Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is now within a few days of release here in the US, which is excellent news for those waiting anxiously for a PS3 edition of their favorite racer.

I briefly looked at the gameplay a couple of weeks ago in my hands-on preview. After spending a couple more weeks with the game, I can honestly say that the graphics engine is amazingly well done.

The game at 1080p and 60 fps looks incredible. There are no other words to describe it. While not the absolute best I have seen on a next-gen console, the graphics are definitely very high quality.

Without giving too much away Operation Sports’ upcoming review, I will say the game is far from perfect and its price tag might be a tad high for some. However, if you enjoyed the old Gran Turismo titles and are yearning for more of the same, you are going to get just that under a newer and much prettier hood.

Each car is recreated with painstaking accuracy, from the in-car to the exterior views. I really can't say how well done the graphics in this game are.

An additional big graphical component are the racing environments. Daytona looks very accurate and is better than any other version of it I have seen in a PS3 racer.

Audio

Another point that begs to be mentioned is the audio. Again, without giving too much away before the review in a couple of days, each car sounds different and authentic. If you want to be immersed into the game, Polyphony has done an excellent job making the game sound the part.

The biggest complaint I have about the audio is that, without damage, crashes sound out of place. Maybe it is just me wanting to see some mangled metal after hearing a large crashing noise, but you just don't feel gratified after you slam into a wall. To me, my car should be done for the race if I crash into the wall at Daytona’s turn two while going 163 mph.

All of that aside, driving a Chevrolet Corvette with the in the in-car view on is just an amazing experience and probably the closest I will ever get to the real thing for quite some time.

Gameplay: More of the Same

Unfortunately and fortunately, after two more weeks of playing the game between 9 inning sets of The Show, I can honestly say the gameplay is very similar to past editions of Gran Turismo – more so than some would like.

Bumping your way to victory by using your opponents as a brake while turning corners is still a viable tactic. This translates into the human vs. human realm quite drastically as well.

I mentioned this previously and just want to state it again – the game does feel a bit looser while driving around the track this time around. While looser, though, it also feels like you are still pinned to the ground as in past Gran Turismo games (despite the fact I managed to grab some air in a few locations).

Be sure to check out our full review of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue coming later this week!