To celebrate last weekend’s 24h Nürburgring, Sony revealed that three variants of the legendary circuit will be included in Gran Turismo 5 when it goes on sale later this year. Players will be able to take on the classic Nordschliefe and the new Grand Prix Circuit located to its South East. Additionally, the 24h track on which the endurance race is contested will also be included, which challenges drivers with the two circuits joined together. Gamers may remember this variant from its outings in PGR3 and PGR4.
Six new screenshots of the German circuit were also released:
Sony has announced that it is delaying the release of Gran Turismo 5 – but only in Japan. The game was originally scheduled to be released there in March, and now moves back to the familiar territory of not having a release date at all.
The company has told Eurogamer that the delay is only applicable to Japan, but that’s more likely because the game has never had a European or North American release date since it was first announced.
Sony appears to be sticking to its word that Gran Turismo 5 will finally arrive this year, today supplying the game’s boxart for all to see. Like a lot of people, they’re betting that the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will be the most significant car of this year and have decided that a partial wireframe image of it is the best way to sell their game.
There are also a bunch of new images of the vehicle in-game to view today:
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.
Following the E3 announcement of Gran Turismo’s launch on PSP later this year, Sony Japan have unleashed further images of the game in action. There isn’t a lot to see, although the selection of manufacturers is quite diverse – something which should uphold the marketing claims of 800 different models of car. The game is scheduled for release in October.
In a surprise move Sony today released the first trailer for Gran Turismo 5. The pre-rendered video – described as a “concept movie” on the game’s website – includes confirmation that the game will feature licensed content from both the FIA World Rally Championship and NASCAR. Car damage is also briefly shown but players will have to wait a while to race as a release window has not yet been announced.
It seems like forever since Gran Turismo 4 was announced for PSP release back when the machine first showed its face in 2004. Five years later the company is finally ready to release the game, which is now titled Gran Turismo PSP. The game features over 800 models of car and more than 30 different tracks which have a combined total of around 60 different layouts. Action is presented at 60fps and the normal career (known as “challenge” in this one) and arcade modes make a return.
In a first for the series, players will be able to share and trade cars that they own in the game. Unfortunately there doesn’t appear to be online play, so this will have to take place within the ad-hoc mode. The title will be one of the first to be part of Sony’s decision to distribute all future PSP titles digitally as well as on UMD when it arrives on October 1st (North America). First screenshots:
Sony has announced a new wave of PS3 Greatest Hits titles to launch in North America and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is among them. From June 16th players will be able to get the game for $29.99, complete with a new Greatest Hits boxart and red disc case.
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