You would be forgiven if you thought that Gran Turismo 5 was just Sony's idea of a practical joke, or maybe even an extended April Fool's joke. The first inklings of a release date had it coming out a year ago, and then what followed was a litany of confirmed dates and delays the likes of which we've not seen since, well, Duke Nukem Forever. However, a post on the PlayStation Blog may nail down, once and for all, a final release date for the racer.

It looks like beginning on Wednesday the 24th, you'll finally be able to pick up that pre-order that you placed back during the Bush administration. Personally I think it's not exactly the smartest move to release a game literally the day before every store in the United States closes for the annual gluttony-fest of Thanksgiving, but since that next Friday marks the official beginning of the holiday shopping season, you can wait one day.

Since the 24th is less than two weeks away, it seems highly unlikely that Polyphony Digital will be able to delay this again. I've made no secret of my desire to play GT5, and there is a better than good chance that I'll have to pick it up on the 24th, for two reasons. First of all, I'll be home all day on Thanksgiving, and would love to intersperse football with driving. Secondly, I won't go anywhere near a retail establishment on Black Friday weekend, mostly in the interest of self-preservation. Who else is picking this up day one?