GTPlanet Weekly Rewind: Nearing The End

What you’re looking at is the championship-winning Ferrari 312T driven by Niki Lauda, and the game is yet another gem – Assetto Corsa. AC is another game in the long list of simulation racing games that expands their scope beyond what most of us are really accustomed to, and while the game has yet to officially release you can check out the tech demo and judge the game for yourselves, and I have to say that you’re in for quite the surprise.

Kunos Simulazioni are the same development team responsible for Ferrari Virtual Academy and Netkar Pro, so if you’re familiar with either of those then you’re fully aware of what to expect from them once Assetto Corsa hits later on this year should all things align properly.

Moving past that, Polyphony Digital should be preparing GT6 for going gold anytime now which of course means we’re that much closer to its release this coming December. Which brings me to the question I’ve been asking myself for the past several weeks: is it my imagination or is the end of 2013 progressively shaping up to be packed to the brim with racing titles? I can’t even keep track of what’s what or who’s who anymore, it’s absolute madness!

This all comes with the unfortunate possibility that Driveclub may be delayed until spring 2014. This is, of course, to be treated as nothing more than a rumor at the moment until it’s confirmed one way or the other, but at it stands it does muddy things up a little bit. For the original story be sure to stop by The Same Coin.

EDIT: Unfortunately the news has been confirmed as true, both the retail and PlayStation Plus editions of Driveclub have been delayed until “early 2014”. 

Things are still fairly quiet with minor disturbances here and there but I would hazard a guess that things are going to pick up exponentially at the end of this month and all throughout November.

GTPlanet Picture of the Week

This week’s featured image focuses on the colorful sensation and warmth that speaks of the transition to Autumn and features the successor to Lamborghini’s Murcielago, the Aventador LP 700-4.

Have a suggestion for next week’s featured image? Drop me a private message, entitle it “GTPlanet Picture of the Week” and fill it out with your two choices and they’ll be featured in upcoming Rewinds. NOTE: You cannot elect your own work.

#BestOfGT Week

If you’ve been reading the Rewind then you’ll be no stranger to the fact that Gran Turismo 2 is my favorite GT to date, and is unlikely to be topped for a variety of reasons. That’s merely foreshadowing on the actual point to this particular piece, this past Monday Sony Computer Entertainment Europe kicked off the #BestOfGT week to celebrate 15 years of Gran Turismo.

Every day this week we’ll be talking about one game in the series. We’d like you to pick one outstanding memory from each game – whether it be a favourite track, car or race – and let us know either here on PlayStation Blog, or on Facebook, our forums, or Twitter, using the #BestOfGT hashtag. At the end of the week, we’ll then capture these moments in-game and collate them in a single video, giving a shout-out to all those whose suggestions were picked.

As explained, all you have to do is submit your own outstanding memory of the GT series and it may very well be translated into captured footage. The promotion is open to everyone so put your foot down and share your favorite memories!

GTPlanet Weekly Race Series (WRS) Week 139: Under-Over

This week is all about the indecisive nature of the Ferrari F430 Scuderia as you dive in to the many twists and turns of Twin Ring Motegi, and with 528 horses to boot you’ll soon discover just how significant this week’s headline truly is.

We used this car before, but it was on steroids. Now try it out stock. The title describes the car’s characteristics in turns.

Stop by the official thread here and remember that you NEED to be registered before officially participating in the WRS, and that can only be done by submitting a time for the official GTP Registry Qualifier.

Forza Motorsport 5 – The Roundup Continues

The weekly reveals for vehicles set to be included in FM5 continue this week, and the total list up until this point is 86 confirmed vehicles. Today sees the next batch of vehicles set to be included in Forza Motorsport 5′s lucrative list of automotive history, and the list is as follows:

2012 Nissan GT-R Black Edition

1967 Lamborghini Miura P400

2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series

2007 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione

As usual, that’s far from the complete list as the following list of cars has also been revealed

• 1985 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT Apex
• 2013 Viper #91 SRT Motorsport GTS-R
• 2010 Audi R8 Coupé 5.2 FSI quattro
• 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR
• 1991 BMW M3
• 2011 Volkswagen Scirocco R
• 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8
• 2011 Subaru WRX STI
• 2005 Ford Ford GT
• 2009 Lotus 2-Eleven
• 2011 RUF Rt 12 S
• 1988 Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV
• 2004 Saleen S7
• 2003 Renault Sport Clio V6
• 2003 Ferrari Challenge Stradale
• 1968 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds 442
• 1964 Aston Martin DB5
• 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
• 1995 Ford Mustang Cobra R
• 2007 Honda Civic Type-R

And even further are all of the vehicles announced up until this point which include the following

• 1983 Audi Sport Quattro
• 1999 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR
• 2010 Nissan370Z
• 2010 Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SV
• 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STi
• 2006 Audi RS 4
• 2011 Mazda RX-8 R3
• 2010 Volkswagen Golf R
• 2007 Ford Shelby GT500
• 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia
• 2007 Ferrari 430 Scuderia
• 2010 Renault Megane RS 250
• 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track
• 2011 BMW X5 M
• 2011 BMW Z4 sDrive35is
• 1997 Honda Civic Type R
• 2001 Acura Integra Type-R
• 1987 Buick Regal GNX
• 2008 Aston Martin DBS
• 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG
• 1970 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1
• 2012 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
• 2012 Vauxhall Astra VXR
• 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
• 1991 GMC Syclone
• 1998 Ferrari #12 Risi Competizione F333 SP
• 2005 Dodge SRT4 ACR
• 2010 Mazda Mazdaspeed 3
• 2011 Peugeot 308 GTI
• 1970 Chevrolet El Camino SS 454
• 2003 BMW M5
• 1971 Lotus Elan Sprint
• 1993 McLaren F1
• 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
• 2003 Nissan Fairlady Z
• 1965 MINI Cooper S
• 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
• 2003 Volkswagen Golf R32
• 2009 Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster
• 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8
• 2010 Audi TT RS Coupé
• 2012 Scion tC
• 2009 Jeep Cherokee SRT8
• 2011 Kia Cee’d
• 2005 TVR Sagaris
• 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA Stradale
• 1999 Dodge Viper GTS ACR
• 1998 Eagle Talon TSi Turbo
• 2008 Ferrari California
• 2000 Ford SVT Cobra R
• 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe
• 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata
• 2010 Maserati Gran Turismo S
• 2003 Toyota Celica SS-I
• 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe
• 1971 AMC Javelin-AMX
• 1976 McLaren #11 Team McLaren M23
• 1976 Ferrari #1 Scuderia 312T2
• 2013 Honda #9 Target Chip Ganassi Dallara DW12
• 2013 Honda #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Dallara DW12
• 2013 Chevrolet #1 Andretti Autosport Dallara DW12
• 2013 Chevrolet #12 Team Penske Dallara DW12
• 2012 Audi #1 Audi Sport Team Joest R18 e-tron quattro
• 2012 Ferrari F12berlinetta
• 2013 McLaren P1™
• 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe
• 2012 Pagani Huayra
• 2011 Koenigsegg Agera
• 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera
• 2013 Ford Focus ST
• 2011 McLaren MP4-12C
• 2010 Audi R8 5.2 Coupé FSI quattro
• 2012 Aston Martin Vanquish
• 2011 Audi RS 3 Sportback
• 2013 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500
• 2013 Viper GTS
• 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C
• 1987 RUF CTR Yellowbird
• 1991 Mazda #55 787B
• 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
• 2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

This brings the current list to a grand total of 110 cars and the list is only going to grow in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

GTPlanet Member of the Week

Once again it’s time to acknowledge a member of the GTPlanet community; a member who has stood out among the hundreds of thousands of members already here, both old and new alike for all that they’re worth and all they have contributed to the community.

The past couple of weeks have resulted in things shuffling between the Junior and Senior members, and this week is no different in that regard. It’s time to welcome our newest inductee into the Member of the Week hall of fame, neema_t!

The interview is now live and provides the usual share of laughter, but more importantly provides the medium of getting to know your fellow GTP members a little bit better. For the whole kit-n-kaboodble be sure to stop by the official Member of the Week thread.

Anyone you’d like to see recognized as the Member of the Week? Drop me a private message, entitle it “GTPlanet Member of the Week” and fill it out with your choices and they’ll be featured in upcoming Rewinds. NOTE: You cannot nominate yourself.

GTPlanet Vehicle of the Week

Presented at the 1971 Turin Motor Show, the Bertone-designed Lancia Stratos HF was an extensive evolution of the Straus Zero prototype presented just one year earlier.

The prototype Stratos HF was fluorescent red in color and featured a rather distinctive crescent-shaped wrap-around windshield that maximized forward visibility.  The prototype also had three engine choices in its early developmental stages: the Fulvia’s V4, the Beta’s Inline-4, and finally the mid-mounted V6 from the Ferrari Dino.

Have a suggestion for next week’s featured image? Drop me a private message, entitle it “GTPlanet Vehicle of the Week” and fill it out with your two choices and they’ll be featured in upcoming Rewinds. NOTE: You cannot elect your own work.

GTPlanet Tuners of the Week – FITT 535PP FR Tuner Challenge

We’re going to do things a little bit differently this week, we all know the shelf life of GT5 is coming to an end once December arrives and until then what better way for the tuning community (and aficionados alike) to go out with a bang than a new FITT Tuner Challenge; the last challenge to be featured in GT5.

It’s a bit of guessing game and is certainly something different, but instead of me attempting to explain things why not read the intent of the challenge straight from Motor City Hami:

I feel like there are one or two more FITT tuner challenges that can be accomplished between now and the December 2013 launch of GT6. I am trying to add a few elements of fun to this one that we haven’t tried in the past.

I want to avoid multiple tuners picking the same car. To do this, tuners that have signed up by the sign up deadline will have their names selected at random simply to set the order for picking cars. Cars are also grouped to help encourage more manufacturer involvement. For example, tuner 1 selects the Aston Martin group. He can tune any one of the five vehicles listed in that group. He does not have to announce which Aston Martin he has chosen until his official tune has been posted prior to the tuning deadline. Since tuner 1 has selected the Aston Martin group, no other tuner can select an Aston Martin to enter into the competition. They must choose a different group of cars.

I have also tried to scrub the list for over dogs at this PP level. I reserve the right to ban any car that I want at any time prior to the car group selection made by tuner number one. It wouldn’t be fair to cut cars after groups have been selected.

Interested? Of course you are. Stop by the official thread here and quench your need to test drive as many tuned vehicles in GT5 as possible before GT6 arrives!

Exactly like the Picture and Vehicle of the Week features, if you have any suggestions for the upcoming Rewinds be sure to drop me a private message, entitle it “GTPlanet Tune of the Week” and let me know. NOTE: You cannot elect your own work.

GTPlanet Photomode Competitions 

In Week 150 of the Standard and Advanced competitions you are to put your best foot forth and show the community just how seriously you take your in-game photography. All you need to know is as follows:

Week 150, Standard: Parting Shot – “As GT5 winds down and there’s not long left till the release of GT6 I thought this may be a fitting theme to celebrate nearly 3 years of the GT5 era Photomode competition. As the sun begins to set on GT5 take your favourite car to any track/location that has a day/night change and take the shot you want to mark as a kind of “Parting Shot” before we say goodbye and move on to pastures new. ideally a shot from behind with you driving away like that old cliche of the hero from those old westerns riding his horse off into the sunset, but even static/parked shots with a similar feeling would suit as well.”

Week 150, Advanced 2.0: Reminiscent – “Gran Turismo 5 is entering it’s twilight as GT6 looms ever closer. It’s been a bit of a mixed bag over the past 3 years. GT5 was a decent title but ultimately fell short of expectations and in some aspects felt quite dated. Even so I’m sure like me you’ve had some great moments with the game and this week I think it fitting to reminisce those good times and try to recreate and portray as best you can in a photo that which you love(d) about GT5. It could be a certain car or track, a particular race or series, whatever springs to mind when you think back to a special moment.”

For all of the relevant information pertaining to this week’s challenges be sure to stop by here and here.

Closing Thoughts

You may have noticed this week’s central theme is the end-of-life for Gran Turismo 5, and with 6 right around the corner it should come as no surprise that it’s being sent off by so much of the community. I don’t know how I’m going to handle next month and December but I can honestly say I’ll probably drive myself mad running back and forth doing who knows what.

I’ve been playing a lot of Euro Truck Simulator 2 and F1 2013 as of late and as far as the latter is concerned I’m a little more surprised than I thought to be possible. Granted, the game is still marred by series-long bugs such as the dreaded corrupted save game, tire blowouts, force feedback-related issues, but aside from all of that it is probably the best title since 2010.

ETS 2 on the other hand has been a godsend since day one for me, I’ve done nothing but drive, drive and drive some more, taking on endless cargo deliveries expanding across several hundred miles and I’ve enjoyed every second of it. I think the game has had such a profound effect on me that I’m beginning to recognize trucks; I even have a Scania V8 wallpaper on my Nexus 7 tablet!

Now a message from our sponsor, me:

While you’re salivating at the very thought of Gran Turismo 6 finding itself into your PlayStation 3 this coming December why not take the time to become a full-fledged member of our wonderful community. It’s free and we have cake! Okay, we don’t have cake (the cake is and always will be a lie, remember this!) but we do have a strong community and we’re always talking about something interesting. If you aren’t already a member you should join today and maybe you can work out a patented antidote for “Lying Cake Syndrome”. Seriously, it’s been years since I’ve had cake.

My shameless Twitter plug has also returned!

Once again I forgot to mention that I’m on Twitter now. What was once going to be a bit of parody account (because I don’t use Facebook or Twitter for any reason whatsoever) has quickly turned into me using Twitter rather effectively. So, follow me and suggest all things Rewind-worthy from the comfort of your tablets, phones, or Skynet-linked computers. Remember, when the machines finally rise you’ll need someone to write pieces regarding the matter littered with Armageddon-y undertones and I can be just that guy! What were we talking about? Right, Twitter, so if you’ll follow me here the Rewind can be delivered to you in a timely fashion not seen since snail mail. Wait, that’s not the right thing to say!

You will be showered in Rewind, Seasonal Event and future article goodness courtesy of yours truly, so there’s that worth looking forward to once I’ve bothered to get the thing up and running. It can also be used to suggest things for upcoming Rewinds, so that’s now two ways you all can keep me on my toes.

It’s been a relatively relaxed past couple of weeks and nothing has yet to really came of it but the clocks are ticking down to the beginning of everything new. Two of those clocks will stop next month while the last clock stops in December. Crazy couple of weeks coming up and it should prove to be quite the ride, so you’d be better brace yourselves for whatever lies ahead. Until next week, keep racing!

GT5 and FM4 Photomode images by RaY29rus, LMAO_RAWR, Gravitron, pictureghost1.

See more articles on GTPlanet Member of the Week and GTPlanet Weekly Rewind.