Gran Turismo PSP preview

The spin coming from Sony is that the game will be "on-the-go awesomeness" and "a lifetime's worth of racing". The claims of more than 800 cars to drive on 30 different tracks would support this, but recent screenshots have raised concerns that those five years haven't been spent as productively as you would have hoped. It has been confirmed that there will be no damage to the vehicles, and that races will comprise of four cars at most, including yourself. Whilst the decision behind this comes from a desire to maintain "the Gran Turismo level of quality", Gamestyle fears that there is a real danger that the series could feel dated, and left in the dust of the competition of Midnight Club, Burnout, and Need for Speed. Granted, these lack the realism that the Gran Turismo series is famous for, but they have set benchmarks for racing games on the console. The fact that there are no plans for a playable demo also starts alarm bells ringing loud in Gamestyle's ears.We must not forget, however, that Gran Turismo is the world's best-selling racing series, and GT-PSP is being developed by Polyphony Digital Inc., the very same team that has made the games the successes that they are. It is a flagship title for Sony, accompanying the launch of the PSPgo, and early footage of the game in all its glorious 60 frames-per-second motion should do enough to put those doubts of graphical inadequacy to rest. 800 cars available out of the box is an incredible number, but this doesn't include different varieties of the models, and the total surpasses 4500 if you include paint variations. Similarly, the figure of 35 tracks on offer doesn't include different layouts, and the number rises to over 60 if you add them into the equation. To Gamestyle, the large number of cars and tracks brings a fear of long load times, but as the game will be available as both a download, and on UMD, these should be minimal if you opt for the download version. Whilst we're not sure about a lifetime's worth of racing, there should be enough variety in the single player game to keep you occupied for months.Gamestyle is less excited about multiplayer, however. Ad Hoc multiplayer with up to four racers has been confirmed, whereas mystery surrounds the online side of things. Nothing has been confirmed, and even the ability to trade cars is limited to the Ad Hoc network. Gran Turismo is rumoured to support the PS3's Adhoc Party software, which allows PSPs to connect via the PlayStation Network using the PS3's built in Wi-Fi, this software is currently only available in Japan and in a Beta version. The lack of online multiplayer would surely be a massive mark against GT-PSP, and even if this convoluted method of obtaining it becomes a reality, only those with access to a PS3 will be able to participate.Gamestyle has mixed feelings about GT-PSP. After five long years of waiting and anticipation, it's hard to see an outcome that doesn't end up with a certain amount of disappointment. We hope that there's going to be some surprises, however, and that these will help the PSP version of Gran Turismo take its place in the GT hall of fame. The game is set to be released on 1st October 2009 and so there's not much longer to wait before we find out.