14 DAY TRIAL // If there's one thing we can be sure about Gran Turismo 5 is that it took a whole lot of time to put together. The racing simulation title was initially shown off to eager gamers at the E3 trade show held in 2005, at the same time as Sony revealed its upcoming home gaming console, the PlayStation 3.
In the meantime, the console received a lighter, less power-hungry and cheaper version, dubbed the Slim, and Polyphony Digital and Sony only managed to release a limited edition of Gran Turismo 5, called Prologue in 2008. Of course, statements from the two entities promise an amazing videogame is in the making but European and North American gamers still do not know when they might enjoy it.
Kazunori Yamauchi, who is the lead designer working on the title at Polyphony Digital, stated at a presentation of the game over the weekend that “I don't think it's going to be that much later in the US and Europe.”
He was speaking in relation to the Japanese launch date, which is set for March 2010. Yamauchi added that “This is based on our production schedule. The reason why the dates for the US and regions are not decided yet is because their marketing is still discussing their issues. It shouldn't be too far off from [the] date for the other regions as well.”
The designer again rattled off some of the offerings of Gran Turismo 5 saying that players will get access to no less than 950 cars, 20 locations and 70 track variations that can be raced on. It sounds impressive but, at the moment, also like a distant possibility.
The only new tidbit offered by Yamauchi is that all the cars players unlock in the PlayStation Portable version of Gran Turismo can be then unlocked and used in the upcoming PlayStation 3 videogame.