Gran Turismo 5: Now With Important New Features.

Likewise PlayStation Home, the whole things changed yo. So while Gran Turismo 5 sits looking sulkily at its respectable Metacritic score of 84, Polyphony Digital's been busy beavering away on new features that could easily brings its average tally up into the 90s. Perhaps most refreshing about Gran Turismo 5's latest 608mb update is that it shows Polyphony are listening to their fanbase. The headline features include offline mechanical damage, seasonal events and online race rewards. Boom. The full list's after the jump courtesy of Eurogamer.

Gran Turismo 5 V1.05:

?Seasonal Events
[Seasonal Events] have been added to the upper left side of the [GT Mode] - [GT Life] screen. From here you can participate in official online events from the Polyphony Digital team.
In these events, all participants race under the same regulations, and if you complete the event you will win rewards and experience. In Time Trials and Drift Trials, compete on the leader boards with players around the world.

?Online Dealership
An [Online Dealership] has been added to the left center of the [GT Mode]-[GT Life] screen. In here you will find popular and rare used cars.
You might just come across that one car you've always been looking for, that you haven't been able to find in the [Used Car Dealer]

?Online Race Rewards and Experience
When you complete a race in the [Open Lobby] or [My Lounge], you will now gain rewards and experience points.
Therefore if you are focused more on playing online, you'll still be able to gain rewards and levels that you need to progress in [GT Life].

?Driving Distance and Number of Wins in Online Races
The driving distance and the number of wins you achieve when you complete a race in [Open Lobby] or [My Lounge] will now affect your stats in [Profile] and the [Garage].
Here again the results from your online play will cumulate within [GT Life].

?Improved Rewards
The rewards for winning races in both A-Spec and B-Spec in [GT Mode]-[GT Life] have been increased for a limited time only. (This applies until the end of January 2011)
This is a great chance for those who were previously having difficulties getting ahead in the game, due to a lack of funds for tuning and purchasing required cars.

?Race Information Display
[Race Information Display] is now available in [Start]-[Quick Options]. (You can also see this in [Race Display] in [Options]).

?Save Data Backup
You can now copy and restore your save data. For details, please refer to the in-game [Manual].

?Personal BGM (Menu)
From [Options]-[Hardware]-[Audio], it is now possible to set the [Personal BGM] (Menu)]. (This can also be accessed from the [Music Library] within [GT Mode]).

?Car Name Change
The official name of "Red Bull X1" has been changed to "Red Bull X2010".

?Integration with the Website
The main features within [GT Mode]-[Community] can now also be accessed through the "gran-turismo.com" official website.

[Important Note:]

  • We have made improvements to the [Log] within [GT Mode]- [Community] section, in order to make its operation more stable. Please note that the information that was here before the update has been reset.
  • Some contents of the update will not be applied unless you sign in to the PlayStation®Network when you play the game.