Maturin • Comments

• Gran Turismo 6 preview: The turning point

• Maturin 17/05/2013

  Another journo believing the hype of GT5's "deep simulation". Polyphony put "the real driving simulator" on the box and it seems folks actually believe it. Oh well, hopefully GT6 will actually try to live up to that promise with the new physics engine. Reply -40

• Gran Turismo 5 retrospective

• Maturin 12/05/2013

  @Nades I agree. In terms of the way the game is put together - the single player campaign etc. it's miles ahead of Forza and GT. I loved little details like nailing each corner becomes a minigame, yet at the same time teaches you the tracks and better driving.
  
  The next game - Project Cars - is shaping up very well so far. And it's great to see old Spa, the Ring and vintage Monza in there. I just hope the handling gets better by release because FM4 still feels better. Reply +2

• Maturin 12/05/2013

  @SonicUk Forza 4 has a more realistic driving model - it's just a fact. If you go to GTPlanet and read Scaff's posts (he's worked in the auto industry for decades and wrote the most comprehensive GT tuning articles) he discusses in detail (with serious authority and knowledge) how the tire model and physics in FM4 are superior to GT5. It's really worth reading the long thread there about this as it's fascinating. GT5 was better than FM3. But Turn10 has created a more realistic on-road sensation with FM4.
  
  The issue is that people don't perceive it that way. This is because many people think difficult = realistic. But cars aren't hard to drive. The way GT5 reacts when the grip is on the edge is where the problem lies. It's fine until that point. But Forza 4 has much more progressive transition from grip to slip and it makes all the difference. GT5 beats FM4 in so many ways - but Forza is king of the console sim physics models right now.
  
  But I hope GT catches up. I want a real fight between the two games to make each better. Alas though Yamauchi-san doesn't play other people's games - hopefully though his team at Polyphony does. GT5 does seem like a game developed in isolation with no reference to progression in game development that has happened elsewhere. Hubris. Like some have said in the comments above - it's the software partner of the arrogant creation and design of PS3. Now the PS4 looks really promising maybe the outlook at Polyphony will be outward too. Reply +13

• Maturin 12/05/2013

  @Nades Shift 2 is a great game - certainly in terms of track selection and the Legacy DLC. But the handling model and particularly the tire simulation is way behind Forza 4. And the input lag is a killer. Reply +5

• Maturin 12/05/2013

  This article perpetuation the myth of GT5 having peerless physics. No torque steer, no detailed tire model. The weight shifting and suspension feels good, but on the edge of grip the house of cards falls down.
  
  For its time the physics in GT5 were pretty good - certainly better than Forza Motorsport 3 by some way. But Forza 4's detailed tire model really shows GT5 up. GT5 with the right car/track (such a shame as someone has said already we have to say "with the right..." ) it looks much prettier than Forza, but FM4 just has it beat in handling thanks to that Pirelli tire data.
  
  Hopefully having some competition means GT6 will get a much better physics model - for example finally feature torque steer, good tire model, fixing the broken ride height settings etc. And I hope a better game experience in terms of player progression.
  
  Meanwhile I hope Forza 5 finally gets the lighting model the game deserves. And Turn 10 needs to up its game in car modelling and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD give us a decent selection of tracks for once.
  
  For those of us not in the fanboy camp that can enjoy both franchises - hopefully they'll steal enough from each other to really improve for the next versions. I'm really looking forward to GT6 and Forza 5. Reply +27

• Driving ambition: pCARS, crowdfunding and the FSA

• Maturin 18/04/2013

  I'm a €25 member. I never gave that money with hope of financial return. I've already played pCars more than the £60 Forza Horizon VIP version I foolishly bought. So I've had my money's worth.
  
  I hope Slightly Mad doesn't get in trouble over these FSA problems, but it does seem that the developer and some of the big spender members have been rather naive.
  
  Let's just hope the game gets finished. It really is rather splendid. Reply +21

• Gran Turismo 6 for PlayStation 3 spotted in retailer listing

• Maturin 17/04/2013

  But they haven't finished GT5 yet? Reply -2

• WipEout: The rise and fall of Sony Studio Liverpool

• Maturin 22/03/2013

  WipeOut 2097 was my favourite in the series. In fact I don't think any of the games that followed had a track to match the ones in that game. Never enjoyed another WO as much as that one. I have no idea why they made the circuits so bland (in geometry not graphics) compared to rival games. Reply +2

• This is what top-level COD competition ****ing looks like

• Maturin 21/03/2013

  This video is why we aren't allowed nice things. No wonder the games industry treats us like idiots. Reply +4

• Saturday Soapbox: Christopher Nolan has ruined video games

• Maturin 16/03/2013

  @scuffpuppies I agree, The Operative: No One Lives Forever was such a great game.
  
  There's nothing around like that now. Which is a real shame. Reply +6

• Real Racing 3 review

• Maturin 28/02/2013

  @Alex_V but if business model is so intrusive then it has to be called to task. Reply +7

• Maturin 28/02/2013

  Shame. I was actually looking forward to this game. Think I'll pass. Reply +4

• Watch Dogs confirmed for PS4

• Maturin 21/02/2013

  Post deleted Reply 0

• Grid 2 preview: Storytelling returns to the racing genre

• Maturin 14/02/2013

  Am sad the cockpit view isn't in there. But at least there is a bonnet cam. If it was bumper cam and third person only I wouldn't go near it. Reply -1

• Maturin 14/02/2013

  Oh God not another Codemasters shitty story in a racing game. Really? Reply +8

• Next PlayStation believed to be set for February 20th reveal

• Maturin 01/02/2013

  Looking forward to seeing some pre-rendered footage of a PS4 Gran Turismo game that won't be released until 2015. Reply +2

• Is this our first hint at the Gran Turismo 6 track list?

• Maturin 17/01/2013

  @Rogueywon - I agree, the game itself wasn't as good as rivals. But the tracks on offer the best in class. FM4 with Shift 2's tracks would be the perfect racing game for me. Reply -5

• Maturin 17/01/2013

  @Rogueywon I agree. The track lists definitely need more attention. Forza 4 is one of my favourite games - but the number of courses is a joke. Best game for tracks of this gen is Shift 2 - especially with the Legends DLC, which adds classic versions of Silverstone, Monza, Hockenheim etc. Reply +9

• UK government's cultural test for video games revealed

• Maturin 11/12/2012

  I'd welcome something that would encourage Codemasters  to make games that showed some identity other than fake Californian beach bum. Reply +2

• Assassin's Creed 3 ending analysis

• Maturin 08/11/2012

  I hope the next Assassin's Creed drops the dual life sci-fi bollocks and puts the player's avatar in a real historical location. Play it straight, you (the avatar) really are this person in - say classical Rome - with no sci-fi interface. Reply +1

• Halo 4 review

• Maturin 01/11/2012

  Pretty poor effort. All the humanity guff could have been edited down to a single paragraph and the rest sent back to the author to actually include some detail about the game. EG is getting complacent, like the WRC3 review this is meagre stuff. Reply -4

• The making of Forza Horizon

• Maturin 28/10/2012

  Replays really could do with some work. Better cameras needed - trackside and aerial. We saw them in the trailers, but they're not in the game. Reply +7

• Digital Foundry vs. Forza Horizon

• Maturin 28/10/2012

  @womble but there are replays in the game. It's the camera angles that are rubbish. Reply 0

• Maturin 27/10/2012

  It is a remarkable technical achievement. Despite the frame rate dip from FM4 (possibly my most played game of this generation) the action always feels smooth, with no framerate dips or tearing. The thing I really noticed was the anti-aliasing and going back to FM4 really highlights how much better each from of Horizon is from its parent, despite there being fewer frames.
  
  The only sad omission is a proper replay system - with roadside cameras and the ability to watch replays later. While it could be argued this would be hard to implement in an open-world game I disagree. The events races aren't really open world - they take place on set routes built into the map and each could have been given a set of roadside replay camera positions.
  
  While Horizon nails nearly everything, it's a real shame the game can't be shown off with proper replays - especially as much of the pre-release footage for trailers was clearly implemented with such virtual cameras. Even without roadside cameras we could have at least expected some kind of higher helicopter footage as has also appeared in trailer footage.
  
  I miss this feature enough I'd actually buy a DLC pack that added proper replays back in if such a thing existed. Reply +10

• Medal of Honor: Warfighter review

• Maturin 24/10/2012

  How can a game be criticised so thoroughly yet get a five? Scoring really isn't matching the text. Surely should be lower? Reply +13