I don't know how many GW members even care about Gran Turismo, but I sure do. As far as racing games go, there's no better series to jump into and play with a friend.

Gran Turismo 5 has been in development for several years now, and last year things had reached a point where people joked about how GT5 has never had a definite release, comparing it to Duke Nukem Forever. I've even read people say that GT5 will never be released. Nonsense.

GT5 Prologue was a massive success. Some people moaned about the game just being an overglorified demo, but so what? You were still getting more content in GT5 Prologue than you would from many other fully released racing games. The prologue version came with nearly 100 cars, if I recall correctly. Though there are only five tracks, each one has a few variations that you can drive on and they're quite a lot of fun to drive on and even just gaze at. Eiger Nordwand and London are each very beautiful to just look at, but moreso Eiger Nordwand with the colossal mountains in the background and the hundreds of trackside dandelions swaying in the breeze. It just looks amazing in motion on an HD TV. I'm sure that the full version will have even more wonderful tracks to marvel over, because it is supposedly going to pack a few dozen tracks in total, at least.

Anyway, E3 has come and gone this year and, with it, more Gran Turismo 5 news. It has been confirmed (again) that the game will have over 900 cars, and this is with the inclusion of NASCAR and the WRC (World Rally Championship). It remains to be seen what role each will play in GT5, but if you can actually play through each championship, then wow. With both NASCAR and the WRC being included, this has increased GT5's scope substantially and, in some ways, it may end up being three games in one now.

From what I understand, there will also be some kind of mission/scenario addition to the game as well. I've never been too big on missions and scenarios in racing games because they've always felt pointless or tacky to me, so I'm not too pumped over this aspect of the game. I may also be thinking of Gran Turismo PSP with this feature, I'm not 100% certain.

Night racing is going to make an appearance again (absent from GT5 Prologue), as will changing weather conditions. Car damage is also finally being introduced to Gran Turismo, but I haven't heard if it will simply be cosmetic, or if it will affect your car's handling.

And also, Kazunori Yamauchi from Polyphony Digital has said that Gran Turismo 5 is in a releasable state at this moment, meaning that they could ship it if they wanted to it and it would be a very complete and playable game. However, they're not going to give us the game just yet because they want to work on it even more, tweaking and perfecting what is already in the game and supposedly adding more new content as well!

Here are a few videos. I'd suggest clicking them to view them on YouTube so that you can see them in all of their HD glory.

E3 2009 Trailer

Gameplay Trailer

Gameplay Trailer #2

Eiger Nordwand


Anyway, with news that Gran Turismo 5 is essentially finished, I am going to predict that we will see it released for the 2009 holiday season. Anyone else looking forward to this one?


UPDATE: August 19, 2009:
Lots of new info!

• 1000 vehicles (170 are brand new to Gran Turismo).
• 170 "premium" vehicles with damageable car interiors.
• Physical car damage! Flapping doors, dents, and much more.
• 60+ tracks. Total number is still unknown.
• New physics for simulation mode. Cars can now do rolls.
• Behaviour of electric cars reproduced faithfully.
• Arcade Mode: Single player and two player split screen.
• GT (Simulation) Mode: Overview map, garage, car dealerships, tuning shop, car wash, oil change, championships, license tests.
• Online: Open lobby, text/voice chat, private rooms, photo albums, YouTube compatibility.
• Gran Turismo TV: video output to PSP (all models including the Go), progressive download, improved UI.
• Gran Turismo Museum.
• Full custom soundtrack support.
• Dolby Digital 5.1 and 7.1
• Cockpit view can be manipulated via PSEye.
• Interactive track environments, such as hitting signs and knocking them around.
• Lambourghini and Bugatti, present in the PSP Gran Turismo, may also be in Gran Turismo 5!

I'm more of a Forza 2 guy and the constant delays of GT5 is laughable.

It's pretty interesting that the guys behind GT5 came up to the Forza 3 booth and made notes and stuff, going as far as discussing with the team behind it. It will be fun to see which game comes out on top...

I've never played Forza before since I've never owned an X-Box console, but I'm definitely aware that Polyphony need to be on top of their game to make sure that Gran Turismo remains the "best console driving simulator" out there.

Provided that Gran Turismo 5 also comes out for the holiday season, we'll probably see the two games go head to head for sales. It will be interesting to watch that little battle shape up. Gran Turismo is to Forza what Mario is/was to Sonic. There's a good potential rivalry there for the two series.

I find it interesting as well that the Polyphony guys would have been at the Forza booth. I'm willing to bet that with Gran Turismo 5 basically being complete, they wanted to get a look at Forza's features to see what they can steal and incorporate into Gran Turismo 5 before it is inevitably released.

There is no competition as far as I am concerned. GT is, and will always be the best racing series. The E3 trailer looked better than the graphics in prologue which is something that didn't even occur to me. It's going to be great.

http://kotaku.com/5282349/gran-turismo-makers-try-forza-3

^ lol at this.

Motorsport on TV is the most boring shit possible and these games aren't much more fun imhotbqfh

i really dont wanna watch those vids coz its all about the proper high res graphics they do. youtube wont cut it :P

GT has always been the best looking racing game as well as the best playing. i still play GT one and two now and again x)

i really dont wanna watch those vids coz its all about the proper high res graphics they do. youtube wont cut it :P

GT has always been the best looking racing game as well as the best playing. i still play GT one and two now and again x)

Ha, I agree. It's difficult to show off Gran Turismo's beauty without seeing it on an HD TV or widescreen LCD monitor, and GT5 has a lot of beauty.

Eiger Nordwand is probably the best looking circuit I've ever seen in a racing game. The monstrous mountains and flowing dandelions along the side of the road, combined with the superb sky and lighting effects, make it quite the treat for your eyes.

Ha, I agree. It's difficult to show off Gran Turismo's beauty without seeing it on an HD TV or widescreen LCD monitor, and GT5 has a lot of beauty.

Eiger Nordwand is probably the best looking circuit I've ever seen in a racing game. The monstrous mountains and flowing dandelions along the side of the road, combined with the superb sky and lighting effects, make it quite the treat for your eyes.

wow that must be good coz thats a pretty poetic description you gave x) i need a ps3 and a hdtv now

If you watch the videos on gametrailers you'll see them in HD, given you have the internet connection.

given you have the internet connection.

i'm on 1024 resolution and i'm connected to next doors wireless so its going through at least one wall lol i doubt i'll be able to see it in its full glory. ah well i'll just admire those screenies

I do care alot about Gran Turismo 5. I'm insanely stoked for it. I do side with the idea that GT5 Prologue was an overglorified demo, but I got it for a week with a free rental, so, good for me.

I do hope damage is complete (affects your driving, etc, can possibly ruin your car for the race, disqualifying you) because, as far as I know, and as far as I heard (especially with Top Gear), GT is the game that is closest, with pro physics, to actual driving, given the good equipment. So then, if it is the most realistic driving game, why is everything undestructible, and collisions so irrealistic? I mean, it'd still be good without all that, but it still seems awkward to me.


btw, UPRC or anybody else, do you have any tips for me about Eigen Nordwand? I cannot do anything decent in that track. I never manage to overtake anybody ever, so I stay in my initial position, always.

Yeah, I've always sucked at Eigen Nordwand too. Out of all of the tracks available in GT5P, it is the only one where my closest gaming bud always beats me. It's the opposite on all of the other courses with me usually beating him quite easily except at Daytona, which can go either way.

I have trouble at the very tight S curves and they essentially ruin my laps because I take them far too slowly. I need to fire GT5P up again and figure out how to drift them.

Haha, oh my god, I just removed every single driving aid while leaving physics on professional..


and I gotta say this is actually working better. It's also insanely funnier to play like this, I don't exactly know why. Wow.



EDIT: Haha, I was having trouble with the Class C second Eigen Nordwand race, but after doing other events and buying an Honda Integra, I did it quite easily.

Suzuki Swift Sport just isn't a fast enough car for that event :P

Also I hope GT5 has a ton of events, and as for the actual missions, well, just adds more to do, I guess.

I do care alot about Gran Turismo 5. I'm insanely stoked for it. I do side with the idea that GT5 Prologue was an overglorified demo, but I got it for a week with a free rental, so, good for me.

I do hope damage is complete (affects your driving, etc, can possibly ruin your car for the race, disqualifying you) because, as far as I know, and as far as I heard (especially with Top Gear), GT is the game that is closest, with pro physics, to actual driving, given the good equipment. So then, if it is the most realistic driving game, why is everything undestructible, and collisions so irrealistic? I mean, it'd still be good without all that, but it still seems awkward to me.


btw, UPRC or anybody else, do you have any tips for me about Eigen Nordwand? I cannot do anything decent in that track. I never manage to overtake anybody ever, so I stay in my initial position, always.

Because racing is about having a cool car and driving fast, not destroying the cars. 8-)

I must be one of the few people in the world who doesn't care about damage physics in racing games. I've never understood why people whine about the lack of it. Sure it's "realism" but who wants that? If you want realism go do it in real life.

Because racing is about having a cool car and driving fast, not destroying the cars. 8-)

I must be one of the few people in the world who doesn't care about damage physics in racing games. I've never understood why people whine about the lack of it. Sure it's "realism" but who wants that? If you want realism go do it in real life.

That doesn't exactly work, man. Go do it in real life, but how? Motorsport is a very, very rich sport. You can't magically go and race around the world in a bazillion cars for fun.

It also could add a bit more depth to the challenge of this game, because right now I can push some other cars out of the way with little to no problem. Hitting stuff is meant to be punishing in racing. It's simple.

The one thing I doubt is going to be in, but I would love to have in it, is the ability to use your own songs from the PS3 database. I'd love to drive round the tracks with Highway to Hell playing in the BG. That's the only thing that I find is missing from the Prologue version.

Custom soundtrack support? I don't see why they wouldn't include it. So many games allow it now.

Ahhh that would be so good. I think I would actually compose for GT if they did that!

Afura you should download a completed game save off the internet and it will prolgong your experience a lot. It's a lot more fun when you have more variety (That is the beauty of the full GT games they just have so much to do).

The last car you can unlock is the F1 car and that is a LOT of fun