It was a long time coming, but certainly well worth the wait. If you’re one of the many fanatic racing gamers in the world, then you already have an idea of what we’re talking about.

We began 2010 with rumors that the game was finally going to be released in the early part of the year. Unfortunately, extenuating circumstances pushed back the release date numerous times, infuriating the game’s global fan-base.

But no matter how frustrating it was for all of us to have to endure the countless delays the developers gave with the game’s release date, deep down, we had no choice but to accept it because we’ve waited so long for it that a few minor delays wouldn’t come close to ruining the enormous expectations we’ve set for it.

Finally, the game was released on November 24th and, as expected, it sold faster than Justin Bieber concert tickets, which, to be honest, is a tremendous achievement in its own right. After years of research development and testing, the ambitious project that is Gran Turismo 5->ke3689 was finally released, setting the bar for being the most realistic racing simulator ever created.

Hit the jump for more details on our pick for Game of the Year: Gran Turismo 5. And remember to check out our review of the game by clicking here.

Gran Turismo 5's graphics is a definite cut above everything else we’ve seen. From the swooping line and polish of the cars to the impeccably tailored race tracks, the game's graphics left little room for the imagination, making you feel like your racing straight from the driver's seat. There's also the matter of being one of the most detailed racing games in history, thanks in large part to a roster of 1,000-plus vehicles, and not to mention, 71 different race tracks.

Make no mistake, just like any other game, Gran Turismo 5 has its fair share of quirks, including a seemingly allergic reaction to true-to-life crashes that doesn't inspire confidence in the game's description as a 'real driving simulator'. But nevertheless, unless you're a hardcore gamer to to root, these types of problems shouldn't be cause to completely abandon the game. After all, we've all waited years for it so we're not going to let one quirk ruin the whole thing for us.

For better or worse, 2010 has seen a lot of racing games, but through it all, the headlines always seemed to gravitate towards Gran Turismo 5. Whether it was the delays or the official release date, the fifth installment of the groundbreaking racing simulator was front and center all throughout the year, thus earning the title as Top Speed’s 2010 Game of the Year.