I disagree. 16 cars is fantastic. Hopefully they also take it to the next step at some point and introduce team races.
Seriously, I don't care about the environments enough to have less than 16 cars for them ... Also, many real circuits don't have interesting looks anyway. If they need to sacrifice a few cars for certain tracks, they can do so like they have done previously, offering great looking narrow street tracks that were only suitable for rally type racing, and could be done with 2 players if you wanted to.
Stuff like the high speed ring stuff at Daytona (that 1up mistakenly thought was new for the franchise, it's been there like forever) is also just way too boring with just 6 cars. 16 makes that heaps more interesting too.
All in all, this game is shaping up to be my dream-game (you have to understand that for a year or two GT was just about the only game I played).
I disagree environments are a huge part of the visceral experience, around 50% of the screen! If they can be improved a tad, this will have no contest by any other franchise in the visuals department.
I am also a Gran Turismo evangelist. I play it more than any other game, GT:HD is my most played PS3 game by orders of magnitude and that's just an online leader board.
I think team racing will be happening regardless, with online, race teams are analogous to clans in effect.
GT TV is going to be a revolutionary concept, it’s not the standard FPS model spectator mode, and it’s marrying content with content. Providing a guaranteed audience for motorsport. Top Gear, Best Motoring, D1, JGTC, WTCC, FIA GT, ALMS, GP2, drag racing and stock cars. Clarkson is a Gran Turismo fanboy and Top Gear in GT5 could be something very special. All in one package, with live updates of what’s going on in motorsport. You could be watching an ALMS event and might wish to try out the course in the Audi prototype, just a button press away.
I wouldn’t be surprised if in future this is expanded so that we get live streaming racing events, the first time a live online viewing audience will be derived for many of these series – the first time they will be selling online rights!
This could be expanded maybe even the ability to re-enact certain racing scenarios based on events that happened in that week, month etc. Like the racing challenges already in GT4 but based on real-life. These would have to be DLC type packages but maybe part of a larger subscription for total access to GT TV.
One great idea they could implement is the F1 car vs. sports car vs. production car staggered race – they have Ferrari now so they could do 655-F2004 vs. 599GTB vs. Fiat Stilo!
Possibilities are boundless on that front and this is Gran Turismo – manufacturers and promoters love it.
