Gran Turismo 4 coming to US December 14, minus online

TOKYO--Last week, reports from Japan indicated that Gran Turismo 4 had been delayed until "winter," which possibly could have meant a 2005 release.

But at a press conference held during the first day of the Tokyo Game Show, Sony and Polyphony Digital announced that Gran Turismo will indeed arrive this year on both sides of the Pacific. The game will first hit store shelves in Japan on December 3, followed by a tentative North American and European release on December 14.

Unfortunately, the news was not all good. Sony and Polyphony also revealed that Gran Turismo 4 will not have an online racing mode. That functionality is planned for a new Gran Turismo game, tentatively planned for release in 2005.

While at the Tokyo Game Show, GameSpot got a chance to test-drive Gran Turismo 4's newly announced B-Spec mode. Read our brand-new hands-on to hear how it handled.