''Gran Turismo HD Concept'' (グランツーリスモHDコンセプト ''Guran Tsūrisumo HD Konseputo'') is the first installment of the '' Gran Turismo'' racing series to be released on the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

. It was made available as a free download which was released on the

PlayStation Store The PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital media store available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The store offers a range of downloadable content ...

on December 24, 2006. A

Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and c ...

version, called "Install Disc", was released in Japan in limited quantities in September 2007. The game was intended to be a sneak preview, in the likes of ''

Gran Turismo Concept is a racing video game of the ''Gran Turismo'' series for PlayStation 2 which is developed by Polyphony Digital. It was released in 2002 in Japan, Southeast Asia, Korea, and Europe. The full game was not released in the North American market, ...

'', preceding the release of a full version title, but the ''Gran Turismo HD'' project was canceled and replaced by ''

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue ''Gran Turismo 5 Prologue'' (グランツーリスモ5 プロローグ, ''Guran Tsūrisumo 5 Purorōgu'') is a 2007 racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. ''Gran Turism ...

''.

Gameplay

''Gran Turismo HD Concept'' includes external view (or rear view) and bumper view, the latter introduces left and right view as seen from the driver's helmet. Left and right views are available with both Sixaxis and steering wheel peripherals although they are not assigned in the wireless controller's default configuration. As a short title, the Concept version only features ten cars ranging from the Suzuki Cappuccino to the

Ferrari 599 The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano (internal code F141) is a grand tourer produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari. It was the brand's front engined, two-seat model that replaced the 575M Maranello in 2006 as a 2007 model, and was replaced fo ...

, available in both stock and tuned version, once unlocked. The game's opening movie focuses on

Didier Auriol Didier Auriol (born 18 August 1958) is a French former rally driver. Born in Montpellier, and initially an ambulance driver, he competed in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1990s. He became World Rally Champion in 1994, the first driv ...

's 1995 Toyota Celica GT-FOUR WRC and the Lotus Elise 111R. The game features only a single track, The Eiger Nordwand ( Eiger north face) which is a newly created mountain pass track based on the

Kleine Scheidegg The Kleine Scheidegg ( en, Little Scheidegg) is a mountain pass at an elevation of , situated below and between the Eiger and Lauberhorn peaks in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. The name means "minor watershed", as it only divides the ...

and featuring the

Swiss Alps The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (german: Schweizer Alpen, french: Alpes suisses, it, Alpi svizzere, rm, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss ...

' famous

Mönch The Mönch (, German: "monk") at is a mountain in the Bernese Alps, in Switzerland. Together with the Eiger and the Jungfrau, it forms a highly recognisable group of mountains, visible from far away. The Mönch lies on the border between the c ...

and

Jungfrau The Jungfrau ( "maiden, virgin"), at is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the northern canton of Bern and the southern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the J ...

peaks. The track is also available in reverse mode once unlocked. Two play modes are available: Time Trial and Drift Trial. Both modes feature an Internet ranking chart for each continent. ''Gran Turismo HD Concept'' is the first game in the franchise to support online ranking. Japanese area ranking ended on September 30, 2007 with the removal of ''Gran Turismo HD Concept'' from the local PlayStation Store. The Replay mode is also available, each course's best five records per car in both Time and Drift Trial can be downloaded by users under the form of a replay file.

Development

At the 2006

Tokyo Game Show , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in September in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. The ...

's opening,

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...

released details and a screenshot about a new Polyphony Digital project, ''Gran Turismo HD'', scheduled from a December release. Two versions would be simultaneously released, the Blu-ray Disc based "''GTHD Premium''" (GTHDプレミアム) and the PlayStation Store downloadable "''GTHD Classic''" (GTHDクラシック). During the show, Polyphony Digital unveiled the first ''Gran Turismo HD'' teaser and featured HD renders of five cars: Nismo GT-R R-Tune R1 '99,

Honda S2000 The Honda S2000 is an open top sports car that was manufactured by Japanese automobile manufacturer Honda, from 1999 until 2009. First shown as a concept car called the SSM at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1995, the production version was launched on ...

'99, TOM'S Castrol Supra JGTC '99,

Ford GT The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car manufactured and marketed by American automobile manufacturer Ford for the 2005 model year in conjunction with the company's 2003 centenary. The second generation Ford GT became available for th ...

'05 and the

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano (internal code F141) is a grand tourer produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari. It was the brand's front engined, two-seat model that replaced the 575M Maranello in 2006 as a 2007 model, and was replaced for ...

'06. The first four cars were available in ''

Gran Turismo 4 ''Gran Turismo 4'' is a 2004 racing video game for the PlayStation 2, the fourth installment in the main ''Gran Turismo'' series and the sixth for the overall series. It was developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entert ...

'' but didn't appear in late GTHD trailers, though the Ferrari was featured in ''Gran Turismo HD Concept''. Kazunori Yamauchi confirmed the full version of ''Gran Turismo HD'' was scheduled for a December 2007 release in Japan. Among the planned contents he introduced an "

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

-like" download service and various download packs including additional cars and tracks, advanced AI or car damage, all of which being compatible with the future ''Gran Turismo 5''. The introduction of

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

models in the ''Gran Turismo'' series was officially announced by the Series producer

Kazunori Yamauchi , nicknamed "Kaz", is a Japanese game designer and professional racing driver. He is CEO of Polyphony Digital and producer of the '' Gran Turismo'' video game series. Polyphony Digital He became the president of Polyphony Digital after designin ...

and

Giulio Zambeletti Giulio () is an Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: * Giulio Alberoni (1664–1752), Italian cardinal and statesman * Giulio Alenio (1582–1649), Italian Jesuit missionary and scholar * Giulio Alfieri (1924–2002), Italian ...

from Ferrari on September 28, 2006 at the

Paris Motor Show The Paris Motor Show (french: Mondial de l'Automobile) is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently take ...

. It was soon followed by a special trailer "Gran Turismo HD featuring Ferrari GT cars". The first models were supposed to be the

and the

Ferrari F430 The Ferrari F430 (Type F131) is a sports car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari from 2004 until 2009 as a successor to the Ferrari 360. The car is an update to the 360 with exterior and performance changes. It was unveiled at ...

. While the former was available in ''Gran Turismo HD Concept'', the latter was not, but was included in the ''Gran Turismo 5 Prologue'' free playable demo among the non selectable NPC cars. In November 2006, shortly before the release of ''Gran Turismo HD Concept'' v2.0, Polyphony Digital director Kazunori Yamauchi officially announced a "''revision''" in the "''product strategy''": "''Gran Turismo 5 will be given priority''". Polyphony Digital chose to abandon the planned full version named ''Gran Turismo HD'', which was previously announced as ''Vision Gran Turismo'' at the E3 2005 and was first displayed during the

2006 and was scheduled for a 2007 worldwide release to focus on developing ''

Gran Turismo 5 is a 2010 racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was released for the PlayStation 3 on November 24, 2010 in Europe and North America, and November 25, 2010 in Japan and Australasia, and ...

'' instead. Kazunori Yamauchi stated "''Gran Turismo 5 will adopt most of the planned features of Gran Turismo HD''", which is confirmed by the two "Gran Turismo x Skyline" trailers based on ''Gran Turismo 4'' replay footages and early ''Gran Turismo HD Concept'' artworks or replay footages and including the line "''Passage to Gran Turismo 5''". "''We are hoping to present ..several Concept versions, each loaded with various experimental features''", Kazunori Yamauchi added.

Reception

''Gran Turismo HD Concept'' received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

References

External links

''Gran Turismo'' official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gran Turismo Hd Concept 2006 video games Gran Turismo (series) PlayStation Network games PlayStation 3-only games PlayStation 3 games Racing simulators Video games developed in Japan

Gameplay

Development

Reception

See also

References

External links