Jordan Greer

Our friends at TaxiGamer, who are obsessed with high-quality video game footage, have shared some excellent new stuff from the Gran Turismo 5 Demo, including real game play footage, a replay, and a walk through the menu. Keep reading to see all the clips, and visit their site to download the original files in all their glory.

A writer with the Globe and Mail, Chad Sapieha, got the opportunity to try out the Gran Turismo 5 demo (the one that’s been shown off at shows, not the one we’re getting next Thursday), and he’s shared a fascinating conversation he had with a “Polyphony Digital delegate”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGNeHlfJU6I

During a Sony press event last week, SCEA Producer Chris Hinojosa was throwing around a “summer 2010” release date for Gran Turismo 5 (presumably for the North American market). The news comes from Destructoid, who had listened carefully during his presentation about the game. While this does open up the release window, an early summer date (some time in May, perhaps?) has been the most reasonable assumption for us to make since the game was announced for March in Japan, so this isn’t anything to get too upset about.

If you missed out on the free Gran Turismo PSP promotion when the PSP Go was released earlier this year, you’ve got another shot. Sony is once again making the game available to download at no cost to all PSP Go owners…as long as you’re not in North America. Much like GT Academy 2010, this promotion is only available to people outside of the United States and Canada. You can read the official rules here and, if you’re eligible, follow these instructions to get your copy of the game. It will be free through January 10, 2010, so don’t worry if you plan to receive a PSP Go on December 25th – just make sure that you tell Santa Claus about this so he can buy you something else with all that money he’ll be saving! Thanks to Marky264 for the tip.

If you’ve spent any time in our forums, you’re probably aware of our vibrant community of talented photographers with a knack for shooting all things automotive. Today, we’re proud to showcase their very best work in the first-annual GTPlanet Automotive Calendar – a compendium of beautiful images of exotic cars and motor sport events from all over the world. It’s the best of the best from our community, and you can order it for yourself right here. Each photographer has graciously donated their photographs, ensuring that 100% of proceeds from the calendar go towards the Alzheimer’s Association, as we carry on our proud tradition of supporting the organization each year during the Christmas season.

Other than my article on Gran Turismo 5’s mysterious head-tracking feature, it hasn’t managed to get much press (though, admittedly, it’s only been mentioned once). However, it’s back in the spotlight once again after a Kotaku editor tried a GT5 demo with a Sony representative. Although the demo did not include head-tracking itself, the Sony rep tried to describe how its implemented as best he could:

When Lucas Ordonez won the first GT Academy, we all knew he had a lot of expectations riding on his shoulders. He would be given the opportunity to enter a 24 hour endurance race with world-class drivers and sim racers everywhere watched closely as he lived the dream. Since then, we’ve seen him win races and fight for the FIA GT4 driver’s championship around the world. He made it look all too easy, but as this latest interview shows, his accomplishments are the result of a lot of determination and hard work.

In what appears to be the exceedingly awesome Studie store in Japan, you can get behind the “wheel” of a classic BMW E30 M3 and play Gran Turismo 4. The store, which looks to be a specialist in all things Bavarian, has fitted a Logitech Driving Force Pro (yes, it’s begging for a G25) in front of the drivers seat and mounted a Sony Bravia flat-screen right onto the hood. While I admit that it does feel a bit superfluous to see such a revered race car converted into a gaming rig, it’s bringing a lot more fun and enjoyment to people than if it was sitting there locked up – even if it doesn’t move like that Audi TT at GamesCom. Check out all the pictures of the store at Gawa, and thanks to “Enzo” for sending this in!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmx9QITCfyY

As I read through the comments here and in our forum, there seems to be a surprising amount of confusion regarding the details and some of the specific points regarding the Gran Turismo 5 demo announced yesterday. I’ll try to condense things down into a few key bullet points to make sure that we’re all on the same page, while summarizing the details of how it’s all going to go down…

Announced just hours ago on the PlayStation EU Blog, GT Academy 2010 will be held in a brand new demo of Gran Turismo 5 hitting the PlayStation Store on December 17, 2009. The demo will feature a stock and tuned version of the Nissan 370Z, and, while Sony has decided not to release the track just yet, I have been aware of the competition for some time now and GTPlanet can reveal the demo will include either Spa Francorchamps or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. However, Sony described the track as a “specially created section of a new Gran Turismo 5 circuit”, which suggests to me it’s the Indianapolis GP Circuit, as it is quite literally a “section” of a larger circuit. (Let’s not forget it was also the big track prominently shown in Gran Turismo 5’s E3 2009 trailer.)

GTPlanet Twitter follower jef722 sent me a link to a recent article posted by EDGE Online, and I found its perspective and approach incredibly refreshing. EDGE argues that Yamauchi’s creation is much more than just a racing game – it’s a classic Japanese RPG, played out in hundreds or even thousands of races:

GameInformer magazine’s interview with Kazunori Yamauchi (a small part of which was quietly posted on their website back in September) was just included in their latest issue, and is now, of course, getting quite a bit more attention. Here’s what Yamauchi had to say regarding damage in Gran Turismo 5:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yNzGg8kTGo

Although Sony may have decided that we wouldn’t find Gran Turismo 5 under the tree this year, that doesn’t mean that the GT fanatic in your life needs to have a gloomy Christmas dreaming about “what could have been”. Even if they haven’t been good enough this year for a VisionRacer VR3 or a Wheel Stand Pro, there are actually quite a few unique and rare items out there which I know I would certainly love to receive. So, as the holiday shopping season starts in full swing today, here’s a few gift ideas you might not have considered for yourself or that ultimate fan. Keep in mind, however, that one-of-a-kind items on eBay go quickly after I spotlight them on GTPlanet (that’s what happened last year), so don’t hesitate too long if you find something you really like.

Gran Turismo 5 has been listed on Amazon.com for a long time now, but a very interesting new product was just added to Amazon’s French site: Gran Turismo 5 “Edition Spéciale”. Although no other information is provided on the site, as you compare the regular version with the “Special Edition“, you’ll notice prices of €65.99 and €74.95, respectively – a 13% increase.

Thanks to the PlayStation 3’s ability to play games from any region, when GT5 Prologue was released many GTPlanet users didn’t hesitate to import the game in December of 2007. Although the language difference made it tricky at times (our Japanese users were extremely helpful in offering translations for the menus and buttons), importers got to play the game three full months before Europe and four months before North America. Given the high anticipation of Gran Turismo 5, how many of you out there will bite the bullet and order a copy from Japan? The eventual release date for your native region will obviously make a difference, but let’s say it’s more than a month or two away – then what would you do?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ateTG5bdoEc

Sony is out to find the “ultimate” Gran Turismo fan with their latest contest, and two winners will be walking away with the driving suit, helmet, and gloves worn by Rhys Millen and Tanner Foust in the GT PSP Laguna Seca television commercial. All you’ve got to do is submit a 2 minute video, a 2 page essay, or slide show presentation explaining why you are the “ultimate fan”. Entries will be judged by a panel of “video game industry professionals”, who will score each submission based on the following criteria: 60% for showing that you’re the ultimate fan, 20% for showing that you’re the ultimate car/racing fan, and another 20% for showing off a little bit of creativity.