Gran Turismo: GT 5 PrologueGran Turismo 5 Prologue is on the home straight and soon to arrive on PLAYSTATION 3. With stunningly realistic HD graphics, online races and the most accurate physics yet seen in a racing simulator, there’s never been anything quite like it. Gran Turismo on PS3™: it’s the drive of your dreams. And it’s almost here…
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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. The CarsThe 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):
Online PlayGran 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 PagePerhaps 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 ViewAnother 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. VisualsJust 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 PrologueJust 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 SupportGran 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 DateGran 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 NextWith 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.
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