Let’s talk about the game’s presentation, which has been optimized to run on both current and last-generation PlayStation hardware. There’s a huge emphasis on sportsmanship and enforced driving etiquette to a degree bordering on the obsessive. Those familiar with GT Sport will find much of the experience familiar, as will those who find the simulation of F1 rules and penalties appealing. Fortunately, online play is more substantial with casual and ranked options. You have to play it at least once when first play GT7 as a inoffensive, though unexceptionally mundane introduction to the game itself. Other modes in GT7 such as Music Rally mode tries to add a casual mood from the usual grind, which plays more like an arcade-style game by hitting checkpoints within a time limit to the beat (BPM) of a chosen song from its soundtrack. This extends to actual tuning option that is easy to understand and tinker around with, whether your needs are standard, or you have knowledge for more extreme performance upgrades. The selection is comprehensive with a total of over 2000 parts from paint and aerodynamic and alterations pieces.
This is also when you realize that taking those license tests become vital and you’ll need more than in-game handicaps such as on-screen racing lines, assisted braking, and ABS among other things to learn the fundamentals.Ĭustomization is another high point here, with an exorbitant amount of tuning and aesthetic options to play around with. When you do start racing for real, you’ll quickly learn that GT7 is unlike the arcade-style racers you’re used to and requires considerably more precision to compete. Remember the saying that “money doesn’t buy prestige”.Įverything else from GT Sport is also included, so the usual license tests from ‘National A’ to the coveted ‘Super’ licenses will challenge your competence and prowess behind the wheel, sometimes more than the actual races themselves. Even then, many of the premier cars in the showroom still can’t be bought until you’ve earned a coveted invitation to do so.įor long-timers this won’t be much of a revelation, but others might be turned off by how explicitly limited and stringent a lot of these hurdles are to overcome.
On one hand, the process of sending players out with low-end cars and slowly unlocking hypercars gives player a clear sense of accomplishment but instant gratification is never what GT7 or any other iteration in the series was about, instead you’ll have to either play for hours to earn the privilege or purchase some in-game credits on the PlayStation Store. Progression in Gran Turismo has typically been a bit dry but purposeful. It’s supposed to add some character and picturesque backdrops to what would have been static menus, which has always been somewhat plain compared to other games that have adopted more over-the-top flash in their presentations. The way these missions are doled out are intended to provide a brief explanation on why these cars are iconic, and sometimes a quip about the collection’s place in automotive history. Speaking of the Café, players are introduced to a man named Luca, an NPC that runs a coffee shop and conveniently offers a menu of select races to earn specific vehicles to build your collection and get acquainted to their class types. Much of it being handled through the Café.
Unlike previous entries, you’re initially guided along with content gradually unlocking instead of being inundated with tons of activities you couldn’t access from the beginning anyways. It’s par for the course with a overworld map hub to tie everything together similar to how GT4 looked, although GT7 does a bit more handholding to ease newcomers into the club. Returning players will immediately recognize the basic progression from starting at the bottom with license tests, buying a cheap ride, and hitting a few tracks to earn credits. While the prior release of Gran Turismo Sport primarily focused on competitive multiplayer within the constraints of formula-style motorsports, the GT7 experience returns to more conventional territory with its deceptively simple formula: offer up a wealth of content by collecting hundreds of pristine cars from the world’s most known automakers with dozens of tracks, along with a bunch of circuit exhibitions and challenges.
TLdr: the core of Gran Turismo 7 is exactly what you’d expect and appreciate from the series.