GTPlanet

High-resolution images from the Toyota FT-86 Concept GT5 trailer we saw earlier this month.

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Sometimes, you’ll come across the most pleasant surprises when you least expect them, and this situation is no exception. Today, we get our first look at the Gran Turismo 5 box art and packaging, in the hands of Kazunori Yamauchi himself. Our own sharp-eyed reader, GON, was first to notice the revelation in this new video from Mercedes-Benz and immediately sent it my way. Sure enough, at 0:42, we get to spy on a Polyphony Digital meeting as Yamauchi inspects a thick Blu-Ray box, complete with the obligatory small text, Sony Computer Entertainment stamp, and the new PS3 logo. Although it may not be the ultimate final product, it’s very likely this is exactly what you’ll find on store shelves next year.

The most curious thing, of course, is the fact that the packaging clearly contains three separate Blu-Ray cases -- one black, one red, and one blue. What could they be? While the conspiracy theorists get to work, here’s a list of other interesting tidbits from the clip:

• Gran Turismo uses one single physics calculation model, so they simply enter the parameters for each car, and the handling characteristics play themselves out within the game. As Yamauchi says, “If the original car is made well, it’ll drive well.”
• We get a closer look at the 3D model of the SLS AMG in Gran Turismo 5, along with a corner from the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
• Mercedes’ narrarator suggests that Yamauchi is “considering” putting the new SLS AMG on the cover, but Yamauchi’s following comments (along with the box art seen earlier) all but confirm it will be the star of the show. As he explains, it “will probably be the most exciting car in the world when GT5 is released”. He also was sure to mention: “Fans of Gran Turismo 5 really have something to be excited about”.

If you’d like to grab the original, slightly-higher-quality version of this clip, download it here (.mov, 57.6 MB) -- thanks to those who managed to track it down!

Another Kazunori Yamauchi interview hits the web, this time from GameTrailers. Here’s what’s new:

• Entirely new code base from GT4 -- nothing has been carried over from the old game. Even the GT4 Online code was not used to develop the networked side of GT5.
• New physics in the TGS demo should be immediately apparent to anyone playing the game -- it’s actually “easier to drive”, though when the car begins to lose grip, its behavior is more true-to-life.
• Entirely new artificial intelligence. The oval tracks and NASCAR presented a unique AI challenge.

The big question mark, of course, looms over that one little word: “easier”. What that means is still unclear, though it will obviously worry many fans out there who may now fear a less challenging or realistic driving experience. For now, let’s hope the true meaning of Yamauchi’s words were simply lost in translation! Thanks to ComposerRyan for digging this one up.

Japanese gaming mag Famitsu hit news stands this week featuring a fresh interview with Kazunori Yamauchi. He used the opportunity to reiterate GT5’s progress while emphasizing the scale of the game:

“Naturally, my attention is focused purely on Gran Turismo 5 right now. The scale of this title is just dizzying, so daily progress is slow, but it’s still going forward at a steady clip. All the basic stuff is complete, but we’re trying to give everything that little bit extra at present. We could release it any time we want, really, but I want to have that classic GT-style ‘did we really have to go this far?’ feel going. I want to go way beyond gamer expectations.”

Though I have not seen a direct translation of the entire Famitsu interview, 1UP.com did not hesitate to confirm that “you’ll be allowed to bring your entire collection of cars” earned in Gran Turismo PSP over to GT5. We’ve known about the interoperability between the two games for a while now, but nothing as of yet has indicated if all 850 cars in GT PSP will be making the move to GT5. Unless 1UP was being liberal in their translation, it’s beginning to look like a safe bet.

He also discussed his rationale for choosing what car will appear on the cover of each GT game while explaining his choice of the Corvette ZR-1 for GT PSP.

“When I think about what car to put on the cover, I have to figure out which car is considered the coolest at this exact moment in time. The auto industry is going through a transition period right now, and it’s a dangerous time for a lot of companies. It’s a major support of the entire world economy, and the vast amount of talent and output it produces is one reason why GT is what it is. I wanted to go back to the roots with what makes a car cool, so I chose GM’s Corvette ZR-1 to try and cheer the auto industry up a little.”

So, any takers on Gran Turismo 5’s box art next spring…?

We’ve got another new interview with Kazunori Yamauchi via GameBlog.fr, and while it’s not as personal or as thorough as Xavier Ocampo’s, it does produce two interesting and encouraging statements.  First, he reiterates the updated damange modeling in Gran Turismo 5 - reinforcing my personal suspicion that negative reactions to the damage shown off at GamesCom was the primary decision for a 2010 release. On the subject of release dates, Yamauchi confirms that is a decision in the hands of Sony Computer Entertainment, since “both versions [PAL and NTSC, presumably] will be finished at the same time”.

The full video is available here, though it’s only with French subtitles. Keep reading for the English transcript to see what else is discussed.

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When you’re looking through some of the latest screenshots, it’s easy to think to yourself, “You know, that looks a lot better than anything I’ve ever seen in real life.” It’s a phenomenon not lost on Kazunori Yamauchi, who acknowledges that the real world doesn’t quite live up to the visual standards set by Polyphony Digital in these comments to NowGamer:

“‘Better than reality’ – yeah, that’s one way of putting it. In a way, it’s kind of a given that it’s going to look better than reality. The thing about reality is that the criteria for looking “real” are actually a lot stricter and volatile than you’d expect. The way the sun shines, reflects off something, the way it lights scenery – we seldom have the opportunity to see what we consider “reality” under the best and most aesthetically pleasing conditions.”

“Every time we go out to the circuit and take photos of cars, we get that same impression again. When you see a race on television, compared to a race in a game, you realise that the reality isn’t as shiny or pleasant as the game. However, these “best conditions” do indeed exist. They happen every once in a while. Maybe, once a year, you’ll be watching a race on TV, or you’ll be outside, and a cloud will move in an ideal direction, and the sun will shine down at a perfect angle, and maybe just for a moment you’ll have this beautiful scene right in front of you.”

Of course, Yamauchi-san is correct, but you can’t help but smile at the irony of dynamic weather and time of day being two of the most-wanted features in GT5!