GTPlanet

GTP_Registry to host Laguna Seca Enduro!

Thanks to some computer difficulties, the Photomode update just wasn’t possible last week, but we’re back… and just in time! The knockout-style Tournament is in it’s semi-final round, with only four users left for each division. And, of course, we’ve got our weekly competitions, five in total, that are open to any registered GTPlanet member. Want to take part? Read on!

This week has seen some incredible imagery – much like forum member Abraxas‘ very interesting real life versus GT5 comparison photos, our tournament has brought out some of the best images you’re likely to see from the game. No point wasting time, then – let’s get right to it!

GTPlanet member Abraxas went on a trip to Austria and Italy last year, with a special goal: to visit and photograph some of Gran Turismo 5’s most impressive Photomode locations in the real-world, then compare them to Polyphony Digital’s work.

The WRS Turns 9!

Amidst news of interesting new features for the photomode lovers of GT5, our community has been keeping busy with both the seasonal Tournament, and the familiar weekly competitions. There’s quite a lot to digest this week, so let’s get straight to the pretty pictures!

It’s been a few weeks, but we’re back (again) on the front page, and you’ve heard right – the popular Photomode Tournament is upon us again, a seasonal favourite among the community. A knock-out style tournament, the Tournament has had the community put together quite a lot of prizes for this season, but as always, you’ve got to enter to be eligible. Details below:

Sim-racing continues to grow as a hobby world-wide, and more companies than ever before are introducing high-quality racing seats at increasingly affordable price points. One of the latest products on the market is the rSeat RS EVO V3, and they’ve sent me a complementary unit to take a look at for myself.

US automotive giant Ford is the latest car manufacturer to acknowledge the effect that video games have on brand recognition and vehicle sales, particularly in the 20-30 demographic.

WRS Week 51 is Posted!

Kazunori Yamauchi has recently  revealed via Twitter that the inspiration for the location of the latest GT5 track “Route X” was the port of Hakata, near the new Polyphony Digital offices in Fukuoka.

GTPlanet’s Weekly Race Series (WRS) is the longest running online Time Trial competition dedicated to the Gran Turismo series. Having run continuously since its humble introduction in February of 2003, the WRS has been run for nearly 9 years and boasts 445 completed weekly time trials! For the first time in its long history, the WRS began hosting live, weekly online racing events shortly after the start of this year. Each week, participants from around the globe race against one another in live competitions organized by GTPlanet’s very own team of race administrators.

Have you got the newest DLC yet? Now available world-wide, the Car Pack 3 and Speed Test packs are going over well within our community, giving players a new track to test their cars’ abilities, and more of them to record numbers from! The Photomode section has naturally taken to the new content as well, and some of our themes this week even allow use of these new cars and location.

Disturbing laws are being proposed in the U.S. Congress which threaten the Internet we know and love, including GTPlanet and hundreds of thousands of online communities and social networks like it. Known as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA), these bills grant unprecedented control over the Internet to the entertainment industry and the U.S. government while attempting to thwart online piracy.

Reports have been surfacing the past few weeks of a glitch that dramatically affects online play in Gran Turismo 5.

It’s the calm before the storm: after the surprise leak of 2.03’s updates, and more specifically, the details of the new DLC were confirmed, excitement in the community is running high. The Photomode competitions area is no exception – you can expect lots of images of the new cars next week, undoubtedly! But for now, what themes are there for you to take part in? Let’s take a look!

Did you have a good year? Gran Turismo sure did, and it looks like that success is set to continue into 2012 for the franchise, both digitally and in real life. Our Photomode community is just as successful as well, so join us this week in any of the numerous current themes. As always, click the theme title for each competition to be transported to the respective thread, read it’s first post to get all the info on submitting, and then, well, submit!

U.S. GT Academy winner Bryan Heitkotter recently sat down for an in-depth one-on-one video interview with InsideSimRacing‘s Darin Gangi. Bryan discusses his background, what it was really like to come up through the ranks of GT Academy USA, and how he’s making the most out of his time with Nissan in preparations for the 24 Hours of Dubai.

2011 has been yet another rollercoaster year for Gran Turismo and its fans, and our first full year of GT5. The year has been dominated by game updates, GT Academy successes and significant events affecting the infrastructure of both the PlayStation Network and the people of Japan. Just as with the last two years, GTPlanet is taking a look back over the last 12 months before we head on into 2012…

Ah, that last week of the year, the only time you get two big holidays so close together. Did the big guy in red treat you well? Did you over-do it on shortbreads? No matter – with the likely down time from work or school, now would be the chance to enter our last Photomode competitions of this year! Make sure to click on each competition’s title to be transported to the respective first posts in our forum for each set of rules. Make sure the image you’re submitting follows those rules (and the theme), and then sit tight until the deadline to see if you’ve made the poll! Now, onto the themes…