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Gran Turismo 5 flips over two new trailers
Firmly adhering to the "better late than never" philosophy, Gran Turismo 5 is more than glad to show off its new crash physics system in one of two new videos released by SCEA. At last, the "real driving simulator" can finally simulate really bad driving!
Take a tour of Top Gear's test track in Gran Turismo 5
Fans of Top Gear are undoubtedly well-versed in the automotive show's test track -- mostly because it's featured in every episode. Regardless, you haven't seen it in Gran Turismo 5 yet and courtesy of the Top Gear blog, you now can. We've parked the video past the break, feel free to give it a look-see. Oh, and try not to be too harsh on the guy driving in the video. Like us, he's probably totally shocked to see other drivers on the track at the same time as him. %Gallery-71410%
Gran Turismo 5 includes track editor, weather and go-karts
Sony may have dropped a few details about Gran Turismo 5 (like a release date) at its E3 presentation, but it was saving the real news for an even bigger event: Cue random interview on the UK PlayStation site with Sony Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida. In this interview, Yoshida casually confirms the existence of unannounced elements in the racing sim, including a track editor and go-karts. For every individual driver, Yoshida says there is " a driving experience to suit, whether that is taking on the Top Gear test track, chucking cars around stunt arenas, go-karting, creating and sharing your own track or intense head-to-head races." Elsewhere in the interview (and just as nonchalantly), Yoshida references some " new game-enhancing graphical effects, such as damage, night racing and weather." Damage has already been confirmed and weather rumored. Of course, we aren't totally sure Gran Turismo 5 is a real game yet, and if it is as imaginary as it seems to be, you can say pretty much anything is in it, like: "Gran Turismo 5 will feature Crocodile Mile racing." See? There's as much proof for that feature that we just made up as there is for anything else, and that will be the case until the game is released. [Thanks, P]
Take a spin through a scenic Gran Turismo 5 gallery
1000 cars, 20 tracks, head-tracking (via PlayStation Eye), NASCAR, World Rally Championship, Super GT, two player split-screen, 3D, YouTube uploads, custom soundtracks and PSP connectivity. To say that Gran Turismo 5 is packed would be an understatement. This new batch of E3 media certainly looks pretty, but the real question is: will it be worth the wait? We'll all find out in November.
Gran Turismo 5 releases a trailer
Sorry if the headline mislead you in any way No, the perpetually delayed Gran Turismo 5 still doesn't have a release date. Trust us, we looked! Unfortunately, it wasn't at the end of this new E3 trailer, either. Guess you'll have to make do with some incredibly gorgeous footage in the meantime.
Gran Turismo 5 'Nights' trailer is appropriately unlit, pretty
It's been a while since we last saw images from Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo 5 -- at least ones that were capable of moving whilst being accompanied by high-octane trance music. Such moving pictures were released earlier today, likely in an attempt to remind us just how pretty the game really is. (Here's a refresher course: It's super pretty.) You can check out the trailer posted after the jump, but we suggest having some ninjas around when you watch it, because the music will totally make you want to fight some ninjas. More than usual.
Gran Turismo PSP helps series top 55 million units sold
We hate to be all Captain Obvious about it, but there's good reason the Gran Turismo series is still doing laps around the virtual track. People are voting with their cash, as the latest figures from Polyphony Digital show that Gran Turismo PSP has managed to sell 1.8 million copies. And through its success, it's hit one hell of a milestone for the Gran Turismo series at large. Here's the rundown of the franchise's success: The original Gran Turismo has sold 10,850,000 units Gran Turismo 2 has sold 9,370,000 units Gran Turismo 3 A-spec on the PS2 managed to sell 14,890,000 units Gran Turismo Concept Series sold 1,560,000 units Gran Turismo 4 "Prologue" invaded 1,350,000 homes Gran Turismo 4 has been a heck of an earner, selling 10,980,000 units Gran Turismo 5 "Prologue" brought the series to the PS3 by selling 4,650,000 units Gran Turismo PSP recently recorded sales of 1,800,000 units That brings the total to 55,450,000 units. It seems impressive enough -- over five million units sold in the last year-and-a-half ain't too shabby -- though there are some caveats. For one, the Gran Turismo series has been around for over 10 years -- much longer than any of its competitors. Secondly, it's been the definitive diehard simulation racing experience on Sony's consoles, effectively making it the only show in town. Finally, the series has over seven Guinness World Records. Basically, when you have the world record for "Largest Instruction Guide for a Racing Game," it's, like, a guarantee people are going to buy it. [Via GI.biz]
Sony Europe: Don't worry, Gran Turismo 5 will be out before Christmas. Maybe. (We hope.)
The vice president in charge of "Southern Europe" (read: Spain, Portugal) at Sony Computer Entertainment isn't a man to mince words. No sir, James Armstrong answered his recent interview question from Canarias Al Dia on the subject of Gran Turismo 5's release date with rock solid certainty: "We believe that we will launch the product this Autumn, before the holiday, though this hasn't been decided yet" [our translation]. Alright, so Armstrong wasn't exactly 100 percent nailing down a date for the game that's been delayed more than a few times (Sony most recently pushed back its Japanese release to an unknown date). However, it is nice to see someone at Sony saying the sim might actually see release before the end of this console cycle. Oh, and in case you were wondering, he also puts doubt on the use of Sony's Motion Controller in the game, so at least we've got that knowledge to console us in the meantime. %Gallery-71410% [Via GT Planet, Videogamer.com]
New Gran Turismo 5 trailer shows Toyota FT-86 concept driving through your dreams
It's time for another edition of Expensive and Awesome Stuff That You'll Never Be Able to Do! Over at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2010, Polyphony Digital showed off a "GPS-track day unit," which is a little box with a card slot in it that you install in a very expensive car like, say, the Toyota FT-86G Concept, as seen above in the new trailer for Gran Turismo 5. That unit will then record your likely very expensive real-life run around a driving track like the famous Nürburgring lap, at which point you'll be able to pull a card out, plug it in your PS3, and then see the real-life run simulated inside the video game itself, where you can watch or even ghost race against it. It was also mentioned at the Auto Salon that there will be a 3D version of GT5 out "as soon as 3D TVs become available on the market," so presumably later this year. Thanks for watching! Next time on Expensive and Awesome Stuff That You'll Never Be Able to Do: land your very own helicopter on your very own superyacht. [Thanks, Steliosco!]
Yamauchi: Gran Turismo 5 uses 80% of PS3's power
If you're someone who loves themselves some arbitrary console performance figures, Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi has you covered. Speaking to VentureBeat, the Gran Turismo creator reckons the latest game in Sony's flagship racing series taps "about 80 percent of the processing power" of the PlayStation 3," adding, "the PS3 hardware has a very high peak performance. The better you manipulate it, the better it performs." That last quote sounds more like it's about an engine than a console, which isn't surprising given the amount of time Yamauchi spends behind the wheel of the actual supercars from his oft-delayed game. We seriously hope he's not aiming to use 100 percent of the system's potential -- we'd really like GT5 to come out before a child born today is able to drive a real car.
Gran Turismo 5 delayed in Japan, new date unknown
Sony announced that the Japanese release of Gran Turismo 5 has been delayed from its unspecified March date to an undecided future date, to be announced later. Sony apologized for the inconvenience, citing some kind of "circumstances" around the release date. No concrete information was provided about what exactly caused this drastic move. Things seemed to be looking up for Gran Turismo 5 for a while. Sony announced a March release for Japan and a tentative summer release for North America, sent out a very popular demo, and even revealed the North American box art design. But this latest move suggests that Polyphony's latest racer may not be as close to the finish line as expected. [Thanks, Copland and Niko]
Gran Turismo 5 'Time Trial' demo races into one million European households
Sony sent out a press release this morning stating that across "15 European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand," one million gamers have downloaded and played the Gran Turismo 5 demo. The demo -- which is available on PSN up until January 24 -- allows players to tear around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a Nissan 370Z to set a lap time, with the top 20 players from select regions earning a chance to join the GT Academy. It's the second gameplay tease for Gran Turismo 5, the first being the oft-praised GT5 Prologue, and shows us that, surprisingly, people want to play this Gran Turismo 5 game. Who woulda thunk it?
Gran Turismo 5 is real enough for box art
Click for high-resolution box art. 2010 is totally the future. How can we tell? Gran Turismo 5 will actually come out. Half a decade after Gran Turismo 4, Polyphony Digital is finishing up a true successor to the self-described "real driving simulator." The evidence? Box art! Mercedes-Benz's gull-winged SLS AMG has the honor of gracing the GT5 cover. It's a terrific marketing decision, if only to trick Back to the Future fans into thinking this is a game all about time travel. (It's not, we're afraid.) Check out a brand new video of Sony's long-awaited PS3 racer after the break. %Gallery-81744%
Gran Turismo 5 demo races to PSN on December 17
2004: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy comes to an end (winning 11 Academy Awards in the process), John Kerry runs for US President and whales explode. Oh, and Gran Turismo 4 releases on PS2. Five years later, the public is finally able to get their hands on Gran Turismo 5 with the first non-Prologue demo. The downloadable demo will be available on both the European and American PSN on December 17th. In Europe, the demo will allow players to enter the "GT Academy Time Trial" contest, in which the top 20 players from select countries will be eligible for a chance to enter the GT Academy. The GT Academy training program will prepare the ultimate GT fan to compete in the European GT4 Cup in a real race-spec Nissan 370Z. In America and Canada, the winner of the time trial will get a trip to the Indianapolis 500. Sure, these are tantalizing grand prizes -- but we're more excited to see that GT5 is becoming a real game. Now, how about a release date? %Gallery-71410%Source - GT Academy 2010 Launches December 17th - PlayStation.Blog.EuropeSource - PlayStation.com - GT5 Time Trial RulesSource - Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial Challenge Announced
2009 Gran Turismo Awards choose 1970 Ford Mustang 'Trans-Cammer' for inclusion in GT5
The 1970 Ford Mustang "Trans-Cammer" you see above will soon be getting the digital treatment in Gran Turismo 5 after taking home this year's Gran Turismo Award honor at SEMA. For the seventh year in a row, a handful of judges (including Gran Turismo 5 lead Kazunori Yamauchi) chose a car from the auto event for inclusion in an upcoming Gran Turismo title. Yamauchi said of the event, "We have been very pleased with the high quality of vehicles vying for the award the past seven years, and look forward to having this 1970 Ford Mustang 'Trans-Cammer' join our list of distinguished past winners as part of the Gran Turismo franchise." The 1970 Ford Mustang "Trans-Cammer" by Philip Koenen follows Marcel Horn's HPA Audi TT in 2007 and Brian Filoteo's high-performance Infiniti G37 in 2008, both seen below in the gallery. [Image credit] %Gallery-77804%%Gallery-71410%
Gran Turismo 5 cost roughly $60 million to develop
At the annual SEMA car show in Las Vegas this week, Gran Turismo 5 creative lead Kazunori Yamauchi was on-hand demoing his game for showgoers and talking to the press. Amidst a torrent of questions from Autoweek, Yamauchi roughly calculated the cost of creating Gran Turismo 5: a cool $60 million. That's what five years of development on a single game has cost Polyphony Digital thus far, an amount Yamauchi says was totally justified in order to "get it right." "We threw away the legacy code from GT4 and started from scratch ... It's been five years from [the release of] GT4, and that's the same amount of time it took to develop the first GT4." And rather than dodging the reasoning behind the lack of a solid GT5 release date anywhere outside of Japan, Yamauchi flatly offered, "That's more depending on SCEA marketing decisions." Allow us to venture a guess – first half of 2010, perhaps?%Gallery-71410%[Via VGChartz]
Rumor: Gran Turismo 5 to feature track editor
The site E4G reports that Gran Turismo 5 will include a very exciting option: The ability to create your own tracks or edit the existing tracks. Eurogamer checked in with Sony to confirm this new feature, and, while Sony refused to confirm the news, the company also refused to deny it, in a carefully worded statement that makes the news suddenly seem more plausible: "We haven't confirmed this and aren't offering any other comment at this time," Sony told Eurogamer. We contacted SCEA but have yet to hear back, so this rumor is going to have to remain a rumor. Hopefully we'll find out before the game comes out, although Sony also has yet to announce the release date beyond a possible "early 2010." Okay, we'll simplify the whole thing: Gran Turismo 5 is an unconfirmed rumor. %Gallery-71410% [Original image credit]
Gran Turismo 5 making-of video reveals mysterious packaging [update]
It's quite clear to us that Gran Turismo 5 creative director Kazunori Yamauchi knows way more about cars than we do. Take, for instance, this latest making-of video discovered by GT Planet (embedded after the break), where he gets down to the nitty gritty on the inclusion of Mercedes' 2011 SLS AMG in his game. Before he delves into the possibility of the car appearing on the game's cover, he's shown with co-workers handling a box with three disc cases -- one blue, one red, one black. Though he makes it clear over the course of the clip that this isn't the final packaging, he doesn't exactly spell out what these mysterious cases might hold. Millions of cars? Top Gear episodes? Micro Machines?! Our best guess is that it's a Collector's Edition of some sort, though we'd love for such a thing to include a miniature SLS AMG (just sayin'!).Getting back to the SLS AMG, Yamauchi says that the to-be-released car is in the running for a starring role on the game's cover. "The foremost reason is that the SLS AMG will probably be the most exciting car in the world when Gran Turismo 5 is released ... Also, in terms of styling and driving performance as well, it's probably the hottest car around right now," Yamauchi teases. We've asked Sony for details on the mysterious three-case box and will update this post when we hear more.Update: Sony has responded by declining to comment. And now we play "The Waiting Game."%Gallery-71410%[Thanks, Sean]
Gran Turismo 5's Yamauchi: 'We could release it any time we want'
Gran Turismo 5's Kazunori Yamauchi says he could give you his studio's next entry in the venerable racing-sim series right now ... but he won't. Speaking with Famitsu last week (translated by 1UP), the Polyphony Digital studio head explains that while "We could release it any time we want," he's more interested in trying to give the game "that classic GT-style." And though "daily progress is slow," the Japanese developer assures us that "it's still going forward at a steady clip."Unlike the PSP iteration's somewhat lackluster feature set, Yamauchi intends on going "way beyond gamer expectations" with GT5, even confirming the export of cars earned in GT PSP to next March's PS3 sequel. We're hoping he goes way beyond our expectations as well and delivers the game to other territories in a more timely fashion.%Gallery-71410%
Review: Gran Turismo (PSP)
Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo racing series has careened onto the PSP, just in time for the launch of the PSP Go. Its arrival on PSN and retail shelves is likely a big event for most Gran Turismo fans, but for me, the game hasn't had the impact I'd expected. There just isn't much here to validate this version of the long-running series as special or unique. %Gallery-64985%
