The long-delayed and long-awaited Gran Turismo 5 is available in Ireland today, offering more than 1,000 licensed vehicles, 26 tracks and online features.
After five years of development, the acclaimed driving simulator is finally in stores.
There are more than 1,000 licenced cars, with a mix of new, old, everyday road cars, racers and supercars. The lineup includes the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, the Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 and the GT by Citroen.
Twenty-six locations are available with more than 70 track layouts. Circuits include the Nurburgring, the Mazda raceway the Laguna Seca and the Top Gear Test Track. It also includes a course maker, letting players design their own circuits.
Gran Turismo 5 includes online functionality and community features. Players can race against up to 15 friends on the PlayStation Network. They can share photos and track creations and gift others with cars or in-game items. It can be accessed by logging into the Gran Turismo website with a PlayStation network ID.
Career mode makes a return, recreated as GT LIFE. It’s split into A-Spec and B-Spec. In A-Spec, the player takes the role of a racing driver, to hone their driving skills and take on races.
B-Spec mode lets players cross the pit lane and take an alternative path as Team Director. They can keep an eye on the competition and play to their AI drivers’ strengths in order to win.
The game offers a variety of visual effects, including transitioning through time and transforming the look from afternoon to night. It now features damage modelling, which may be painful for some car lovers.
It’s compatible with 3D TVs and also features face tracking with the PlayStation Eye camera, which allows you to move your face left and right to change your field of vision.
Gran Turismo 5 is available on the PlayStation 3 in three editions – Standard Edition is €59.99, Collectors’ Edition is €69.99 and Signature Edition is €179.99.
