Gran Turismo 5 Gets New “Spec II” Box Art, Refreshed Disc

Gran Turismo 5 will be getting a new cover featuring the Red Bull X2011, along with a refreshed disc that includes GT5 Spec II – in Japan, at least. According to the announcement posted on Polyphony Digital’s Japanese website, the new package will be available starting February 2, 2012 in the country.

As of writing, similar news has not yet been posted to the company’s European or North American websites.

Thanks to arda_tirmas for the quick tip!

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Comments (90)

  1. =drifting24/7=

    i hope the Spec 2.0 copies doesn’t have the same problems as the original release copies… the “save file killer bug”, course exploits, etc. are the reasons why i haven’t bought GT5 since its release date. the game isn’t stable enough. hell, 9 patches in 4-5 months?? O_o

    hopefully, when this comes out, it’ll be worth it. GT5P got me hooked with the revamped driving physics, ooh how I love driving FF cars :D

  2. RyanE

    I already 3 lots of GT5.

    one has a silver GT5 logo on the case, with a silver SLS (Signaure Edition – still sealed!)
    one came with GT5 Limited Edition PS3 (Normal Red SLS and red/blue GT logo)
    and I have the platinum one, which I got free with a new thrustmaster setup!

    I think this spec 2 is a waste, ANYONE can go buy a used copy of GT5 on ebay for say £14 and get the spec 2 download for free. or they can order spec 2 for £45, hmmmm let me think.

  3. Mac K

    Honestly, it would have looked better with a GT-R or a Ford GT on it, Kaz loves them both and they suit the “Real Driving Simulator more than the Red Bull X does..

  4. j8mie

    I did think it was only a matter of time before they released this. Just a shame it doesn’t include all the most recent DLC’s.

  5. CaptainHarlock

    Good to know that you won’t have to go through the entire update process if you’re buying the game new.

  6. DaihatsuDriver

    I would think about getting it as I find it annoying to have thousands of megs of updates on my PS3 HD. I would be kinda nice to have it on a disk.

  7. Jamaicangmah

    Oh come on guys that looks like a cheap mock up. That’s not doing the game justice, just looks like someone was just lazy.

  8. spikeyhairdude

    I kinda like it. They better have the cd cover image on the wbsite because I would like to replace my current one with this one. Just want to update the look.

  9. notStig

    It’s a nice cover but I prefer the original one. I’ve read on Kotaku that the game will come with a code to download the DLC. About the X2011 in the cover art, I think it’s a nice car to put on the cover since it’s caracteristic to the game. If you look at one of the Red Bull cars you’ll remember GT5. What defines a game as a simulator are the physics and not the presence or not of fictional cars. Just think about games such as Rfactor. The physics applied to the X cars are the same for every other car in the game.

  10. CRXFREAK001

    This is how GT5 should of been released, with what’s in spec II (redone physics, improved AI, full gear ratio tunes) and much more. But instead, people going to pick up GT5 for the first time will have no idea what one to get, and why there are 2 versions, and 90% of the people that work for gamestop will have no idea on what’s what unless they are well informed on GT5. The other 2 employee’s at gamestop still thought GT was releasing on Jan 2011 up until the last week before. While they aren’t made out to be the guru’s in all games like they look to be. Most companies don’t give people runs like that till the last week before release and no one knew anything about it.

    Now instead, you’ll get 2 types of buyers here, 1 the collectors that’ll want both, And the other people who will have no idea on what to buy. Some may we got a demo, GT5P, The large first release of the game, and a remake of the important bits with added features.

    Games that come out with the 2nd version are normally a 2nd version of the game, a sequel. I love the GT series, I’ve played since GT1 came out on the PS1. had everything pre ordered, but PD has always been too much for themselves. we were promised online since GT3, GT2 was suppose to have drags, but instead we got 2 drag cars, no strip. GT3 was suppose to be online, didn’t happen. GT4 was suppose to be online, and have a drag strip and drag cars, which was suppose to be awesome thinking of the possibilities on GT4 with GT at its prime on a PS2 console. but instead that also was pushed away again, only to have GT5 come out as another incomplete project. Games just don’t come out halfway done like this… at least they’re not suppose too. I would of rather waited and gotten a completed project with 600 ish premiums with DLC to follow on the next gen system. But I’ll continue to enjoy what there is to enjoy on GT5. Hopefully GT6 will be mind blowing.

    1. occasionalracer

      I highly doubt that you will find the original copy along with Spec II in the same store. There will be a notice going out to everyone receiving new shipments to clarify that it’s a replacement and that excess copies of the original can be sent back to the distributor for refund or replacement. If that’s not the case, it’s the ultimate scam. I’m wondering though if the price will be raised from the $39.99 GT5 is sold for currently, or if it’ll be continued at the same price with the additional content. If the price remains the same i say it’s a fair deal.

  11. Scuderia Paul

    Looks nice but the original it easily superior in my opinion. The SPEC II text is oversized and the GT logo is a little lost

    Somebody will see this and say, “Oh a racing game called SPEC II… oh wait it is a Gran Turismo game.”

    1. TokoTurismo

      I feel bad for the GT logo oh wait, “Gran Turismo” logo… Dahhh I can’t take it. I miss that big “Blue and Red” GT logo already. :( I hope they change it soon, it’s killing me. X(

  12. axletramp

    This cover is a downgrade in the brand. Perhaps their marketing shows this is what is required in Japan – I have a feeling it would fall short in other markets. A GT game without a GT car on the cover is a brave if not misguided route, as is the use of a non-existent car alongside the ‘Real Driving Simulator’ descriptor.

    Overall the appearance is aimed clearly at the younger market who perhaps crave ‘sensational’ gaming rather than the more serious fans of real-world simulation. It’s a disappointing step when in reality it should be pitched up against other driving simulators not Wipeout-style games.

    Let’s hope it stay’s in Japan and the GT series is marketed correctly in other jurisdictions.

    1. TokoTurismo

      I hope it stays in japan aswell. I’ll hate to see so much complaints over one little cover but I do miss the old cover though. Who knows if the complaints continue they just might change it or something. I’m glad I don’t do real stuff. :) Fantasy all the way with me.

  13. BWX

    The ”Real Driving Simulator” and they put THAT stupid car on the cover? Bad choice, should have used a real car.

  14. A_Higher_Place

    This cover tells nothing about how GT is a real driving simulator. With a make believe fairy tale spaceship on the front. PD is losing grasp…

    1. occasionalracer

      You can’t forget that the spaceship was designed in collaboration with the best Formula 1 engineering team of 2011, this is more than just fantasy, there are some serious calculations behind it and as far as I know this car was designed with the idea of bringing the car to life in the future, this isn’t some F-Zero video game fakeness.

  15. Big Ron

    The cover design is very nice. And it´s a great to release a BluRay-disc with every available updates.

    But in my opinion, they couln´t have choose a wronger car for the cover. The Red Bull X ist the most arcadish car in the game and doesn´t transport any philosophy of GT5.

  16. GTboyz

    “Gran Turismo 5, Real Driving Simulator” with X2011 on the cover, ironic isn’t it, when they used a fictional car for the cover of a simulation game

    1. MadmuppGT

      Thats a good idea, it would shift a good few copies if they included the last DLC pack in the price. It would be a nice sweetener to the deal!

  17. SavageEvil

    That box art is blah, use one of the actually nice cars in the game. That thing just looks bland and it’s all monochrome look to, meh. That really took talent to slap that one together. So many cars in the game and they choose part deux of the RB? How about a photo showing off the greats of the past 5-10 years, GTR V Spec, Corvette ZR-1, SLS AMG in a nice top down angle with the rest of the cast in silhouettes, sheesh.

  18. HuskyGT

    I hope they sell it here. I just got a new PS3 two months ago ’cause my old one died, and lost all my game progress and updates. with a 2MB internet speed, I rather buy this than waiting for more than ten hours for the updates to download.

    1. m8h3r

      Mines 0.3 an it’s taken me about 45+ hours to do all the updates, my PS3 could really do with a refresh but stuff all that downloading again.

    1. googleberry

      there’s this wonderful invention called the INTERNET which will more than likely grant you access to this oh-so-wonderful cover which you could likely print off at your lesiure.

  19. FastAttackTuff

    If this becomes available in the United States (or at the very least NTSC format), I will be buying this!!

  20. GTPM118

    Hmm.. definetely I will buy it… just for my collection XD
    Looks different from a GT game cover… but… maybe the cover reflects de new ideas behind GT?

  21. MyFavoriteGame

    was hoping they reserved that for a more worthy fix…like spec 3….but oh well doesnt matter anyway, I ‘ve bought and sold this game three times… think im done….for now !! DUN DUN DUN

    1. GV27

      The fact they did this with Spec II probably means we won’t see Spec 3 for a good while (1 year or more). However, this doesn’t mean we can’t see more tracks and cars, but still.

    2. Tenacious D

      If they hold off on releasing this in Europe and America, I think it’s because there will be a Spec III.

      If there are no more Spec updates, I think this will mean that GT6 is two years away or so from release.

  22. Blitz24

    I just hope nobody who bought the original game is fooled into buying this. Will both DLC’s be included for that release?

    1. another_jakhole

      The DLC should probably not be included. The reason for making this is because it’s been a year since all the updates and all together, theres over 2gb in updates. If you have a bad internet connection, 2gb takes too long.

    2. googleberry

      My PS3 Just died the other day.. Thankfully I got my GT5 data off, but installing the updates and the game onto a new PS3 took literally 6 hours… I have a pretty decent internet connection too, but that’s just too long. I’m glad spec II is coming out so no one has to deal with that anymore.

  23. shadowtsunami

    The original box out looks way better. GT usually has the best design on their boxes, but now this just looks bland and disappointing.

    1. Cambras

      who cares about the cover anyway… it’s what’s inside that matters… I don’t even use my boxes… just put all my games in a map^^ safer for scratches and what not

    2. GTbyPlaystation

      They really should not have put “SPEC II” in capitals and bold at the top of the case, because when being advertised, it is the dominant feature. Next thing you know is that you’ll have people calling Gran Turismo 5, “Spec II” Not it’s actual name.

  24. cornappeltje

    Wow, really like that picture of the X2011!!! I’m curious how many Japanese people are going to buy the 2.0 game.

    1. blasos

      It’s quite paradoxical that they have a picture of the Red Bull “X2011” and then “The Real Driving Simulator” typed a few millimeters below it.

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