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Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial Demo - Hands-on
We get to grips with Gran Turismo 5's time trial demo. Watch us spin!
Written by David Scammell, 15 December 2009
The release date for Polyphony's stellar simulation racer may still be up in the air, but regardless, later this week we'll all be able to try our hand at Gran Turismo 5 thanks to a short one-track demo that hits PSN this Thursday.
A replay of a lap around a track in the recently released demo of Polyphony Digital racer.Given the level of secrecy surrounding Yamauchi's racer, the demo's understandably light on content, consisting of just the Indianapolis Speedway GT Circuit and one vehicle, Nissan's glorious 370Z supercar, available in two flavours; a red 'Normal' edition of the car complete with N3/N3 tyres, and a black 'Tuned' version of the car kitted out with R1/R1 tyres.
A lap around a track in the recently released demo of Polyphony Digital racer using the exterior view.Both handle much as expected, with the Tuned edition feeling slightly faster and easier to drive, with the N3 tyres on the Normal edition prone to spinning out on corners - as you'll see if you decide to watch us take to the wheel of both cars in the videos below.
P3Zine Issue 35
For our latest Gran Turismo coverage, click here to download P3Zine Issue 35 for free.And you'll need to master them both if you wish to compete for the chance to drive a real Nissan 370Z. The competition, brought to us by GT Academy, requires that you do well in both versions of the car, with the total time across both your lap times being taken into consideration. But will a steering wheel help you achieve your goal? Options within the menus to allow custom control setups for a variety of particular racing wheels, including Logitech's Driving Force, Driving Force GT, Driving Force Pro, Driving Force EX and GT Force is also an encouraging sign for those with a dedicated racing setup. Of course, it should come as no surprise that a certain K. Yamauchi currently sits atop the leaderboard given his extensive time with the game - though that will likely all change come Thursday.
A lap around a track in the recently released demo of Polyphony Digital's new racer using the cockpit view.The track, too, though not the most awe-inspiring of those due to appear in Gran Turismo 5, feels realistic, with the car reacting convincingly to rumble strips and dips in the course. That Gran Turismo 5 will likely overtake Forza 3 as the most realistic driving simulator to date when it does eventually get released doesn't seem too farfetched given the evidence on show here.
Of course, the all-important question as to when that might be is still the question Sony seems most determined to dodge. The demo merely teases us with a '2010' release window - not the most encouraging of signs - but with a summer release strongly rumoured, we're optimistic that we won't have too much longer to wait until we get to back on the track with the real driving simulator.
To watch us racing around the track in either car or for a quick glance at Gran Turismo 5's replay mode, just select the Video tab below.
Gran Turismo coverage available in P3Zine Issue 35 - click here to download it for free!
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