'Gran Turismo 5' launch trailer accompanies Kevin Butler spoof

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The North American PlayStation blog have gone live with a region-specific launch trailer for the PlayStation 3 racer Gran Turismo 5.

Leading with shots of the special NASCAR races that are unlockable as players progress, it also intercuts new footage and the game's introductory movie with clips of rally racing, Le Mans, go-karts, and muscle cars as well as various luxury marques tearing up the track.

There's also a glimpse of pit work, all-weather and night racing, and some of the game's city, country, and mountainside locations.

Kevin Butler, Sony's spoof vice president, also features in another trailer, crediting himself with GT5's 1,000 cars, vehicle damage, NASCAR and online features.

The game released on Wednesday November 24 in North America and Europe - though some stores in France had been selling it since Saturday 20 - while the Japanese and Australian release is on November 25.

Gran Turismo has been one of Sony's flagship series since the days of the 1994 PlayStation title, but since then has faced increasing competition from Microsoft's Forza Motorsport series on Xbox and Xbox 360, dedicated PC simulators such as rFactor and iRacing, and the recent emergence of Codemasters' Formula One franchise.

Both the North American launch trailer and the Kevin Butler spoof can be seen on YouTube.