Now They're Just Messing With Me

I posted a couple days ago about the release date on Gran Turismo 5 slipping to a to be announced time. I posted several weeks ago about the impending Toyota FT-86, my new great love in sports cars. Well, it seems that Toyota and Sony Computer Entertainment have teamed up to taunt me with a video of my future car in my future video game. I'd be really upset if I weren't so excited about the prospect of piloting this and so many more cars at some point in the next twelve months.

I Suppose It Was Inevitable...

... that Gran Turismo 5 would be delayed again. But, word is, it is. Of course, the date was only really announced for Japan, and rumors are that the delay is for a simultaneous world-wide release. However, the realist in me has to be prepared for the worst -- that GT5 is simply a ploy to get people to buy PS3s, and that the game is not in any way real.

New Info for Gran Turismo 5

With the announcement of the official cover to Gran Turismo 5, more details are coming to light from various sources. GT Planet has uncovered more details about game modes and features, including environmental factors like night racing and weather, as well as game modes and cars relating to Indy Racing League and NASCAR. Now that the cover has been teased, the game should be right around the corner, or as my wife says, "Just a couple more years!"

Another Gran Turismo Demo?

There's nothing like a little bit of Gran Turismo 5 news to bring the fanboys and the haters out. This is no exception. Apparently there is a "demo" coming to the PSN in a few weeks -- most likely a thinly veiled marketing attempt for Nissan, similar to the Toyota Prius special edition release from GT4. But we'll see. And maybe the game will come out in 2010!

I Can Deal With That

A release date for Gran Turismo 5 actually really really really officially no kidding announced. Yes, it's March 2010, and yes, that's the Japan-only date, but hey, it's within the next twelve months! Hopefully we'll see it in the US by June. There was a 3-month lag (Dec 28, '04 and Feb 22, '05) for the Japan and North America releases for Gran Turismo 4, so hopefully this will be pretty much the same thing.

Gran Turismo 5 Further Details

More information arose out of the cacophonous din of the Leipzig Gamescon last week. First, one of several new videos from the Tokyo 246 track, confirming its return to GT5, in a Subaru Impreza rally car looking very tidy.

More Gran Turismo 5 Info

Kotaku is a little critical of the damage modelling within Gran Turismo 5. A new damage demo was available at Gamescon, and it seemed... Unwieldy. Hopefully that game feature will be improved, or simply configurable to be disabled at will.

And finally from 1UP, some vital statistics from Gran Turismo 5: 1000 cars, 20 tracks in 60 configurations, YouTube video uploads, Photo drive, voice/text chatrooms, damage system, and more.

I just know that as long as they have the Top Gear test track, I'm going to be happy. Now if we could only get a release date!

Gran Turismo 5 E3 Trailer

Oh well I guess there is a little something to report about Gran Turismo 5.  That is basically all forms of car-based motorsport will be included in the game.  From the trailer we can see not only do we have the typical forms of racing such as road cars and grand touring, but now we also have the World Rally Circuit and Nascar.  Assuming F1-type cars are still in the game, plus drifting, I'm almost certain those pretty much cover the bases.

What's next, go-karts?  Crap, I better keep my mouth shut or Yamauchi will add that too and we won't see GT5 for another century.  I guess we know what's been taking them so long.  

Here's hoping we see it by Christmas, so I can split my holiday time between that and New Super Mario Brothers Wii.