Great graphics, great idea, but the physics still suck.
First off, the graphics are the best i have seen so far on this system. Note that to get the full effect, you need to have it hooked up thru an HDMI port to a 1080p capable TV (which i have). There is only one track, but it looks breathtaking when you look at the mountain view and the crouds.
The fun stopped once I started driving. I should have predicted it... The physics in this game are almost EXACTLY the same as the ones in Gran Turismo 4. They suck. Now I don't know about you, but my idea of a fun racing game does not include needing to slow down to 10 MPH to make a simple left turn without spinning out. Plus, If you hit a wall, your car simply just stops. No deflecting backwards, no flipping over, nothing! One time I crashed into the wall sideways at 100 mph in this ferarri I had, and my car simply just stopped. Like i mentioned before, turning is nearly impossible. It can sometimes lead you into these little rocky or dirt areas there are in the track. Once you are in these, the fastest your car will go is like 5 miles an hour, assuming you crashed into a wall and went down to zero.
Drift mode defines suck. Unless you are a seasoned Gran turismo vetern, you will probably find it impossible. It is basically a total craps shoot when it comes to how much your car will drift in any given situation. On one lap, you could take a drift, but you drift too much and spin out. So, on your next lap, you could try something different, and still get unwanted results. Heck, you could take ten laps and still fail the exact same curves. Bottom line is that everyone responds differently to handling in racing games. Some people can play burnout for a month, and then go play a game like Gran turismo 4 or HD and be perfect at it first shot. Some people can only play Need for speed games and nothing else.
The only way to find out if you can play the game is... download it! After all, its free! However... as far as buying a Gran Turismo game when you have never played one before... I would definitely rent first.