14 DAY TRIAL // Gran Turismo 5 is the long-awaited racing simulation title created by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony which has finally been released on November 24 and allows gamers to experience a wide variety of events, from karting to NASCAR and traditional city and circuit races with more than 1,000 vehicles.
I bet a lot of people avoid the B-Spec events for quite some time when first getting into Gran Turismo 5, not knowing exactly how the game mechanics work and what rewards they could get out of the mode.
It is initially very easy to give your virtual driver a strong car and then just order them to up the pace in order to overtake the entire opposition and then maintain pace until they complete the number of required laps.
The problem with B-Spec is that it is extremely boring, mostly so in the initial few races, which eliminates the incentive to play more.
The evolution of the driver the player guides around the track is also beyond the control of the gamer, which is a disappointment and the temperament of the created driver seems to play little role in the outcome.
The mode would really have befitted from a lot more customization and more commands that can be issued during the race.
The controlled drivers also have a tendency of kissing the backsides of the cars ahead of them, especially when their instructions are to overtake a driver which has held them back for a few laps.
What B-Spec does offer is some truly impressive images or racing, as long as the gamer uses Premium cars for his driver and makes sure to remove the information overlay which can often be unneeded.
I had more than one colleague come in and ask what race I was watching on television.
This will not compensate for the boredom that the mode can generate, but it can make for a very nice diversion when the weight of racing gets to the human gamer.