The ultimate racing simulation experience returns and this time it’s going next-gen. Sony’s Gran Turismo 7 has landed for the PlayStation 5…
Game: Gran Turismo 7
Developer: Polyphony Digital
Format: PS5, PS4
Release Date: Out Now
There are racing games, and then there’s Gran Turismo. Since it debuted on the original PlayStation way back in 1997, the series from developer Polyphony Digital has set the standard in every generation. Where attention to detail is paramount. Where the racing experience is so realistic, so pure, that some of its players have successfully graduated from the virtual track to the real one. Gameplay so precise, that FIA thinks the best players are worthy of real world driving licenses.
As a result, Gran Turismo has become what the industry refers to as a “system seller.” A game so good people will buy a console just to play it.
Despite its legacy, things haven’t always gone to plan. At times, the relationship with fans has even been strained. The series is famous for its painfully long development delays. While the PS4-era entry Gran Turismo Sport also split fans given its the focus on online play over popular legacy beloved modes.
Enter Gran Turismo 7, built for PlayStation 5, but also available on PlayStation 4. It won’t take you long to see the power of the new-generation console from Sony in action. Gran Turismo 7 is beautiful: true eye candy. The amount of effort that is gone into every vehicle and the circuits, including the environments, will have you in awe. Especially at night or when the dynamic weather kicks in. And these visuals works to immerse you deep into the driver’s seat.
In what will come as no surprise to long-time fans, the cars handle wonderfully. You know it’s good because of how appreciably different each car feels from the last. It talks to the detail in the physics engine that when you begin upgrading parts and dabble in performance tuning, you can get out on the track and immediately notice the difference. Likewise, if you begin to play around with the litany of assists, allowing you to find the sweet spot for your skill level.
Fast Fact
Gran Turismo 7 makes good use of the DualSense’s haptic feedback, giving you a genuine feeling of different surfaces, like hitting the curb, as you drive over them.
Either way, if you’re really into your cars and get a thrill out of tweaking settings and experimenting with parts to maximise results, there’s near endless depth for you.
Speaking of your skill level, this is the easiest of all the Gran Turismo games to get into. The series has, at times, being daunting. But the opening foray, where you spend hours completing races and tasks at the café – including the famed licenses – as you begin to fill out your garage and earn credits, is expertly done to ease you into the experience. Before you know it, you’ll be addicted to the loop of earning new cars, tweaking them to perfection and proving their worth on the track.
The circuits stick with the series tradition of closed tracks and traditional racing. Even when you’re in an off-road event. Don’t expect any point A to B racing in an expansive open world. There are 35 tracks available at launch, the vast majority of which have multiple layouts as well.
Fast Fact
If you were hoping for genuine car damage, it remains absent. A few superficial aesthetic marks can be seen, and the car will perform worse, but you’re not about to witness spectacular destruction.
Sadly, many can’t be accessed without getting a meaty way into the campaign, but all the best circuits are there for you eventually. Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Le Mans, Brands Hatch, Laguna Seca, Suzuka, Nürburgring and Mount Panorama to name a few. 16 of the tracks don’t exist in real life, but contrary to what you might expect, they’re some of the most fun to play.
Although it’s not a focus the online Sport mode returns pretty much as it was in the last game. Although there is a bit more depth. You can now hang out in lobbies at each circuit to just talk to other drivers and tune your vehicles and even put in some practice laps. While the online race events themselves are sure to have plenty of opponents on hand for local players.
There is a local two-player mode as well, but weirdly, you need to be online to play it. Indeed, there’s something of an “always-on” aspect to the game and most modes – even single player – demand that you’re online to play. So that’s something to keep in mind. Also know all multiplayer experienced aren’t unlocked until you’ve completed a couple of hours of the single player experience.
If there’s one thing about the game we’re not hugely thrilled about, it would be the microtransactions. You don’t need to spend money to get credits as they can all be earned in game, but some of the parts and cars can feel out of reach at times. So that lure always being in front of you is a bit off-putting.
Yet Gran Turismo 7 rises above that and other quibbles – like the rolling starts in the campaign – due to its sheer scope. There’s well over a hundred hours of great gaming to be had here even before you go online. A dream come true for car lovers.
The list of cars you can race in a Gran Turismo game is always impressive and so it is with the 425 collectable vehicles found here. But it’s not as deep as it sounds. There’s a lot of variants of the same cars, no Aussie rides and not that many recent vehicles, perhaps opening the door to future DLC. But you’re still getting access to a wide variety of cars from almost 50 manufactures. There’s way too many to list here, but the big names – like Ferrari, AMG, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, McLaren, Porsche and even Tesla – are on show.
By CHRIS STEAD
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