Gran Turismo 5 creator Kazunori Yamauchi might think his game “looks better than reality,” but Microsoft’s Phil Spencer says that Forza 3 is “the only racing sim that’s shipping this generation.”
You know, I’m just going to come right out and say it: I couldn’t give half a plague-infested rat’s ass about either Forza 3 or Gran Turismo 5 because I think racing games are about as dull as watching linoleum peel. But some people swear by them, and as fate would have it, those people fall neatly down console war fanboy lines: Sony fanboys froth over Gran Turismo 5, while Xbox fanboys salivate over Forza 3.
Naturally, this sort of console war head-to-head is the sort of situation that can only be resolved with a brutal cagematch to the death, or failing that, studio representatives snarking at each other.
Speaking with NowGamer, Polyphony Digital man Kazunori Yamauchi said that GT5 didn’t just look good, the game looked “better than reality.” you see those cars outside your window? GT5 looks better:
“‘Better than reality’ – yeah, that’s one way of putting it. In a way, it’s kind of a given that it’s going to look better than reality. The thing about reality is that the criteria for looking “real” are actually a lot stricter and volatile than you’d expect. The way the sun shines, reflects off something, the way it lights scenery – we seldom have the opportunity to see what we consider “reality” under the best and most aesthetically pleasing conditions.”
Okay, maybe that quote isn’t as insane as it sounded in excerpt – Yamauchi is saying that creating these graphics in a virtual framework allows the team to show off all of the beauty of the product in an ideal situation with none of its flaws. Makes sense, kind of.
Aha, but Microsoft development boss Phil Spencer wasn’t going to let Yamauchi overshadow the release of Forza 3 so easily: Spencer spoke with Gamasutra and took a dig at the long development time of GT5. When asked if Microsoft was (like Sony) focusing on the development of AAA first-and-second-party titles for its platform, Spencer confirmed that the strategy was the same – but developers had to actually ship the product, first.
“Absolutely. And to ship them! That’s an important part of our strategy. Look at Forza shipping next month: the definitive racing sim this generation. You could say it’s the only racing sim that’s shipping this generation.”
So, GT5 looks better than reality, but this super-real nature means that it won’t end up shipping this generation. That’s what I’m getting, here.
Can I get an “Oh, Snap!” please?
Published: Oct 8, 2009 07:23 pm