As I suspected from the teaser video a while back, today at a special event celebrating the franchise’s 15th anniversary at Silverstone circuit in the UK Sony and Polyphony Digital announced that Gran Turismo 6 is coming this year (holiday) and it is coming to the Playstation 3. While that might be odd considering that Sony recently announced that Playstation 4 was also coming this holiday, it makes sense if you consider that Gran Turismo 6 was probably very far along the development process by the time most of us were taking the shrink wrap off our copies of GT5.
Does this mean there isn’t a Gran Turismo coming for Playstation 4? Hardly, while nothing has been announced I am sure the crew at Polyphony are already hard at work on GT7. But that’s a story for another time. Lets get into GT6 shall we?
First off all the cars and tracks from GT5 will be in GT6 including several new additions which brings the total car count to 1200 when the game is released and additional cars to be added via DLC and customization via aero parts and wheels will be available for “almost” all cars. In fact Sony claims “several thousand” aero parts will be available and that GT6 will have more levels of customization than any of the previous titles.
Beyond the new cars, new locations will be added including Silverstone Circuit as well as 6 other new tracks making for 33 tracks total with 71 layouts. If that isn’t enough, more tracks are promised in the future with DLC and the track editor has been improved so players can create the circuit of their dreams.
When it comes to gameplay the programmers at Polyphony Digital have completely re-done the physics system. The new model will be based off new aerodynamic data, tire data from Yokohama, and suspension geometry data from KW Suspension.
The last thing you should know is that while the full game won’t drop until “holiday 2013″ a demo will come in July and that demo will be the launch pad for the next GT Academy, so start practicing now!
For more info on the game (including the car list for the July demo) check out the trailer and press release below. I will bring you my own impressions of GT6 once I play it on the E3 show floor next month.
UPDATE: It looks like the Gran Turismo 6 news is so big that the official website is down from all the traffic!
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. today announced Gran Turismo®6 (GT6™), the latest version of PlayStation®’s best-selling franchise, will be released in Holiday, 2013. The news was revealed today by legendary Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi at an event held to celebrate 15 years of the 70-million-selling series.
GT6 for PlayStation®3 will bring new levels of authenticity to ‘the Real Driving Simulator’ as well as introducing stunning new tracks and cars and a revised user interface. A new compact game engine will improve operation and increase the flexibility to expand it with downloadable content. Meanwhile, the game is also set for expanded connectivity with other devices such as smart phones and tablets and increased social and community functions.
All of the cars and tracks from Gran Turismo®5, which has sold over 10m copies since launching in 2010, will be retained in GT6. But notable new additions to the already impressive line-up of historic cars, road cars and the latest race cars, brings the total car list to 1200 at launch, with new cars set to be continually added online. Several thousand aerodynamic parts and custom wheels will be available for almost all cars, and players can personalize their own custom cars in game to the greatest ever level possible.
The UK’s famous Silverstone Circuit will be just one of seven new locations in Gran Turismo 6, taking the total to 33, with 71 different layouts available, 19 of them brand new. There will also be regular additions of new tracks set to be made available online. The improved course maker function will provide gorgeous scenery spanning several tens of square kilometers including the magnificent backdrop of Andalucía.
The theme of Gran Turismo’s innovative collaborations with partner companies will increase with the inception of GT6. A number of exciting new projects that blur the line between the virtual and real will be announced in the run up to the game’s launch. Not least of these is GT Academy, a collaboration with Nissan to unearth real racing driver talent that first ran in 2008. It was announced during the event that the competition returns for its biggest ever year in 2013, with the entry mechanic set to take place on an exclusive GT6 demo in July.
Other notable partnerships in the development of GT6 have been with tire manufacturer Yokohama Rubber and suspension company KW Automotive. Both companies are active in the commercial car industry and in racing, and they have acted as technical development partners for the game’s new physics engine, for its tire and suspension kinematic modeling, creating an even more realistic experience for GT fans.
“It is amazing to think that it is 15 years since we first released Gran Turismo,” explained Kazunori Yamauchi, during the announcement at Silverstone Circuit. “Things have changed a lot since then and now Gran Turismo 6 is a further evolution of my dream. We’re pleased to deliver GT6 to PlayStation 3 as we have a very loyal community on that platform. However, we have refactored the game to make it very flexible and expandable, with a view to making many future developments. I am very pleased with everything about the new game and the new additions, but the launch will be only the beginning for GT6. The game will continue to develop throughout its life. I already have many ideas for things I want to achieve in the next 15 years of Gran Turismo!”
The celebration of 15 years of Gran Turismo event at Silverstone included a demo of GT6 featuring the famous circuit. Guests were able to play the game in the familiar circular Gran Turismo race pods before having a chance to take to the real track in cars provided by Audi, Ford, Jaguar, KTM, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota.
Further news about Gran Turismo 6 will be revealed at the forthcoming E3 and Gamescom events.
Cars featured on the GT6 Silverstone demo (* denotes new to Gran Turismo):
Acura NSX ’91
*Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale ’11
*Alpine A110 1600S ’68
*Audi Sport quattro S1 Rally Car ’86
Ferrari 458 Italia ’09
*Ferrari Dino 246 GT ’71
Ford GT ’06
*KTM X-BOW R ’12
Lamborghini Countach LP400 ’74
*Light Car Company Rocket ’07
McLaren MP4-12C ’10
*Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 ’11
Nissan 370Z (Z34) (GT Academy Version) ’08
Nissan 370Z Tuned Car (GT Academy Version) ’08
Nissan GT-R Black edition (GT Academy Version) ’12
*Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 N24 Schulze Motorsport
Nissan Leaf G (GT Academy Version)
*Tesla Motors Model S Signature Performance ’12
Toyota 86 GT ’12
Summary of new Gran Turismo 6 features announced by Kazunori Yamauchi:
New Game Engine
• Refactoring
• Compact, nimble operation
• Flexible expandability
• A new rendering engine that pushes the limits of the PS3
New Physics Engine
• New suspension and kinematics model
• New tire model
• New aerodynamics model
• Technical partnership with Yokohama Rubber and KW Automotive
1200 Cars, abundant custom parts, and on-going DLC
• From historic cars to the latest racing cars, the game contains a total of 1200 cars.
• Multiple aerodynamic parts and custom wheels will be available for almost all cars.
• Players can create their own personalized custom car in the game.
• Cars will be continually added online
33 locations, 71 layouts
• 33 Locations and 71 layouts will be provided from day1 (7 more locations and 19 more layouts than GT5)
• More new tracks will continue to be provided online
New Course Maker
• Massive scenery spanning several tens of square kilometers
• A new course generation algorithm
Community/Club/Race Organizer
• Players can form their own communities
• Various community levels from local and domestic to global
• Players themselves can create and manage their own online events
New User Interface
• Balancing directional key operation and touch operation
• Quick response
• Shortening of loading times
Multi Device Compatibility
• PlayStation®
• Smart Phone
• Tablet
• PC
At the same time as the PS3 version of GT6 the “Real Driving Simulator” launches, a mobile version and web application version of GT6, will be created to enjoy Gran Turismo’s massive community space.
Real/Virtual “Edge Effect” Activity
A variety of “Edge Effects”, the chemical reactions between the real world and the virtual world for which the Gran Turismo series is famous, are also planned for GT6. Exciting collaborations between various automotive manufacturers and collaborations with brands crossing different industries will be revealed gradually across the next six months.
GRID2 will officially release two weeks from now and the team at Codemasters is making sure they give players plenty of reasons to drool over it. The latest trailer reveals that several locations in Asia and the middle-east including Yas Marina circuit and various togue passes in Japan will be in GRID2. We also get confirmation of drifting as well. Hopefully the drifting will be more than an “add on” to the rest of the game. See it all for yourself in the new video below.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of Gran Turismo. Yes, it really has been 15 years since the first time some of us put that sweet disc in our Playstation console and got whisked away to a land where we could have any car we wanted, even cars we’ve never seen before. It is also confirmation that those of us who remember the very first game really are that damn old. Christ…
Anyway, to celebrate the anniversary Sony has announced a special event will take place at Silverstone circuit in the UK on May 15th at which, plans for the franchises future will be revealed. By the location (Silverstone) I am also thinking that a few tidbits about the next GT Academy competition will be made public as well.
I am hoping GT6 will in fact be announced, and that it won’t take 6 years to make. After all the time we waited for Gran Turismo 5, plus the awesome-ness coming from Drive Club, Gran Turismo better come soon and come correct! If you want to do some speculating on your own watch the announcement to the announcement video below.
When Sony came out and announced the Playstation 4, it was a big flarkin’ deal. They held a super private media get together at a posh location and live streamed the whole thing to the world. It was all very exciting, except for those of us who love racing games. We all were hoping that we would see Kazunori Yamauchi step out onto that stage and say “hey, we are 90% done with Gran Turismo 6!” Instead, we got was a trailer (an awesome trailer but still a just a trailer) for “Drive Club” which looks great but does not have the gravitas behind it that a well established franchise such as Gran Turismo does. While there is obviously still a chance Gran Turismo 6 will be announced at E3 2013, I have yet to hear anything that would indicate its going to happen.
Since that Sony meeting passed the world gaming community has been waiting for Microsoft to make its move. Well, they finally announced that…that they will make an announcement. Xbox will be holding an event next month on May 21st and many predict that it will introduce the next generation Xbox to the world. Exciting for gamers in general but what’s in it for us racing fans? Well I’ll tell you…
At a location that I can’t tell you about, a person/ninja whom I cannot name, back flipped out of the shadows and told me that it is nearly certain that Forza Motorsport 5 will be announced along with the new Xbox. It is unknown if this will happen at the May 21st event, at E3, or in a stand alone event but the word is it will be announced within the same time frame.
You might be asking why I would trust a ninja who stalks the shadows. Well this particular ninja happens to be a very well connected insider in the gamming community. However, since neither Microsoft, Turn 10 Studios, nor Dan Greenawalt have made any announcements or even hits on the matter I still have to chalk this up to rumor and speculation.
But if I were a betting man I would put every dime of my savings, which adds up to…a dime that we will get some kind of official word about the next Forza Motorsport title sometime between May 21st and E3 2013!
In the latest trailer for Codemasters’ GRID2 the audience gets to meet Patrick Callahan, the founder of the World Series Racing, sanctioning body of all the race events that take place in GRID2. In the trailer, Patrick details his vision for the WSR and some of the racing teams he has in mind as participants in his grand scheme. This trailer is actually the first in a multi-part series which by the end should give viewers some big clues on what the story of GRID2 will be. So far, things are looking pretty interesting! To see the new trailer for yourself just scroll down.
Unless you have been living under a rock for the last 48 hours then you probably heard, read, or witnessed in some fashion that Sony has officially announced that a Playstation 4 is on its way (holiday 2013). During the two hour long event many launch games were shown off which highlights the magnificent processing power of the coming console that is said to be exponentially better than the PS3. All those games looked great but I was waiting with bitten lip to see if we would see a glimpse at any racing games, namely Gran Turismo 6.
Sadly no GT6 nuggets were uncovered. However, the world audience was treated to a look at “Drive Club” which appears to officially be the first racing game for the PS4. Now, at first you might feel some disappointment but let me assure you that the team behind Drive Club, Evolution Studios are seasoned gear heads and have actually been working on this concept for 10 years!
What Drive Club is, is an exercise in what it would truly be to have a team of drivers with access to the best exotic cars putting their skills against other teams around the world. Think of “Rivals” mode in the Forza series but deeper. If you want to know what Drive Club will be all about straight from the the developer’s mouth, scroll down below for the official presentation.
F1 2012 has been out for less than tw0 weeks and Codemasters is already on to the next one. Today they released the first gameplay footage of GRID2, the racing game that started it all for the UK developer. In the two gameplay videos we get to see two different environments that will be a part of the final product. The first is a one on one race through a beautiful “California Coast” setting. There are giant trees on your left and a vast infinite ocean on your right. The second video features a multi car race on the streets of Chicago, with all of the city’s towering buildings surrounding you and small details like flocks of birds flying between the skyscrapers in the distance. You might also notice a ton of Fatlace, Hellaflush, and NOS Energy Drink signage. Codemasters is making no secret of its partnership with brands that are well known to their audience.
You may also notice that the opponent cars in the Chicago race are all muscle cars. It looks like the Mustang BOSS 302, Camaro SS, and Corvette Z06 are all confirmed to be in the game. However, I doubt GRID2 will be a strictly domestic affair. I would say we should look forward to more car announcements in the future.
A new feature you will not see in the video is the use of a new physics system called “TrueFeel” which uses real physics to create realistic handling capabilities while still making the driving “accessible” for novice players. Obviously I am not sure how well the new system works out but I am sure I will get a chance to play it before the Summer 2013 release date and when I do I will be sure to tell you all about it! In the meantime check out the two gameplay videos below.
Los Angeles, Calif. – Sept. 27, 2012– Codemasters® today launched the first two gameplay videos for GRID® 2™, the long-awaited sequel to the BAFTA-award winning, critically acclaimed GRID™. Revealing races at two of the game’s new locations, Chicago and California Coast, the GRID 2gameplay videos are captured from pre-alpha, work-in-progress code and are now showing at www.youtube.com/gridgame.
The Chicago video features a Street Racing stage where muscle cars, including the Camaro SS, Z06 Corvette and Boss Mustang, charge through skyscraper-lined streets and chase through tunnels. The California Coast video follows a head-to-head, point-to-point duel between a contemporary Boss Mustang and a classic Mustang Mach 1 on a tight and twisting sprint for the line.
GRID 2will make its consumer debut at this week’s Eurogamer Expo (www.eurogamerexpo.com) at London’s Earls Court (September 27-30), where gamers can experience the return of the race themselves. Players can take to the streets of Chicago or hit the California Coast’s spectacular roads, each offering a different racing challenge, yet sharing the game’s core relentless, high-impact, aggressive competition.
GRID 2will challenge players to be fast, be first and be famous as they enter a stunning new world of competitive motorsport. Following the success of GRID, which set new standards for damage, AI, visuals and introduced the Flashback time rewind feature – now adopted by many racing games – GRID 2will again raise the gameplay and technological bar for motorsport gaming and remain true to the series’ core value – it’s all about the race. GRID 2 will also introduce the new TrueFeel™ Handling System, which uses real physics to hit a sweet spot between accessibility and simulation to deliver handling that is approachable yet challenging to master.
Going behind the wheel of a handpicked selection of automotive icons spanning four decades and three continents – North America, Europe and Asia – players will race their way to the top of GRID 2’s new, evolving world of motorsport. From Paris to Dubai, Miami to the sun-kissed California coast and beyond, beautifully created city streets, licensed circuits and twisting mountain roads will become home to the most visceral and exhilarating races in games.
GRID 2will also set new standards for a racing multiplayer experience with an entirely distinct and extensive gameplay component and unique progression system. Deep customization options and integration with RaceNet* – the online community portal for Codemasters Racing games which tracks player’s races, rewards and rivals – will offer further immersion and connectivity to extend each player’s GRID 2 experience.
GRID 2 is in production at Codemasters Racing Studiosand is available to pre-order ahead of its summer 2013 release for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. Fans can keep up with all the latest updates straight from the studio by speeding over to www.gridgame.com and www.facebook.com/gridgame or follow the team at www.twitter.com/gridgame.
I know with all the Forza Horizon talk it seems like things may have been quiet on the F1 front but today Codemasters made big news by releasing a demo for F1 2012 today on Xbox Live! The demo will allow players to try out the new “Young Driver’s Test” mode as well as some of the challege modes players can do during a season of competition. In addition to the demo Codemasters also dropped a new trailer and screen shots! All of which, can be seen below. If you have a Playstation 3 or your a PC gamer, have no worries as the demo will hit the Playstation Network and PC (via Steam) tomorrow (Sept. 11th 2012). If for some reason you cannot download the trailer, you can still relax because the game will be released in just 8 more days (Sept. 18th 2012)!
With the return of Kimi Raikkonen this year the Formula One grid has no less than six world champions on the grid, which might be more than ever. The amount of talent has made for some extremely entertaining situations so far this season. This rare situation has not been lost on Codemasters, the team behind the official F1 games. On the eve of Gamescom in Germany the Codemasters team has announced that the F1 2012 game will include “Champions Mode”. What is Champions Mode you ask? Well allow me to explain.
Champions mode is a series of challenges that puts players against one of the six champions currently on the grid. For example there is one scenario in which the player assumes the identity of Kimi Raikkonen’s teammate at Spa. The player has just pitted while the rest of the grid is on worn tires but there is only 3 laps left to go in the race. The player is challenged to try and overtake Kimi before the race is over. Sounds like a tough situation does it not? I wonder what the challenge against Lewis Hamilton or Michael Schumacher will be like?!
As an added bouus Codemasters has also kicked down a few new screen shots (from the new Circuit Of The Americas). Codemasters also released the official box art featuring Mark Webber, Paul Di Resta, and Timo Glock. This marks the first time that Codemasters has featured actual cars/drivers on the cover since they got the F1 license (hopefully it wont result in a curse). Finally, we also got a trailer of the new Champions mode and all the formentioned goodies are viewable below.
CODEMASTERS® ANNOUNCES CHAMPIONS MODE FOR F1 2012™
New Gameplay Video Reveals New Game Mode That Lets You Take on Six
FORMULA ONE™ WORLD CHAMPIONS: www.youtube.com/formula1game
Los Angeles, Calif. – August 6, 2012 – Codemasters today announced a brand new game mode for F1 2012. “Champions Mode” will enable players to take on each of the six FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONS competing in the 2012 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™ in individual race scenarios designed for quick play and instant action. A gameplay video, featuring Champions Mode, is now available to view at: www.youtube.com/formula1game.
F1 2012’s Champions Mode will challenge players to take on each of the six champions in turn, starting with Kimi Räikkönen, followed by Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and then Michael Schumacher. Each champion has his own race scenario where the player must beat that driver in order to unlock the next challenge.
The Kimi Räikkönen challenge sees the player join a race as Kimi’s teammate at Spa Francorchamps. The player has just pitted and is on new tires while the rest of the pack is on worn rubber with three laps to go until the end of the race. In order to complete the scenario the player has to race through the pack and overtake Kimi before the end of the race.
Champions Mode will be playable for the first time at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany from August 15to 19 in the NamcoBandai booth in Hall 9, Booth C11.
F1 2012 will launch September 18. 2012 in North America for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION ®3 computer entertainment system and PC. F1 2012 will feature all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from the 2012 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, including the debut of the 2012 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX at Austin, Texas and the return of Germany’s famous Hockenheim circuit to the calendar.
F1 2012 is in development at Codemasters Birmingham and is available for pre-order ahead of its September worldwide release. To get all the news straight from the studio, race over to www.facebook.com/formula1game or follow the team on twitter at www.twitter.com/formula1game.
Despite the massive efforts Scion is putting behind the FR-S (including losing my invitation in the mail to the press drive), one could argue that their hype machine is working even harder on the new iQ. From their “park” ad campaign to their controversial “babes and donuts” viral video Scion really wants the high school/college crowd to take a hard look at their utility-driven micro car. So, what is the best way to get a high school senior or college kid to seriously consider a Scion iQ? Give them a free handheld video game system! Starting today up until July 31st 2012 Scion will throw in a free PlayStation Vita when you buy a new Scion iQ from the dealer! Although while the time period goes until July if they run out of units before then you may be SOL. Either way the fact that Scion would think to use video games as a promotional tool is pretty damn cool in my opinion. How many more 1986 Toyota Corollas do you think would have been sold back in the day if they threw in a free NES? A lot!
Scion Announces Collaboration with its iQ and Sony’s PlayStation®Vita
TORRANCE, Calif., May 1, 2012 – Scion is pleased to announce that starting May 1 through July 31, 2012, buyers of a new 2012 Scion iQ will receive a PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita), portable entertainment system, while supplies last.
The promotion coincides with the nationwide release of the iQ, Scion’s fourth vehicle and the world’s smallest four-seater. For full details, please visit www.scion.com/psvita. “Scion is very proud of the iQ’s intelligent and functional design,” said Jack Hollis, Scion Vice President. “Similar to the PS Vita, the Scion iQ comes loaded with premium technological features, has a focus on functionality, is concentrated into a suitably small package and most importantly is tons of fun.”
Scion is excited to give iQ owners an entertaining way to enjoy the world’s smallest four-seater, even when they are not in the driver’s seat. Originally released March 7thas a limited-time free download to PS Vita owners, MotorStorm RC included the Scion iQ as an in-game vehicle option. The award winning PS Vita is equipped with a 5” OLED, high definition touch screen, dual analog sticks, front touchscreen and rear touch pad, two cameras, built in microphone, and combined with the best gaming content, provides an unmatched portable gaming experience.
Meeting the needs of a new trendsetting generation of urban drivers, the iQ succeeds at taking big ideas and concentrating them into a small package. The iQ is a small car that offers the functionality and comfort that drivers expect from a car twice its size. The iQ comes standard with 11 airbags and features an impressive EPA rating of 37 miles per gallon on regular unleaded gas.
The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the 2012 iQ is $15,265. The delivery, processing and handling (DPH) fee for all Scion models is $730 and is not included in the MSRP. DPH fee for vehicles distributed by Southeast Toyota (SET) and Gulf States Toyota (GST) may vary.
Warranty and Complimentary Scion Service BoostLike all Scion models, the iQ is covered by a 3-year/36,000-mile comprehensive warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. The iQ will also come standard with Scion Service Boost, a complimentary plan covering normal factory-scheduled maintenance for two years or 25,000 miles whichever comes first, and three years of 24-hour roadside assistance.
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