Once upon a time, Gran Turismo was Sony’s biggest hit series to date. But after two differently disturbing releases with the fifth and sixth parts, along with several successful games among others, Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games and Santa Monica Studios, Gran Turismo is no longer the master of the plot. With Gran Turismo Sport, the series has taken a huge step forward, but unfortunately without the classic Gran Turismo mode. Something Gran Turismo 7 is addressing right now.
Rating 4.5 out of 5
Opinion
With the best parts of Gran Turismo Sport and the return of the classic Gran Turismo campaign, the seventh installment in the Gran Turismo series is quite good. Add to the new game modes, better control and magical lighting effects. Although the realistic surroundings and a couple of challenging competitions can make it boring on the track at times, Gran Turismo 7 is the most complete and detailed car game to date.
Positively
- Full of well-made and varied content
- A great driving experience that gets a big boost with Dualsense
- Cool car models and lots of opportunities to beat
negative
- Those who want action-packed races will be disappointed
- He started his career unexpectedly and short-lived
- Gorgeous graphics are mainly influenced by the pursuit of realism
You deserve your success
It’s good if you get the most important thing right away: Yes – Gran Turismo 7 has a full career mode. The classic Gran Turismo location that has held a dear place in the hearts of many car game fans since 1998. A location that was sorely lacking in the excellent Gran Turismo Sport. In fact, the classic Career Mode hasn’t been seen since the launch of the sixth installment in the series in 2013 – and then missed by many because it was released after Playstation 3 passed its best ahead of its time.
But that was back then and now it is now. Just like before, your racing career in Gran Turismo 7 begins with an empty garage and a decent amount of money. One of three better used sports semi-autos can be purchased, along with slightly better auto parts for a more comfortable ride towards first place in the few competitions initially available. Pallet places mean gains and sometimes new cars. Cars that can be used in new competitions have special restrictions, and money that can be used to downgrade cars collected – or buy new cars. An interesting approach now as it was in 1998.
New with Gran Turismo 7 is a café where virtual car enthusiasts perform simple tasks to put you on the right track. On the one hand, it’s going to have a weird linear layout with previous games. On the other hand, the way forward in career mode has always been relatively closed because the lack of proper cars or licenses put an end to most of the competition initially. In this way, the beginning is more suitable for beginners and does not directly detract from the experience for those already familiar, more so that the selected path is more straightforward.
car love declaration
Having exactly three cars to choose from right from the start is all the more convenient because it reminds us of the Pokemon series. Because just like Nintendo’s success, Gran Turismo 7 is partly about collecting cars. All cars.
Here are American muscle cars from the 70s, compact Toyotas from 2010, hippie buses from the 60s, vintage and semi-new bubbles, classic rally cars, new rally cars and model cars. Vintage racing cars and the latest super sports cars. Toyota Corolla 1600GT from 1983. Successful Alfa Romeo DTM trailer from 1993. Classic James Bond DB5 from 1964. VW Gold GTI from 2014. A Daihatsu motorcycle car.
The Swedish representation unfortunately does not exist, so we keep our fingers crossed that at least Koenigsegg appears as downloadable material. The range also offers much more racing cars than regular passenger cars. Sad in a way, but given the time it takes to design cars, the prioritization still holds true.
At launch, 424 cars are available, all lovingly designed inside and out. From the headlights and brake discs to the steering wheel controls and buttons on the car stereo. Many cars and all manufacturers also have factual texts about exactly what they are famous for. Add to those facts about the various competitions, designers and drivers and we have the complete package for car lovers.
Fast cars and fast food menus
Other than that, the most welcome improvement in the career mode is the short charging times. In previous games, especially the five games on Playstation 3, it was difficult to start or re-run license tests, go to the car dealership or take part in a race. Now everything is just seconds fast, which along with both the delicious and functional menu is a huge boost to the entire chain.
Between licenses and training courses
The thing that beats Gran Turismo from the start of the series is the license exams that you must pass in order to reach all the competitions. From the virtual lessons in the simple braking and cornering techniques required to tackle the first races, to the truly challenging tasks that must be completed in order for real mastodon races to be available.
In addition to competitions and licensing tests, Gran Turismo 7 also contains many of the successful features of Gran Turismo Sport directed in part online. For example, it is possible to tackle specific parts in all courses, to practice exactly which sections you find difficult. The most enjoyable feature is all the shorter challenges, such as re-driving a certain number of cars, speeding up a hill with a car that doesn’t have enough engine power or completing a cycle of too little gasoline in the tank.
The missions in general are fun in themselves, but they all have a clever idea: they want to make you a better virtual driver who understands the importance of slip, cornering, fuel consumption, tire wear, aerodynamics and more. It’s like learning things, but fun!
feel the fist
Another fun thing to do is drive a car in Gran Turismo. Car physics got a big boost in Gran Turismo Sport – and it’s even more accurate now. Driving an old Yankee versus an all-wheel-drive rally car are two very different experiences, as is the feeling of driving a tuned-up car more than a regular race car — or mastering the horses in a rookie Ferrari.
On the other hand, the biggest boost in driving feel is given by the Dualsense manual control. It sways and tilts parallel to bumps in the road and when the car changes. The control makes it easy to sense when the tires are about to lose traction. The resistance in gas and brakes is also used in an excellent way. Car games are once again proven to get a boost with innovative Sony controls.
But despite the great control, some competitions can be monotonous. It is very easy for your car to easily overtake all competitors, although the performance is the best. Some races, especially those with similar semi-rigid cars, can result in a long line of vehicles that slowly but surely pass you by.
As we advance in Career Mode, the competitions of this kind fortunately lessen. In addition, the newly developed and advanced AI from Sony Sophy will come to Gran Turismo 7 in the future.
roar with reservations
Of course, we should also mention the graphics; Something that impresses us and makes us a little frustrated at the same time. The car models are delicious, which can be seen at least during the replays with nice camera angles and extra flashy graphics. In the special photo mode where cars can be placed on any background is also realistically realistic.
But during the race itself, it’s hard to impress. Gran Turismo 7 certainly isn’t ugly, but when we often see the rear ends of other cars on essentially realistic racing tracks, it can easily feel stiff and empty. That the cycles appear more or less as they really are is as positive for empathy as it is negative for the eyes.
However, there are a lot of flashes of light. The more creative properties are partly rotating, and partly light effects such as reflections and sunlight. However, what impresses us the most is the new system of weather and clouds. No matter the weather and the time of day, the sky looks almost magical – and it’s easy to forget that it’s a game on TV.
Old engine with more horses
But just like Sony’s latest release, Horizon: Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7 isn’t a revolution. It’s an evolution where we’ve got the classic Gran Turismo setup mixed with a lot of Gran Turismo Sport’s hit news. Don’t get us wrong, as the game offers a graphically noticeable move and also a sharper driving feel than ever – but Gran Turismo Sport doesn’t become unplayable after we’ve spent hours with these seven.
One reason there aren’t much differences, though, is that Gran Turismo 7 is also coming to Playstation 4. Like Forbidden West, it’s not a measure of the half-old Sony loyalists. The resolution may be lower, the image refresh is more choppy, the graphical dessert is noticeably smaller and charge times are longer – but there are also improvements like the amazing weather and sky.
Everyone who has been satisfied with the technology in Gran Turismo Sport will likely be satisfied so far. However, going back from Playstation 5 to Playstation 4 version is not entirely easy.
Faster, slower, where’s Lasse Kronér?
The highlight of Gran Turismo 7, which unfortunately we did not have time to test well before release, is supposed to be the online mode. As mentioned earlier, Gran Turismo Sport has invested heavily in online competitions – something that has been done with great enthusiasm. Punishments for ugly driving and a well-functioning grading system led to those driving decently clean cars to escape the worst offenders, those who were more eager to cause collisions and veer off the lane.
In fact, Gran Turismo Sport is the best online racing game we run. A game where it feels like a victory to get three or four places in the race. The successful project also led to the Gran Turismo World Cup Sport Online receiving an official certification from the FIA, the International Motorsports Federation.
Like I said, we won’t comment on what will happen to the online competitions in Gran Turismo 7 yet, but the conditions are good – no matter if they are seeded competitions of limited duration, quick races against random people or simple races against friends that attract.
At the top of the podium – right now
In the end, Gran Turismo 7 is a fairly complete racing game that is perfect for all car lovers. Here are hundreds of cool car models from several decades to collect and play with. However, it must be said that those who want an exhilarating and fascinating racing game where car parts quickly disappear into the tank will be disappointed. If you are craving for this type of game, you better take a look at Forza Horizon 5, Grid Legends, or why not break your Wreckfest party.
For fans of car games who prefer a more semi-realistic experience, Gran Turismo 7 easily occupies a leading position. This is a declaration of love for car games. The question is whether the announced but not-yet-released Forza Motorsport could threaten the number one spot, or whether Gran Turismo 7 will hold steady for many years to come.
Gran Turismo 7
tested: February 2022
Type: race
Developer: Polyphony Digital
publisher: Sony
program: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
tested on: PlayStation 5
Size: 96.8 GB
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