GT5 Prologue (PS3) vs Forza Motorsport 2 (XB360)I've now spent way too much time playing GT5 Prologue on the PS3 and Forza Motorsport 2 ("Forza") on the Xbox 360. Obviously Prologue is effectively an overgrown demo and the full version will be different, but my impressions based on what we've got right now
Nice summary of the differences...obviously Prologue has a ways to go before it can be declared a full game, but, since many features in the Forza series have never seemed to be on GT's radar, one can only hope that Polyphony has at least given a good look at Forza 2 (GT's creator, for whatever strange reason, claims he does not play the competition's racing games).
Control: The Xbox 360 controller control allows for a larger range of motion at a more natural position for my (adult-sized) hands. For example, in Forza I find it easier to smoothly add the power or brake just short of lockup.
This is an opinion that seems to divide many people along the Xbox and PS lines...I've always vastly preferred the PlayStation's control configuration to any other gaming console. The 360's controller, while an improvement over the original Xbox, just doesn't feel that good in my hands and I've never liked using the analog trigger buttons for racing (I prefer the analog sticks). This is actually a big reason many people I know are opting for the PS3 version of Grand Theft Auto IV over the Xbox360 version, even though the same people would rather play GTAIV online over Xbox Live.
That said, PS3's SIXAXIS/DualShock 3 has one major flaw: the analog trigger buttons. They needed to design these buttons to curl around the fingers or have a stickier grip...instead your fingers kinda slip off of them. Again, I use the analog sticks, so this hasn't been an issue for me with GT.
A dedicated pedal/wheels setup will make both games more fun and the wife less fun.
In this regard, I find the options on PS3 superior. However, it is strange that the PS3 doesn't have a really good wireless force feedback wheel...and this means a lot to me because I have my PS3 in a closet, so I have to run a USB extension cable whenever I use the wheel.
Prologue - many of the cars sound similar to each other. However the Ferrari F430 and Nissan GTR sound very good. A mixed bag - maybe simply not yet complete?
The GT guys have also gone to a lot of trouble to record every sound of the cars, and from a variety of locations around the cars, so that you get the nature of the sound as heard from the various viewpoints. While I suspect their recording masters are on par with anyone else's, whether or not they actually have translated that quality into the game engine is another question entirely. There are definitely some really high quality examples (the Ferrari F40 and F2007 supposedly are the best)...so I'm just hoping that the lesser quality ones are placeholders carried over from previous GT games.
* Music: this is a matter of personal taste. Gran Turismo's menu sounds have always seemed kooky to me and the menu music is like elevator music.
I've always turned off music in the racing games. I don't listen to music when I'm at the track.
* Car tuning: Both games let you adjust suspension and aero settings. For some strange reason GT5 doesn't allow you to change the most basic thing - tire pressures.
I'm actually surprised Prologue has ANY car tuning. The previous Prologues did not. But it is interesting that the GT games doesn't include tire pressure tweaking...about the only thing I've personally tweaked on my real NSX during autocrosses and HPDEs.
* Car Painting: In Forza, with enough patience, it is possible to replicate almost any paint scheme including writing, graphics, decals etc, laid on top of basic, metallic and candy colours. Prologue allows only the choice of the factory colours and nothing further.
I had fun with this feature on the first Forza and am crossing my fingers that the GT5 includes something similar. One of my hopes is that GT5's integration with PlayStation Home includes the ability to host car meets where people can chat while showing off their custom rides.
I'll use the next two days to read my new fatherhood books...
