5. Shift to D.
6. Right after you shift, hit the gas pedal. Once again, timing is crucial but it mostly hinges on how long you wait to shift.
At first I thought it was just R-D-gas as fast as you can but that didn't work. You'll know you did it right when the engine revs really high and the controller shakes. Do this every couple of seconds. Speed boosts allow you to get MAJOR air and increased tips as you zip by traffic. Please note though that it's harder to turn when you're limit cutting so don't do it when you're turning hard.
Now why this isn't common knowledge is beyond me. The game never specifically tells you how to do it. Not even the Crazy Box gives you tips for this. This is probably the game's biggest flaw. But hey, now you know so good for you. Knowledge is power.
First time I tried limit cutting, I got $60,000 with Gus (Arcade course). Picked up 154 customers. I just ran out of people to pick up. I could try harder next time because it wasn't a flawless run by any means. Maybe it's time I take my newfound skills to an actual arcade cabinet!
Crazy Taxi Maps and Links here.
------------
Now about Rock Band. Well, I know that I'll never be able to FC hard songs like Rainbow in the Dark or Peace Sells so I might as well go for high scores on easier songs to get a morale boost. What I mean is FC an easier song and use Overdrive (Star Power) when there's the largest group of notes. So I'm playing Tangled Up In Blue by Bob Dylan on Expert Guitar and I get the FC for the first time and I get #1 on the leaderboard. I just about flipped out. ICE WATER in my veins. Also impeccable Overdrive path. 433,869 points. Ok, no one cares but I do and that's what matters!!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Gran Turismo 5 -- Too Much Hype Over A Piece Of Crap?
EDITED TWICE, THREW IN SOME NEW LINKS.
I talked up Gran Turismo 5 a lot recently. I don't own the game (sorry, I don't have "great" access to a PS3 now) but I just wanted to wait it out for a week or so to see what people say about it. I was mostly hyped by the "We Love Cars" commercials and the fact that the devs really wanted the game to be good, it seems. Better that than to rush out a piece of crap.
Despite what I'm about to say, I still think GT5 is a good game, but I'm posting from a observer's perspective.
Anyway, people expecting this to be the greatest thing that ever happened to simulation games may be disappointed. Please note that I'm not "reviewing" the game myself because obviously, I haven't played it. Here's some of the things that people are bringing up which is certainly unusual considering how much time they had to finish it:
* Game starts off too slow--have to use crap cars for a while
* Still boring sense of speed
* Clunky menus
* Regular cars (800+, imported from previous GT's) look mediocre compared to premium cars (just 200-ish)
* A few instances of bland textures and lighting
* Online play is hokey with no matchmaking and relies entirely on having a good host
* Can't earn money/cars/other unlockables in online modes
* Menu music is annoying--elevator/porno music
* Screen tearing, a biggie considering the PS3's graphical capabilities
* Driving physics still aren't that realistic after all
* No Porsches (you get RUFs instead)
* Long load times
* You have to unlock car damage (yes, you don't start with it at first, wtf)
* Car damage is weird
* Course creation is not up to par
* Doesn't have Forza's design or storefront features
------------
Time for links:
The Gran Turismo 5 Screenshot Hall of Shame - Really? That Suzuki Works looks just like that? You sure this is GT5?
Unspoken Truth of Gran Turismo 5 (NSFW: profanity) - Just some guy dissecting all the complaints from the Eurogamer review in comparison to their optimistic 9/10 score. Click here for the actual Eurogamer review.
IGN's GT5 Review - Yes, I know everyone hates IGN(orant), but still, gotta give them some credit. Game gets an 8.5. Not the best for something so anticipated as this.
UK Resistance Dislikes GT5 (NSFW: profanity) - Not a big surprise; they hate Sony. Probably because A. Sony Playstation 2 killed the Dreamcast and B. a Sony exec slept with the dude's wife. Doesn't really bother me about their opinion.
EDIT:
Giant Bomb Review - Three stars out of 5. A 3/5. Reveiwer's Comment: A grind-heavy career mode and inconsistent visuals keep this otherwise fantastic driving simulation from finishing first. Well, these are also the same people who gave Split/Second a 4/5 so I'm afraid I must throw this one in the trash.
Gamespot Review - 8.0 which is not very flattering. Like Giant Bomb, career grinding seems to be apparent here.
------------
Now look. You will get the inevitable GT5 vs. Forza 3 comments. GT5 came out later so Forza 3 has the "I came out first" advantage. But look, there's one thing that I really, really like about GT5 over Forza 3...TRACK SELECTION. Yes, Forza 3 has Amalfi Coast, Fujimi Kaido, Montserrat/Catalunya, Nurburgring, New York, and Sunset Peninsula, but the first two are too damn complicated for regular racing. Gran Turismo has had Special Stage 5 (Any night courses in Forza? Anyone?), Trial Mountain, Autumn Ring, Tokyo R246, uh...how about this BIGGIE...:
GT5 has more tracks but not by much. And hey, GT5 already has some of those F3 courses too, like Tsukuba, Fuji, Suzuka, Nurburgring, La Sarthe, and Laguna Seca. Um, courses are a big part of any racing game and that's what I like about GT5 so far. Shame that old tracks like Seattle, Seoul, Hong Kong, Red Rock Valley, Grand Valley, Apricot Hill, Tahiti Road, Pikes Peak, and Grindelwald didn't make it. Remember, More tracks = GOOD. You can NEVER have too many tracks in my opinion. Just as long as it doesn't detract from the devs' focus on the core gameplay.
Gran Turismo 5 Track List
Forza 3 Track List
Oh, and throw in these two things too: GT5 has the Kubelwagen in it. Forza 3 doesn't. GT5 has more than eight cars on the track at once. Forza 3 doesn't. GT5 has rally racing. Forza 3 doesn't. So there.
NOTE: I'm not saying Forza 3 sucks cause it's been fun for a while (PI ratings killed it) and it allowed me to make those Daytona 2 cars. I'm just a bit annoyed when everyone claims Forza is the best thing since sliced bread and Gran Turismo is ass-backwards.
I also have a good PS3 junkie of a friend who has GT5 and he admits the game isn't perfect, but he really likes it anyway. He gives it at least a 9.5/10. He also said that a game of this caliber couldn't live up to its expectations no matter how hard they tried. Let me reiterate--I still think the game is great from first glance. I rooted for GT5, but if there are flaws, then that's what it is. I wish Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital luck in the future. That's all I have to say.
------------
EDITEDITEDIT: Look at this, pretty cool. GT5 footage looks a bit too saturated, but you get my drift:
I talked up Gran Turismo 5 a lot recently. I don't own the game (sorry, I don't have "great" access to a PS3 now) but I just wanted to wait it out for a week or so to see what people say about it. I was mostly hyped by the "We Love Cars" commercials and the fact that the devs really wanted the game to be good, it seems. Better that than to rush out a piece of crap.
Despite what I'm about to say, I still think GT5 is a good game, but I'm posting from a observer's perspective.
Anyway, people expecting this to be the greatest thing that ever happened to simulation games may be disappointed. Please note that I'm not "reviewing" the game myself because obviously, I haven't played it. Here's some of the things that people are bringing up which is certainly unusual considering how much time they had to finish it:
* Game starts off too slow--have to use crap cars for a while
* Still boring sense of speed
* Clunky menus
* Regular cars (800+, imported from previous GT's) look mediocre compared to premium cars (just 200-ish)
* A few instances of bland textures and lighting
* Online play is hokey with no matchmaking and relies entirely on having a good host
* Can't earn money/cars/other unlockables in online modes
* Menu music is annoying--elevator/porno music
* Screen tearing, a biggie considering the PS3's graphical capabilities
* Driving physics still aren't that realistic after all
* No Porsches (you get RUFs instead)
* Long load times
* You have to unlock car damage (yes, you don't start with it at first, wtf)
* Car damage is weird
* Course creation is not up to par
* Doesn't have Forza's design or storefront features
"Well, sometimes you can't help these people 'til they hit rock bottom." - George Costanza
------------
Time for links:
The Gran Turismo 5 Screenshot Hall of Shame - Really? That Suzuki Works looks just like that? You sure this is GT5?
Unspoken Truth of Gran Turismo 5 (NSFW: profanity) - Just some guy dissecting all the complaints from the Eurogamer review in comparison to their optimistic 9/10 score. Click here for the actual Eurogamer review.
IGN's GT5 Review - Yes, I know everyone hates IGN(orant), but still, gotta give them some credit. Game gets an 8.5. Not the best for something so anticipated as this.
UK Resistance Dislikes GT5 (NSFW: profanity) - Not a big surprise; they hate Sony. Probably because A. Sony Playstation 2 killed the Dreamcast and B. a Sony exec slept with the dude's wife. Doesn't really bother me about their opinion.
EDIT:
Giant Bomb Review - Three stars out of 5. A 3/5. Reveiwer's Comment: A grind-heavy career mode and inconsistent visuals keep this otherwise fantastic driving simulation from finishing first. Well, these are also the same people who gave Split/Second a 4/5 so I'm afraid I must throw this one in the trash.
Gamespot Review - 8.0 which is not very flattering. Like Giant Bomb, career grinding seems to be apparent here.
------------
Now look. You will get the inevitable GT5 vs. Forza 3 comments. GT5 came out later so Forza 3 has the "I came out first" advantage. But look, there's one thing that I really, really like about GT5 over Forza 3...TRACK SELECTION. Yes, Forza 3 has Amalfi Coast, Fujimi Kaido, Montserrat/Catalunya, Nurburgring, New York, and Sunset Peninsula, but the first two are too damn complicated for regular racing. Gran Turismo has had Special Stage 5 (Any night courses in Forza? Anyone?), Trial Mountain, Autumn Ring, Tokyo R246, uh...how about this BIGGIE...:
GT5 has more tracks but not by much. And hey, GT5 already has some of those F3 courses too, like Tsukuba, Fuji, Suzuka, Nurburgring, La Sarthe, and Laguna Seca. Um, courses are a big part of any racing game and that's what I like about GT5 so far. Shame that old tracks like Seattle, Seoul, Hong Kong, Red Rock Valley, Grand Valley, Apricot Hill, Tahiti Road, Pikes Peak, and Grindelwald didn't make it. Remember, More tracks = GOOD. You can NEVER have too many tracks in my opinion. Just as long as it doesn't detract from the devs' focus on the core gameplay.
Gran Turismo 5 Track List
Forza 3 Track List
Oh, and throw in these two things too: GT5 has the Kubelwagen in it. Forza 3 doesn't. GT5 has more than eight cars on the track at once. Forza 3 doesn't. GT5 has rally racing. Forza 3 doesn't. So there.
NOTE: I'm not saying Forza 3 sucks cause it's been fun for a while (PI ratings killed it) and it allowed me to make those Daytona 2 cars. I'm just a bit annoyed when everyone claims Forza is the best thing since sliced bread and Gran Turismo is ass-backwards.
I also have a good PS3 junkie of a friend who has GT5 and he admits the game isn't perfect, but he really likes it anyway. He gives it at least a 9.5/10. He also said that a game of this caliber couldn't live up to its expectations no matter how hard they tried. Let me reiterate--I still think the game is great from first glance. I rooted for GT5, but if there are flaws, then that's what it is. I wish Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital luck in the future. That's all I have to say.
------------
EDITEDITEDIT: Look at this, pretty cool. GT5 footage looks a bit too saturated, but you get my drift:
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