A 40 dollar demo? Sounds crazy and few games can dare to pull it off but fortunately GT5P falls well into that category. With over 70 cars and 6 tracks the game certainly feels quite thin compared to other GT games.
The producers of the game claim the reason they made the prologue was because in its current state it simply isn't fit to be called GT5 yet and in many ways this is true. The experience gotten from playing a GT game goes just beyond racing. You can actually play a GT game and leave knowing more about cars than you did before and it really is that deep.
The game has taken a lot of steps in the right direction to make the game more accessible to beginners. They have included standard physics which is far more forgiving than professional physics and a best driving line that tells you when to brake and how fast to take a turn. However i think it would have been a lot easier if they had included the pros and cons of each car in terms of handling, speed, acceleration e.t.c. Sometimes you might save up to buy a car for particular event only to realize it handles poorly or it simply isn't fast enough. This can be a bit frustrating as the cars get more expensive.
As for the visuals, there simply is no other way to put it. GT5P is the best looking driving game ever made. The lighting effects in the game are ridiculously realistic. When driving through a dark tunnel and emerging on the other side, you are temporarily blinded from the sudden rush of light. The game also manages to pull this off at 1080p and 60fps. Although it is not native 1080p, it is still higher than 720p.
GT5P is truly a remarkable game each car handles differently and you can tell a lot of effort was put into making this game. Unfortunately despite all the beauty and the detail, GT5P still suffers from flaws. The biggest flaws are the online modes and the lack of damage. As it is right now the online mode is virtually unplayable. With no mic support, there is no community based feature. Based on your selected car, you are allowed to participate in certain events online. The races can accommodate up to 16 racers online but the amount of chaos in an online race with 16 people is insane. Cars tend to dissapear and reappear at random. One second they aren't there and the next second they are right in front of you for you to run into. You cannot create custom matches and you cannot select individuals to race against. This leaves the online mode feeling very basic and ancient like something built on the ps2.
The lack of damage also gives professional wall riders the ability to display high scores without working for them. Online racers also don't hesitate to play bumper cars with you. As is the fastest way to take a turn is to bump into the car ahead of you at full speed sending the bumped car off course while the momentum of the collision slows you down enough to successfully make your turn.
The only plus side to the online mode is it is more rewarding that the sp events. The credits earned online go a long way in helping you purchase some of your favorite vehicles. The resale value for most cars are a lot lower than you would like so for this reason it is probably best to do those extra races and not sell your car. Though it may take a while, its a lot better to collect all the cars in other to see how each of them drive.
At the end of the day for some GT5P may not be worth the 40 dollar price tag but the game is still far from a demo and offers up a lot more enjoyment than most 60 dollar racing games. Assuming car damage truly is added in fall and the online mode is fixed, the final version of this game could go down in history as the best driving game ever made.
