Gran Turismo 5
It's been almost 5 years in the making. It's been showcased in 3 different phases at various game shows in the past half decade and has gone through some major shifts in franchise features that only NFS can match. It's time I make a thread and follow the production of the game until release. So welcome to the official GT5 thread, I'll do my best to post breaking news here asap of course revolving around GT5, so enjoy!


What's New
GT5 has seen many, many changes since it's predocessor. Even through development it's easy to tell the game has gone through several face lifts over the years. Here's what I've gathered from it all.

Next Generation
Yes I'm still talking about the PS3 and Xbox 360 here. It may be current gen to all you gamers now, but to Gran Turismo, high-end PS2 graphics was the last time we saw it in action. With upwards of 200,000 polys per car (still at the usual 60 fps) It looks rediculously clean. Polyphony managed to keep the class GT always had, but now they've made it look like something served with escargot.

Car Interior
It may not be new to the industry, but it's new to Gran Turismo, which means it'll probably end up the best in the industry. Cars in GT4 had detailed interiors (some anyway) but now this time around we're given the opportunity to ride in the hotseat right behind the fully functioning dashboard.

Prancing Horse
To many car lovers Ferrari is a big deal, which was something GT lacked for the past four games. Yep that's right, the acclaimed sim of all time was missing Ferrari for the past ten years. (Ferrari must think highly of themselves or something...) Now just like any other racing game on the market, a huge chuck of GT5's car list will most likely be either Skyline's or Ferrari's.

1K Vehicles
Speaking of cars, Sony announced that GT5 will boast over 1,000 vehicles ranging from all types from around the world. All of which will feature in-car view, damage modeling (that's right), customization abilities and much more. GT4 featured over 720 vehicles but was slated to feature only 500. Which brings into question exactly how many will show up in GT5? My guess is rougly 1,200.

That'll Leave a Mark
GT5 is new too many things, one of which including damage modeling (which probably means a far cry from the DiRT franchise, but it's getting there). With my guess of Forza 2-esque damage, it may or may not effect performance or customized parts. With any luck car parts will fall off or break off. Only time can tell.

Three's Company
That's right! Multiplayer! Ignore the title; it's been rumored to feature 16 player online, but it's still a rumor. I'm banking on at least 8 player online, and this time without the lag and glitches Prologue had please. The point is it's new to the series (actually it's not if you include the Japan-only GT4 Multiplayer beta which was only up for a few weeks and limited to a select few). Sony also announced a friends feature so you can race with your buds online, specifics are still to be announced.

1080p
Okay so it's nothing new to GT (GT4 was 1080p compatible) but was it really worth it? You couldn't use HDMI or PrPbY cables with the PS2 set-up so the high-res-ness went for the most part missed, plus it was PS2 so what were you really expecting anyway? This time the PS3 boasts the features and GT5 sure as hell shows them off.


Versus
Many have compared 'you name it' side-by-side with Gran Turismo. The truth is though, the prominant rival has prevailed; Forza Motorsport. Why else would both be exclusive titles to rival consoles? Because they're natural born enemies. Undoubtibly they use each other to improve the genre but here's how it really stacks up.

Graphics
While both series' present the best in visuals on the platform, GT takes the cake in every way. Not really fair however, as the PS3 has far more computing power than the Xbox 360. This is why GT remains exclusive.

Framerate
Both games boast 60 fps. So it's a level playing field here, however I think GT performs better in 60 fps because it doesn't look fast, it just performs right. Forza on the other hand looks like it's sped-up just a little too much.

Vehicle Selection
GT is the father of vehicle selection no doubt. I guess it all depends on what you like; a shit load of cars you'll never see but get all of your favorites, or get a smaller number and not as much variety. The facts are in. GT5 will contain over 1,000 vehicles, while Forza 3 will contain over 400.

Track Selection
The jury is still out on this one. It's been confirmed that Forza 3 has over 100 tracks (probably just a bunch of different variations) and currently GT5 will have over 80 tracks (possibly more variety and real-world). Take your pick.

Customization
Forza has been proven before with this, so it's unknown what Forza 3 will offer. GT5 has had some form of customization since day one, but limited nonetheless. It's unknown what GT5 contains customization wise. During a press conference a few years back it was mentioned that every part on every car is modeled to be removed. I'm thinking this has something to do with customization (or damage).

Multiplayer
Forza has been here before too, twice, and quite frankly the GT5P multiplayer was horrible. So until more is revealed Forza takes the cake.

Peripherals
Sony is far more technical and advanced when it comes to compatible peripherals. Microsoft released the first wireless non-third party racing wheel ever. Good job! But they forgot to mention it's been known to catch fire. Meanwhile Logitech tippytoed around the 360 and released the G25 Racing Wheel. Nuff Said.

The Winner? Gran "The Father of Racing Games" Turismo

More to Come!