The last Gran Turismo launched Octobe 2004. Since then we've had 2 U.S. Presidents, a new generation of consoles, 3 Forza games, and countless Gran Turismo 5 delays. With this year's E3, however, the rumors about the launch of the most anticipated racer...ever were finally put to rest. Circle your calendars people, the next generation of Gran Turismo is coming November 2, and it looks to be the best racing game ever.
Doesn't this look beautiful?
When GT4 launched it changed the racing game genre forever. 700+ cars, a career system that rivaled most RPGs, and graphics that pushed the limits of what the PS2 was capable of doing. The game was not without its critics though. People complained about the lack of damage, the rubberband AI that was plain stupid, and the lack of online functionality.
With GT5, Polyphony Digital looks to remedy many of the shortcomings of their previous game, while adding an unrivaled level of detail and depth. Will the final game be the definitive racing experience we’ve been waiting for? Yes. Here are 5 reasons why:
- Sheer size: 1000 cars. Yes, you read that right, ONE THOUSAND. We’re willing to bet you cant even remember the names of 100 cars, let alone 1000. You’ve got everything from Honda CR-Z, to Mercedes SLS AMG, to GT-Rs and everything you can think of in-between. Sure, there’s no Porsche, but we have a feeling Yamauchi will surprise us in the end
- Diversity: Quick, how many games do you have to buy if you want road car racing, NASCAR racing, and WRC racing. Three? Nope, just one: GT5. In a move unprecedented by any game, GT5 includes the license to NASCAR and WRC, with rumors of a partnership with Red Bull F1. Even if GT5 doesn’t end up including F1, there are so many things to do that we’re sure it’ll keep us busy for months..
Yeeeehaaaww! Left turn number 1523!
- Attention to detail:
Take a good look at the above image. Now tell me, which side is the real car and which side is Gran Turismo? Difficult to tell? That’s because the amount of detail PD has poured into this game is absolutely phenomenal. The stitches, the leather creases, shadows, they have all been meticulously replicated to the point where it’s difficult to tell the CG car apart from the real-life car. The same level of attention has gone into replicating the game’s racing tracks. I mean they EVEN UPDATE THE GRAFFITI ON THE NURBURGRING! Who else does that? - Damage: HALLELUJAH! Fans have been asking for damage in Gran Turismo for more than 6 years now, and finally it has arrived. No longer will the cars be completely shiny, perfect, too perfect, replicas of their real-life counterparts. They will accumulate dirt, dust, mud, scratches, body panels will dent, and even detach from the car! The standard cars (I will cover the Standard vs. Premium cars in a later post) will also get scratched and dented, and 100% of the cars will have realistic mechanical damage. No more riding the rails around a turn to get ahead of your opponents.
- Online: Boy, is this a biggie. There is absolutely no racing game out these days that doesn’t come with some sort of online functionality. Currently the king of online play is Forza 3, but Gran Turismo will soon take that crown. If rumors are to be believed Gt5 will include a central hub to keep track of all your friends, 32-room lobbies with 16-player races, voice + text chat and so much more.
We don’t know about you, but to us GT5 is shaping up to be the best racing game ever released on any console, ever, and it makes us excited. Really excited.
http://granturismoevolved.com/granturismo/5-reasons-gran-turismo-5-will-be-the-best-racer-ever/
Play Me
