This little game just keeps looking better! Take a closer look at the Ferrari Enzo and the Nissan GTR V-Spec in these impressive new screenshots. For the skeptics, take a look at this gameplay video footage.
In what first appears to be a dry interview, closer inspection reveals an interesting tidbit from Yamauchi about the multiplayer functionality in Gran Turismo PSP. As we already know, up to four players can compete wirelessly via the PSP’s ad-hoc wireless mode. That’s cool, but there’s more to it than that - GT PSP will be one of the first games outside of Japan to take advantage of the little-known Ad-Hoc Party application.
First released in Japan late last year, Ad-Hoc Party is a free application downloaded to your PlayStation 3. Once running, your PSP connects wirelessly to your PS3, through which you can play games with your friends over the Internet. It’s an interesting, decentralized method of bringing online play to PSP titles without requiring game developers to implement the additional functionality or maintain server infrastructure. The implications of online play for GT PSP are huge, adding lots of depth and fun to a title that some hard-core players had dismissed.
Sony representatives have already confirmed that Ad-Hoc Party is coming to the United States, so keep an eye out for more information about the software in the coming weeks and months. For now, check out the Japanese video above for a visual explanation of how the Ad-Hoc Party application works.
Thanks to FoolKiller and Shokz for pointing this out!
Since the big announcement at Sony’s E3 press conference, two things have happened: lots of journalists got their hands on the demo at the show, and Kazunori Yamauchi has released more tidbits of information in a flurry of interviews. It’s difficult to keep up with everything, and all the excitement around the Gran Turismo 5 trailer hasn’t helped, but we should be able to clear up a lot of the confusion by aggregating the pieces of the puzzle right here. Keep reading to find out what we know, what we don’t know, and what everyone else actually thinks about this long-anticipated title…
Thanks to an excellent new interview with Kazunori Yamauchi, we’ve just learned a lot about the progress of Gran Turismo 5 - and it sounds like it is further along than anyone may have imagined. When asked about “how development’s going”, Yamauchi-san responded:
“I want to release it as fast as I can, but GT5 for us, when you talk about its status, it’s at a point we can release it any time we want, but we can always keep working on it. It’s very important for us to make sure everything is done perfectly and everything is done in detail.”
After just one brief paragraph, GT5 suddenly seems closer than ever before, implying that the major features have already been implemented. If it’s true that his team at Polyphony Digital are just polishing things up and working out the bugs, it tilts the scales in favor of a 2009 release.
Yamauchi also addressed questions about GT PSP’s extended development time, and how the game has affected Gran Turismo 5:
“We first made the announcement in E3 of 2004, so [laughs] it’s been five years. Since then we’ve released GT4, Tourist Trophy, GTHD and GT5 Prologue. Of course we were always working on the PSP version a little bit at a time, but every time we have one of those releases it’s affected by that new title. So this is a software that was born in between GT5 Prologue and GT5, and it’s affected by both of those titles.”
“I don’t think there was a direct effect [on Gran Turismo 5], but I do believe that the development team really gained experience in streamlining displaying graphics on a very small space and also how to manage memory when the amount of memory available is very small. That sort of experience is something that was gained by the team. And you know, this is the first time we’ve developed a portable game, and I think there is an effect on how we see games, and how we understand videogames.”
Check out the full review at Eurogamer.
Since GT PSP was announced yesterday, we haven’t really gotten a good look at what this big, little game actually plays like. Sure, the first screenshots are impressive - but to see it running at a full 60fps is a completely different story… Although the driving skills (as usual) leave something to be desired, you’ve not seen Trial Mountain look this good since Gran Turismo 4.
We knew it wouldn’t be long before more detailed information begins trickling out of Los Angeles - and sure enough - the first interview with Kazunori Yamauchi from E3 does just that! He sat down with automotive news site Edmunds.com shortly after Sony’s E3 press conference and shared a few interesting things about GT Mobile and Gran Turismo 5. Here’s a quick summary of what we learn:
GT Mobile will include every track from Gran Turismo 4 - including the Nurburgring Nordscheife!These are just a few of the high points - check out the full interview for much more!
Here’s our first “real” look at the Gran Turismo PSP, including gameplay and menu screenshots!
Polyphony Digital’s president, Kazunori Yamauchi, just announced Gran Turismo PSP at Sony’s E3 2009 Press Conference. This “little” game is going to pack quite a punch, including 800 cars and 35 tracks! It’s also going to let you trade and exchange cars with each other, which Kazunori warned will probably be the only way to acquire them all. Up to 4 people can also race head-to-head via the PSP’s ad-hoc connectivity.
One of the most exciting things we noticed - a Ferrari Enzo was visible in the short preview video shown at the show. It’s only logical, then, that the ultimate Ferrari super car will be coming to GT5. Stay tuned for higher-res pictures and videos!
