Sony has announced that Gran
Turismo 4 will be ready for the holiday season, launching in Japan December 3 and in N.
America and Europe December 14. Speaking at a press conference at the Tokyo Game Show, Sony
had some bad news for fans of the series. In order for the game to make the lucrative
holiday season release, online functionality was completely scrapped.
Previously
advertised as one of the strongest selling points of the new GT title, online modes proved
very hard to perfect for Polyphony Digital and the delays caused publisher Sony to confine
GT 4 to offline play.
According to Sony a new, 2005 launched, GT title will feature
online play although it seems that the new title will be a budget game, possibly similar to
the Gran Turismo Concept title which was released shortly after GT 3.
Disappointing
news for fans of GT 4 but if the game proves as visually stunning and playable as its
predecessors, Sony has nothing to fear this holiday
season.