Oh how some of us are going to scream of happiness at the sound of this... SCEE has just made it official that fans of the PlayStation exclusive racing sim series, Gran Turismo series, are going to play Gran Turismos 5 Prologue by the end of this year. According to the report they've recently sent in, the game will feature a selection of 40 breathtaking cars, from manufacturers such as Lotus, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Ferrari.

Keep in mind that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will merely prepare you for what Gran Turismo 5 really stands for. Sony promises the best racing sim ever with Gran Turismo 5 and quite frankly, I don't see how they could miss, given that the title presents gamers with the ability of racing online. This feature alone is enough to get anyone excited about Gran Turismo 5, and even fans of more arcade-like racing games.

It has also been confirmed that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is going to be available both on Blu-ray discs and as a download from PS Network, close to the end of this year. But even though the game is all about the cars it presents, as a fan, you're probably very interested in the tracks you're going to be revving them on, right?

Well, as it turns out, it has also been confirmed that ultra-realistic tracks soon to be found within Gran Turismo 5 Prologue include the Eiger Nordwand, the London City Track and Suzuka - all rendered in High Definition, of course. Gamers will have to deal with all-new driving physics, but also improved opponent AI. So if you thought Gran Turismo 4 was hard enough and long enough (that didn't sound right, did it?) wait 'till you get your hands on Prologue and then the full Gran Turismo 5 game.

And since the game's online feature is probably the most important of all, we're going to make it crystal clear for you: up to 16 players will be able to go head-to-head via PSN and all you need to do that is a broadband connection and a PS3. Global Online Rankings and the My Garage homepage will have their eyes on you.

Last but not least, the Online Dealership, will be providing a wealth of information on cars and manufacturers and also Gran Turismo TV - a dedicated online channel available exclusively from PSN and packed with some of the greatest content that Motorsport, car manufacturers and TV has to offer.

So, if you haven't had a heart attack already, check out other headlines within our Games section today and by all means, do fill up your time by the end of this year with walks in the park and bicycle rides so you don't go crazy waiting for the game to launch.