Gran Turismo has been the gold standard for simulation racing for over 25 years. The franchise has consistently served as a showcase for the latest PlayStation hardware both from a visual and technical standpoint. Gran Turismo 7 is no different in this respect; Racing has never felt more precise, nor have the vehicles ever looked like the real thing. However, in the time since that first accession, the field has caught up with Gran Turismo. This new entry is still a great driving simulator, but it no longer outperforms the competition.
Gran Turismo 7 sets the tone early; this is its most freestyle racing series. The minutes-long, non-skippable film chronicles the history of the automobile, followed by a lengthy in-game cutscene that demonstrates just how serious car culture is. While other racing games have made deliberate strides to remove as many barriers to fun as possible, Gran Turismo 7 has nothing to worry about when it comes to speeding action. its own. Although this delivery is sometimes too slow in the first few rides, once career mode opens and the rubber meets the road, sim racing doesn’t get any better than this.
Whether you’re driving a northbound supercar at 200 mph in a straight line or navigating precariously over twisty terrain in a four-wheel drive vehicle, the Gran Turismo 7 offers one of the best driving experiences in gaming. Every inch of the road taken gives careful consideration to the conditions in which you are driving; Changes in altitude, weather, driving surfaces, roadside, vehicle downforce, and countless other factors continuously contribute to your success in building your momentum into a turn or into a parking lot. grass.
Even the smallest miscalculation can send you off the track. There’s no rewind function as is common in many modern racing games, I like the tense feeling of victory and defeat balanced on a razor blade around every nook and cranny. Unfortunately, if you want to use tools to help you better compete on the track, the dynamic path tool, which tells you the best route to follow along the course, is not just a little bit of information. than Gran Turismo’s contemporaries, but also it was unreliable. On a few occasions, I took the driver’s advice and still hit the barrier, only to realize that the brake lights weren’t on the track. Every time I’ve had one of these crashes, Gran Turismo 7’s lack of damage modeling has rendered me unexperienced; when a game is so focused on visuals and realistic controls, it’s jarring to emerge from a high-speed wreck with little damage.
Polyphony Digital’s adoration of the automotive culture remains evident as you progress through Gran Turismo 7’s unique career mode. Constantly return to the in-game cafe where you take on quests like collecting items specific vehicle type or win a grand prize, you’ll get an efficient tour of the game’s many modes and services. Every time you complete a car collection quest, you’ll be presented with a recap of the real world history of whatever the subject matter is; I learned a lot about the history of the Ford Mustang in my early hours. Every time you get a new goal, Gran Turismo 7 will clearly communicate what you need to do to complete it. Even the sub-modes, such as time trials set to music, quest-based challenges, and specialized licensing events, make me hit the retry button because I know I can get it. better time.
Progression happens at every step, keeping you motivated to play “just one more race”. I lost track of time with more appearances than I could count when I discovered the next race bonus was a car I coveted. I was intrigued by the structure of the career mode around vehicle collection, with each activity rewarding you with money, cars, and more. As your garage expands with over 400 cars available at launch, the level of your collection will increase, unlocking more missions and features. The Polyphony Digital cyclical ecosystem leveraged in Gran Turismo 7 is very satisfying, and by placing the focus on building a garage rather than winning races, I rarely feel my progress. stalled, even if I couldn’t bring home the checkers in every event. However, I still enjoy crafting my favorite rides using powerful tuning features to give myself the best chance of finishing first.
Sadly, multiplayer suites often create fun for players. Currently, your options are to join scheduled Sports events, where you sign up for a session and then wait for the session to start, or join multiplayer lobbies. The sporting events are fun – I especially like the Gran Turismo 7’s emphasis on driving sanely, actively limiting collisions – but they take too long to kick into the action. After registering for a Sports event, sometimes you have to wait longer than 10 minutes before the race starts. Sure, you can drive practice and qualifying while you wait for the race to start, but I wish these events only started once you’ve taken a full session. Hobbies are a great way to avoid waiting times while setting up your own rules, but with front pages often assembled by near-empty groups, the barrier to jumping into a multiplayer session play sometimes is not worth the trouble.
Despite its multiplayer shortcomings, Gran Turismo 7 is a great racing experience. I love the focus on car collection and the respect for automotive history and racing culture. Gran Turismo 7 offers some of the best driving mechanics out there and gives you some guided ways to engage with it. While it sometimes spends too much time on the song, each lengthy cutscene is clearly made with love, and that sentiment shines even more brightly on the footage.
