Generally, I find myself enjoying arcade racers more than the simulation ones, if only because I suck at them. For whatever the reason, the idea of slowing down to go faster has never reached my brain, because to me getting quicker times means, well, going faster! With that said, I must say Gran Turismo HD is impressing even to this usually simulation cynical mind, and the game is a beauty to behold.

Chances are fairly good that at one time in your life you've owned a Sony Playstation system, whether it was the original or the PS2. Also, if you are any type of car nut or racing fan, then you probably found yourself at least playing one of the Gran Turismo games. The Gran Turismo series is a series for the car fans, where if you don't conform to that love than they could care less about you. What are the differences between these two Toyota models? What suspension should I have for this race? What setup will best help me shave seconds of my final time? If these weren't questions that were plaguing you then Gran Turismo was most definitely not the game for you.

Based on an early preview, Gran Turismo HD continues that same frame of mind that it has had for several games now, as it is the same Gran Turismo racing you've always known. You'll speed around tracks, braking for corners, and trying to get the best lap time you can possibly muster. At its core, it is the same game (even the annoying part of the system where no matter if you slam into a wall or not your pristine car will never show any damage). But let us move away from the norm and talk about some things that are different this time around.

For starters, one addition to the series is a drift race (at least to me it is new since I haven't experienced it before) where at specifically designated course points you are encouraged to slide your car around, avoiding hitting walls or running into the dirt. Depending on how well you maneuver the corner through drifting, you'll fill up a flag meter to show how well you are doing; the more flags you color in the more points you'll receive. The drifting takes a bit of time to get used to since the game mechanics typically penalize you for unrealistic racing/driving, but once you slip out of the more simulation minded mind and get a feel for how the cars handle when skidding out of control, you'll quickly learn when best to brake, throw your car, etc.

With the PS3's internet service, acting much like Microsoft's Live, once you get done racing around and finally get your best lap, by exiting out of the track the game will automatically track your progress and rank you and tell you how good (or in my case bad!) you did with that particular car on that track. If you're sitting there wondering, "How do I only rank as 1,248?" then you can go look at the rankings to see what the times you should be trying for are, and even view the replays of those players to see where you could be cutting corners when you were slowing down.

Speaking of replays, they are the absolutely most real looking graphics I've ever seen. Honestly, when you view this game in replay mode, you'll be hard pressed to tell if what you are seeing is real or not. The series has always had great angles to show the action of a replay, but it has never had the graphics to back it up. The cars are especially true to life as is the background imagery.

The whole game for that matter is a visual treat. The cars, as just mentioned, look realistic and nary did I see a jaggy along any line of these fabulously designed cars. The lighting also reflects perfectly off the cars, such as driving through a tunnel with window placed cracks bouncing off your car as you go past them. The courses also look nice, with the background being the best looking of the bunch. It is uncertain how they pulled it off and whether or not it is all videogame graphics or a real picture painted on the background, but the snow topped mountains of the course really make you feel like you are in the Alps, dipping and sliding your way through them. However, the one graphical thing the game does better than any sports/racing game I've seen before is how it represents the crowd. Unlike some games, the people watching you race aren't static and flat cardboard cutouts that have maybe one or two bits of animation, but rather they are fully realized individuals who exist in actual space and cheer, such as waving flags, pumping their fists, etc.

Though I've always acknowledged the Gran Turismo series as a landmark series in the world of videogames, paving the way for other racing series, I've never been an absolutely huge fan. However, after playing a bit of Gran Turismo HD and seeing what all it is going to have to offer on the PS3, I absolutely can't wait to tackle even more tracks and cars. Maybe this time I'll even be able to hold my own driving a Dodge Viper around.