GTPlanet

In the latest issue of the Official UK PlayStation Magazine, Kazunori Yamauchi made yet another statement about the questionable status of Gran Turismo 5’s weather system:

“Night racing is going to be a part of GT5, but with things like dynamic weather, the choice is about whether it will improve the experience. The functionality is not a problem – we’ve got the weather system done – but if we are not sure about the quality of it, and how it improves the driving experience, we are not going to have it in the game.”

He has expressed concern with dynamic weather affecting the “quality” of game for some time now, remarking that Polyphony Digital is simply “experimenting” with such a feature. By confirming that its implementation is actually complete, he may have greater confidence the weather system will, ultimately, make the cut.

Yamauchi also made it clear that he has no intentions of sending GT5 out the door without all of its content and features:

“Let me be clear on this. There is a massive amount of content in this game, I don’t think there are many teams that put as much into a game as we can. The launch of the game isn’t a start, we are releasing a full game. Everything we want to put into the game is on the disc when it ships. Having said that, we do have a sizeable online team that will look after it once it’s launched.”

As you may or may not be aware, there is an ongoing “debate” about updating games via the Internet. On one hand, it gives developers the opportunity to fix any bugs or problems after the game hits store shelves. On the other hand, they may be more likely to sell a game with known problems or with a lack of content just so they can meet a particular deadline. Fortunately – and perhaps, unsurprisingly – Yamauchi remains focused on quality.

One final comment, however, does cause concern:

“They’re spending less time with a single game and this is reflected in the design of GT Mode.”

Although see GT5’s “GT Mode” surely won’t be as inconsequential as what we saw in GT PSP, this statement still makes those of us who enjoy the enduring challenge of GT games just a little bit uneasy. Thanks to calvins48 for sharing this interview!

Kazunori Yamauchi’s participation in the VLN’s BFGoodwrich Langstreckenmeisterschaft event on the Nurburgring Nordschleife last month is carefully documented in the latest issue of Auto Express. Editor Owen Mildenhall, who shared the car with Yamauchi and Peter Lyon during the 4 hour endurance race, has posted about the experience on the magazine’s website. Unfortunately, the differential on the team’s Lexus IS-F wasn’t up to the task, forcing Yamauchi to retire the car after just 40 minutes behind the wheel.

It wasn’t all for naught, though: Yamauchi still learned from the intense experience, which he hopes to be able to simulate in Gran Turismo 5:

“I feel like I am in a dream, driving as fast as I possibly can. The only time I get in this trance-like state is when I am racing a real car. I want to understand what makes me feel like that, and ultimately feed it back into Gran Turismo 5.”

Of course, this actually isn’t Yamauchi’s first event on the Nurburgring – he also competed in another VLN race in the IS-F last August, with the team finishing first in their class (Yamauchi blogged on preparations for the event here and here). His ultimate goal is to compete in the Nurburgring 24-hour Endurance race next May, and, hopefully, we’ll all be able to follow along at home with fresh copies of Gran Turismo 5!

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Most of the Kazunori Yamauchi interviews from “mainstream” gaming sites are generally pretty weak, but I’ve got to hand it to IGN editor Ryan Geddes for asking some direct, important questions during his time with the GT series creator at SEMA. Although Yamauchi’s ability to talk his way out of specific answers remains strong, Geddes’ latest interview drew some interesting comments. Watch the interview above (look out for replay interior footage of J.R. Rocha’s G37), or keep reading for complete analysis of all the high points…

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It’s taken a surprisingly long amount of time for word on the latest GT Awards winner to get out, but IGN is first to break cover and confirm the winner: a 1970 Ford Mustang with a 427 SOHC “Cammer” engine. The car is a mean-yet-classy addition to Gran Turismo, carefully pieced together by Philip Koenen and Grand Touring Garage in Oregon for a “Hong Kong client” after a long search for the right body and engine. The powerplant is particularly special: considered one of the best Ford has ever built, it produces 616 hp at 7000 rpm and 515 lbs/ft of torque at 3800 rpm.

Other finalists included a Scion tC with a very, very interesting front-mounted wing, a Camaro SS stuffed with carbon fiber, and an upgraded, twin-turbo Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, though none were able to capture Yamauchi’s attention like the ‘Stang. Watch for it next spring in Gran Turismo 5!

UPDATE (Nov. 7):  New pictures of the other finalists and awards ceremony added to the gallery below.

Yamauchi’s latest interview with AutoWeek magazine has quite a few surprises, with Yamauchi going so far as to confirm GT5’s development cost and a controversial new feature. Keep reading for a quick summary of everything you need to know…

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It’s time for the 7th annual Gran Turismo Awards at the SEMA show in Las Vegas! As you may recall, this unique event is a big deal for GT fans and car tuners alike, as Yamauchi picks his favorite car from the show to be featured in the next GT game. Award winners from previous years have brought us some of the series’ most memorable and cars, including the 1962 Buick Special (’03 winner) in Gran Turismo 4 and the 1960 Art Morrison Chevrolet Corvette (’06 winner) in GT5 Prologue.

This year will be a little different, though, as Sony has just announced that the 2007 and 2008 award winners (HPA Motorsport’s Audi TT and JR Rocha’s Infiniti G37) will be playable in a fresh new Gran Turismo 5 demo on the show floor. Kazunori Yamauchi himself will, of course, be on hand to personally select the 2009 winner, so we should also expect several new interviews popping up in the coming week.

On a considerably more somber note, it has just come to my attention (via Chronos in the forums), that JR Rocha, the personal owner of the 2008 award-winning Infiniti G37, passed away just last month from a heart attack. Presumably, SEMA 2009 would have been his first chance to play his own car in the game, making this turn of events all the more tragic. We’ve lost a great automotive enthusiast and car designer – may he rest in peace, and may his creation live on forever in GT5.

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Kazunori Yamauchi’s latest interview with ComputerBild.de may not drop any bombshells, but it definitely warrants a closer look. Google’s automated translation is a bit rough, so I’ve picked out the high points for you:

- When asked why GT5 is taking so long, Yamauchi reiterates the game is “difficult to develop”, and “the dimensions of the game are huge, it is simply too great. It is so complex, so vast in its scale”.

- There is pressure from Sony to deliver a high quality game, and the team at Polyphony Digital understand the implications of their work – it has potential to move many PlayStation 3 consoles for the company.

- Physics, sound, and online-features will be Gran Turismo 5’s greatest contributions to the evolution of the GT series.

- Once again, damage which has been seen so far is not indicative of the “final product”. He admits the game will not be able to portray more severe accidents, but they’re still working to make it as “realistic as possible”.

Yamauchi’s most interesting responses come when the interviewer inquires (and continues to press) on dynamic weather and time-of-day functionality…

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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!