Gran Turismo 5

Gran Turismo 5 (Japanese: グランツーリスモ 5 Guran Tsūrisumo Faibu) (commonly abbreviated as GT5) is the fifth edition of the Gran Turismo racing video game series. Developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, it was released for PlayStation 3 on November 24, 2010.[1][2] It expands on the game's Prologue version and is the first entry of the series to be developed for PlayStation 3.
The game marks the first entry in the series with online races for 16-players. A damage model has been included with variations of damage depending on whether the vehicle falls into the "standard" or "premium"-category.[7] Over 1,000 cars, 26 different locations, and 71 different tracks are available in the game.[8] Night racing also returns.
World Rally Championship, NASCAR and Super GT licenses are utilized for the first time in the Gran Turismo franchise.[9][10]New features
Gran Turismo 5 is the first game in the franchise to provide a damage model, with variations of damage depending on whether a vehicle is a "Standard"- or "Premium"-car and Weather effects, which are only available on selected circuits. Optional Stereoscopic-3D resolution and Karting found a place in the game.[11] Furthermore, new visual effects have been introduced, including dynamic skid marks, dust and the ability for drivers to flash their headlights. A course editor which allows the player to create new circuits by using tools that randomly generate track-parts according to certain player-selected specifications, including the amount of corners, the time of day and the amount of sectors. There are a variety of themes the player can choose from to act as a base for each circuit design.[12]
Gran Turismo 5 is the first game in the franchise to include both mechanical and external damage modelling, including a real-time deformation engine that will process model deformation according to the speed and angle of impact.[13] It is also possible to overturn cars for the first time in the series.[14] The cars in GT5 are separated into "standard"- and "premium"-vehicles. Standard vehicles have a less detailed damage model with dirt, scratches and dents appearing on the car in the event of an accident. "Premium"-vehicles feature a slightly more advanced damage model. Gran Turismo 2 previously included damage, but was limited to mechanical failures only.
Tracks
Gran Turismo 5 allows players to drive 26 different locations or "scenery" and 71 different track layouts (the previous iteration in the main numbered series, Gran Turismo 4, included 51 tracks total).[8] Dunsfold Park, located in the United Kingdom[15] – the test track of the British automotive television show Top Gear – will be included in the game. The playable demo of Gran Turismo 5 at Gamescom 2009 featured the Tokyo Route 246 track, seen in previous incarnations of the game.[16][17] Various real-life circuits return from previous games in the series. These include (among others) Nürburgring, Circuit de la Sarthe, Tsukuba Circuit, Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway[18] and Suzuka Circuit.[19] New real-life circuits included in the game include (among others) Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monza circuit, Daytona International Speedway, a special karting track based around the Piazza del Campo - a historic public space in Tuscany, Italy used for the Palio di Siena, and two new Rome and Madrid city circuits. Many fictional circuits return from previous games in the series including 'Trial Mountain', 'Deep Forest Raceway' and Autumn Ring. An official list of all tracks available in the game has been released by Polyphony Digital.[20]
Vehicles
Gran Turismo 5 provides a total of 1,031 cars.[21] Lamborghini and Bugatti make their first home-console appearance in the franchise, following their introduction in Gran Turismo PSP, and it has been confirmed the new "gullwing" Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will appear, along with Ferrari's recently[when?] unveiled 458 Italia as well as the Lexus LFA supercar. McLaren will also make their first appearance as a native manufacturer with the inclusion of the McLaren F1 road car (the F1 GTR race version was present in Gran Turismo 4, but was included in BMW's dealership).[22] Le Mans spec cars will make a return appearance. Hybrids were previously included in Gran Turismo 4 with the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight. At the 2009 Tokyo Game Show, Yamauchi mentioned that the latest hybrid and electric cars will be included, including the Tesla Roadster.[9][23] At Gamescom 2010, it was also revealed that GT5 will include the Jaguar XJ13 race car prototype, as well as the Ferrari 330 P4 and the Ford GT40 Mark IV race cars, and as the developers put it, "will allow players to create the race that never came to be", since the XJ13 program was canceled before the car was ready for competition. Additionally, in association with Red Bull Racing, the development team worked on a new prototype car called the "X2010 Prototype" which was designed with the idea of, "If you built the fastest racing car on land, one that throws aside all rules and regulations, what would that car look like, how would it perform, and how would it feel to drive?" This car was worked on by Polyphony Digital and Red Bull's aerodynamics expert, Adrian Newey, and is one of the cars in the game.[24] Up to 16 cars or 32 karts will be able to race on track at once whereas previous installments allowed only six cars per race max. Recently[when?], Polyphony Digital released the official vehicle list which also shows which vehicles will be standard or premium.[25]
The cars in GT5 are separated into two categories, "standard" and "premium". Standard cars have standard headlights, and basic damage modelling. In addition, standard cars do not have any interior camera views. Premium cars feature headlights capable of high and low beams, detailed interior camera views, and detailed damage models. Premium cars also have working windshield wipers which can be used on tracks with rain or snow. Around 20% of all cars in the game fall into the "premium"-category.[26]
Development

The game was first revealed at E3 2005 under the name Vision Gran Turismo. This was not GT5 as we know it today but simply Gran Turismo 4 (for the PlayStation 2) with more cars on track and PC-rendered footage. The PlayStation 3 version would not be released until November 11, 2006 and with no Gran Turismo game in the console's launch line-up. Various bits of information and news was revealed about the game from then on but it was not for another three years that the public got a chance to have a proper look at GT5.
At Sony's E3 2009 Press Conference, a trailer for Gran Turismo 5 was shown, revealing the inclusion of Super GT, NASCAR and WRC but no release date was revealed.[27] In an interview with Eurogamer, Yamauchi said that "We've actually reached a point where we can probably release [GT5] anytime, except that you can also keep working as long as you want to as well, it's just a matter of timing."[28] However, in an interview with Auto Express in April 2010, Yamauchi explained that, "Deciding a release date for a game is always difficult, as it’s not something I can decide on my own. The agreement on a date comes between various parties at Sony, and it’s not necessarily a date I would be hoping for. March would've been too early. We could have produced the game in time to make that deadline, but the finished product wouldn't have had everything that I wanted to include." Sony Computer Entertainment has certain control over the release dates of their games, this could be one of the contributing factors delaying Gran Turismo 5.[29] It has been announced that users will be able to output HD replays onto YouTube.[30] Gran Turismo 5 was shown off extensively at E3 2010 including a new trailer, a North and Latin American release date, playable demos on the show floor and various private press conferences revealing new information about the game. Alongside the original release, two collector's editions will be released. One featuring some extra bonus content and the other, more expensive option containing extra paraphernalia such as further reading on car racing.
Overall, Gran Turismo 5 took more than five years to complete, with a total cost estimated at approximately $80 million, making it the second most expensive game in history to developed, just behind Grand Theft Auto IV.[31]
Time Trial Demo and 2010 GT Academy
The GT5 Time Trial Demo was released on December 17, 2009 on the PlayStation Network; it was only playable while the user was signed into the PlayStation Network. It was not so much a demo of GT5 itself, but actually the first part of the 2010 GT Academy, with the fastest drivers from the time trial eventually getting the chance to drive a real racing car in a real racing series. Nevertheless, it showed what progress had been made since Polyphony Digital's latest game, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in terms of graphics, physics and other aspects of gameplay and design. It featured stock and tuned versions of the Nissan 370Z. The track featured in the demo was the Indianapolis GP circuit, which is new to the Gran Turismo series.[32] This demo was praised for its graphics and updated physics, however it has been criticised for its stiff camera, and confusion over what aspects of the final game the demo represents. The Time Trial demo is no longer playable now that the 2010 GT Academy is complete.
2011 GT Academy
On November 16, 2010, it was revealed that the GT Academy would return for a third year, this time for drivers in the USA. GT Academy is a three-phase competition with the winner being trained and enrolled as a professional racing driver in preparation for a major race event next year. A reality TV show on sports channel SPEED will chronicle the competition. The preliminary virtual rounds will be a test of driver skill in Gran Turismo 5 using pre-selected Nissan vehicles and all entrants will receive free digital content for playing. The top 32 drivers will then be invited to a live GT5 National Finals, with the 16 leading players taken to the GT Academy Boot Camp.[33][34] The second round of the competition was scrapped due to the widespread use of cheating.[35]
Sony and Polyphony Digital have confirmed that the Gran Turismo 5 Academy events will be available for European players to participate in from March 4, 2011.[36]
Song Track Naming Competition
At E3 2010, a new trailer was shown revealing various aspects about GT5 including a release date. The song used for the trailer was by Japanese composer Daiki Kasho; many fans wanted to know the name of the song, but it was untitled. Polyphony Digital recognised this and started a competition open to all fans around the world, to submit a name for the song. The winner would have their name immortalised in Gran Turismo 5's credits and their title become the official name of the music track.[37] The winner was chosen by series creator Kazunori Yamauchi out of 5,444 entries: it was "5OUL ON D!SPLAY" (a stylised form of "Soul On Display") submitted by a fan from Argentina.[38]
Other peripherals
Yamauchi said in an interview with Edge Magazine that Gran Turismo 5 could have some compatibility with the PlayStation Portable version. He said, in an interview with G4, that "we’re going to make it so that you can actually export the cars for the PSP version into Gran Turismo 5, so you can export your garage."[39]
The game was reported by media in September 2009 to allow head tracking using the PlayStation Eye, though no official confirmation came in the following months. This feature would allow the player to move their head naturally while sitting down, upright, and have the view around the 3D cockpit change accordingly.[40] Officially announced in conjunction with Toyota in January 2010 is a GPS-based device which, when loaded into the game, will create a 'ghost' lap of a run through a race circuit in real life if equipped for data recording, allowing someone to view or race against their real life driving.[41] Naturally, this would only be available for tracks which exist in real life, there is no information on which or how many circuits in total will support the feature.
Updates
Despite series creator Kazunori Yamauchi expressing his distaste for further development on the game after release,[42] the game has been updated and expanded several times in its lifespan.[43] Many of the updates have improved the multiplayer racing, including weight and power restrictions on which cars can be driven in an online session, a car performance rating system, handicaps such as ballast and engine restriction, mechanical damage, and the ability to use the built-in course maker in online multiplayer races. Other updates have included additional events, an online car dealership, removal of the copy protection for saved games, friend rankings, and various adjustments to the rewards and restrictions in the game.[44][45][46][47][48]
Marketing

Gran Turismo 5's marketing campaign started on November 18, 2010 with a TV commercial featuring the fictional marketing character Kevin Butler as part of Sony Computer Entertainment's It Only Does Everything advertising campaign for their video game products in North America. The commercial depicts Butler as the 'VP of Add More Awesome' explaining how he made Gran Turismo 5 "more awesome" by adding more features that were previously thought impossible.[49]
At the October 2010 Australian International Motor Show, Toyota hosted a 24-hour Playstation3 GT5 endurance race, a recreation of the 24 Hours Nürburgring, with a total of 48 drivers split into two teams, racing virtual interpretations of the Toyota FT-86 G Sports Concept for a full day and night.[50][51][52]
On November 14, 2010 it was revealed that Sony had teamed with Swiss watchmaker Tissot to host the official countdown timer for the launch of Gran Turismo 5. To promote the relationship, Tissot gave away one customiAlongside the standard edition of the game, there will be nine other versions of the game exclusive to certain countries and/or regions around the world. All of the special edition versions of the game are sold in limited quantities and contain a copy of the game as standard.


North American Gran Turismo 5 Collector's Edition.
The Collector's Edition is available in North America, Europe and Asia. The Collector's Edition for the North America includes the game, a custom etched Keychain, a 1:43 scale model of a Nissan GT-R with exclusive livery, a 300-page APEX book with hints on driving technique, car tuning, future technologies and more, an e-voucher for five unique "Chrome Line" edition cars, and a Certificate of Authenticity.[54] The European Collector's Edition will include the game, a 300-page APEX book with hints on driving technique, car tuning, future technologies and more, an e-voucher for five unique "Chrome Line" edition cars, an exclusive GT5 dynamic theme and a Certificate of Authenticity.[54]
The Signature Edition is exclusive to Europe, Australia and New Zealand. It will include the game, a steel case finished in 'Obsidian Black' (official Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG colour choice), a coffee table book that details the cars and locations in GT5, a 300-page APEX book with hints on driving technique, car tuning, future technologies and more, a Gran Turismo-branded wallet containing a competition entry card giving one person the opportunity to win a real Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG car (the competition will be similar to the GT Academy), a GT-branded USB pen drive containing an exclusive GT5 dynamic theme and a Polyphony Digital/Mercedes-Benz exclusive trailer, a custom etched Keychain, a 1:43 scale Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG model in an exclusive livery, an e-voucher for six unique "Stealth" edition cars and an e-voucher for five unique "Chrome Line" edition cars.[55]
The Japanese and Asian Racing Pack is a bundle which consists of the game and a 300-page APEX book with hints on driving technique, car tuning, future technologies and more bundled with a 'Titanium Blue' PlayStation 3 console with a 'Titanium Blue' DualShock 3 controller. The console will be equipped with a 160GB hard drive.[56]
In Europe is a bundle which consists of the game and 300-page APEX book with hints on driving, car tuning, future technologies and more, an e-voucher for five unique "Chrome Line" edition cars, an exclusive GT5 dynamic theme, a Certificate of Authenticity bundled with a 'Charcoal Black' PlayStation 3 console and a 'Charcoal Black' Dualshock 3 controller. The console is equipped with a 320GB hard drive.[57]zed, GT5 edition Tissot PRS 516, every day up until the release date.[53]After promising that GT5 would be released in 2010 after missing its initial March 2010 Japanese release date, Sony announced at E3 2010 that Gran Turismo 5 would be officially launched in North and Latin America on November 2, 2010, in Europe and Japan on November 3, 2010 and in Australia on November 4, 2010.[58] However, it was later revealed that the game would not meet its November release date and would instead be released later in the "holiday season".[59] Sony producer Taku Imasaki said that the reason for the delay was that series creator Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital want to "make certain they are creating the perfect racing experience." In addition, the Sony spokesman Makiko Noda said that the reason of the delay was due to production reasons. However Sony stated that the game would be released "before Christmas" [2010].[60]
The actual reason for the delay turned out to be on the production side. Gran Turismo 5 missed its production window by three days. Kazunori Yamauchi publicly apologized via his Twitter account and explained that with such a complex game, a lot has to be ironed out. He finished his Tweet with, "Wait a little longer".[61][62] It was later claimed by a Blu-ray forum moderator that the delay was due to Sony's decision to release the game under the newer 3.50 SDK firmware standard (to combat piracy), rather than 3.41 as originally intended.[63][64] While at the Specialty Equipment Market Association Show on November 2, 2010, Yamauchi confirmed to automotive blog Jalopnik that GT5 had entered final production for release.[65]
After weeks of speculation, it was officially announced that Gran Turismo 5 would be released on November 24 for Asia, North America and Europe[1][2] and November 25 for Japan and Australia.[4][3]