I initially said GT5 was great, I mean look at those graphics they are amazing, but good graphics don’t make a good game do they, NO! So what is wrong then?

• Well plenty of things really, firstly everything takes an age to load, I don’t want to wait several minutes to get into each race plus how many updates have there been and some of them have been huge.
• How many cars do I need to buy and why is it such hard work to get them? I mean why do I get awarded the car I need to do the race at the end not get give it as a reward of doing the race before maybe? It just seems daft and tiresome to often buy a car that is way to quick for the rest of the cars in the race not making it fun at all, and a game should be fun.
• Why do the cars that I get given go into a truck for me to accept or well accept, why can’t go straight into my garage and for it to say new cars or for them to be highlighted when I go into it, another stupidly unnecessary step.
• Damage, its there but its not. Its only available on premium cars and you can only use it when you have got to a high experiencing level.  Why? every other racing game manages to make the a great damage model available from the very start I don’t want to wait and I shouldn’t have to.

But above all the biggest thing is that its just not fun enough, far too much time is waisted buying a car that isn’t quick enough for the race you enter or more often is the case is way way to quick. Let us choose from 5 cars that are all similar for each race or indicate which are the right once to pick without going into the race looking, coming out buying seeing it needs upgrading and then going back in again. It really does detract from this being a stunning game. In the end I’ve gone back to playing NFS Shift which has its fair share of issues but its still great fun to play.

They could have made the game great, we all waited long enough but in the end its a massive miss that they may never recover from, I certainly won’t be pre-ordering it again when the next release comes out.

The first hurdle – Installation / Getting it going

But things didn’t start well, when I installed Settlers 7 it didn’t work first time even though it even downloaded a patch before I fired up the game.  So I re-installed after removing it all for the same to happen.  So the troubleshooting started, here are a few tips.

1. Turn off dual screens if you have them. I did this and it at least tried to start, it seems after you have done this it you can turn them back on as the game is configured for using only a single screen.
2. Make sure you allow all the requests out through your firewall, doing this at least made it try and start but it still fell over. The standard changes are for the windows firewall but that doesn’t help if you are using Comodo or Zonealams
3. Turn off the Security level for Comodo, not the firewall that is left on but if I turn off the security hey presto it will fire up.

Yes yes its hard for a software supplier to test everything but Tropico started without problem so why can’t this be the same, oh and little or no DRM on Tropico and its been a dream to play.

Game Review – The Good

Well I’m up to about mission 5  or 6 and its brilliant so far, not too hard or easy but just right. The graphics are great and just about the right amount of serious and playful. The story line is evolving and the interface is pretty good as well. It is a bit confusing in some areas when trading, it seems you do it in the interface for trading but then can actually do it on the map or is it both, I’m a touch confused on that bit.

You need to get off the mark quickly on some missions to get ahead of your opponent that might need a second try to win but that is all part of the challenge.

Game Review – The Bad

Well I’ve mentioned the DRM a bit already and it really is a massive pain. Three times whilst playing the game its told my I’ve lost a connection. But so what I’m playing a local mission on my PC with no interaction with anyone else, why the hell do I care if I’ve lost connection. But in fairness its come back fairly quickly and I’ve been back to playing again.

But today takes the biscuit. Better half is out shopping for the day so I can get some quality gaming in but no, the Ubisoft servers are down and I can’t get a connection. Great so I can’t play a local game because I can’t get to the server. Now I can write this so by ADSL connection is fine but they can’t create a solution that allows me to play the game, pathetic.

Verdict

Well this is tough, I want to give the game a 9/10, its really really good but how can I give it a score like that when I can’t even play the game. DRM and the digital rights bill that is about to go through the commons in the UK is only going to make this sort of thing worse, not just for gaming but films and music. I buy all my games but do you know what I’d be looking for a crack if such a thing was available just to allow me to play the game.

So it seems its the verdict is

Ubisoft Game developers 9/10 well done you did a great job.

Ubisoft finance and marketing team 0/10, well done for killing a game I wonder how well this is going to affect your profits for this and future games, mine is going back to the retailer.

Until this issue is fixed for good I can’t recommend buying a game that might not work for a day or more (its still down after 2 hrs so far today). I will report back if there is a fix or the issue no longer occurs. Personally I’m off to play Tropico 3, that’s working perfectly and is just as good.

This was when things started to go wrong, the cars just bounced and lurched from one corner to another. It was terrible and very difficult to enjoy.

But now its all fixed with a new patch. Gone are the problems with the handling and the game is back to its best. With Gran Turismo 5 still way off after what seems like a decades wait this is the best driving game out on the PS3 at the moment and should be the top of anyone’s Christmas list.

Every racing game you play on the PS3 is always measured against Gran Turismo it is after all the daddy of racing games on pretty much any format. So its always with much trepidation when you first load a new racing game to see how it measures up, because lets face it, its not going to be as good as GT is it…. well lets see.

NFS – Shift Game Overview

You start the game by doing a single lap short Brands Hatch circuit in a BMW M3, its this that sets up how much assistance the game is going to give you and how tough the AI is going to be. For me it didn’t quite turn out right as when it goes across the line and I had my foot flat to the floor the M3 wanted to spin like a top and I got a right swapper on, needless to say it didn’t end well. It kind of work but I still tweaked the settings, I didn’t need brake assistance and I wanted a stronger opponent so I upped it from easy to Medium. You then do an initial race that decides how much money you are going to get. I came second so I got $37,000 dollars to speed.

So what do you buy as your first car? Well I went for the 135i BMW and a cracking choice it has been. I didn’t want any of the 4wd Audi’s and the BMW already has good handling and is quick on the road so off I went.

Points make prices

Each game wants to add to the racing genre so what does NFS – Shift add? Points for being good and bad, yes if you leave it late to break into a corner and smash another drive out of the way then you get some points to help advance your career.  But if you want to have a nice clean race, then hold the racing line, brake at the right time (take note of the changing racking line, if you are on it and its read you really need to brake) and you will get the same points for doing it right, nip inside of another car without touching them and you will get points for a clean pass, or just nip across an apex to master the corner and it gives you a bag load of points. Meet the criteria of that race and get first and you will get a full rack of stars that bring extra points and more challenges.

Handling

This is fairly important for a racing game, it needs to be able to react well to how you might think the car drives and in this type of game provide entertaining handling, but does it deliver? In buckets, its Brilliant with a capital B, OK so I’m playing with a new wheel (more of that later) but I’ve been playing GT Prologue all week and this is so much better its untrue.

Power out of a corner and you can nicely hold a drift or correct a slide easily and adjust your line, brake late and you can just about ease off the brake and tip toe around the outside of the corner just like you can in a car at a circuit. OK so I have a low ABS setting and the same for traction control again on low but who cares, I want the game to entertain me and it does. It makes the handling model of Gran Turismo feel wooden by comparison and yes with similar settings.

Each new car you drive also feels different as it should, take an MX5 for a drive and you can see why people rave about it, it feels fantastic, step into a DB9 and it feels properly quick but a bit cumbersome as well, you can feel the extra weight and lack of braking power that I bet is also apparent in the road car.

I have to say I’ve never wanted to go back and play a racing game more than this one, that includes all the GT and GTR/2 the lot, as a combination of a fine handling model and just a damn good fun it has to be up there with the very best, in short they have a winner on their hands in my opinion.

Tuning the Car

So you have bought your car and earned a few points and a bit of money so what can you do with it. Well the game also has a nice little upgrade center. You can make the car lighter, add uprated suspension, racing exhaust or add an aero package, the whole lot. You can also change the paint colour or add vinyls its a nice additional touch that only adds to the game and draws you in even more.

Opponent AI

They are fiendish little things, brake a bit early and they will nip around the outside of you on the higher tiers, they are inteligent and will try to block you and they will easily out brake you if you try and take it easy. But if you attach they will also push back, you feel like you are driving a good on-line but fair competitor, it makes the game great fun to play.

Graphics

Its good, but not quite GT polished good, but it really doesn’t matter, there is plenty of detail and there is never any slowdown or frame rate issues at any point. Things aren’t as slick or as polished but then I’m concentrating on clipping the apex and getting the line right and not looking at the view across the valley, but don’t take this as the graphics being bad they aren’t they are actually very good. They have also used the graphics to enhance the race, smack into the side of another car and the colour will suddenly go and the screen goes black and white, smack into the back of a car and the screen goes blurred so you can try and cheat but you can’t see for a while afterwards.

I’d hate to think that anyone would not buy this game because the graphics aren’t GT good, but then hey we have waited 5 damn years for an updated full GT game (way way way too long) and still no idea when it might appear, NFS Shift is here now…!! Check out the video below, it looks sweet.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBOvS4algHA

Sound

You can’t have a good racing game without great sound and this game has great sound. Drive through a tunnel and you can hear the exhaust get louder as it ricochets off the walls. Each car sounds the same as the road cars do that I’ve heard, they haven’t just tired to make a sound something like it should, they have obviously done a fair bit of sampling to get the sounds just right. The effects when you skid or hit another car are good and the sound really works, you want to drive another car to see how interesting the engine is going to sound. Its one of those racing games that you play that little bit to loud because you just want to feel like you are in the car.

Any Bad Bits?

Well not really, I’d like it to remember my screen choice, not have to set it each time I race, but that might be fixed in a update. More circuits would be nice and more cars but so far I’ve not played many again so its not really a complaint yet.

Conclusion – Rating 9/10

As a game to entertain and offer brilliant handling, great graphics and some new and entertaining features its great. I’ve not played any of the NFS series for a while, but I used to love playing it on the PC, its more circuit based and less road biased than in the past but its still a cracker. If you have been thinking I will wait until GT 5 comes out don’t get this and sod them it really is a good match. No there isn’t a massive list of cars, but that just means you spend more time upgrading and playing will your current cars, lets be honest how many of the 1000 cars in GT will you actually drive anyway.  I’ve dropped a point because the graphics could be a little bit better but then again I’m glad they just got the game out and spent more time on the driving model.

I mean I’ve just driven a large junk of the Nurburgring, which was great fun and it felt far more realistic than it does in GT, its great go and buy it and I hope there will be some new DLC to keep the game fresh for a long time to come. GT, eat NFS brake fluid, your days could be numbered.

They have been comparing it to Forza recently but who will come out on to? Only time and a hell of a lot of game place will we find out. So have a read a drool over this lovely list of features, now what am I going to call the private race room then…….

With any luck it will be out well before Christmas as the signs are that its going to be launched before December, watch this space.

- models included

1,000 vehicles

170 Premium new models (full interior modelling, the interior corresponds to vehicle damage)

830 kinds of standard model (some are from Gran Turismo 4 that have been carried over to GT5) [Read: Cars we have seen in GT4 before ]

- Courses

60 courses confirmed with 20 or more to be revealed

- physical simulation of vehicles

Physics system simulation is brand new

Represented is full fall in vehicles [possibly rollover]

Damage representation (reproduced in full by real-time collision deformation)

faithfully reproducing the behavior of electric cars, i.e. Prius, Insight, hybrid cars and the latest Tesla model

- Arcade Mode

Single Race

2 player battle

- GT Mode

World Map

My Garage

Car Dealer

Tuning Shop (parts, tires)

Car Washes/Oil Change

Race Championship (Series system, point system)

License Test

- Online

Open Lobby

Text / Voice Chat

Private rooms

Online Photo Album

Online Replay Album

YouTube replay output

- Photo Mode

Photo Drive (Circuit)

Photo stage (Stage Photo mode only)

- Gran Turismo TV

Video output to a PSP or PSP Go®

Progressive Download

Improved user interface

Continuous Play for videos

- Museums

The Gran Turismo 5 Prologue version, + more information at TGS

- Sound

Custom soundtracks (Use songs from your PS3 hard-drive)

Dolby Digital 5.1 and 7.1

- User Interface

The Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, and the same design concept. The icons change color

Able to track the movement of Cockpit Camera interface (confirmed in full 3-D. The camera can be fully manipulated and you can opt to have your head tracked by the PSEye)

GT Mobile PSP

After a drought of news on anything new Gran Turismo we have another update this time the first video of GT on the all new PSP Go and some pictures, looks great doesn’t it? Yes the video you see below is GT PSP in all its 60fps glory, and it looks stunning. Ignore the driving they obviously haven’t got a clue but it looks great and better than it does on the PS2, but this is a hand held console. No news on a release date yet and nothing for GT5 on the PS3 either apparently its un-decided, great, come on Polyphony and Kazunori Yamauchi, hurry up!!

More info on GT PSP or GT Mobile as it might be called.

• Will have all the tracks of GT4
• Over 800 cars will be avaliable
• Can be bought for PSP Go and UMD disc PSP’s

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn5rBftQ1b0

Oh and if you missed it these are the specs of the new PSP Go, expect it in the UK for sub £200

• Approx. 128 x 16.5 x 69 mm (width x height x depth)
• Weight: 5.6 ounces (including batter)
• CPU: 333MHz
• 64MB memory
• 3.8-inch display (480 x 272 resolution)
• Built-in stereo speakers and microphone
• 802.11b WiFi
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• USB 2.0
• Memory Stick Micro slot
• Analog video out
• 16GB storage

But no news on a release date yet or even any indication, how long do we have to wait? Its been over 4 years since GT4 that was launched on the PS2, are they trying to kill it off. Surely they can release it in stages with new downloads every quarter adding tracks and more features, but no its delay delay delay.

Anyway enjoy the updated video and all its potential new splendor.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xANhKMCl7nU

It looks nice and compact and the screen quite big but not too big that its not going to fit in your pocket. Gone are the UMD disks and it is all going to be via memory cards or similar and it fully integrates with the PS3.

Expected to be out before Christmas, get your order in early.

Spec’s

• 3.8-inch display (resolution is undisclosed)
• 43 percent lighter than the PSP-3000
• 16GB of Flash storage
• Bluetooth built-in; supports handset tethering and BT headsets
• No UMD drive
• Memory Stick Micro slot
• New Gran Turismo, Little Big Planet and new Metal Gear Solid (!) on the way
• Full PlayStation Network support (movie and TV rentals / purchases)
• Integration with PlayStation 3 (works the same as the PSP-3000 does)
• Sony views each of its products as “10-year lifecycle products,” so the PSP “needs to live on.”

For more info videos and links Check out Engadget

Games Console

I’ve only got a few games so far but oh my is it a cracking console. For those that have waited to get one now is the time to go for it. Its whisper quiet and very fast, playing something like Burnout Paradise is a dream, jump on a bike and the sound and graphics are an absolute joy.

Games

Little Big Planet 10/10

What a cracking game. I got this in the bundle and didn’t thing I’d like it, the pictures just don’t do it justice. If you need something to sell getting the PS3 to your other half do it with this. They won’t think its much but get it through the door and they will love it. My better half loves it to bits, its interesting enough and not ‘too’ hard to make it frustrating and the controls are easy peasy. But you just have to love it as its so cute(I’m a bloke and yes I did say that), design your own character from things you pick up from the game or download from the store it just works.

The look and feel of the game as your playing is a joy, it never gets mboring, its a cross between Lemmings and manic minor (yes that was a spectrum game) but then good basic games sometimes do just work. Its this simplicity and purity than make it so special, I think its possibly the must have game on the PS3 at the moment, yes it really is that good.

Burnout Paradise 8.5/10

Well I had heard this was good but its not, its great. The graphics are good and but its the sound and the game play that makes it work. Each car is different and fun but then, you try the quick bike. What a hoot, you can throw it round and take it through tunnels and hear the change it the exhaust note the sounds is spot on, very realistic.

You aren’t going to learn the roads in two minutes its vast, not quite Test Drive vast on the PC but its not that far off. No you don’t kill people and do all the rest like Gran Theft Auto 4 on the PS3 but its still a great driving game, from what I’ve read possibly the best on the PS3. A must have if you like driving games.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue 7/10

Well this was the big daddy of the PS3 but I won’t hold my punches its a mini game nothing more nothing less. It was the biggest draw to the PS3 and it is a great game but its just over to quickly. Why they don’t have physical damage yet is just plain daft, but then they say its due but thats not going to come until the full game or thats the latest potential.

The graphics are fantastic and a joy to drive through, I think it will get even better in the full game though its just missing that last tenth. The handling model has improved and is a little more tricky as a result, you feel the weight shift more than in the last game especially at high speed. Throw the GTR into a corner at high speed and get it wrong and you can feel the car losing it rather than gripping that just won’t happen in reality. It does mean its a little harder to finish it, I’m still to complete the top two races that seem to have got harder on the latest update. Its good, but with so few challenges and so few cars to play it just doesn’t justify its price tag compared to something as vast as Burnout.

Blu-Ray Player

But its no one trick pony of course, let it suck in a Blu-Ray disk and sit back to amazing depth and quality. Watching SkyHD in the UK is good but this is on a different level. The sounds is great as well on the right disk.

Media Player

More? well how does a media centre sound, yes lock it onto your own media server for me a Windows homeserver and it will immediately show all the tracks in your collection, all the images you have stored and all the movies and video you might have put in the server. It could do with a few tweaks to make it easier to search for the right track or album when you have a large collection, but when you find the right track it does a great job at playing it to the highest quality.

Sound

I’m sending the glorious sound via HDMI to my Onkyo 875 that just laps it up. Everything plays at the highest quality and without problem

Yes it justifies its own title. If you want to get the best from the PS3 you need an internet connection and a fast one at that. But Burnout today and it downloads three updates, how much, well

The Downloads

Yes it does justify its own title. To get the best from the PS3 you need a fast internet connection plain and simple. Take Burnout for instance, it had three updates the first time you put it in, first one 153Mb, second 73Mb and then another 10 at the end. If you have a slow connection thats going to take a while, so always put the new games in well before you might want to play them especially if they have been out for a while. Its not terrible but something that does become apparent. If you have been added into the PS3 Home Beta (A new on-line erm, experience) you will know what I mean, 73Mb to get started, then another updated before it lets you in then 4 other updates to before you can look round everywhere. It does mean a bug can be fixed but it does have its drawbacks.

Conclusion

If you are even remotely considering getting a PS3 go for it. If you have an HD ready TV and want to get the best quality of picture playback then get a PS3, I mean why just get a dedicated player that review after review in top HiFi magazines only put on a par to the PS3, it just doesn’t make sense. The fact that you get a cracking console that has some cracking games and a great media player all in one lovely box for less than £300 is a complete bargain. Its reached the right price point to make it work especially with the current deals, its a must buy for me.