Gran Turismo 5: B-Spec Mode Only

gran-turismo-5-b-spec-aprilfools

In a shocking turn of events, it has just been announced that Gran Turismo 5 will only be playable in “B-Spec” mode.  What’s that mean?  As fans of Gran Turismo 4 will recall, the game featured two modes of play: “A-Spec” and “B-Spec”.  In A-Spec mode, you drive the car yourself – just like every other racing game.  B-Spec mode allows you to act as a sort of team manager by controlling the computer driver’s pace, passing, and pit strategy – and now it looks to be the future of the GT series!  Kazunori Yamauchi explains:

“Everyone wants Gran Turismo 5 to be released as soon as possible, so we asked ourselves how we could get the game to market while still providing the features that people are expecting.  The solution is to eliminate A-Spec mode while expanding the features and level of control in B-Spec mode.  Since the game does not have to process the driving physics or account for the player’s actions, we can dedicate more processing power to the visual environment and vehicle damage modelling.  I have always wanted to create an RPG, and this is my chance to do it with an automotive twist.”

b-spec-bobWe’ve also received the very first official screenshot from GT5, providing our first look at the new B-Spec driver and showcasing the revised photo-realistic graphics.  A preliminary feature list shows an exciting range of customizations are available, including the ability to change his driving suit and helmet color.  This is a big change for the series, but looking back through previous releases, the transition to B-Spec is obvious.  In fact, “A-Spec” first came into our vocabulary when Polyphony Digital decided to include it in Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec’s official title.  In GT4, of course, both modes of play were included, so it’s only logical that Gran Turismo 5: B-Spec comes next.  Logitech and Fanatec, producers of the popular steering wheel accessories for GT games, have yet to comment on this development.

Happy April Fools’ day, everyone!  I’m glad that some of you enjoyed this joke, and I hope you got the message behind it: be careful what you wish for.   The real world – including game development – is all about compromise.  If Gran Turismo 5 was rushed and filled with bugs, marred by constant updates and missing some of the features we want most (including A-Spec mode!), it would do more damage to the series’ reputation than anything else.

Comments (56)

  1. meagainstyou

    im fool! :( readinf that i was starting to get a bit bored but i found the red lyrics and… lol

  2. GTP_MotzMan

    I’m personally looking forward to Gran Turismo 5: B-Spec. I love to drive from the back seat, and now I’ll be able to. I think it’s high time racing spectators get an RPG, and this one is going to be the best 4th person racing RPG ever! I can’t wait for the online competition, this will eliminate the advantage of having an expensive racing wheel that requires an elaborate cockpit setup. I’ll be able to play B-Spec with my blu-ray remote. This will mark set a new benchmark for all future racing games to follow, “Shift” has just been made obsolete.

    :lol

  3. d3br34k5

    Anyone not catching the humour of April fools jokes… well, you’re simply fools! :D

    Lighten up!

  4. GTAce

    While i also didnt found that one really funny or anything (except the B-Spec Bob pic lol), but this sentence is great: “If Gran Turismo 5 was rushed and filled with bugs, marred by constant updates and missing some of the features we want most (including A-Spec mode!), it would do more damage to the series’ reputation than anything else.”
    Couldnt agree more.

  5. D.Robbins

    @ DJ-MOSS-MAN

    There is this thing in life called humor,and it is Aprril fools day,remember ?

    SO GET OVER IT.

  6. Redsuinit

    Wow, fell for it. April fools went right over my head! I was thinking… “WHY?!!!!” Glad this is just a joke… REALLY good one Jordan…

  7. random guest

    Ha, I fell for it until the RPG bit. :D

    To people who whine about this, and everything else, you need to realize that there is so much more in life than just GT5. The lack of news sucks, I know, but still, there are other games out there to keep you occupied while waiting for GT5. Besides, there will be news at the E3… So relax :D

  8. Jordan

    Happy April Fools’ day, everyone! I’m glad that some of you enjoyed this joke, and I hope you got the message behind it: be careful what you wish for. The real world – including game development – is all about compromise. If Gran Turismo 5 was rushed and filled with bugs, marred by constant updates and missing some of the features we want most (including A-Spec mode!), it would do more damage to the series’ reputation than anything else.

  9. RACECAR

    Hahaha, nice try on the April Fools joke. The photoshopped Screenshot from Gran Turismo TV gave it away.

  10. DJ-MOSS-MAN

    WOW! well done “jordan”………..thanks for nothing………

    i completly agree with lordvonps3 here…………..jordan here’s a tip:

    you can file your april fools topic under “useless rubbish” along with other topics you’ve posted such as: GT benefits and limitations and GT makes you want cars….crap we already know…….

    i would have expected far better from the gtp owner…..posting Bullsh*it like this instead of REAL GRAN TURISMO news…….i mean do you want to get rid of gtpmembers or something?

    i dont care if it is an april fools joke…….this is gt5 we’re talking about here…………..

    take it into consideration i future………….

  11. Mr Latte

    Glad to see someone agreeing that GT5 marketing department must be in hibernation.

    Still Spring is now here.

    E3 this year BETTER have something to show, when you compare to other companies P Digital must be of the worst for getting release dates wrong, delays and a lack of information regarding their progress is astoundingly long overdue.

    Still must be nice to be able to do that, not bother or worry about your community and still sell millions of games.

  12. Primo

    It is quite intresting: driving all that cars, driving all that circuits….it will just be boring: it will require years to learn all tracks and know everything about your car, so obviously B-Spec Bob will do it for you!

  13. LordVonPS3

    Maybe I need a humour check today but that wasn’t a funny article (and no I didn’t fall for it either).

    It’s too bad April fools exists because there’s enough crap posted on the net about GT5 every single day without having a half-day dedicated to it. That goes double for PlayStation 3 price cuts, XMB cross game voice chat, music and invites.

    Many people are fed up of not having any news to read that they end up reading & posting on what they want out of GT5. You’re all setting yourselves (& others) up for a huge disappointment. If there were videos to watch, articles to read, screenshots to examine and features to boast about, that would be something. Instead we’ve got an epic battle of the imaginations between GT5 and Forza 3.

    GT5 will not be the defining game that all racers will forever aspire to. GT6 should follow and then GT7, etc. The same could be said of Forza. There’s really nothing to be gained by keeping secrets about forthcoming games. There are no great surprises left as they’ve all been explored by the fans who are screaming for X, Y and Z.

    I enjoyed the build up to GT5P’s launch with all the videos, screenshots and articles floating around. GT5 and Forza 3 are both suffering from too much internet chat & there will be no game that can match it.

    It doesn’t matter whether there’s 6 months to go, 12 months or 3 months. It’s time for SCE to step onto the grid, start revving GT5’s engine and show us what it can do and what it will not.

  14. gt3luke

    “we can dedicate more processing power to the visual environment and vehicle damage modelling.”

    I only hope that this line isn’t a joke.

  15. Nick

    This was quite funny. Initially I presumed they meant the manager mode was being removed as I didn’t remember which was which. I was quite disappointed. After I read that A was the driving it was obvious of course. The best Joke I have read today though.

  16. Tenacious D

    Err…. hmm.

    Well, as long as B-Spec Bob can win that stupid Suzuki 360 race, I’ll be okay with this. But I just got a G25… hrm…

  17. Mr Latte

    Whats not FUNNY is the FACT that the GT5P website has NOT released:

    A) A single screenshot
    B) New ingame video
    C) Game Update

    Since October the 3rd

    Thats Exactly 6 MONTHS this week.
    REPORT THAT ON YOUR HOMEPAGE GUYS!!

  18. The Grim Reaper

    Jordan, I could slap you for this. :D I wake up to read that on the news section, I nearly put a hammer through my Playseat & wheel. Brilliant you seem to have had most of us there. :D :tup:

  19. j8mie

    Ha ha!!

    I was fooled for all of 1 nanosecond ;)
    Nice to see people still have a sense of humour out there.

  20. David R

    My heart sank through the soles of my feet when I read this. It was only after reading other (brighter) peoples’ comments that I realised the joke. Thank God!!!

  21. Brad

    @marky – none will.. everyone picked up on the april fools prank from the comments…even on n4g they found out.

  22. marky5244

    That’s good Jordan, well done! It’s gave me a big smile at the beginning of my day.

    I’m looking forward to see how many news websites pick up on this as real news. :-)

  23. Brad

    People are trying to sleep jordan…I got so excited when I saw this on my mobile and rushed to my PC to realise it was a joke :( XD

  24. Zimmerd

    Hope this is a april 1 joke.. haha,
    would be a serious mistake of them do such thing…
    I think less than half people would buy GT5 then

  25. OldModelT

    Gee, What a bummer. All this waiting for nothing. I checked my driver’s license and found out I was born yesterday. I always thought Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber was the smart one.

  26. 80Y 2C2

    it only works for some—I’m in Sydney an it’s past midday so it isn’t valid even if I was shocked. But really good whoever did it – made me chuckle.

  27. Il Venturetto

    “I have always wanted to create an RPG, and this is my chance to do it with an automotive twist”

    LOL!

  28. Bram 87

    This can’t be real, WTF ?????
    Like we want to sit around and ‘manage’ a driver….
    This can’t be real !!!

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