I got my first crack at Gran Turismo 5 last night at the Victory Lap GT5 promotion party. It is so hard to evaluate a game in 5 minutes in a nightclub but here are my initial impressions. Keep in mind that I have hardly played any racing games other than GT4 for the last few years so my perspective is a bit outdated. The game was set up in simulators with force feedback wheels and pedals.

• The cars look great. You can see through body panels when the car has an extreme body kit. It gives a lot more depth to the cars and makes them seem more realistic.
• I am excited to try some of the new tracks and challenges. I've never played a game with Autodormo Monza and I'm looking forward to trying out the big ovals with a stock car. Exploring what is new will take some time.
• Love seeing the Tesla. They did a really good job of making it behave the way it should. You can even see the flow of energy to and from the battery. Hearing the electric motor in a video game is strange and really cool. Hqaveing worked for Tesla for the last 3.5 years this was especially gratifying to try out.
• I love that this game finally has Ferraris. I tried out the F40 (which I was far too excited to discover) at Suzuka. It was really challenging and I think with some practice and speakers that allow me to really hear the car it is going to be a lot of fun to drive. What other Ferraris are hiding in the game??
• The track modeling is really different, at least at Suzuka. The first right-hand kink off the straight was a lot slower than GT4 and a lot slower than a modern F1 car (in terms of relative speed). The game was recommending 2nd gear in the F40 and I went wide if I was in 3rd. F1 cars pretty much take that flat out. So did GT4. The 130R corner was a similar experience. Flat out in GT4 and modern F1. I think it was 2nd gear again in the F40.
• I only saw a little bit of damage but am eager to see more. Does it affect speed??
• The interiors that I saw were done really well. I wish all cars had an interior.
• I still don't like the wheel/pedal set-up. Maybe it just takes some getting used to but I have trouble getting the cars to go straight. I'm not sure how the brake pedal works either. Is it like the Sega Ferrari Challenge simulators that are pressure sensitive and you can induce wheel lock if you push too hard? I would need a quiet room to figure this one out.
• There was a lot of spinning. New game, unfamiliar wheel, etc. Very few drivers could keep the cars on the track. To my eralier points I think the lack of audible feedback made it hard, especially with driver aids turned off.
• The rain levels look really hard. Not only is the surface slick but other cars spray the windshield. Night tracks are going to be difficult too.

I am excited to explore further. Will the game ultimately be what I had hoped for? Only time will tell. Whether it meets expectations or not I am fairly confident that it will be worth the $60 that I pay for it.

Bring it on!

Zak