Forza Horizon 5 was the last racing game I’ve played this year and it was amazing. The graphics, the fluent racing, and splendid soundtrack gave me an awesome experience to enjoy. It will be hard to top this experience, however, Gran Turismo 7 might be the one that could have a chance into topping Forza Horizon 5. It might excel in different areas of the game, but that doesn’t mean the Gran Turismo will be better than Forza. I believe both games have different audiences and both audiences will have a great time with their racing favorite…
The Gran Turismo franchise has been around for ages and it stood out from different racing games because GT puts realism first. The developers try to develop photorealistic environments and even cars to simulate the best racing experience. This year, it’s no different. The game has put its standards to a higher level because thanks to the power of the PS5, the game is soaring to new heights. It is the best-looking and most detailed GT game I’ve ever played and it even runs on native 4K and 60 fps. This game truly shines on the next-gen consoles and believe me, this game makes “having the PS5” a must for racing fanatics. The game runs smoothly and gives your eyes an amazing treat.
“This is what GT should be all about: getting to know the cars in their glory moment,…”
Not only does the game look amazing but it’s the whole package of presentation that just clicks. It truly feels like a game where the focus is on the cars and their history. All information about a specific car that could have been given to the fans, is being given through GT’s presentation. You’re given a treat with information about racing tracks, cars, brands, promo, the history of racing tracks, … and so much more. All of the vehicles are in the center of attention and you can truly feel the love for every aspect of circuit racing and participating auto sports teams. If you haven’t been a fan already, the game will turn you into a fanatic within a couple of hours. This is what GT should be all about: getting to know the cars in their glory moment, driving them, and simulating a realistic experience without too much fuzz or dramatic events. Just plain motorsport with a focus on all cars.
The game still gives you the option to run around different tracks, starting from the bottom but going all the way to the top while learning new experiences. You’ll earn credits that’ll help you with buying a new GT license or car. There’s also a more challenging way to experience the game’s total package by following Luca’s footsteps. Luca is the chief boss of the Gran Turismo Café and he will challenge you to do many things that will also give you a specific type of credit that can help you with buying top-notch specific cars. The difference between the “normal” way of racing and this one, is the challenging package that’s being presented. In GT café you’ll receive a menu with lots of different assignments. Going from changing the oil to upgrading a certain part of a certain car. By completing these assignments you’ll get credit to go to certain events, buy special cars, or even different parts. You’ll also receive a bunch of information about the things you did, to get a grip on reality. It’s another way to experience GT and it’s a great addition to the series.
“By making physics a little more forgiving, it offers a safer environment to get into the racing simulator.”
Gran Turismo has a core experience and that experience is probably the reason why a lot of racing fanatics want to buy and play GT, for the real deal. I can safely say that GT isn’t just the same game with an upgrade on the engine. Don’t get me wrong, the game is the same by a large portion but the experience has been changed a little bit but it truly is for the better. Gran Turismo 7 tries to be a little more beginner-friendly by improving the physics by making them a bit more flexible in terms of better handling. By making physics a little more forgiving, it offers a safer environment to get into the racing simulator. In the early days of GT, the game wasn’t for anyone because of its difficult learning curve, but now the game allows the player to make more mistakes without too much punishment and that’s why this edition feels like a more balanced racing simulator.
Then again, if the physics take a step back on being as close to realism as they can, I wonder if the game can still be put in the traditional genre of racing sims. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t this drastic but it does make you wonder where the franchise will be going. However, I feel like the developers made the right call by making the sim a bit more friendly, even though the racing simulator still feels like a challenge. I’m all up for it.
“Implementing this feature to its fullest gives you a better grip on the digital road.”
The new DualSense-controller is also being used to its fullest. The pressure on the trigger is being influenced by the environment and weather conditions during your race. Implementing this feature to its fullest gives you a better grip on the digital road. I truly believe that getting the best experience with a racing simulator can only be achieved with a whole driving system. From what I’ve heard, the game has a great connection with an optimized set of driving gears. Either way, the DualSense controller of the PS5 does the job fine but if you truly want the best experience, go for a more optimized driving set.
Even though, the game has great optimization and graphical enlightenment. The game does have some flaws, the moment you start looking. Yes, the game runs fluently on 60FPS but you start to wonder what kind of technical changes they’ve made to make this smooth performance happen. Playing enough hours, makes you bump into things like details not showing up unless you’re close enough, low-resolution flags/ grass, etc… Don’t get me wrong, the game looks great and you probably won’t even notice these technical aspects but it does make you think that you’re being played by the developers. It’s just plain sense eventually, you can’t let a game shine that bright without any dark spots. The game still looks great in the end!
“I do believe that the developers need to look beyond the classic arcade-style of playing.”
GT doesn’t offer you a complicated single-player campaign but it does offer more simplistic ways to experience the total package. Like I said before, you can either experience the game at your own pace by racing different tracks, slowly building up your racing expertise or you can go the Luca way by completing specific challenges. Don’t forget that GT also offers a multiplayer experience where you can team up with other online drivers and talk about your driving passion in the “Hangout” which is a new social hub. Multiplayer matches can be played online/ offline and casual or you can join the SPORT-MP edition to play ranked matches. Just like any other GT-game, the MP will offer different daily or weekly events and you can really test your skills in the official GT championships. The GT- championships will truly test your skills but remember to qualify for it first.
Even though, the game has been upgraded from its standard way of developing. I do believe that the developers need to look beyond the classic arcade style of playing. You still need to play a couple of hours before you can truly unlock everything and this can be a pain in the ass if you want to play around in the MP mode. Only by spending a couple of hours on the game, will unlock the full package of Gran Turismo. Each time a new GT has been launched, gives me hope that they’ll do some things differently. Some things need a change that can help new players approach the game. GT is a great racing game but needs innovation. The Luca part is definitely a great change and innovation within the franchise, but this bubble burst the moment you’ve played a couple of hours because Luca doesn’t stay along for the whole journey, which is a bummer.
Conclusion
Gran Turismo is definitely worth the buy as it brings the franchise to a whole new level. If you’re still considering buying a Playstation 5, this could be your reason to buy one. Don’t get me wrong, there are already a lot of great exclusives on the PS5 but this game makes use of its full technical capabilities which results in a steady native 4K with 60FPS. The new Dual Sense controller also uses its built-in treble to the fullest which results in a more realistic feeling while on the racetrack. Without promoting the PS5, if you’re a car fanatic, GT presents all cars as it should with lots of background information and promo movies. After seeing this and reading through the information, your thirst for racecars will quickly be quelch with this awesome racing simulation game.
