Gaming
Sony and Polyphony Celebrate 20 Years of Gran Turismo
Twenty years, it’s a great number to describe the lifespan of the Gran Turismo series. I remember when I picked up Gran Turismo, listening to The Cardigans sing and playing it when I was 3 years old. It was the racing game that I kept playing all the way until Gran Turismo 3: A-spec. It’s incredible how the work of art by Polyphony Digital has kept itself with the integrity many other games have lost over the years.
The game made its debut in the Japanese market at December 23 1997, becoming one of the most accurate racing simulators in the PlayStation. The creator of the series Kazunori Yamauchi alongside Shuhei Yoshida decided to talk about the game in a very special video celebrating the franchise.
In the video, we see how Gran Turismo came to be from the very first game all the way to Gran Turismo Sport. And it all started with Yamauchi’s fascination with cars at a very young age. The dream of taking that enthusiasm to a video game was realized to one of the most acclaimed games of all time.
We also see Masami Yamamoto from Japan Studios. He talks about the impressive craftsmanship behind the first Gran Turismo game. He explains how dedicated the original development team was while making the series’ inaugural title stating they “had this growing conviction every day that we were on the to some incredible work even when seen on a global level.”
My interest dropped once Gran Turismo 4 came to the market. However, I kept watching from the sidelines to see Gran Turismo still being the acclaimed series it was. It came across a rough patch on Gran Turismo 5: Prologue but it still was the game series I got hooked by.
Now, with Gran Turismo: Sport coming to the Play Station 4, we begin to see just how much dedication there’s been to the game. The game retains its integrity even while other companies decide to butcher their games with Loot boxes. Because this game was made with tons of respect towards its fans.
Now, the game’s competitive scene will be regulated by a professional association. The features are also heavily tuned and crafted to make a perfect experience. And the developers can only hope that this is a great game like the rest of the series has proved itself to be.
New World Interactive, the developer of the Insurgency series of tactical first-person shooters, has laid off an unknown number of employees as part of Embracer Group’s comprehensive restructuring plan.
Saber Interactive, which acquired New World in 2020, told Eurogamer that the studio had not closed. However, it confirmed an unknown number of layoffs.
Embracer says it is “actively working to fill existing open roles” with impacted employees and will provide severance packages. “Saber also assures that development will continue on Insurgency: Sandstorm, as well as on unannounced future projects,” it said.
Over 900 employees were laid off in an “agonizing” but “necessary” process. As always, we hope all victims recover.
Sony wants non-console owners to access its content beyond its PlayStation-walled garden. This strategy has been slowly implemented: the company has commissioned TV and movie adaptations of its biggest franchises, ported select software to the PC, and launched a mobile gaming division.
In an interview with Nikkei, head Hideaki Nishino explained how this strategy can boost console sales: We want to use movies and dramas to get non-gamers to try PlayStation games. Sales of The Last of Us increased during the live-action drama.
When HBO’s adaptation aired, our The Last of Us content skyrocketed, so we can understand its impact. As a PlayStation fan site, we support this strategy because we want to reach as many people as possible, so if Sony can appeal to non-console owners, that’s a win-win.
More PlayStation users is better, in our opinion.
PowerWash Simulator is one of this month’s PS Plus Essentials, but before you start scrubbing, check out the PS Store. The game has been well supported on PS5 and PS4 with free DLC packs based on Square Enix titles since its release at the start of the year.
Free Final Fantasy VII and Tomb Raider expansions let you clean Croft Manor and Seventh Heaven. The free DLC packs add 10 levels, and the paid ones add more.
Two more Back to the Future and SpongeBob SquarePants expansions cost £6.49 or $7.99 each. You can then scrub the Bikini Bottom and the DeLorean.
The Midgar Special Pack for PowerWash Simulator was another reason to use the cleaning kit. “It doesn’t add much, but getting close to FF7’s props and environments is fun. It offers a fresh take on the beloved title that will please both sides of this collaboration.”
Have you tried the latest PS Plus Essential game?
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