Gran Turismo 5 - Academy Edition announced!

[BlueCali]

Gran Turismo 5 (also known as GT5) the fifth edition of the highly acclaimed Gran Turismo racing video game series, developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Expanding on the Prologue version, which was first released in Japan on December 13, 2007 and intended to give an impression of the final game, it will be the first of the main numbered series to feature on the PlayStation 3.

As found in the Prologue, and for the first time in the numbered Gran Turismo series, the game is set to feature cars from Ferrari, including the Ferrari F2007 Formula One World Championship car. In addition to Prologue features, it will also include the Test Track from the BBC motoring show Top Gear, and will greatly expand on the number of cars available to over 9000. There will also be a 16 player online mode as in GT5 Prologue.

In an April 2008 interview, Kazunori Yamauchi revealed that 150 people had worked on Gran Turismo 5 for four years, with all of Polyphony Digital's 120 employees working on GT5, and the game costing 50 times more to develop than 1997's Gran Turismo. He also confessed that GT5 might not be released until after 2009. In a July 2008 interview with IGN, Yamauchi mentioned that at the moment, Polyphony Digital is focused on updates for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and that Gran Turismo 5 may not be released until 2010.

On November 30, 2008. Sony’s chief executive in Southern Europe, James Armstrong, revealed in a statement to a Spanish newspaper that GT5 is expected to be released around Christmas 2009. This would probably mean a late Summer release for Japan and an Autumn/Winter release for Europe and North America. This release date has yet to be confirmed as an official time of release by Polyphony Digital.

Limited Collector’s Edition:

Screens:

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[jefXfree]

Jay Leno a contributing fan of Gran Turismo

Jay Leno may be one of the most recognizable names in America due to his success in late-night talk shows, the latest of which being his move into a self-named show on NBC. And with his "fleet," he is known as one of the zaniest car collectors in the world. But what many probably don't know about the big guy is that he is an avid Gran Turismo fan. Yes, that's right, and he's even lending a hand to help out with the portable Gran Turismo's development.

Check out the video posted on the PlayStation Blog. It's a nice interview featuring Leno's take on the racing series and his involvement in the game.

blog.us.playstation.com/2009/09/gran-turismo-update-video-interview-with-jay-leno/

 

[jefXfree]

Yamauchi-san feeling the pressure to release GT5

Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi has conceded during a recent interview that the pressure from Sony to release PlayStation 3 exclusive racer GT5 has sometimes proven "difficult to bear."

“Not in terms of content, but the pressure really, if we can call it that, of the delivery dates are sometimes difficult to bear,” Yamauchi-san told Meristation.

The Polyphony Digital chief also heaped praise on his fellow employees, adding: “The most important people in my life and close work are of course employees Polyphony. We are like a family.”

Still, credit where it's due, and Yamauchi still found the time to acknowledge the folks Sony, stating, “On the other hand, some people at Sony helped me and help them grow professionally. And those people I work and my devotion I’m happy to help all I can.”

Gran Turismo 5 is pencilled in for release in Japan on March 31, 2010. A western release date has yet to be announced.

 

[jefXfree]

GT5 looks "better than reality," says Yamauchi-san

Polyphony Digital’s Kazunori Yamauchi has declared that upcoming racer Gran Turismo 5 will boast visuals that look “better than reality.”

Apparently, Yamauchi reckons that this is due to the fact that more often than not, we rarely clap eyes on what our ideal perception of reality actually is, due to the amount of criteria involved in capturing that magic moment. In other words, real life for the most part isn’t exactly all that pleasing on the eyes.

“In a way, it’s kind of a given that it’s going to look better than reality,” the Gran Turismo creator told NowGamer.

“The thing about reality is that the criteria for looking ‘real’ are actually a lot stricter and volatile than you’d expect: the way the sun shines, reflects off something, the way it lights scenery – we seldom have the opportunity to see what we consider ‘reality’ under the best and most aesthetically pleasing conditions.”

Elaborating, Yamauchi observed that races depicted in videogames are typically more aesthetically pleasing in comparison to when the real thing is broadcast on TV, though insisted that those magic moments, as rare as they are, do indeed transpire.

“Every time we go out to the circuit and take photos of cars, we get that same impression again,” he continued.

“When you see a race on television, compared to a race in a game, you realise that the reality isn’t as shiny or pleasant as the game. However, these ‘best conditions’ do indeed exist. They happen every once in a while. Maybe, once a year, you’ll be watching a race on TV, or you’ll be outside, and a cloud will move in an ideal direction, and the sun will shine down at a perfect angle, and maybe just for a moment you’ll have this beautiful scene right in front of you.”

Gran Turismo 5 is due for release exclusively on PlayStation 3 in Japan on March 31, 2010.

 

[jefXfree]

Yamauchi admits GT5 could be released "any time we want"

Polyphony Digital head Kazunori Yamauchi has reiterated that the developer could effectively release Gran Turismo 5 at any time, though admitted the reason this hasn’t happened is due to the fact he wants to take the racer “beyond gamer expectations.”

Speaking to the latest issue of Famitsu magazine (translated by the folks at 1up.com), Yamauchi-san commented, “The scale of this title is just dizzying, so daily progress is slow, but it’s still going forward at a steady clip,” adding, “All the basic stuff is complete, but we’re trying to give everything that little bit extra at present.”

“We could release it any time we want, really, but I want to have that classic GT-style ‘did we really have to go this far?’ feel going. I want to go way beyond gamer expectations.”

Gran Turismo 5 is scheduled for release in Japan on March 31, 2010. A western release date has yet to be pinned down.

 

[BlueCali]

We met with Gran Turismo creator and godfather Kazunori Yamauchi at SEMA and asked him the usual phalanx of questions--most importantly, when the heck is the game coming out? We're dying here, man, dying!!!!!

When will you release GT5?

Yamauchi: We will release it in March in Japan but for other regions, it has not been decided yet.

What's holding it up?

That's more depending on SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment America) marketing decisions.

Have you spoken with those guys?

My job is to create the product, not sell it.

What's taking so long with the product, then?

From our perspective, it doesn't seem like that long a time. To make Gran Turismo 5, 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. To create a game from scratch, that's the amount of time it takes to get it right.

You're at the SEMA show, what do you think?

Every time I come to SEMA, I can feel the passion of the car owners who bring their cars here. The SEMA show is different from what you see at a typical motor show. There is more passion here.

Will any SEMA cars ever be in GT5?

It is possible.

How many cars will be on GT5?

I have never actually counted all the cars. I don't have a policy to count them all. We are aiming for 1,000 cars in GT5.

Will those be on the disc when you buy the game or will we have to download them from other sources?

They will all be on the disc.

How do you chose which cars get in the game?

There will be three types: cars we want, the cars the users would like to see in the game and then cars the manufacturers want in it.

Have any manufacturers paid to put their cars in the game?

There have been cases where they've shown that interest [in paying to play], but I don't think we've ever shown interest in [accepting money to include certain cars].

Wouldn't that be a profitable venture for you?

A lot of times it develops into a relationship where we collaborate to raise the level of the game.

How many racetracks do you have in GT5?

There are 20 different environments and around 70 different track layouts.

Which tracks?

We haven't made any announcements. The demo [playing next to us in the interview room] is of Route 246, which runs through the middle of Tokyo.

That must be ripe for wrecking cars. Does GT5 include damage to the cars?

Yes, and the demo has it.

Is it difficult to include that feature?

It is not very hard, though it was not in previous Gran Turismos.

Is GT5 more for the advanced player or can beginners play too?

We do have a setting for people who are just learning how to drive. The other setting is very strict, where even an F1 driver can learn new tricks from the system. However, a lot of driver's aids will be included, such as driving lines, ABS, automatic braking, you can reverse your game and record your laps and share them with others. All those things. They were not that difficult to implement.

What other features will GT5 have?

There will be 400,000 polygons per car, 100 times more than were present on GT4. GT4 had 4,000 polygons per car. You can customize and tune the cars, too.

You have NASCAR and WRC in the game. Does this include the complete list of all tracks in those series?

The NASCAR series is so large it would be impossible to put everything in the game. We will have select courses and select cars in the game. You will also be able to race the stock cars on a number of tracks not found on the NASCAR calendar. In speaking with NASCAR, they said they'd like to see their cars able to race on other tracks, and you can do that [in GT5].

Will you have F1, ALMS or FIA GT?

We had a Ferrari F1 car in the game. For FIA GT and ALMS, we won't have that in the series yet. But we will have a lot of cars that race at Le Mans, so in that sense, there will be cars from ALMS.

Have you played Forza Motorsport 3?

I was watching the guys at our company trying it out in the office. I tried it a little bit. It's very similar in a lot of aspects to Gran Turismo. Some base components of the game are very different from Gran Turismo. It's a little bit different from what a simulator is. You can feel it when you drive it.

Will there be a Gran Turismo 6?

Yes. You won't have to wait as long as you did for GT5. GT5 represents a whole new operating system. GT6 is just new apps that run on the GT5 system.

Will there be downloadable content for GT5?

Eventually there will probably be but there are no actual plans set yet.

What did GT5 cost to make?

[He and translator do some figuring, converting yen to dollars] $60 million. There are other games that cost more. Considering the size and scale of the game, I think it's probably a fairly small amount.

Where do you see the future of gaming? Is it taking over movies, music and video as a form of entertainment?

I think that's already happened. It does take up a part of somebody's time in life. What's taking the most amount of time in people's lives is communication, like Facebook and things like this. I think that might take away from the time people spend on entertainment, whether it's movies or video games. A lot of basic instincts of human beings is starting to come out now [on sites such as Facebook]. Maybe human beings are just satisfied by continually communicating, not face to face but just communicating. The content they communicate doesn't seem to matter very much; it can be pretty much anything, even meaningless at times. There's a good possibility that even video games might be faded away.

But not right away?

Obviously not right away, but things change over time in every generation.

Domo arrigato

You're welcome.

 

[DaMexiRican]

And that's why I'm waiting for this game, instead of getting Forza 3

 

[MacDaddyOJack]

Those screens are incredible

 

[Horhay]

just WOW!!

 

[BlueCali]

Gran Turismo 5 “Special Edition” on Amazon

Gran Turismo 5 has been listed on Amazon.com for a long time now, but a very interesting new product was just added to Amazon’s French site: Gran Turismo 5 “Edition Spéciale”. Although no other information is provided on the site, as you compare the regular version with the “Special Edition“, you’ll notice prices of €65.99 and €74.95, respectively – a 13% increase.

We first got wind (pun intended) that a “premium” version of the game was in the works when our own insider, Amar212, hinted at it nearly 8 months ago. Pairing the news of Amazon’s “Special Edition” listing with the three-disc GT5 box set we noticed in Polyphony Digital’s studio, it’s rather obvious what is going on here. However, the real question still remains – what’s on those two additional discs to justify the price premium? Could it be the fabled track editor? All the video from Gran Turismo TV? Time, as always, will tell… Thanks to Quency for sending this in!

Before anyone gets excited about the March 31 release date listed on the French Amazon site, let me be first to remind you how wildly inaccurate retailer’s release dates are.

 

[Jon D]

Sweet.

 

[mobius387]

Scans from Playstation Official Magazine reveals info about GT5

- Deformation for every car in the game although race cars will see even more damage
- First screens of GT5's night racing
- 1,000+ vehicles, all with modeled interiors
- Up to 16 players online
- Indy cars and tracks will be included
- Head tracking is reconfirmed and it's for use during racing
- Multi display is back (using 3 PS3's for a wider view)
- HD uploads to YouTube
- Weather
- Night racing for all tracks

- All cars will have cockpit view (the 170 premium are the ones on which the interior will also damage - the rest only external damage)
- Night & Day cycle and weather effects on all tracks
- Damage (visual and mechanical)

source: gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=124196

 

[jefXfree]

Stunning Gran Turismo 5 Cover Art & Shiny New Screens

Gran Turismo 5's cover art has just surfaced on the European PlayStation blog and is looking suitably slinky with it's ultra-sexy depiction of a red Mercedes SLS AMG with its gull-wing door seductively opened as if to say, "Get in and have a bit of a drive and that."

The cover also has the iconic GT logo emblazoned across the front and the full title, 'Gran Turismo 5' included for people uncertain of what 'GT' might stand for. Those cover designers have thought of everything it seems. The '5' is also quite big, so there's no mistaking it for Gran Turismo 1, 2, 3 or 4. Or Prologue for that matter. Phew!

Once you've torn your eyes away from the gorgeous cover art, why not feast your peepers on the incredible new screens we've got for you too while your at it? We really are too good to you.

Gran Turismo 5: The Real Driving Simulator is tentatively slated for March. The exact date is still to be confirmed.

 

[jefXfree]

GT5 To Get Night Races & Weather Effects on All Tracks

Gran Turismo fansite gtplanet.net has managed to get its hands on a copy of the forthcoming issue of Official PlayStation Magazine, in which a whole host of new Gran Turismo 5 features are confirmed.

Of these newly confirmed details, the addition of night racing to all of GT5's tracks, weather effects and Indy Cars are significant firsts for the franchise.

In the past, GT has dabbled with its own version of the F1 car and included the occasional night race on selected circuits, but these rather tasty new inclusions promised for GT5 prove that Polyphony Digital mean business and have got the racing community salivating as a result.

We, meanwhile are still whinging about the cars that won't have full damage modelling. Sort it out!

Here's the full list of stuff gleaned from the pages of OPM:

+ 1,000+ vehicles
+ All vehicles have fully modelled cockpits (170 premium cars will have +interior damage modelling)
+ All vehicles will have both physical and mechanical damage modelling
+ Indy (IRL) cars and tracks
+ NASCAR cars and track (a big oval then)
+ Up to 16 players online
+ High-definition video uploads directly to YouTube
+ Multi-display rendering
+ Head-tracking
+ Full weather and night racing on all tracks
+ Night/Day on all tracks

 

[Horhay]

Wow! I cannot wait for this! Thanks for the info Jef!

 

[mobius387]

Wow! I cannot wait for this! Thanks for the info Jef!

hey wait a second! i already posted that info i should get the thanks!!!!

well not the cover info, jef can have the credit for that lol

 

[jefXfree]

Gran Turismo 5 Stalls On The Grid - March Release in Japan Delayed

Seems a shame to start the day with bad news, but in an official release, Gran Turismo 5's launch date has been delayed, shifting from March in Japan, to TBA.

According to SCE, the new release date will be announced at a later time. They also issued an apology for any trouble caused by the delay.

GT5 was originally announced at E3 back in 2006 and has cost $60 million to make according to series creator, Kazunori Yamauchi. Not surprising considering the game features 20 exotic racing locations and over 1000 impeccably rendered cars. It's not exactly what you'd call a small undertaking.

How the delay will effect the proposed Summer 2010 release in the West is not yet known.

[Via Kotaku]

[Update] SCEE has since followed up news of the Japanese delay, stating that it is, "only applicable for the Japanese market."

They went on to say that, "SCEE will announce the launch date for this game in the PAL territories in due course."

So there you go. That Summer 2010 release might not be so far fetched after all. Fingers crossed.

 

[DaMexiRican]

I knew it was gonna happen!

 

[mobius387]

How the delay will effect the proposed Summer 2010 release in the West is not yet known.

ill tell you how:

DELAYED

 

[MacDaddyOJack]

Why am I not surprised....

I don't care if it is the greatest game in the world, I'm starting to think that I might skip it just out of spite

 

[DaMexiRican]

It's happened with almost every GT. One got pushed back 2 or 3 times.