Tokyo Game Show

Gran Turismo 5’s release window has just been set to March 2010 for Japan, according to Kazunori Yamauchi at the TGS press conference.  This, unfortunately, runs directly counter to everything that we’ve heard so far from a wide variety of sources for nearly an entire year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I29SJlorlbI

Here we go again! After the keynote address a few hours ago didn’t bring any news about Gran Turismo 5, we’re looking to the main event: Sony’s Press Conference. As usual, keep an eye on the “live blog” above to “watch” the event. If you’re on Twitter, follow GTPlanet and include the #gtplanet hashtag in your tweets to join the conversation in the box below!

Gran Turismo 5 wasn’t mentioned during Sony’s keynote address at the Tokyo Game Show, but news is already starting to trickle out of the GT5 booth at the show. Our first peek comes from this guy who appears to have uploaded a clip from his cell phone. The quality is about as bad as it gets, but you can clearly see that quite a few cars are playable, including the Ferrari 458 Italia. The most exciting thing we can confirm right now, however, is the fully animated pit crews which can be seen working on a car as it enters the pits. I’ve grabbed the best shot I could find and posted it above, but you can watch for the scene yourself in the video around 8:00.

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Just as Mercedes-Benz told us, their new SLS AMG is on hand to represent GT5 at the Tokyo Game Show. 1UP.com offers this sneak peek at the show floor, and it looks like our favorite racing game is taking center stage at Sony’s massive booth. It’s hard to see much else behind the big display, but it’s a safe bet there’s a few PS3’s loaded up with a fresh new demo of the game hiding back there.

It’s here! At each major gaming industry conference this year, we’ve collectively held our breath for news about Gran Turismo 5 from the halls of Polyphony Digital. We got our first peek at the game in the E3 trailer, and then took a closer look at the new damage feature in a playable version of the game at GamesCom. Exactly what’s in store for Tokyo is still anyone’s guess, but significant details about the game (including the release date) are long overdue. Kazunori Yamauchi himself has already told us to expect a “major advancement” from the show, and both Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz have curiously started bragging about their latest vehicles getting featured in GT5 this week.

A Mercedes-Benz press release just hit the wires this morning, confirming that the new SLS AMG will be featured in Gran Turismo 5. It’s also going to be on display at the Tokyo Game Show later this week, along “with [the] latest information on Gran Turismo 5”. Apparently, the leaked video of Kazunori Yamauchi examining the SLS AMG meant something, after all!

If you’re in France, head on over to the Paris Game Festival for your chance to play on the Gran Turismo 5 build that we saw running at GamesCom last month. The show is open to the public September 18-20. Rumors are coming in fast, however, that Sony representatives on the show floor are confirming GT5’s release date will be announced next week at the Tokyo Game Show, and the playable demo there will feature the Ferrari Enzo.  Thanks to user jujub for the report and photos/videos!

Tensions were high last June at E3, when everyone and their brother expected something about Gran Turismo 5 to be announced at the largest trade show in the gaming industry.  We got a cool trailer, but nothing else about the game was revealed.  Next up was GamesCom, where the first playable version (with damage) was demonstrated.  These delightful tidbits were released despite the fact that the game was not released on Sony’s “official list” of game titles to be highlighted at the show.

Mere seconds after the throngs of GT fans gobbled up the news off the GamesCom show floor, eyes began to turn to the upcoming Tokyo Game Show for the next flood of Gran Turismo 5 info from Polyphony Digital. Today, we can tell you that excitement is not misplaced, as Kazunori Yamauchi has confirmed a “major advancement” is coming to the show later this month. From his latest interview with G4TV:

In a short but sweet interview with AutoWeek magazine which must have fallen through the cracks with all the other E3 news, GT series creator Kazunori Yamauchi stated that “We will give the release date of Gran Turismo 5 soon.”  The question remains, though – just how soon is “soon”?  Speculation is mounting in our forums, with many pointing towards the upcoming Tokyo Game Show this September 24-27.  Aside from taking place on Polyphony Digital’s home turf (their offices are located in Tokyo), the 2007 TGS show is where they announced the release date for GT5 Prologue.  While this is just speculation, you can see the pieces of the puzzle would fit together quite nicely.