And Again - Sony delays Gran Turismo 5 game

[matthewy2]

Sony has announced an indefinite delay to the Japanese launch of Gran Turismo 5 (GT5), the latest instalment of a massively complex and popular driving simulation game thought to have cost more than $60 million (£37 million) to develop and for which fans have been waiting in vain for years.
The delay will probably derail Sony’s plans to “bundle” the PlayStation 3 console together with the new game to boost sales during the critical spring sales period in Japan.

The new timetable may see the game launched in Japan this summer, at the same time as the game is scheduled to be released in Europe and America.
However, Sony did not include a revised launch date with today’s announcement, suggesting that there could be further delays to a title that is already nearly three years overdue.

From the moment the PlayStation 3 console was launched in Japan in late 2006, demonstrations of Gran Turismo 5 have left hardcore gamers around the world drooling with anticipation.
The previous instalments of the game created particularly strong fan-bases in Japan and Europe, where it overlapped with mainstream motorsport interest.
The new game will include Nascar stock cars in an attempt to draw more American gamers to the title.

Successive trade shows and internet trailers have whetted those already ravenous appetites with promises of more than 1,000 different cars and 20 different tracks, all rendered in glorious definition and with unprecedented realism.
The recent online release of one of the GT5 tracks taken from the new game, and a worldwide online racing tournament on it, drew more than 1 million downloads in less than a week: further evidence of pent-up demand. But GT5 has repeatedly dashed hopes and today’s announcement has already sparked outbursts of frustration and rage on Japanese gamer forums.

Speculation now centres on the reasons for the game’s delay. Many believe that the sheer complexity of the game may be its downfall: the process of eradicating thousands of bugs may be taking longer than expected.
Others believe that the developers’ decision to include a realistic car damage simulator may have created months’ more work than was budgeted for.
But analysts believe there may be strategy behind the delay and that Sony is now working to spread the effect of a strong games pipeline over a longer period.
The recent Japanese launch of Final Fantasy XIII shifted many more PS3 consoles than expected and performed beyond expectations outside Japan.

If Sony believes that it has already met its console sales targets for fiscal 2009, said analysts, it may want to push the GT5 launch back a little so that the frenzy surrounding its eventual launch boosts sales in fiscal 2010.
The company may be confident that big titles, such God of War 3, Dark Rain and Bayonetta, will keep console sales relatively buoyant through the spring period.
The Japanese games market shrank in 2009 for the second year in succession, according to data gathered by Enterbrain.
Hardware sales fell by 13.6 per cent, despite price cuts to the PS3 and the Nintendo Wii.

Against that, though, global PS3 sales were strong in the run-up to Christmas, soaring 76 per cent when compared with the November-to-December period in the previous year. Total PS3 unit sales since launch are believed to have passed the 30 million mark, driven in large part by a strong line-up of games.

Source: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle6985939.ece

[tronads]

I guess its no surprise....if they released anything that was even close to the attrocious 1 track demo from December, they would have been a laughing stock.
Annoying though, I pretty much only bought my PS3 for this game.

[ant3b]

Yes the demo was horrid.. handling was all wrong felt like on rails... etc.

[ZX7R]

Let's face it. GT has run out of steam.

[eugedaman]

With all these delays, GT5 better be perfect..

[Mr Men]

When it finally arives it will be groundbreaking,My only question is will there be crash damage?

[Gavin M]

good things come to ... blah blah my patiants has ran out, theyv probly made their money from the big disc demo, grrrrr

[Hodge20001]

From what ive read the demo was horrid, i havent downloaded it as to be honest once again ive lost faith in sony.

i got another ps3 (my 3rd) for Drakes fortune and i must admit that was good, but MAG doesnt look very (again havent played it yet) and from what ive heard this is awful....

I got KillZone with the PS3 and it has to be said that wasnt what i was expecting, it was poop, couldnt get into it @ all..

i honestly think sony have managed to aliante a shit load of people with the PS3 and the shoddy/lack of AAA games

[maltloaf]

Resistance 2 was worth buying the ps3 for. Very underrated, can't believe everyone jumped on the bandwagon of not liking it so easily as the 12 hours or so that I spent on the single player of that were some of the best hours i've spent on any game ever.

As for GT5, you can keep it. The franchise is dead as far as im concerned

[EvilBoB]

The Prologue was good fun but not really a "simluator" - I thought the demo was terrible though. Handling was all wrong, they didn't put deformation in crashes in (That is alleged to be in the final game.)

Only thing I can think of is that they want to release it at the same time Forza 8 comes out on the XBox 1080 to compete. Very very poor show. This game was supposed to come out ages ago wasn't it? I understand that games are getting more and more complex but really....?

[Greyfox]

When it finally arives it will be groundbreaking,My only question is will there be crash damage?

Yep

[flik]

Massive FAIL

[blaggard]

It's a shame though, GT was undoubtedly groundbreaking and all that followed owe it a debt of gratitude.
They may as well put their faith in other games now though because the GT5 shamble is making them a laughing stock!

[cyprus]

Resistance 2 was worth buying the ps3 for. Very underrated, can't believe everyone jumped on the bandwagon of not liking it so easily as the 12 hours or so that I spent on the single player of that were some of the best hours i've spent on any game ever.

As for GT5, you can keep it. The franchise is dead as far as im concerned

I've never played the Resistance games, would you say it's worth playing through the first one before buying the second, storyline wise?

[mobypsx]

I bought the GT 5 prologue PS3 bundle and was disappointed with game, I recently downloaded the gt5 nissan academy and also was really disappointed too. I have loved all other versions especially GT4. Maybe I have played far too much Forza 3.

And to top it off the PSP version was a rubbish too.

MoB

[prezzy]

Gah the last thing was not a demo for fucks sake . . . .

They are taking the piss though but I NEED a decent driving game for the PS3 to justify the cash I have spunked out on the G25 and the stand I have for it.

[blaggard]

Demo or not it was shite, they missed yet another opportunity to impress and don't deserve the loyalty being shown.

[kracken]

Gran Turismo 5 3D out this summer

You may have read about Polyphony showing off Gran Turismo 5 running in 3D at CES show in Vegas. According to reports, you could be playing it in 3D on your PS3 by this summer.

Information from the recent Tokyo Auto Salon car show, where some impressive GT5 tech was being showed off, details that Polyphony plans to release a "3D version" of the game to coincide with the release of the first 3D TV sets to hit the market.

With Sony and other companies getting those lovely gizmos out this summer, GT5 3D could be out around then, along with the PS3 firmware update that Sony says will enable 3D gameplay on its gaming powerhouse.

[Mario87]

TBH, I've stopped paying attention to when it's going to come out. Put my pre-order with GAME months ago, and it comes out when it comes out.

Fed up of hearing all the hype and launch dates then hearing it's been delayed. It will be out eventually.

[Gavin M]

GT3D... we shall see that in 1015 if they start making it now, they cant even manage to get out a regular version never mind 3D