I know we’ve all heard it before, but we again have a date for the big release of the next Gran Turismo game. This one is No. 5. And here’s hoping it is worth the wait.
A little of the news:
At the E3 Expo gaming convention in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Sony announced that the latest version of its popular driving simulator series, “Gran Turismo 5″ for the PlayStation 3, will hit stores in North America on Nov. 2.
“GT5 has long been one of the industry’s long anticipated titles,†said Jack Tretton, president and chief executive Sony Computer Entertainment America, at the Sony news conference. “And we’re finally about to get our hands on Polyphony’s masterpiece.â€
[snip]
At E3, Sony has gone as far as providing pricing details on a limited Collector’s Edition of “Gran Turismo 5,†to be released alongside a standard edition. The Collector’s Edition will cost $99.95 and come with a 300-page booklet and a 1:43 scale diecast model of a 2009 Nissan GT-R Spec V with the Gran Turismo livery.
Gran Turismo is one of the best-selling games for PlayStation, with more than 55 million units sold worldwide since it was first released in 1997.
In addition to the new platform — Gran Turismo 4 was made for the PlayStation 2 — the new version will feature more than 950 cars and include night racing. The latest E3 trailer also offered a few surprises, including a virtual version of the test track used in the popular British television series “Top Gear†and glimpses of the Formula One racing driver Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing.
“Gran Turismo 5″ is also one of several titles that Sony has tapped for 3-D. In April, Taku Imasaki, the United States producer for the Gran Turismo series, spoke to GamerLive.tv about the new feature.
“This is the first time we’re implementing the 3-D feature in Gran Turismo,†Mr. Imasaki said. “For me, it adds more depth, obviously, to the visuals, so you can anticipate more on the next turn or curve, so you can therefore drive better and strategize your driving lines better.â€
Honestly, I got a PS3 in December 2008 specifically because of the promise of GT5. I haven’t used it much. But maybe this coming winter…
