This is a VERY good racing game,,, if you like a chalenge, and have the hardware.
The GTL graphics are a marvel to be hold as long as you have the hardware to pump it up without stuttering the fps. it look "allmost" okay in 1024x780 on a older AMD 3000+ with an old ATI 9800PRO graphics card and 1gb ram in about 50% detali level settings. however with this PC spec's you realy need to limit the number of AI's on the track in order to keep the fps on a adequate level at all times during a race. on my other test system: AMD 4400x2 with a ATI 1800XL graphics card and 2gb ram, one can run the game in 1600x1200 or simular widescreen resulution with all the vital details levels max up without any anoying loss of fps. on this pc specs the game and the thrill of close "combat" racing truly make you yell HO-HOOO!!! in the dark corner of your home, or were ever you sit and play (drive).
The Sound in the game is allmost fantastic,, well honestly,, comparing the sound of GT-L with the sounds in some of the later arcade style games reasently released like the latest NFS games and other "Juiced" games, the individual sound of eatch car in GT-L seem to come from another planet quality wice. you get the destingt "outdoor" sounds of the Cab's and the weels on the track sounds great wile adissional bumps and contact with other cars add to the compleate sensation. Remember to set the number of played sound channels high enough in the option menu, or else some of the sounds will not amurge,, and some gamers/rewiewers will not know that the sounds are actually there ;-).
AI drivers in GTL are thankfully NOT flawless, they make errors like they would if they were humans out on a real track and it give you the sensation of driving against cars that run on the same track surface as you do and not some invisable railway track. The danger of having an accident that is not coused by you doing all the errors just ad to the realism of the game more then it anoy you if you are that unlucky in the first place. some ai drivers are better then others though, so to win a longer race on the higher levels will take you some time to acomplish. the graphical eventualities in the game are many and varied, there are no rain in the game..:-(, but night time racing in the dark pose a challenge on its own, a little reckless driving and you knock out your headlights and have to race in the lights of the other cars, in fast races on tricky tracks this will come as a huge disadvantage (obviously) and is a good way of learning patience in your racing and the need to stay in line, this of course favour the more hardcore racers and not the arcade bangers that are used to give their trottle pedal the full treatment and their brakes a good rest. in other words, GTL as a game i think mostly will please those that has a bit of "ice" in their head and it reward patient driving skills the most. if one is used to win a race against the computer by knocking the ai's off the track the chanses are that one will not win a lot of races in GTL if any at all.
In this times of bumper camera wiew's in Arcade's and easy racing games it is wonderfull to play a game this good that has a decent driver wiew, with car instruments that actually work and look this good. the feeling of actually sitting behind the weel in what looks to be a car and not a sledge with your head in front (bumper wiew) are realy a good leap in the right direction for me personaly and for others as well i beleve. the cocpits in high resulution, (need 256mb on your graphics card), are truly great to look at and do nothing but ad to the flavour of simulating you actually being there smelling the gasoline and exaust. the cars move about on the track with very belevable physics obviously calculated with a true mathematic game engine and not by a arcade style drive engine with pre defined sliding physics incorporated into it (NFS type). those games suits the consolles best, as they are ment to be played on a hand held little pad within your finger tips. GTL i think need a decent racing weel/pedal set. if you have a set with Clutch it is great, but it do well with a normal kind of driving equipment as well, just not a gamepad or some other rediculas controll method like the keyboard or whatever normal joystick/gamepad you may own. the need for simultanious braking, throtteling and stearing adustments to controll your car on the track become highly apparent on the higher simulation levels, and one there for need some sort of gaming gear that let you perform all this axes comands simultaniously.
So,, what are the bad parts of the game ? Well, the manual that comes with the game isnt not the best, it does not explane in depth the adjusting posibilities in the car set up garage, for those of us that has played the older Papyrus games like Nascar racing 2003 and simular, the setup mecanics are more understandable without the deep manual resurch, but for a beginner it is just as easy to download the setups online from within the setup menu in the game and learn to take it from there. another downside i guess are the lack of different wether condissions, however the game has absolutely marvelous dynamic lightning effects and some highly detailed graphics that way surpass any driving game on sale to date.
my conclution :: GT Legends are the best driving sim in the shops at the moment and a sure classic to be played for years to come and i guess no game developer can do better then that until another game come and top it off the 1'st place. FANTASTIC game.