Has Gran Turismo 5 Lived Up to the Hype?

So the wait is over and Gran Turismo 5 (GT5) is finally here. But instead of over-whelmingly positive reviews, the internet seems to be divided into two camps. There’s one half that’s practically in bed with the game right now since it’s everything they imagined and then some, bringing a stupendous amount of content to the table. But on the other hand you have a rather large amount of disappointed gamers and reviewers who feel the hype is just not justified.

Now to be fair to the game, it is a driving simulator so anyone expecting even something along the lines of a Need for Speed Shift is bound to be disappointed right off the bat. From what I hear, the game is so extensive it takes a good amount of time for players to actually gain access to all the snazzy fast cars. So obviously if you’re an impatient gamer or someone who expected the game to be of a ‘pick up and play’ variety like Burnout, you my friend have bought the wrong game.

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So the game doesn't look this good?

That being said some of the complaints both reviewers and consumers have against this game - from a technical as well as a gameplay front - seem legit and rather worrying. Tons of reviews have attacked the game’s visuals which I personally found ludicrous since Gran Turismo 5 was supposed to be the benchmark for visual fidelity with its lifelike rendition of cars, weather effects and race tracks. I remember seeing GT5 screens compared with real life screens and being blown away because I couldn’t tell the two apart.