- Joined
- Mar 12, 2006
- Messages
- 2,608
- Car
- Mini Cooper S, BMW M140i
I'm guessing that as this is a motoring forum, at least some of us are familiar with the "Gran Turismo" series of racing games on the Playstation. I've been a fan since the original came out on the PS1 many years ago, and have bought every iteration since, but I have to say I'm bitterly disappointed with the new version.
Because the new game was only coming out on the PS4 (and I still had a PS3) I had to buy a new console. But that's all right, because I'm going to get hours of enjoyment out of it.
Now the first hitch - I have a seat and steering wheel that I use to play GT6, but I have to upgrade the wheel because my old one, surprise, surprise, isn't compatible with the new console. Hmm, this is getting a bit expensive. But that's all right, I suppose, because I'm going to get hours of enjoyment out of it.
Wednesday was release day, but rather than buy a disc I go for the download version, which is more expensive but comes with extra cars and in-game credits to buy more - always part of the fun of the game. And that's all right, isn't it?. Because I'm going to get hours of enjoyment out of it.
Well of course, the download takes frigging hours (in total 61GB!! - that wouldn't have fitted on my PS3 as it's only got a 40GB hard drive) so I can't play the game then anyway. But it doesn't matter, because I'm going to get hours of enjoyment out of it. And I can wait till the weekend, I'm not a little kid.
So we scroll forward to today, and Mrs. Gaz is going out so I get a monopoly on the big telly. I get myself all set up, get the game running and it's all good. It looks utterly gorgeous and all that money was clearly well spent.
And then, dear reader, I start to play it. And quickly discover they've ruined it completely. Rather than a continuation of the existing 6 games (which have all been pretty much the same in terms of gameplay, just with better graphics/more cars, tracks, etc.) they've decided to re-invent the wheel. For a start, nothing is held locally on the PS4 itself, it's all on Sony's servers (wherever they are on the planet), so if you're not connected to the internet you're basically stuffed. I never connect my Playstation to the internet because IT'S A ****ING GAMES CONSOLE! It sits under the telly and shuts the **** up.
When you do start to play, there's very little to do on the console itself, apart from getting your driving licence so you can race online or a few tracks in "Arcade Mode" (which has never been that much fun, and seems to have been pruned significantly in this version anyway). The "Career Mode", where you raced to earn money, buy more cars and progress up through the classes of racing, has gone completely. That's what has wasted so many months of my life over the years.
So I look at the online mode, and TBH it's not something I want to play. First of all, it's all about serious racing. You have to sit through patronising lectures about motor racing being a non-contact sport and not using the guy in front as a brake or punting people off because they're holding you up. FFS, IT'S A GAME! The whole point of playing it is that you can get away with stuff you can't do in real life. Otherwise I'd just take my car on a track day.
And finally, you can't even access the online mode without a Playstation Plus account, which of course is a subscription thing. I've shelled out the thick end of a monkey on this lot (which, of course, is OK, because I'm going to get hours of enjoyment out of it), but that's not enough for Sony, who want to gouge me for at least another fiver a month (at time of writing) for the privilege of continuing to play.
You can guess, In summary, I'm not a happy camper. I feel like I've been properly bent over by Sony and the hours of entertainment I promised myself when buying all this shit can basically be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Live and learn, Gaz, live and learn.
Because the new game was only coming out on the PS4 (and I still had a PS3) I had to buy a new console. But that's all right, because I'm going to get hours of enjoyment out of it.
Now the first hitch - I have a seat and steering wheel that I use to play GT6, but I have to upgrade the wheel because my old one, surprise, surprise, isn't compatible with the new console. Hmm, this is getting a bit expensive. But that's all right, I suppose, because I'm going to get hours of enjoyment out of it.
Wednesday was release day, but rather than buy a disc I go for the download version, which is more expensive but comes with extra cars and in-game credits to buy more - always part of the fun of the game. And that's all right, isn't it?. Because I'm going to get hours of enjoyment out of it.
Well of course, the download takes frigging hours (in total 61GB!! - that wouldn't have fitted on my PS3 as it's only got a 40GB hard drive) so I can't play the game then anyway. But it doesn't matter, because I'm going to get hours of enjoyment out of it. And I can wait till the weekend, I'm not a little kid.
So we scroll forward to today, and Mrs. Gaz is going out so I get a monopoly on the big telly. I get myself all set up, get the game running and it's all good. It looks utterly gorgeous and all that money was clearly well spent.
And then, dear reader, I start to play it. And quickly discover they've ruined it completely. Rather than a continuation of the existing 6 games (which have all been pretty much the same in terms of gameplay, just with better graphics/more cars, tracks, etc.) they've decided to re-invent the wheel. For a start, nothing is held locally on the PS4 itself, it's all on Sony's servers (wherever they are on the planet), so if you're not connected to the internet you're basically stuffed. I never connect my Playstation to the internet because IT'S A ****ING GAMES CONSOLE! It sits under the telly and shuts the **** up.
When you do start to play, there's very little to do on the console itself, apart from getting your driving licence so you can race online or a few tracks in "Arcade Mode" (which has never been that much fun, and seems to have been pruned significantly in this version anyway). The "Career Mode", where you raced to earn money, buy more cars and progress up through the classes of racing, has gone completely. That's what has wasted so many months of my life over the years.
So I look at the online mode, and TBH it's not something I want to play. First of all, it's all about serious racing. You have to sit through patronising lectures about motor racing being a non-contact sport and not using the guy in front as a brake or punting people off because they're holding you up. FFS, IT'S A GAME! The whole point of playing it is that you can get away with stuff you can't do in real life. Otherwise I'd just take my car on a track day.
And finally, you can't even access the online mode without a Playstation Plus account, which of course is a subscription thing. I've shelled out the thick end of a monkey on this lot (which, of course, is OK, because I'm going to get hours of enjoyment out of it), but that's not enough for Sony, who want to gouge me for at least another fiver a month (at time of writing) for the privilege of continuing to play.
You can guess, In summary, I'm not a happy camper. I feel like I've been properly bent over by Sony and the hours of entertainment I promised myself when buying all this shit can basically be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Live and learn, Gaz, live and learn.