While not ground breaking its still an enjoyable racer.
At first glance Gran Turismo 5 graphics don't come across as best in class by any means and feel dated in some areas. Unfortunately the reality is that Gran Turismo 5's graphics are a mixed bag to varying degrees and features a lot of recycled content. These range from car models to tracks in general but no matter where you go in the game the graphics don't improve much which can be disappointing.
Gameplay wise Gran Turismo 5 is pretty darn good but does suffer from numerous issues. The vehicle handling can easily be described as rock solid and the best there is in any racing game to date. This is because the handling feels realistic no matter whether you're using a controller or a racing wheel. The single player events that take place n GT life are varied and feature plenty of diversity. On the downside there are 2 main types of vehicles to chose from, premium and standard. While the premium cars feature detailed interiors for the cockpit view the standard cars don't have that even with the update that supposedly does that. With the update the cockpit view feels tacked on kind of like a skin/box and simply does not provide that high level of detail that the premium cars do. Furthermore the standard cars clearly outnumber the more detailed and superior premium cars on what feels like to be a 4 to 1 ratio. To make things even more disappointing there is no way to tell which is which when buying cars used. Furthermore if you're looking to buy a car new for a specific event based on region there is no way to sort out the dealerships. Also the lack of certain cars as premium ones will make you shake your head or curse out loud. At the same time there is a lack of certain manufactures that one may expect to be there for a game so focused on cars and their brands. To make things even more disappointing is the way the menu is laid out and how small the text is at times. The menu feels like they were still using the same basic design layout as was used in previous entries. However the plus size there is a way to make the text appear bigger but it requires that a button be pressed down and held to see the text clearly at times.
Gran Turismo 5's audio is ok in general and features a unique selection of music. The music selection for the races maybe questionable at times and is certainly different but after a while it can get repetitive. Especially if you chose to take a music track off and yet it still plays during some races. This can be frustrating if you're tired of listing to a certain song over and over again and at the same time it can make it feel broken. However on the up side you can use your own music from your hard drive if you chose to which is a welcome addition.
On the multiplayer side of things Gran Turismo 5 uses a very rudimentary or outdated system even by other genera's standards. One may very well get the feeling that this was done at the last minute with no thought what so ever put into it. As a result you may chose to simply skip the online component all together.
Overall Gran Turismo 5 is a game that tries to redefine the genera but sadly comes across as dated and behind the curb while the rest of the genera has clearly seen progress as whole as opposed to one specific area.