After what can only be described as a mammoth development race, the PSP version of Gran Turismo has finally made it to the Weigh Bridge. The game is available now on both UMD and digitally from the PlayStation Store and features hundreds of cars alongside a ton of tracks. But is sheer quantity enough to justify the five year wait for this title?

Gamespot (75%) – “While it lacks a number of the features that the series was built on, Gran Turismo still has a lot to offer anyone who’s ever had a poster of a car up on his wall or dreamed of taking a supercar for a test drive. Gran Turismo is a game that’s likely to keep you coming back for more time and time again.”

EDGE Magazine (70%) - “Gran Turismo PSP offers little more coherency between events than the single race option that has always been present in the series. Far from being liberating, this bespoke arrangement feels like an anaemic reproduction of the Gran Turismo experience”

Eurogamer (70%) – “You could argue that you’re getting all the content you could possibly want and are then invited to explore it without restriction, and it’s certainly possible to enjoy the game like this. But…relying on players to make their own fun is either lazy or foolhardy. Coupled with archaic AI and the isolating absence of PlayStation Network support, this makes for a game that feels unfocused and regressive, despite its considerable technical and mechanical accomplishments.”

All of the reviews that I have read so far mention the game’s lack of a career mode negatively. Several also state that the four car limit that exists in every race is far too restrictive. If you can put up with that while on your travels then it looks like you will be rewarded with a faithful reproduction of the series as well as some of the best visuals ever delivered on a handheld.

Codemasters is continuing its trend of releasing images of each circuit on the F1 calendar as the circus makes its way there in real life, and this weekend it’s the turn of Suzuka. The track is famous worldwide for hosting the Japanese Grand Prix and apart from a couple of years off in 2007 and 2008, it has done so every season in recent memory. It’s held in high regard by all drivers and is the only one on the calendar to feature a figure-of-eight layout. Check out the game screenshots and trailer featuring the track below:

The city-state of Singapore is the venue for the only night race on the Formula 1 calendar. I recall reading a comment many years ago about how time consuming F1 game developers found Monaco to create, but that must now pale in comparison to the challenge of creating a single circuit under floodlights.

It looks like Codemasters and Sumo Digital have risen to the challenge and today’s trailer is in my opinion the best we’ve seen of the game so far. Check it out below, after a few stills showing the cars under the lights:

Codemasters has released a few more images of two of the tracks in F1 2009 – Valencia and Spa-Francorchamps. The images don’t reveal much about gameplay, but do give a taster of how the game will look when we finally get to see it in motion.

Electronic Arts’ latest reveal of Need for Speed Shift focuses on a much less expensive car than the McLaren-Mercedes SLR seen last week. It’s time for Volkswagen’s Scirocco to enter the spotlight. In the images released today, there’s a good look at the body and headlamps which set it apart from other VW models, as well as a chance to see the distinctive glowing blue dials on the dash.

EA has released five new screenshots of Need for Speed Shift, showing the game’s action from a variety of angles. There’s a first chance to see the McLaren-Mercedes SLR, as well as some on track activity from the Ford GT and Lotus Exige.

Codemasters and Sumo Digital are clearly hoping that a selection of mini-games will extend the life of F1 2009 when it releases later in the year. IGN’s latest preview of the game includes details about six of them:

• Checkpoint – race through time extend gates just like in Lotus Turbo Challenge.
• Gate – some sort of variation on the above.
• Touge – a head-to-head race, possibly similar to GRID’s mode of the same name.
• Slipstream – presumably awards points for drafting for as long as possible.
• Eliminator – last car on each lap is knocked out.

Those thinking that the series has been dumbed down from its last outing on PS3 may take some solace in the description of the on track action. Writer Martin Robinson describes it as “accomplished” and offering “surprising depth and feedback”.

Codemasters is celebrating the British Grand Prix this weekend by releasing a new set of screenshots of F1 2009. There are more teams included this time and it looks like the helmets of drivers have been completed. There’s also a chance to see the T-Cam view that will likely be included, as well as a first look at the Silverstone Circuit which will host its last F1 race on Sunday.

The final boxart for F1 2009 has been revealed. It seems to follow a similar style to that used for the BBC television intro, with a glowing car alongside the now infamous streets of Singapore, which host the only night race in the sport. Codemasters’ logo appears on the front of the box, but developer Sumo Digital’s looks like it will probably only appear on the back. Full image after the jump.

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Electronic Arts is ramping up promotion of Need for Speed SHIFT and has released three new screenshots today. One image shows an old Nissan Skyline while the focus of the other two is the BMW M3 in different liveries.

The company has said in a blog article that it plans to release new images on a more frequent basis. The current plan is to feature one of the game’s cars per week and release new screenshots of it plus a high resolution render which fans can use as a desktop wallpaper.