Straightline

Categories: Chevrolet,Classic Cars,Lamborghini,Sports Cars,Video Games

We showed you the pictures already, now see the Toyota FT-86 in all its animated glory on Gran Turismo 5.

2009 Tokyo Auto Show: Toyota FT-86 Concept

Categories: Concept Vehicles,Coupes,Future Vehicles,Sports Cars,Tokyo Motor Show,Toyota,Video Games

Updated: Final cut of commerical after the jump.

By now, you may have seen the early clip of Sony's Gran Turismo for PSP commercial featuring Rhys Millen driving a Corvette ZR1 at Laguna Seca, while Tanner Foust does the very same thing on PSP from the passenger seat.

Well, Sony has made a "making of" movie about the commercial, and you can see to what lengths the company went to make the real-life action on the track match what was happening in the game. Foust is racing against a Ford GT, a Nissan GT-R and an E39 BMW M5 in the game, so those same cars are on the track. Rod Millen apparently drove the GT.

In shooting the ZR1, says Stephanie Yoshimoto, senior product marketing manager for Sony, "we worked to replicate the camera used in the game. The cameras were mounted just as they would be in the game -- third-person view, first-person view. That was the goal really to make sure we replicated the game with the actual commercial."

Foust, she says, picked up the game easily and didn't get carsick. "He could deal with being thrown from side to side at 130 mph, going through the corkscrew and all that."

The 30-second commercial is after the jump.

Straightline Review: Gran Turismo for PSP

Continue reading Video: The Making of Sony's Gran Turismo for PSP Commercial.

Categories: Chevrolet,Sports Cars,Trends,Video Games

Updated

This week we learned that Gran Turismo 5 will launch in March 2010... in Japan. Still no date for the U.S., yet. Maybe the delay is because GT5's creator, Kazunori Yamauchi, had to take time out to lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, which is on the car list for the upcoming (apparently...) PS3 game.

Also, we now have proof that the SLS AMG really is in the game, thanks to some gameplay footage from the 2009 Tokyo Game Show. And Sony's Polyphony Digital has produced a commercial for Gran Turismo 5 starring the reborn Benz Gullwing. Both videos are after the jump.

GT Planet

Continue reading Video: Sony's Kazunori Yamauchi Drives Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

Categories: Mercedes-Benz,Video Games

Updated

Both Microsoft and Sony want a piece of the fine looking Ferrari 458 Italia in their long-awaited upcoming games, Forza 3 and Gran Turismo 5 respectively. So they've both made tribute videos to this newest Ferrari, and Ferrari posted them both today. So whose video is better?

We might vote for Forza 3's -- just because Microsoft's Turn 10 is willing to talk about an actual launch date (next month). Although, if Amazon is to be believed, GT5 will be out on Dec. 29.

At least in Forza's case, though, it appears the 458 Italia won't be on the car list at launch. You'll have to wait until December and download it as a holiday gift to yourself.

Watch the GT5 tribute to the 458 Italia after the jump.

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Ferrari 458 Italia

Continue reading Ferrari 458 Italia Tribute Videos: Forza 3 vs. Gran Turismo 5.

Categories: Ferrari,Video Games

Today we get an update on Gran Turismo 5 not from Sony's Polyphony Digital studio, but from Mercedes-Benz. You'll be able to purchase and race the reborn gullwing Benz in GT5. In honor of that, Mercedes will show the SLS AMG at the Tokyo Game Show Sept. 24-27.

First Drive: 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Categories: Mercedes-Benz,Video Games

Here's a new feature on Straightline -- a video game review written not just by a hard-core gamer, but a gamer who's also a hard-core car guy. Let us know what you think. --Your Editor

In May 2004, Gran Turismo 4 Mobile was announced for Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP) game system. After five years, all who purchased PSPs hoping to enjoy GT anywhere can finally dust them off. Gran Turismo for the PSP hits retail stores in Universal Media Disc (UMD) format for the PSP and the PlayStation Store as a 957MB download on Oct. 1 for $39.99.

GT for PSP is a solid driving game GT fans will enjoy mainly because of its plethora of cars and tracks, replay value and portability. Those obsessed with all things GT can already tell you the game includes some 800 cars and 35 tracks, most of which are from Gran Turismo 4. Newer post-GT4 cars include the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Bugatti Veyron 16.4, Citroen Gran Turismo, Audi R8 LMS and more.

The driving experience in GT for PSP is what makes the game a delight. There are enough visual and aural cues so you know what your vehicle is doing at all times. Whether the car is pushing/understeering or loose/oversteering, a "feel" of the vehicle's dynamics is properly communicated most of the time. Because the PSP doesn't have the ability to provide force feedback, gaining a feel for the vehicle on off-road tracks is difficult. Still, all-wheel-drive cars like the Subaru Impreza WRX STI and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution emulate lift-throttle oversteer. Their rear-wheel-drive brethren can generate power oversteer that would make Tiff Needell proud.

Continue reading Video Game Review: Gran Turismo for PSP.

Categories: Trends,Video Games

Turn 10, the Microsoft video game developer, has released further detailed photos of its Forza Motorsport 3 game, this time confirming that the infamous Circuit De La Sarthe course will be featured in the game.  

And the developers definitely did it right: they spent time collecting over 15,000 images (60 GB of source material) of track barriers, road materials, rumble strips, vegetation and even trackside buildings. This is big news considering FM3 is on time to beat its rival Gran Turismo 5 to the showcase, meaning it will have the most detailed virtual La Sarthe course on the market.

Turn 10 has also given us a taste of Forza 3's car list, introducing ten LMP race cars that include the #7 Team Bentley Speed 8, #2 Audi Sport North America R10 TDI and the #15 BMW Motorsport V12 LMR.

The Forza team tweeted that more updates will come every Tuesday, so stay tuned as more details surface on the game's 400 fully-modifiable cars and numerous tracks. Check out the latest gameplay video after the jump.

Continue reading 24 Hours of Le Mans Will Be Featured in Forza Motorsport 3.

Categories: Video Games

Electronic Arts released a gameplay clip of Need for Speed Shift earlier this week. Now here's the official trailer. Shift is the multiplatform (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) title that's supposed to reinvent NFS's image -- by bringing more of a realistic, driving-sim feel to this arcade-y franchise.
 
It's unclear how intent EA is on achieving that goal from this trailer. You're "driving" an E92 BMW M3, a Porsche 911 GT3, a Nissan GT-R and a Lamborghini Reventon on track in this video. And the detailing in the cockpit is exquisite; we can see the iDrive screen in all its glory. But the constant bumping from other racers on the track doesn't say "realistic" to us. Said bumping is almost Midnight Club-esque with what seems like little punishment for scraping fenders.

The entire lineup of adrenaline-pumping vehicles can be viewed here, and the list is pretty much packed with every supercar brand you can imagine -- minus Ferrari (apparently there were some legal issues). Import fanboys will be happy to see a 2006 Honda Civic Si and 2000 Honda S2000, while those hankering for a track run in a 2008 Bugatti Veyron or 2006 Aston Martin DBR9 won't be disappointed, either.

The list of tracks is just as extensive, with classic circuits like Road America, Silverstone and -- of course -- the Nurburgring Nordschleife. The NFS crew made a few fictional circuits as well that have "steep grades, hairpin corners and blind crests."

We'll see if Shift has what it takes to go up against Forza 3 and Gran Turismo 5 this fall. --Mike Lysaght, Contributor

Categories: Video Games

In addition to Gran Turismo Mobile, Gran Turismo 5, Forza 3, Need for Speed Shift and DiRT, there are a couple other driving games that got some attention at E3.

Blur is an arcade-style racing game with combat for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. It's the work of Bizarre Creations (pubished by Activision) of Project Gotham Racing fame. And we know it isn't going to appeal to you GT/Forza diehards.

Except, that it has one very cool feature that's sorely missing on GT5 Prologue: a social network interface. This would allow you to create custom races that include only your friends, gaming site 1up.com reports, and if you wish, that don't allow the use of weapons or power-ups.

Blur also looks to have a decent amount of manufacturer licenses. In the E3 trailer, we picked out a Challenger, an Evo, a 1 Series, a Viper, a G8 and (wait, do I have cataracts?) a Ford Transit Connect.

The other "game" of note is Joy Ride for the Xbox 360. Trailer after the jump.

Continue reading More Driving Games from E3: Blur, Joy Ride Trailers.

Categories: Trends,Video Games

At first glance, you might mistake this high-def video for reality, but it is in fact just another trailer showing off the sweet graphics in the next DiRT rally game. The game expands to 100 events in 9 countries, with 50 real drivers (like Travis Pastrana, Ken Block and Tanner Faust) piloting the rally machines. All the while, you're accompanied by a soundtrack with over 40 well-known bands.

The DiRT series is part of the deceased Colin McRae's video game series that started all the way back in 2000 with Colin McRae Rally.

Categories: Celebrities,Motorsports,Video Games

Inside Line interviewed Kazunori Yamauchi, father of the decade-old Gran Turismo franchise, in Los Angeles after the debut of the PSP Go handheld and Gran Turismo Mobile at E3, and the release of a Gran Turismo 5 trailer. He spoke to us through his interpreter, Takayuki Nushida, also of Polyphony Digital.

Yamauchi was conspicuously mum on Gran Turismo 5 details, but spoke in some detail about Gran Turismo Mobile, which goes on sale October 1. We briefly played a Japanese version of GT Mobile, and among its 35 tracks (60 variations), you'll find the Nurburgring Nordschleife and Laguna Seca -- and, we're told, all the other tracks from GT4.

IL: Any details on when Gran Turismo 5 will be released in the U.S.?

Yamauchi: It's not decided yet.

IL: But I couldn't help but notice the NASCAR and WRC licenses in the GT5 trailer you released today at E3. Why, in particular, did you decide to add NASCAR?

Yamauchi: NASCAR is a very North American motorsport. In Japan, we're very European-oriented in terms of racing, and NASCAR has always been sort of a far existence for us -- we don't know very much about it. I actually had a chance to watch NASCAR in person a while back, and the experience was very eye-opening. We just thought that having this amazing series, including it in the Gran Turismo world, we would have WRC on one side and that would be the European angle and you would have NASCAR for the North American perspective -- that would really widen the field of the game.

IL: I also noticed the damage to the STI in the trailer, so should I take that as a hint that this will be the first Gran Turismo game that shows visible damage when people crash into a wall?

Yamauchi: Yes.

IL: How difficult is it to incorporate that into a racing simulation?

Yamauchi: It's just the order of priority. You have to get the shape of the car and the physics completely perfect to call it a simulator to begin with. Deformation was just something that's lower on the list of priorities to do for a game.

IL: Are you concerned about Forza 3 beating GT5 to market?

Yamauchi: I don't really know that much about the other games that are out.

IL: Did you have any hesitation in doing a portable version of Gran Turismo given the limitations of portable gaming systems, particularly for driving games?

Yamauchi: There were a lot of limitations involved in creating a portable version. Gran Turismo is such a huge game. Gran Turismo has 10 years of history now, and of course there are people who have played it over the years from the first series to our newest, but I thought it would be good to have a new entry point for new users into the series, and that's where this PSP version is kind of placed.

Continue reading Interview: Inside Line Talks to Kazunori Yamauchi, Father of Gran Turismo.

Categories: Nissan,Trends,Video Games

No official word on a release date for the full version of Gran Turismo 5 from 2009 E3, but here's the trailer Sony showed this morning.

Key things to note: WRC and NASCAR licenses. Plus, visible damage on a Subaru WRX STI rally car -- a first for a Gran Turismo game.

So, here's the question: Gran Turismo 5 or Forza Motorsport 3?

1up.com

Update: Lots of high-res pics on GTPlanet

Categories: Auto Industry,Trends,Video Games

If you've been logging a lot of couch time playing the Gran Turismo series over the last decade, you'll finally be able to leave the house come October 1. That's when Sony will release Gran Turismo Mobile, a launch title for the PSP Go, a lighter, more compact version of the PlayStation Portable.

Sony didn't show much gameplay video at this morning's E3 press conference, but for what it's worth, here's the trailer the company showed. The father of the Gran Turismo series, Kazunori Yamauchi, spoke this morning and maintained that Gran Turismo Mobile will not feel like your typical, scaled-down portable driving game. Rather, this is a "full" version of Gran Turismo that operates at 60 frames per second.

Gran Turismo Mobile has 800 cars and 35 tracks (with 60 layouts) -- a step up from the 6 tracks in GT5 Prologue you've no doubt been playing on your PS3. In addition to license/career and arcade modes, Mobile has an ad hoc mode, allowing you to race against 3 friends (in close physical proximity) via the PSP Go's wireless connection. You can also share and trade cars.

To save weight, the PSP Go doesn't have a disc drive (UMD drive) like a regular PSP, so you'll be downloading GT Mobile onto it. The Go has 16 GB of memory. It will retail at $249.99 -- quite a premium above the current PSP 3000, which is going for under 200 bucks right now.

And still no mention of a firm release date for the full version of Gran Turismo 5, despite yesterday's news on Forza 3.

Update: More gameplay screenshots and info from GT Planet

Categories: Trends,Video Games

No doubt you've played more than a few of the Need for Speed titles from Electronic Arts. Well, Need for Speed Shift is the juggernaut game developer's attempt at a more serious, simulation-type street racer. At E3 today, EA released this apparent gameplay clip of a street race through London. Watch from the cockpit.

Release date is this November for PS3, Xbox 360, PC and PSP.

Categories: Trends,Video Games