Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo franchise has long stood since the early days of the first PlayStation. It innovated across generations, and with the franchise’s 2017 release, Gran Turismo Sport (GT Sport), on the PlayStation 4 (PS4), the entry came with a few critics mixed feelings because of its persistent requirement to be online and the lack of content. I, on the other hand, tried GT Sport and found realistic car simulators tend to have a steep learning curve.
I’ve avoided games like Project CARS and Assetto Corsa due to their “realistic” nature, but that changed all thanks to Gran Turismo 7 (GT 7). Let’s get one thing out of the way, I like cars but I’m not an enthusiast. I know brands, but not their history. I know some car parts, but not all of them. There are terminologies that I don’t understand, I don’t even know what FR and FF mean. But with the help of GT 7, that became much clearer. The game not just introduces new people to realistic driving sims to race but also knowledge about automobiles.
I’m not entirely a newcomer to the racing genre and Gran Turismo, I’ve played tons of hours in Electronic Arts’ Need for Speed and Xbox Game Studios’ Forza, and the first Gran Turismo and GT Sport. However, GT 7 is different. Just different. And I love it.
Considered to be the 8th mainline entry of the GT franchise, GT 7 holds more of a better game than GT Sport miles away. With tons of cars to choose from, a dazzling array of challenges and tracks, better car customization, the jaw-dropping photo mode, and the enjoyable Music Rally.
I’ve enjoyed my time doing Menu Books given from the Cafe. It’s an all-new checklist to becoming more educated about automobiles in general. You’re given a few objectives to win races to unlock cars and their history and checklists to fully explore what GT 7 has to offer. Do you want to unlock cars much quicker? Do Menu Book tasks. Do you want to know what FF, FR, Compact Cars, and a bit of Ford history? Do Menu Book quests.
Unlike the traditional “campaign” of simply racing throughout an entire playlist of tracks and climbing the ranks, Menu Books provides a more succinct and fun way to introduce new players, not just about Gran Turismo but cars in general.
Music Rally also captures how casual racing feels like and makes both casual and hardcore racing players enjoy the beat of the music. Let that steam off and just enjoy the tune of the music and drive. It’s quite a downer that there are only 6 tracks available during this time, but I’m excited that the studio is planning to expand Music Rally post-launch.
And those who want to compete competitively in GT 7, you’re given that mode through GT Sport. Rules are strict, and sportsmanship is required from every player like hitting cars can’t penalize your overall grade after the race. I have yet to fully grasp the ins and outs of GT Sport post-launch, but I do believe it’s going to be an exciting feeling overall.
My time in GT 7 in all of its modes, including Music Rally and Challenges, is nothing but an exhilarating experience. Yes, it’s a motorsport game with realistic driving gameplay elements unlike Forza Motorsport 7, but being able to understand the basics of driving, proper timing of brakes, and speed empowers you as a virtual driver. Every time you finish in 1st place, it’s so satisfying.
Driving is the most key important element in a Gran Turismo game. Polyphone refined each cars’ handling, how each of the vehicle’s performances differs. They’ve perfected the controls since GT Sport, and you’ll even notice that on GT 7. Plus, if you’re a real car enthusiast, you will know that it’s not just about the maximum torque or horsepower, but the entirety of modding your car to what you need in specific race tracks. Frankly speaking, this is where it becomes intimidating for players who started to learn about cars, however, it’s nice that they also added GT Tune where you can also buy parts for upgrades without the hassle of tuning a car.
Where GT 7 shines most is the integration of the PS5’s DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. Racing with a controller never felt so new. It gives you a whole new experience all thanks to the haptics technology. Each car feels different because of its engine, plus when you accidentally go offroad, the vibrations of small rocks scattering inside while using the motion movement to steer is just amazing.
GT 7 is definitely a sight for sore eyes. The visuals are just top-notch and you could definitely say that it runs and looks great on PS5. While some people may still be playing on a 1080p monitor, the sharpness and clarity of the cars’ details and every inch of pieces you see in the race track never looked so real. Just like most of every other PS5 game out there, you get to choose between prioritizing framerate or resolution. While the latter showcases ray-tracing, it’s the only downer that you can’t get the same visual quality you get from sceneries in Scapes in actual racing gameplay.
Gran Turismo 7 quenches the need for speed. It’s not made just for the fans, but for everyone, and Polyphony learned what they’ve lacked in GT Sport. Gran Turismo 7 is the best racing game of 2022. Period.
