Drift mode and car tuning added to Gran Turismo 5: Prologue

Back at GDC we discovered the North American version of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue would get extra features not found in the Japanese version. I imagined something simple like more cars or extra tracks to race on. Earlier today, Sony Computer Entertainment America outlined the bonus features and we’re getting quite a bit of extra content.

Drift Mode – The player's drifting technique is measured based on drift angles, racing lines, and speeds within evaluation zones located at various turns on the course.

In Depth Car Tuning – Players have the ability to adjust the vehicle's performance, including power, weight, tires and suspension.

Two-player Split Screen Racing – Allows players to race head-to-head against friends and foes offline.

New Race Events – New racing events and time trials are available for players to race both offline and online.  Gran Turismo 5 Prologue supports up to 16 players racing online simultaneously.

I’m glad I didn’t import it since the North American release contains much more and it’s about the same price. Actually, the Blu-ray version is slightly cheaper! The only thing that is unclear is if these new features will be part of the European version too. It comes out later this month while Gran Turismo 5: Prologue doesn’t arrive in North America until April 15.