Gameplay, It's not much different from past GT games. However, the physics do seem to have improved over GT4. It had stiff physics and I thought it just didn't feel like a real car would, even at those speeds. GT5P feels more realistic. You can race in either arcade mode or event mode. Arcade mode has races, time trials, or drift trials. The one thing that disappointed me about this mode was the fact you couldn't drive any car you wanted, like in GT4. You can only drive cars that you've purchased from dealers. It would have been nice if they gave you a few of the lower end cars to test out in Arcade Mode. To start the game, I purchased the Mazda Atenza Sport. It's the European version of the Mazda 6. I have a soft spot for this car since the first car I ever owned was a 1989 Mazda 626, which is now known as the Mazda 6. The beginner C class races seem a bit easier than they were in GT4. A new feature is a visible race line, which is a big help for beginners like myself since it shows you the best route on the track to follow. One improvement over GT4 is the AI. Computer controlled drivers seem a bit more realistic then they did in the previous game. They will react to you and they even make mistakes such as going off the track. In some missions though, such as time trials with multiple cars on the track, they will still insist on following the race line to a T, which can be bad if you're trying to do the same thing since faster cars will come up behind you and make no attempt to go around, instead they just rear end you. Overall though, the whole experience is just a lot nicer than GT4 and I'm definitely looking forward to the final product. Polyphony is infamous for delays though, just take the PSP version of GT4 for example. Kazunori Yamauchi, the game's creator, has mentioned that GT5 might not be released until after 2009. Looks like we'll have to keep playing GT5P for the time being though online modes and two player split screen will keep it fun.

The second part of this article deals with the DualShock 3, another recently released product. This probably has to have been one of the most anticipated PS3 items this year, more so than any game. DualShock 3 adds rumble support. Sony did not include it in the original SixAxis due to a pending patent lawsuit, as I mentioned in a previous article. The DS3 is a little heavier than the old Sixaxis and it lacks the semi-transparent case. Other than that, the DS3 is identical to its predecessor. It retains motion sensing from the Sixaxis. Most PS3 games released since October 2007 support rumble. Some, such as Motorstorm, have been patched to add the feature. It's also compatible with most PS2 games. Sony claims it might not work with some though I tried it with Okami and GT4 without issues. The new controller costs $54 CAD though I did mention that Best Buy has it on sale this week for $20 if you purchase GT5P with it. It seems to be a hot item since when I bought mine on Friday, there was only one left on the shelf. The DS3 will definitely add a missing component to PS3. I'm still getting used to the rumble feature since I skipped out on the last console generation and I never bought the Rumblepack for my N64.