Gran Turismo 5 Feature!

Sony had an amazing conference that showed off so many great games during this year’s E3. While people still argue about who had the best conference, there is still one game that stuck out above all the others to me. The game is a sequel to arguably the best franchise on PlayStation. Gran Turismo, not only for PSP, but Gran Turismo 5 for PS3 was shown during the conference and had fans going absolutely insane. The trailer not only showed off the spectacular visuals of the game, but also got most of America excited with the NASCAR license displayed throughout. This is the first time we got a glimpse of the game after Polyphony Digital released Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. When I saw it for myself I got back into the Gran Turismo spirit.

After that, I finally got a chance to go out and pick up Prologue, which is now a Greatest Hits release. The game is just a demo of what’s to come with Gran Turismo 5 and honestly I’m already blown away. Considering that it's just a demo, I wasn’t expecting Prologue to be the best racing game I’ve played on PS3, but that's exactly what it turned out to be. So I jumped on our boards talking about just how great the game is, which led me to a discussion with fellow staff member Nick.

We came across this quote from Polyphony Digital shortly after E3 from an interview with Inside Line: "…as for Gran Turismo 5, we haven’t released an official date, but we’re trying to get that out this calendar year, so it could be a holiday game as well."

Instead of getting all hyped that a true Gran Turismo for PS3 could finally be hitting sometime soon, there is more to it. We began discussing how Gran Turismo could actually be larger than life for Sony if it came out this year. As Nick commented to me, Sony has no well known titles set to release this year. Yes, they have remarkably ground breaking games like MAG and Uncharted coming out, but you have to realize those are not system sellers. While Uncharted is a great game, not many PS2 or non PlayStation gamers really know a whole lot about the franchise, and it has yet to establish a solid fanbase. Ratchet and Clank is the closest thing to a console seller they have for the year, and while I love Insomniac to death, Ratchet and Clank Future just didn’t move units like its brother Resistance 2 and is only one piece to the giant puzzle. These titles are still new names to the market that not many know about, and few people will jump on board right away. They may become system sellers later in their life span, but it's going to take time to get there.

Gran Turismo, on the other hand, is a whole different story. If it’s released this holiday season, Sony could potentially move twice as many consoles during the holidays, putting a lot more support behind new titles they plan to release. Gran Turismo is a household name—something that fans will buy just from the logo on the box. Furthermore, Gran Turismo is the first major exclusive Sony has that can cater to a broader audience, including somewhat casual gamers. It could potentially be the game that drags PS2 users over to the PS3 if GT is bundled in some way with the console. When you throw in the NASCAR license that they have secured, you now have even more support from the sport's millions of fans. It would kill the sales of rivaling games and secure Sony a larger consumer base this holiday season—just look at what happened when GT4 came out.

It’s not only the damage the game could do this year, but Sony already has 2010 nailed down tight if things go according to plan. Not only do they have new hits coming, but they have well known titles hitting shelves as well. I believe Tretton stated over 14 titles are in development exclusively for Sony, only 3 or 4 of those titles are slated for this year. Do I need to say anything more than God of War 3? That game alone will have fans going crazy, and you don’t want another household name competing with it in the same year if you can help it. Sony needs to carefully plan their release dates to maximize sales—let GT begin the storm, God of War can carry those sales through next year, and use another household name to continue from there. These sales will bring in more PS3 gamers and more potential buyers for new titles such as MAG. Plus, who knows what type of deals you may secure with third party developers? Maybe Kojima is planning a MGS5 for PS3 after all, would you want that to be in the same boat as 3 or 4 other major titles? Or would you rather have them more spread out to help your sales? The fact is, sales slow down after a while, it’s up to Sony to time things perfectly and release another major title when those sales start to slump.

It all comes down to well known titles, no matter how great your games are. A shot of GT could lead to a sip of MAG and a taste of Uncharted 2. Consumers are more comfortable spending money on titles they already know to be good—from there they will expand their library. Gran Turismo can be the catalyst for that process this year! Iif the game is ready to hit shelves, Sony needs to put it there this fall. Why would you pass up the opportunity to do so much damage with one title? If the game is unfinished then I would understand the delay, but we are talking about a ready product here that only needs some “touch ups.” If those touch ups are worth the millions Sony will be missing out on this year, then by all means keep it a 2010 release.

After all, how have third parties secured so much money lately? By releasing sequels to well known games, because consumers can trust the brand name. I honestly believe GT has the potential to move more units and create bigger sales than that of MGS4 if Sony times things correctly. We are not talking about a Killzone 2 here. With Need for Speed Shift and Forza coming out this year, it’s the perfect time for GT to show off flaunt its stuff. So let’s hear it, do you want a Gran Turismo this coming holiday season? We know the guys here on the PCN Staff do, so leave your comments below or in our forums!

fonte:Ps3center