Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (グランツーリスモ5 プロローグ, guran tsūrisumo 5 purorōgu) is the latest installment in the Gran Turismo series and a PlayStation 3 exclusive title which was announced at the E3 2007. This short version title is a precursor and sampling of Polyphony Digital's planned Gran Turismo 5 and replaces Gran Turismo HD Concept. The "Prologue" suffix is a self-reference to Gran Turismo 4 Prologue which was released one year before the full version of Gran Turismo 4.[1] Since October 3, 2008, the game is now referred to as Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III which is the software's version 3.0 title.[7] As of May 2009, the game has sold 3.3 million copies worldwide.[8]
The game is a budget sale which was first released in Japan on December 13, 2007 (Blu-ray Disc and PlayStation Store) to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the series. It was followed by a Chinese translated version issued in South East Asia on February 1, 2008 through the PlayStation Store, then on Blu-ray Disc on February 15.
An upgraded version[9] dubbed "spec II", also available as a patch for the original version, was released on the PlayStation Store on March 27, 2008 in Australia, then in Europe on March 28.[10] However, in Portugal the game was officially launched in stores as early as March 26, 2008 (and unofficially on March 21).[11]
The "Spec II" version was released in North America on April 15, 2008 (Blu-ray Disc) and was released on April 17 (PlayStation Store). The Blu-ray Disc version added value with an exclusive GT-TV video feature called "Beyond the Apex".[12]
The latest update entitled "Spec III" added new BGMs, cars, and further improvements to the gameplay. A separate disc was also released (only in Japan) to coincide with this update that included all updates including Spec III.
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III features 16-player online races, over 70 cars (including tuned cars), 6 tracks, 12 layouts, 60frame/s (during races, replays are 30 frame/s), Full HD 1080p and LPCM 7.1ch high definition sound.[13New to the Gran Turismo series is the ability to race with up to 16 cars at once. According to game developer Polyphony Digital, the NPC's AI has also improved from previous Gran Turismo games.[14]
Also new to the series is the realistic in-car view feature. It includes functioning speedometers and odometers, reflecting rear-view mirrors, wing mirrors and real time in-car lighting effects (cast shadows). Players driving with both the control pad or the steering wheel have the ability to look left and right in the cockpit of the car by using the D-pad. Any PlayStation 3 compatible steering wheel works with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. The engine also sounds different according to which view is selected among the available four. Back view is also specific with the in-car view.
Spec II update brings Drift Mode (similar to that of Gran Turismo HD Concept), car tuning adjustments, and head to head two-player racing offline.[15]