It's been a long two weeks, hasn't it? But finally, finally we can get our hands on it. That one piece of content we've been looking forward to ever since it was announced. No, not Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Nor Warhawk's new expansion, Operation Broken Mirror. We're talking about "Still Alive" for Rock Band! Here's the full release list:
Don't forget a load of content also went up on Tuesday, when the store launched. We're glad to see the PSN Store getting content again. Don't forget we've listed all the yummy new Rock Band downloadable content after the break. So what will your first purchase be? GT5:P, Operation Broken Mirror or "Still Alive"?
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is now up and ready to be downloaded from the American PSN Store, and has been since midnight EST. The price of the game is $40 as well as 1.9GB of your precious hard drive space. Those of you who haven't picked up the, frankly, superior (and cheaper) Blu-Ray version can now go ahead and get your hands on the game without leaving your couch by utilizing the sexy new PlayStation Store. There's more to come from the Store later today and we'll let you know exactly what else is going up as soon as we find out.
Even with a million pre-orders sold, Gran Tursimo 5 Prologue continues to light up the European sales charts. In both Spain and Germany, the PS3 exclusive rests as the top selling game, beating out strong competition from a variety of Wii, DS and PSP titles. In Sweden, GT5P was only beat out by the PS2 version of Guitar Hero III.
It goes to show how different each territory is when it comes to gaming preferences. The US version of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue comes out this week on Blu-ray and on the PSN. Will it match the insatiable European demand for Polyphony's racer? We'll have to wait and see.
Posted Apr 5th 2008 12:55PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
The awkwardly-named Gran Turismo for Boys was supposed to be a more kid-oriented version of the popular racing sim, giving male youngsters a small taste of the real racing simulator. In an interview with with Kazunori Yamauchi, the director noted that they're still devoted to making Gran Turismo for Boys "but we're hoping to make that a feature within GT5."
A simpler version of GT5 would certain appeal to both boys and girls, no? Regardless, it seems like there are plans to make a much more mainstream-friendly version of GT -- for those who can't get enough auto-assist whilst driving.
The European gaming community really, really loves Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. After a platinum pre-order and a stellar launch, the PS3 has been gaining quite a bit of traction. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Chart-Track's Dorian Bloch said: "PlayStation 3 sales went up by 14 per cent for week 13, after going up 73 per cent the week before."
We're certain that we can expect a similar sales boom after the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 as well. In comparison, Chart-Track noted that "Xbox 360 sales were down by 11 per cent." The effects of Microsoft's price drop were strong, but looks like the power of GT overshadowed the efforts of Microsoft's bargain pricing.
For those in love with sales and numbers, this generation of consoles is proving rather interesting. It'll be fascinating to see the effect GT has on the American market, when it launches in a few weeks time.
Stylish elegance. That seductive red color. No, this isn't a TV commercial for some new car. We're just stating how much we've fallen in love with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue's Ferrari F2007. Just look at those sleek curves. The detail on this baby is so life-like it's hard to believe that this is just a digital rendering.
Do you share in our excitement? Interested in seeing more? You can have a better look at the F1 car in the gallery below. Sony's Three Speech blog has even more pics to drool over, so be sure to check them all out.
To download or to get the Blu-ray version: that is the question.
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue's release is coming rather soon for both our American and European readers. However, which version should one pick up? For those seeking instant gratification off the hard drive, perhaps the download is the way to go. But take note: the download weighs a hefty 1.9GB.
Some may be wondering: how come the game is so small when a Blu-ray disc can hold so much more? By getting rid of all the videos. Eurogamer explains: "Prologue reduces its footprint is by leaving cinematics on the server until you choose to download them from GT TV. You can choose to download the opening movie at any time, and when you finish Event series you're told that you can now download the end movie from the in-game high-definition TV download page."
Personally, this blogger is much more interested in picking up the retail copy. Who wants to wait to download over and over again?
Posted Mar 15th 2008 5:00PM by Nick Doerr Filed under: News
[Update: finding the news slightly suspicious, we had our very own European blogger, Jem Alexander, double check the number with SCEE. They confirmed it to be true. So there you have it!]
It's not every day games go "platinum" before they're even released. Generally, this occurs with huge titles, but even taking that into account it's an uncommon feat. Factor into that the notion that a game whose title explicitly states it's a Prologue to a full game ... and it's nearly unbelievable. But in Europe alone, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue has achieved just that: one million pre-orders.
What we need to remember is that the pre-order number is not only for Europe alone, but also just for the Blu-ray release of the game -- not the downloadable version. If half of the people who intend to purchase the game pre-order it and the other half download it, well, this is going to be huge. Add America and Japan into the mix and we've basically got the best-selling PS3 title to date; at least, that's what we're assuming will happen. What about you?
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, available in retail stores and on the PLAYSTATION Store, next month, is gaining a few new exciting features for its upcoming US release. North American consumers will enjoy features, such as Drift Mode, Car Tuning, and most excitingly, two-player split screen racing and a new set of offline and online Race Events.
Drift Mode -- The player's drifting technique is measured based on drift angles, racing lines, and speeds within evaluation zones located at various turns on the course.
In Depth Car Tuning -- Players have the ability to adjust the vehicle's performance, including power, weight, tires and suspension.
Two-player Split Screen Racing -- Allows players to race head-to-head against friends and foes offline.
New Race Events -- New racing events and time trials are available for players to race both offline and online. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue supports up to 16 players racing online simultaneously.
Check out the complete US track and car list, after the break. Also, check our updated gallery for new high-res screens.
Takau Imasaki, producer for Gran Turismo 5 at SCEA, recently talked a bit about the upcoming US release of the game. Slight tweaks are being made to make it a more user-friendly title for the Western audience. By releasing this trial game, Prologue will serve as a testing ground for Polyphony's first real foray into online gaming. They're trying to "catch up to Microsoft in that regard," they said.
Car damage? It will eventually happen in the series, but not until the designers are able to "perfect" it. Don't expect it any time in this series of GT games. Also, because users are already being charged for this early preview of the full GT5 experience, there won't be much DLC in Prologue. That would be a little mean, no?
In a press release regarding the Logitech Driving Force GT (more info on that here) the Gran Turismo 5: Prologue release date for Europe has finally been nailed down. The driving simulator will be available on both a Blu-Ray disc at retail and as a PlayStation Network download on March 28th. That's just under three weeks before America receives it on April 17th. Sometimes being a European gamer is a complete drag, but every once in while we get thrown a bone. This is certainly one of those times.
Seeing as how March 28th is a Friday, and considering how loathe Sony are to release content on the PSN on any day other than Thursday, we wouldn't be surprised to see the downloadable version available on the 27th. Warhawk was released this way - though the retail version wasn't made available until almost a month later. Whatever happens, you can expect to be experiencing the latest, greatest car simulator before April hits. Brummm brummm!
Every time we get a glimpse of GT5, we can't help but feel overly giddy for more. Luckily, Sony's Three Speech blog really cranked out the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue screens today with more shots of tracks, cars, and the pit. The environments look so spectacularly life-like it's almost scary. We wouldn't want to crash in such a real simulation; it's just simply too much of a scary thought.
Despite our crash-phobia, we're really looking forward to getting in this game's driver's seat and burning up some rubber. GT5's March-April release is just too far away.
Sony's been pretty good at consistently releasing new videos and screens for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, but now the game has a new official website where gamers can go to find all the information they need and maybe more, not only about the newest entry into the popular racing series, but also about the previous games, as well.
The website currently has a heaping helping of screens, videos and news, but Sony promised us that it will "continuously update [the] site as [it] get ready for the title's launch in April and beyond." However, if that's still not enough for you gearheads, you can also show your undying support by pre-ordering the game.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue looks good. We've known this all along. As its March release date inches ever closer, SCEA has released a small batch of new screenshots that cement its beauty even further. Take a look at this screenshot, for example. Look at the incredible lighting on the signs in the background. The way it reflects so realistically is truly brilliant. We'd love to just stop the car, and walk out to appreciate the scenery. Maybe this engine will be used in another game in the future?
We're not sure whether Gran Turismo 5 Prologueis meant to be a demo, a hype-builder or some sort of mid-development cash-in for Gran Turismo 5 (probably all three), but we do now know that it will be made available in America on April 17th. The game can be purchased on a retail Blu-Ray disc or as a PSN download, just like Warhawk. Whichever way you buy it you'll be paying the same - $39.99, though the Blu-Ray version will come with a HD behind the scenes video titled "Beyond The Apex".
The 60+ cars included can be raced online with up to 15 other people. Polyphony Digital will be holding official online races and Gran Turismo TV will allow you to watch motoring shows from all over the world via the PlayStation Network. Not bad for a demo, even if it does cost $40.
