A great appetizer for the main course.
All of those are present in this title, albeit, everything is here in scant quantities. Although, it's kind of a welcome change to NOT see 99 different EVOs and Skylines. You get the best vehicles from each manufacturer, nothing more. The tuning feature has to be unlocked, and it's been tweaked to a more "on the fly" user friendly tuning menu. Purists and gearheads might find it lacking.
My biggest gripes are as follows:
1. There probably ought to be a qualifying procedure. Starting dead last isn't my idea of a challenge in some of the events. It's more like a plague or punishment. I don't see a reason why you can't earn a starting spot.
2. The time penalty for bumping or taking shortcuts needs ALOT of work. These features seem to only affect the player and never the AI.
3. The point system in the higher classes can be inconsistent. I've noticed a number of occasions where the game changes my assigned number for no apparent reason, especially when going online.
4. You can't tune in Arcade mode! WHY? HUH? Why not? Idiotic!
5. The online is terrible. There is no way to boot or punish someone for driving like a moron. There are no rooms. The game automatically matches you. It's light years behind Forza in that regard.
Still, all things said, it's a fun game for a while. The physics engine is the best it's ever been. The engine sounds are much improved over GT4. Now hurry up Polyphony and get me the real GT5!