Seven days are all that stand between us and Gran Turismo 6; seven days until we’re all fitted into racing attire eager to experience the improvements and masterful execution GT6 brings to the table; seven days until the final Gran Turismo scheduled for release on the PlayStation 3 alerts us all to the fact that despite the next generation of possibilities already becoming more and more prevalent with every passing second, the previous generation will not subside without a last hurrah – Gran Turismo 6 will be that hurrah.
This also means the outgoing title, Gran Turismo 5, is matched in the number of days for its lasting appeal and as reported on for past several weeks, the community has been hard at work reminiscing on the many consistent values, milestones and the unprecedented level of support for the title.
As per usual there’s plenty to get through this week, however, before we get down to the bustling content, a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone is in order. We’ll get more into Thanksgiving festivities later on, on with the Rewind!
GTPlanet Picture of the Week
As brought to light almost two weeks ago, the environments in Gran Turismo 5 rarely have their share of the spotlight in this space and the wider expanse has brought with it a number of opportunities to use images that capture a far subtler and understated emotive condition.
This week’s featured image, brought to us by GTracer98 and courtesy of max351, exemplifies what an in-game photograph showcasing the lush environmental detail present can accomplish without a vehicle.
Have a suggestion for next week’s featured image? Drop me a private message, entitle it “GTPlanet Picture of the Week” and fill it out with your two choices and they’ll be featured in upcoming Rewinds. NOTE: You cannot elect your own work.
PURE | JGTS 3 – Two Rounds Remaining; Farewell to GT5
With only two events remaining, the guys and gals participating in the PURE racing series will soon bid farewell to the fifth chapter in the Gran Turismo series only to greet the sixth chapter in the series with open arms, eagerly anticipating any and every challenge that should stand before them in their testament to finish first – but the Japanese Grand Touring Series 3 must come to a head.
The next two events take place on December 1st and on the 8th, the former being raced at the legendary location of the Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps, and the latter being raced at the home of the Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka Circuit.
The series itself may be invite-only but that shouldn’t stop you from dropping by the official thread and having a look over things. Furthermore, the final race will be streamed for all to witness. Check out the thread for more info!
GTPlanet Weekly Race Series (WRS) Week 145: Old School Suzuka *GT5 Finale*
This is it ladies and gentlemen, the final event for the WRS time trials relating to Gran Turismo 5 is here and if you’ve been a series-long competitor this week’s title may strike you as a bit familiar, and for good reason:
We created a bit of a bookend for the event name. Week 1 of GT5 was “Old School Tsukuba” and featured American Muscle on a Japanese track. Now we feature one of the original Supercars, and doesn’t it sound amazing? I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to week 1 of GT6 WRS already.
Stop by the official thread here and remember that you NEED to be registered before officially participating in the WRS, and that can only be done by submitting a time for the official GTP Registry Qualifier.
Gran Turismo 5: A Retrospective
Ambitions for a “next-gen” Gran Turismo title first came to fruition with the 2006 release of the free downloadable Gran Turismo HD Concept, a title originally intended to offer a very “iTunes-like” service, ranging from download packs including additional vehicles and track locations, advanced AI or car damage. All of this would have been compatible with the eventual release of Gran Turismo 5, however, GT:HD would never play out as intended and would be released as a very modest preview of things to come.
In 2008 Gran Turismo 5: Prologue was released as the replacement to Gran Turismo HD and introduced 16 player grids, improved AI, detail interior views, online multiplayer, and for the first time in the history of the franchise, the inclusion of Ferrari. With over 70 vehicles, 6 tracks and 12 layouts, GT5 Prologue was a step in the right direction and was to be treated as stop gap measure until the full-length Gran Turismo 5 released.
On November 24th, 2010, Gan Turismo 5 was finally released to the public and the game was immediately heralded for its leap in visual appeal when compared to its predecessor, Gran Turismo 4 and for its incredible leap in the number of vehicles available in the game, coming from the previous count of 700+ in GT4 to the 1000+ in GT5.
For the fifth game in the series and the first on the PlayStation 3, Gran Turismo 5 was a little too ambitious in its offerings, featuring licenses for Top Gear content, SuperGT, WRC, NASCAR and even a partnership with Red Bull, but in the end it all seemed to become a mountain too steep to climb without falling backward repeatedly. No particular feature was utilized well enough to warrant any longstanding interest.
Nostalgia is Running Wild!
Twenty-inch pythons, brother. That’s a Hulk Hogan joke and if you don’t know who that is I’m not sure whether to congratulate you or shake my head in amazement. Moving away from that, as alluded to earlier on, the community has been hard at work providing heartfelt farewells to the outgoing fifth chapter in the Gran Turismo series as preparations are made for the arrival of Gran Turismo 6.
- Last Day of GT5
This thread, put together by our very own JDMsz, asks the all important question of what you’re going to do on the last day of GT5. Feel free to drop by the thread and let us know what you plan to do as you mentally prepare for GT6!
- “Goodbye GT5” Multiplayer Lounge
This thread, put together by our very own—and aptly named might I add—6ranTur15m05, is putting together a multiplayer lounge to bid farewell “to one of the greatest racing games ever made” and the lobby will be open this coming Sunday, December 1st from 3PM to 7:45 PM GMT. Drop by the thread for all the necessary information.
- Three Years of Gran Turismo 5
Gran Turismo is now three years old, having been released on November 24th of 2010 and this thread put together by our very own Dionisiy asks yet another important question: What are your most memorable moments of GT5?
Drop by the thread and let everyone know what your most memorable moment has been.
- Classic’s Final GT5 Member Assessment Thread
You think you’ve achieved 100% in GT5? In this thread put together by Classic you’ll be assigned a score from 0 up to 100 according to the criteria listed in the thread. Interested in knowing how you stack up? Drop by the thread here and find out for yourself!
- The GT5 Goodbye Thread. RIP, Old Friend
Want to bid your farewells to Gran Turismo 5 but you can’t find the right words or way to express yourself? Well you’re in luck, this thread put together by 20B_4ME gives you enough of a template to work with and should you feel confident enough in your own self-expression you can forego the template altogether and go freestyle.
Drop by the thread here and bid farewell to an old friend that’s been by your side since day one.
These are only a modest drop in the bucket compared to the festivities going on forum-wide, whether it be competitive racing, photomode, or just reminiscing about the joys GT5 provided we’re all prepared to give one last farewell as we welcome the next chapter in the Gran Turismo series.
GT6 Gameplay Video Shows Off New Clouds & Dynamic Lighting Conditions
Gran Turismo 6 “First Love’ Interactive Campaign
Broken into a series of three chapters, the First Love Campaign will involve Indy 500, 24 Hours of Daytona, Daytona 500 winner and Formula 1 Champion Mario Andretti as GT fans take part in a historic rebuild project involving a Hudson Hornet.
For the original story be sure to stop by the original post here.
Gran Turismo 6 Has Gone Gold!
Gran Turismo 6 has finally gone gold which means discs have been and are still being printed, which means, that’s right, the wait is nearly over. It would appear that the disc art uses the same network connectivity pattern first seen in the original reveal back in May.
Seven days are all that stands between us now.
GTPlanet Member of the Week
This has been yet another crazy week and it’s only going to crazier from hereon out, but enough of that because it is once again time to acknowledge a member of the GTPlanet community; a member who has stood out among the hundreds of thousands of members already here, both old and new alike for all that they’re worth and all they have contributed to the community.
We welcome another Senior member into the ranks; the first in almost a month if I’m not mistaken, and as the Junior members continue to take over it has brought about a more cheerful ambiance in the Member of the Week madhouse, but a senior presence will always be needed. With that said, let’s give a very warm welcome to the newest member to find a vacant apartment in the ever-expanding MotW madhouse, Punknoodle!
EDIT: The interview is now live and provides the usual share of laughter, but more importantly provides the medium of getting to know your fellow GTP members a little bit better. For the whole kit-n-kaboodble be sure to stop by the official Member of the Week thread.
Anyone you’d like to see recognized as the Member of the Week? Drop me a private message, entitle it “GTPlanet Member of the Week” and fill it out with your choices and they’ll be featured in upcoming Rewinds. NOTE: You cannot nominate yourself.
GTPlanet Vehicle of the Week
Debuted at the 83rd Geneva International Motor Show, the Ferrari LaFerrari (literally meaning “The Ferrari”) is the company’s newest limited-series special and the successor to the Ferrari Enzo.
“We chose to call this model LaFerrari,” declared Ferrari’s President, Luca di Montezemolo, “because it is the maximum expression of what defines our company – excellence.
Excellence in terms of technological innovation, performance, visionary styling and the sheer thrill of driving. Aimed at our collectors, this is a truly extraordinary car which encompasses advanced solutions that, in the future, will find their way onto the rest of the range, and it represents the benchmark for the entire automotive industry. LaFerrari is the finest expression of our company’s unique, unparalleled engineering and design know-how, including that acquired in Formula 1.”
As with every limited-series special in Ferrari’s arsenal, LaFerrari afforded the opportunity to experiment with technological solutions that would later filter down onto production vehicles. Of particular significance in this regard is the introduction of the hybrid system which utilizes the prowess obtained through Scuderia Ferrari’s F1 KERS know-how and has resulted in the very essence of Ferrari – performance and driving nirvana.
LaFerrari is the first car in the history of the company to be powered by the HY-KERS system, the electric motor outputs 161 horsepower and is married to a 6.3L V12 engine outputting 789 horsepower, for a combined 950 horsepower – the most powerful production Ferrari ever.
Have a suggestion for next week’s featured image? Drop me a private message, entitle it “GTPlanet Vehicle of the Week” and fill it out with your two choices and they’ll be featured in upcoming Rewinds. NOTE: You cannot elect your own work.
GTPlanet Tune of the Week
This week’s featured tune, recommended to us by tuning aficionado danbojte and courtesy of praiano63, features the 1997 Toyota Supra SZ-R tuned to the limit of 450PP and is your ticket to victory should you accept it.
Victory is the name of the game as usual and if it’s a deserving victory that you’e after and you want to do so using a sporty rear wheel drive powerhouse, then you’ll want to stop by and see the tune for yourself.
Exactly like the Picture and Vehicle of the Week features, if you have any suggestions for the upcoming Rewinds be sure to drop me a private message, entitle it “GTPlanet Tune of the Week” and let me know. NOTE: You cannot elect your own work.
Motor Trend: Epic Drives – Ultimate Oz Rocket! 2014 HSV Gen-F GTS Attacks Bathurst!
Closing Thoughts
EDIT: I know, I said I’d mark it with “[EDIT]” and not what you’re seeing now, but doesn’t update sound better? I mean, after all, this is an update.
What’s new you ask? The Member of the Week interview is now live (link provided in the appropriate section of the Rewind) and “Nostalgia is Running Wild” has been added and takes a look at the seemingly forum-wide participation in bidding Gran Turismo 5 a farewell, and the above Motor Tread Epic Rides video is also new.
Again, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone here and I hope it was a great one. This week’s Rewind is a bit of a special one because there’s a bit more content on the way but I wanted to get the wealth of it out for everyone to read now, and when the updates are ready I’ll mark the title with “[EDIT]” so you’ll know to pop in and read what’s new.
I’m still tied up in Forza Motorsport 5, Killer Instinct and now Ryse: Son of Rome, and next week there’s Gran Turismo 6 which means I’ll be feverishly attempting to divvy up my attention between 4 games. Once again let’s have a moment of silence for my wavering sanity as it won’t be present for much longer; that I can guarantee you.
More to the topic at hand, Thanksgiving was absolutely fantastic on my end and I really didn’t see any alternative in sight considering I had been planning and eagerly looking forward to Thanksgiving since May! Outside of Christmas, it’s the one holiday in the entire year that just brings genuine cheer… although the food might play a lead role there, but who’s to say.
Skip ahead to “Gran Turismo 6 will be here…” for those of you that know what comes next:
Remember folks if you want to share your opinions on this week’s entry you’ll have to stop by the official Rewind thread to do so, which is where you’ll eventually be re-directed once the new comments system is put into active service so you’d might as well get a head start!
Now a message from our sponsor, me:
While you’re salivating at the very thought of Gran Turismo 6 finding itself into your PlayStation 3 this coming December why not take the time to become a full-fledged member of our wonderful community. It’s free and we have cake! Okay, we don’t have cake (the cake is and always will be a lie, remember this!) but we do have a strong community and we’re always talking about something interesting. If you aren’t already a member you should join today and maybe you can work out a patented antidote for “Lying Cake Syndrome”. Seriously, it’s been years since I’ve had cake.
Gran Turismo 6 will be here next week and I’m alerting all of you right now: there may not be a Rewind next week. Why? A couple of reasons, the primary two of which are going to be the sheer magnitude of excitement and craziness that’s inbound, and I’ll be too busy juggling eleventy-thousand games and my duties here (whatever they turn out to be) to think about anything else really. However, if there’s some leeway to be had at some point I’ll sneak the Rewind in, even if it’s significantly shorter than it has been for the past several weeks.
GT5 and FM5 Photomode images by RaY29rus, hakalapetri, SMfan, campinkonvict and RevoXeli.
See more articles on GTPlanet Member of the Week and GTPlanet Weekly Rewind.
