Gran Turismo 5: Everything you need to know

[detrimental]

US, August 16, 2007 - In the world of racing simulators, no series is a highly revered or beloved as the Gran Turismo franchise. Polyphony Digital has proven itself again and again to be the master of the genre, blending fantastic driving models with phenomenal presentation that almost allows you to feel the gas pedal. The studio's love of driving is apparent in every release, and it looks like its next effort will be no different.

Gran Turismo 5 is on its way to the PlayStation 3, and with it come extremely high expectations. So far, fans have been lapping up every ounce of information that's trickled out of the studio, and everything we've learned has us chomping at the bit for its release.




The Cars
The Gran Turismo franchise has always had an incredible catalog of cars to drive, and Gran Turismo 5 will be no different. The game will boast a larger selection of vehicles than its predecessor, Gran Turismo 4. Considering that said game featured a vehicle list of over 700 cars, we don't expect much to be missing.

One key point for fans of the series is the inclusion of Ferrari vehicles. Polyphony Digital was able to license the automaker's vehicles for the first time in the franchise's history, which means that there are only two major manufacturers left that the studio has yet to nail down (Porsche and Lamborghini).

When we sat down with Polyphony Digital founder and mastermind Kazunori Yamauchi at the release of Tourist Trophy for IGN Weekly Episode 7, we asked him whether Tourist Trophy would continue to be its own franchise or whether motorcycles would eventually become a part of the Gran Turismo series. He told us that the end goal would be to bring motorcycles and cars together into one package. Whether or not this vision will come to fruition in Gran Turismo 5 has yet to be seen, but it's certainly a possibility.

Gran Turismo 5 promises to be the pinnacle of driving simulators.While no announcements with regards to the official car list have been made, waging through the videos, screenshots and cars included in Gran Turismo HD Concept have given hint that the following vehicles should wind up in the final game (note that the model year may not be 100% accurate):


1991 Acura NSX

2006 Alfa Romeo Brera

2007 Audi R8

2007 Audi TT 3.2 Quattro

2003 BMW Z4 3.0i

2001 Clio V6 Renault Sport

2002 Daihatsu Copen

1999 Dodge Viper GTS

2006 Ferrari F430

2006 Ferrari 599 GTB

2006 Ford Mustang GT

2004 Honda Integra Type R

2006 Infinity G35 Coupe

1992 Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione

1999 Lotus Elise 190

2004 Lotus Elise 111R

1989 Mazda Eunos Roadster

2002 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG

1996 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV GSR

2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR

2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X

2005 Nissan GT-R Prototype

1994 Nissan Skyline GT-R Vspec II

1997 Nissan Skyline GT-R Vspec

2002 Nissan Xanavi 350Z

1995 Suzuki Cappuccino

2005 Suzuki Swift Sport

1995 Toyota Celica GT-Four Rally Car

2000 TVR Tuscan Speed 6

???? Volkswagen Golf GTI

Online Play
Gran Turismo 5 will mark the series' first foray into the online world, allowing gamers around the globe to connect and race with each other. While offline play should support fields of 16 vehicles, online play is likely to max out at 12. These numbers are the likely player counts, though the final numbers will be determined as Polyphony polishes the game as it approaches release.

Full voice options will be present. The game will give players the option of either having voice chats on during races or to turn them off and partake in a more realistic competition. It sounds like this option will be set by the server type rather than on a player-by-player basis.

Polyphony plans to offer plenty of integration with PlayStation Home, though it's unclear as to what extent this will work. We can assume that you'll be able to park a car from the game in a virtual garage, though this is pure speculation. We do know that the game will allow you to go directly from the game to Home and back again, tying the two together as closely as possible.


My Page will be your starting spot.

My Page
Perhaps the most unique aspect of online play will come in the form of My Page, a personalized starting spot that is said to be similar in vein to a MySpace page. Players will be able to customize their profile, which will reflect their location by showing actual buildings and current weather conditions on their page. Friends list integration should play into My Page as well.

While My Page will tie into the online portion of the game, it'll also act as your main hub for the standard GT single-player mode. Here, you'll find a number of icons including Garage, TV, Album, Options, Profile, Home and Calendar. The Event Calendar will show you a list of upcoming races that you can partake in, while TV should house saved replays.

In-Car View
Another first for the series will be the inclusion of an in-car view, replete with accurate representations of each vehicle's steering wheel, dashboard, instrumentation and more. Engine sounds will be different while racing from this view to accurately model what the vehicles would sound like while sitting in the driver's seat.

The rearview and side-view mirrors will all be fully functional, allowing you to accurately tell whether cars are at your side or tailpipe. You'll be able to look out of the side and rear windows by using the D-Pad should the mirrors not quite suffice.

The in-car view will be a very welcome addition to the series.Visuals
Just as past games in the series have pushed the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 to their limits, Gran Turismo 5 should be a system showpiece for the PlayStation 3. The pre-race screen shows your car being worked on by your pit crew in a garage, and these scenes will feature full HDR, ray-traced lighting. These scenes are stunning and easily rival anything pre-rendered footage could throw at the screen.

While the in-race lighting won't be quite as nice, expect this to be the best looking racing game you've ever seen. The studio promises 1080p support at a full 60fps, though it says that feat isn't easy. But if anyone can do it, it's Polyphony Digital.

GT5 Prologue
Just as was the case with Gran Turismo 3 and 4, a Prologue edition will be released prior to the full game's introduction. These releases have always served as a teaser for the upcoming full game, though in the case of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, it'll also serve as a test for the online play. We're not sure to what extent the online features will be present, but they will in fact be included.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will play something like a mix between the Arcade and GT modes of past titles. Past Prologue releases have been largely focused on license tests, but that won't be the case here as GT5 Prologue will play more like the full game. A number of events will be present for you to race in, each garnering you some cash and a prize (presumably a car). Tuning will not be present, however, though it will of course be in the full release.




One cool incentive for sinking a ton of hours into Prologue is the fact that any cash or vehicles that you earn will transfer over to Gran Turismo 5.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will feature a fairly healthy amount of content. 40 cars will be at your disposal for racing on eight layouts on four distinct circuits. Polyphony Digital aims to include the management-based B-Spec mode in Gran Turismo 5, and it may wind up making its way into Prologue as well.

Wheel Support
Gran Turismo 5 should support all USB-based PlayStation 2 driving wheels, including Logitech's Driving Force Pro and G25. In the case of the G25, it's unknown whether or not the game will make full use of the included gearbox, but we assume that it will. It's very likely that a new wheel designed for the PlayStation 3 will coincide with its release as Gran Turismo 3 and 4 saw branded wheels from Logitech launch alongside the game to great success.

Release Date
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is currently slated for an October release, which means that Gran Turismo 5 can't be too far behind. The current assumption (and hope) amongst fans is that the game will be released in the spring of 2008, though this is pure speculation and no official release date has been given.

What's Next
With the release of GT5 Prologue looming just over the horizon, it won't be long before we can get our hands on the game ourselves. Before then though, Sony plans on showcasing the game in Leipzig at the German Games Convention next week, so stay tuned for coverage from there.

[Jazz 0230]

wow, i cant wait for this, this will be so much fun....i do hope they can get porsche and lambo into the game, i would prefer those two over ferrari anyday of the week, but those graphics are incredible, nice find detrimental....thank you very much

[yungflo]

I love the in car view dude. Not like last gens, but I can actually see me steering! that's cool. I HAVE to get a wheel now.

I hope they don't gimmick it with the sixaxis. F*ck the sixaxis.

[Fresh27]

graphics look great and im glad theyve got the ferrari license now. cant wait to play this game

[yungflo]

This game owns all racing sims Anyone here planning to get a wheel or have one?

[BHD]

PS3 has Gran Turismo - X360 has Forza Motorsport. Both are great, but Forza is simulation and GT is arcade. Feel the difference?

[suphomes]

Looks sweet, i havent even seen GT4 out here though, i dno. i might have missed it

[yungflo]

Originally Posted by BHD

PS3 has Gran Turismo - X360 has Forza Motorsport. Both are great, but Forza is simulation and GT is arcade. Feel the difference?

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!

Dude, don't KID yourself. GT is NOT an only arcade game. It has simulation mode more effective that Forza .

[SteveNash3424213421J]

Originally Posted by BHD

PS3 has Gran Turismo - X360 has Forza Motorsport. Both are great, but Forza is simulation and GT is arcade. Feel the difference?

No one should care about Forza 1 HD.

How can a game be a simulation when the wheel for Forza is so bad?

Besides that, GT has always had a Arcade and a Simulation mode.

And while both have tons of faults in their simulations, GT has proven to be much better.

[BalkanBaller]

Originally Posted by BHD

PS3 has Gran Turismo - X360 has Forza Motorsport. Both are great, but Forza is simulation and GT is arcade. Feel the difference?

:lol: are you serious Gran Turismo is the one and only real driving simulator.