Shortly afterwards, the PlayStation 3 was released, and the series was finally given the means to produce a full-fledged driving simulator. Gran Turismo 5 was announced as a PS3 exclusive at E3 2007 and people were immediately hoping for the best driving simulator yet. Unfortunately, the development time required to produce a proper sequel were so high that a budget title under the name Gran Turismo 5: Prologue was released in early 2008. The game included impressive next-generation visuals and about 10% of the total content that the full-title was deemed to include. Although being only a small taste of the full experience, GT5: Prologue was met with great reviews, and its $39.99 price tag aided in pushing nearly 4 million units to date.
Gran Turismo 5 has been a title that has been as secretive as the US Spy plane Aurora, but the title has been rumored to release during the holiday season of 2009. With that said, the game is going to sport an impressive 1000 cars and at least 80 tracks. Also, full-damage modeling was announced at E3 2009, and was shown during GamesCom 2009. Not to mention that the cockpit view and general visuals are without a doubt the best seen in any racing game to date. Gran Turismo 5 is sure to be a huge hit as with the previous titles, and its long-awaited release should come with reward.
The Gran Turismo series is one of the oldest and most-successful series in the videogame industry. Not only did it invent the racing simulation genre, but it has been there for every major step in technology. The PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2 and now the PlayStation 3 have all been home to this amazing series developed by Polyphony Digital, and watching the evolution of such a remarkable creation has been a car enthusiast’s dream. Check out the evolution of Gran Turismo collage below:
