14 DAY TRIAL // The issue of damage in racing titles is a hotly debated one. When Need for Speed Porsche sported one of the more realistic physics and damage engines back in its days a lot of fans argued that it made the game too hard for their liking. As other racing franchises, including the Gran Turismo series, adopted a policy of not implementing damage, fans called out for "realism" and stated that a racing simulation couldn't be complete if the cars can't be smashed into brick walls.
It's surely a hard task to try and keep every racing fan happy with just one game. But Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, the precursor to the full Gran Turismo 5, which is to be launched sometime in late 2008 or early 2009, seems to be on track to completing its objective. It garnered mostly positive reviews from the gaming press and has sold over 1 million copies even before being officially released, through the pre-order system. Sony has even announced that this is somewhat of a record on the PlayStation.
And now the creator of the series, Kazunori Yamauchi of Polyphony Digital, has admitted that the idea of car damage is something that could make its way to the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and then into the main game. Apparently, the constant chorus of the fans demanding the right to damage and crush their cars was too much for the developers. Sometime in fall, the damage option will appear as a downloadable content option in the PlayStation Store.
It will probably be an entirely optional feature which can be turned off and on at the will of the player, making for a more diverse gameplay experience. It will also add a new layer of challenge to the game for the ones that quickly master the six available tracks.
Don't tell anyone else but Kazunori Yamauchi also hinted at the possibility of him directing the development of a Formula 1 title in the near future.