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Get your kid a 360 (if you lack one) and Forza Motorsport 3 instead. The driving model is superior to Gran Turismo (at least as of GT5: Prologue, which really d

by Legion 16y ago

Get your kid a 360 (if you lack one) and Forza Motorsport 3 instead. The driving model is superior to Gran Turismo (at least as of GT5: Prologue, which really disappointed me as an old GT fan) and the interface is not the hell described in this article. Gran Turismo is the grandaddy, and I still look back incredibly fondly to the old Gran Turismo games. But the place to get that game now is Forza. Definitely for the Top Gear fan that wants to drive cars as "realistically" as possible on a video game console (there's neat hardcore stuff in the PC realm to check out as well, but they're definitely not as accessible as a Forza).

amackera 16y ago
In my opinion the driving model of Forza is not nearly at the level of GT5. Methinks this is highly subjective though.
- Legion 16y ago
  Like I said, I've only gone up to GT5: Prologue, and not the actual GT5 release. But I found that I could take corners at ridiculous (for a simulation) speeds with street tires on and every available "assist" disabled in GT5: Prologue. It was incredibly forgiving for the so-called "Real Driving Simulator". I would be happy to hear that GT5 has taken the training wheels off and amped up the realism of the driving model. But with GT5: Prologue, I could easily demonstrate poor driving that was forgiven by GT5: Prologue that would spin me out in the more stringently realistic Forza model.
  - erso 16y ago
    I played Prologue after having played a lot of FM3, and being a long-time GT4 fan, and found it to be terrible. There was a demo out at one point released some 8 or 9 months after Prologue that was leaps and bounds ahead of it. I haven't yet played the final product but I'd assume it's more in line with that demo that's no longer available.
brisance 16y ago
Agree with everything you typed. I was a huge Gran Turismo fan and thought GT2 was the paragon of what was really possible with the hardware at that time. But it all went downhill starting from GT3. The reason, I suspect, is that the makers of GT were too caught up in its own "The Real Driving Simulator" spiel. Specifically: the gamer has to take part in an actual 24 hour endurance race, similar to the 24 Hour Le Mans. Games are supposed to be fun, first and foremost. Going around the same circuit for 24 hours at a stretch is not only bad for the gamer's health, it's also bad for the environment (since you can't turn off the console and have to leave the game paused should you have other matters to attend to). It makes absolutely no sense since the game does not simulate the other aspects of actual endurance racing e.g. team strategy, unexpected mechanical failure etc. Like you, I tried Forza and haven't looked back. Sure, there are far more realistic driving sims on Windows, but FM is really easy to get into and it is FUN. Which is what gaming is all about.
petercooper 16y ago
I know it's highly subjective but I found Forza 3 to be really bad compared to GT5. It feels like your car is "on rails" with no sensation of speed. GT5 Prologue felt a bit like this too (and was rather flawed generally), but they seem to have fixed it in GT5 along with most physics issues. I note my bias though: I'm a massive GT fan and have owned every one ;-) All that said, I'd actually support Legion's advice. For someone who doesn't really care much either way, a 360 is a better bet and Forza 3 is OK if you like a more arcadey experience (though I'd just get Project Gotham Racing 4 instead - it's far better if you like it arcadey, I got many hours out of it).

by Legion 16y ago

amackera 16y ago

In my opinion the driving model of Forza is not nearly at the level of GT5. Methinks this is highly subjective though.

Legion 16y ago
Like I said, I've only gone up to GT5: Prologue, and not the actual GT5 release. But I found that I could take corners at ridiculous (for a simulation) speeds with street tires on and every available "assist" disabled in GT5: Prologue. It was incredibly forgiving for the so-called "Real Driving Simulator". I would be happy to hear that GT5 has taken the training wheels off and amped up the realism of the driving model. But with GT5: Prologue, I could easily demonstrate poor driving that was forgiven by GT5: Prologue that would spin me out in the more stringently realistic Forza model.
- erso 16y ago
  I played Prologue after having played a lot of FM3, and being a long-time GT4 fan, and found it to be terrible. There was a demo out at one point released some 8 or 9 months after Prologue that was leaps and bounds ahead of it. I haven't yet played the final product but I'd assume it's more in line with that demo that's no longer available.

brisance 16y ago

Agree with everything you typed. I was a huge Gran Turismo fan and thought GT2 was the paragon of what was really possible with the hardware at that time. But it all went downhill starting from GT3. The reason, I suspect, is that the makers of GT were too caught up in its own "The Real Driving Simulator" spiel. Specifically: the gamer has to take part in an actual 24 hour endurance race, similar to the 24 Hour Le Mans. Games are supposed to be fun, first and foremost. Going around the same circuit for 24 hours at a stretch is not only bad for the gamer's health, it's also bad for the environment (since you can't turn off the console and have to leave the game paused should you have other matters to attend to). It makes absolutely no sense since the game does not simulate the other aspects of actual endurance racing e.g. team strategy, unexpected mechanical failure etc. Like you, I tried Forza and haven't looked back. Sure, there are far more realistic driving sims on Windows, but FM is really easy to get into and it is FUN. Which is what gaming is all about.

petercooper 16y ago

I know it's highly subjective but I found Forza 3 to be really bad compared to GT5. It feels like your car is "on rails" with no sensation of speed. GT5 Prologue felt a bit like this too (and was rather flawed generally), but they seem to have fixed it in GT5 along with most physics issues. I note my bias though: I'm a massive GT fan and have owned every one ;-) All that said, I'd actually support Legion's advice. For someone who doesn't really care much either way, a 360 is a better bet and Forza 3 is OK if you like a more arcadey experience (though I'd just get Project Gotham Racing 4 instead - it's far better if you like it arcadey, I got many hours out of it).