Double-Joint

Gran Turismo Academy was recently released to the Playstation Store, and is part of a contest to be the best virtual driver in your country, as well as a demo for the upcoming (this summer!) Gran Turismo 5.

This demo is essentially the same as GT5: Prologue (which can now be considered a demo of this demo), only with a greater lack of content. You are given two car choices, one track choice, and one mode: time trial. Knowing only that, it might seem like there isn't much to do in the game.  It might seem that way at first glance, but if you're like me, the thrill of mastering the driving lines, delicate application of throttle coming out of the turns, and hard braking into the turns, this demo can offer you much more.

Physics

Gran Turismo has always been great at simulating realistic car physics, and this demo is no exception.  Polyphony Digital has stated that the physics engine in this game is very similar to the one that will be implemented in the final release of GT5.

While the realistic physics might turn off the average gamer at first go (this isn't Need for Speed), they offer a refreshing change from the too common full throttle all the time arcade racers, and make racing into more of a thinking-man's game.  For example: if your tires start to squeal coming out of a corner, ease off of the gas until you get enough grip to finish the corner, and start your turns from the outside and brake well before turning the wheel so that you can conserve as much momentum as possible.  It would take me too long to describe all of the small challenges you must overcome to finish a lap in good time.

Cars

While there are only two cars in the demo, they are different enough that they give you a good idea of what can be expected from different classes of cars in the Gran Turismo series.  You are given the choice between a Nissan 370Z, or *gasp* another Nissan 370Z!  The first version of the car is Tuned and fitted with racing tires, so it produces more horsepower, has more torque, and grippier tires. The result of this is a much faster average lap time, a faster top speed, and all around better handling characteristics.  As I have experience with GT4, and GT5: Prologue, I can tell you that while this car is fast, it doesn't compare with the truly high end race and sports cars you can drive in those games, so expect GT5 to have more where this came from.

The untuned version of the 350Z is equipped with probably the worst tires possible, and is much heavier and less powerful than the tuned version.  With traction control off (the most fun way to play) this car is very easy to spin out of control if you aren't careful.  I was able to get lap times about 20 seconds slower than the tuned car, but still had a blast driving the same track over and over.

Graphics

Coming from GT5: Prologue, I can't say that the graphics of GT Academy are much better or worse: they're about the same.  I did notice an improvement in the look of the car's interior (again, the only way to play), but it wasn't drastic. The spectators looks a bit bland, the grass as well, but the cars look good, and that's what matters.  Also, the texturing and detail on the track surface looks really good, and that's important because if you're playing the game right, that's what you're staring at constantly.

Controls

I controlled all of the racing games I've ever owned with a the controller for whatever system they were on, so in this case I used a Dualshock 3.  For some reason I was not able to get the button mapping working right, so I had to use the right analog stick to accelerate/brake, opposed to X and Square that I'm used to, this was a bit of an annoyance.  A bigger problem was with the manual transmission.  For some reason, the shift up/down buttons were incredibly sensitive, and just tapping one of them would immediately shift me into the highest or lowest gear possible, which made the game totally unplayable in MT mode.  I'm sure this will be fixed in the final game, but AT was the only thing that worked for me.

Once the final game comes out, I might splurge and pick up a Logitech G27 racing wheel for that added sense of realism.  Having a force feedback wheel is great for more precise steering control, but this wheel also comes with an H-style 6 speed shifter, paddle shifters, and gas, brake, and clutch pedals.  GT5: Prologue fully supported the clutch, and it opens up a whole different way to experience the game.

Final Thoughts

That's pretty much all I can say about the demo, as the content is really pretty sparse.  If you have the bandwidth to spare to grab the 200MBish download, go for it, especially if you haven't played GT5: Prologue.  If you have played Prologue, grab it also, as it's fun to have a few new cars to try, and a new track record to try to break.

-Torben