‘Gran Turismo 5 Prologue’

‘Gran Turismo 5 Prologue’

(Sony) for PlayStation 3

Genre: Racing

Rating: E

Grade: B

My co-worker and fellow gamer, Paul, is huge on cars — loves them in ways I normally think would be unhealthy considering the depth and reach of his knowledge on the subject. He races cars on tracks on weekends and he’s always talking about tweaks he’s made to his rides and comparing car specs with others around us.

For him, “Gran Turismo 5” is certainly a standard-bearer for racing games. But while he awaits the full release of the game next year, his appetite must, for now, be satisfied with “Prologue,” Sony’s scaled-down version. It certainly lacks the depth of the full “GT” releases of the past, but since this is the PS3 debut for the popular franchise, most fans probably will not be able to avoid it.

There are only six courses to race on, so that’s an instant limitation —- also considering that one of them was in the demo that was released with the PS3 originally. There are also much fewer cars to choose from and, beyond that, the inability to make custom changes to the cars will leave you feeling shorted.

But if racing in stunning hi-def is what you were looking for, then “Prologue” will satisfy. The franchise has always pushed the limits of photo-realistic environments, and this is no exception. The in-cockpit viewpoint is also amazing, and definitely the closest yet to feeling like you’re in the car.

Paul and other racing fanatics will only pine longer for the full “GT5” release, but for now they should be spelled as “Prologue” is a worthy layover.

—Chris Campbell, Scripps Howard