- Burnout Paradise

This game is tons of fun. Though I agree with some of the negative posters on here saying that the events can get a bit tedious...however, once you learn the city (which is huge) you get a hang of it pretty easy. Once you play this game online, this game totally opens wide up. It literally takes 3 button presses to go online, anyone can do it, and it is lllllooooooaaaaaadddddddsssss of fun. Interacting with other gamers from around the world is like 10x's more fun than just playing the normal game. If you own a PS3, this game is a must-have. PLUS, the creators at Criterion Games are adding a whole new bunch of features and fixes, plus adding a whole new island to the city FOR FREE!!!!

- Gran Turismo 5 Prologue

It's amazing how critical some have been toward GT5 Prologue. In a sense it's deserved but in other ways it's very unfair. Yes Prologue is a game with less content than previous GT games but still it has as much content as many other racing games. I have always love the Gran Turismo series. From it's humble beginning on the Playstation to it's trumped up GT4 on the PS2. What has never lacked is vehicle selection. Although in this game you are getting a rather limited 60 plus vehicles. Compared to the previous GT4's 500 vehicles this seems rather minimal. Although compared to some games that offer less than 50 vehicles, Prologue seems standard.

Gran Turismo: 5 Prologue begins like any Gran Turismo game. Stunning and beautiful intro transitioning to the menu. What is a first is the ability to play online and GTTV. Both are welcome editions in my book. The racing physics have improved in this version which make it much more challenging. With previous iterations there were times when you could slam your call into a wall when coming into a curve without any consequence. This game makes you pay for arcade racing. What is an added bonus is the ability to use the all new Dual Shock 3 controller. The DS3 makes racing that much more enjoyable.

Their are nearly two dozen makes of cars. Although each dealer is only limited to two or three cars. What is missing is the ability to tune your car. That is probably the biggest drawback for me. Now you do get the ability to do this after finishing all three licenses. There are no skill tests to acquire these licenses. Just completing a license to get to the next. The first license is easy to complete but it does get more challenging after you finish the first license.

With this game you only get a paltry six tracks. Although each track has different variations which does add more to the game. This is one of the few games where I enjoy mastering the tracks. So playing on the Suzaka or London track is a lot of fun for me. The tracks are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen on any game. Playing in London looks so real I almost think I am watching the real thing. Watching the replays are so incredible that they are great ways to show off your PS3.

Lastly I want to talk about GT online. The format is rather simple. Pick a experience level based on how far you have progressed in the game. Getting into the race is simple and only takes a few seconds to get into a race with eleven others. You position in the race varies depending on nothing. What is irritating is some of the people you may play against. On more than one occasion I have been knocked off the road by others who seem to have only one intent. This makes the racing not much fun as people tend to not want to play right. I am hoping they will eventually allow for more user control on these races to help avoid these problems from becoming overwhelming.

- GRID

Realistic non-F1 or NASCAR racing for the PS3 currently consists of two titles, GT 5 Prologue and Grid. This is a brief review to address the pros and cons of both programs:

Graphics: GT 5P is a very limited version of the full program which will be out later this year or even in 2009. As such, we need to bear in mind we are comparing a limited scope product to a finished one. That said, graphic elements in each program are still a wash, which I guess is testimony to GT 5P considering its graphics will probably improve a bit before the final version. The cars in GT 5P have more polygons and so the models look better, but Grid features a full-fledged damage system so the lower poly count and smaller number of cars in Grid are fully deformable, hence damage and collisions are quite dramatic in Grid. As of yet, GT 5Ps cars are not at all deformable so to some extent we are comparing two different types of graphics. Background track visuals are roughly the same in both games, so what we have is nicer undamaged models versus fully deformable models.

Sound: GT 5P wins hands-down. Engines sound nicer and more realistic, and the in-music is diverse and licensed. Grid truly fumbled the ball here with similar sounding rather weak engines and generic butt rock bgm that has not a single memorable riff. Admittedly one doesn't buy a racing game for the music, but the licensed tracks add some aesthetic appeal to GT 5P.

Scope and Size: GT 5P offers 75 cars, many of which are pretty tedious to drive. Grid offers 45 cars, most of which are lots of fun to drive. However, the fly in the ointment is that GT 5P has more varied and realistic handling among its cars. The 911, the Viper, and the Lancetti all handle remarkably similar in Grid, which really should not be happening. GT 5P by comparison offers a more diverse driving experience. GT 5P however only has 6 tracks while Grid has 15, so Grid offers a bit more to see. However, as mentioned, GT 5P is a work in progress, so we can expect to see many more cars and tracks by the time the finished version appears. Same deal applies to game play - Grid offers many different race modes and championship types, while GT 5P has a limited set of events, 40 or so, so the game can be tapped out very quickly. (Assuming you can get past some of the annoyingly difficult races, more on this later). Grid at present has a lot more to do and experience, so at present it will keep the average gamer occupied and interested longer. When the final version of GT 5P appears, we may see a different picture.