Review of Gran Turismo 7 – Back to the track

There are tons of racers out there to choose from, but the one most synonymous with the PlayStation brand is Gran Turismo and the critically acclaimed series is now back with Gran Turismo 7.

Gran Turismo started on the original PlayStation in 1997 and showcased what a real racing simulation game could do on home consoles.

The series seems to have dropped in quality a bit in the PS3 generation and that continues to be controversial Gran Turismo Sport on PS4. Looks like developer Polyphony Digital has heeded previous criticisms and now the latest entry is off the assembly line with brand new Gran Turismo 7.

• THAN: Find out what was fixed in the March 10 update for Gran Turismo 7.

Gran Turismo 7 is a very unique entry in the series, as it is the first multi-console launch for the franchise by releasing on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. For the purposes of our review, we I’ve played the premium version of PS5 without really feeling held back by giving in as the game was also released on PS4.

To begin, Gran Turismo 7 on the PS5 looks the best the series has ever had, as the cars look lifelike and the environments are beautiful, though usually only seen at higher speeds as you’re circling the track. The lighting on the cars and tracks is excellent and is constantly outstanding throughout the game. One feature that seems like it should be implemented, though, is the car damage feature from crashing into other vehicles as you see in Forza game, but here the cars stay pristine no matter what you do with them.

One of the most important aspects of a racing game visually is how it handles weather effects and Gran Turismo 7 handle this expertly. This has been a highlight in GT Sport and it works here too, but it’s not just in the imaging department.

The development team also did a great job in getting actual meteorological data from each region for the different routes in the game to provide the most accurate weather for each location, even location. position of the sun at certain times of the day and what parts of the track will stand out compared to other parts due to the sun when it rains. This is really next level stuff when it comes to weather physics in a racer and it elevates it dramatically Gran Turismo 7 Overall.

You can’t talk about a racing game without discussing driving physics, which Gran Turismo series has always been known for many years. As you would expect, Gran Turismo 7 continues the great tradition of excellent handling and tight controls that make you feel like you’re actually in control of the vehicle while also not getting in the way of you having a great time.

Haptic feedback takes things to the next level by making it really feel like you’re touching the sides of the track.

The SSD inside the PS5 also allows for incredibly fast load times, which is something previous entries have struggled with. This next-gen version also lets you choose between frame rate priority or Ray tracking, with each well worth a try. The only slightly disappointing part here is that Ray Tracing is only available outside of races, but that means you’ll want a smooth 60fps frame rate during actual races, which is doable at 4K on PS5.

Perhaps the best PS5 exclusive feature is the haptic feedback provided by the DualSense controller. Vibration has always been important in this series, but haptic feedback takes things to the next level by making it really feel like you’re hitting the edges of the track. In addition, haptic feedback also gives different sensations when braking depending on the model of vehicle you are using. This adds a lot to the overall experience and really helps differentiate between different cars in a different way.

Gran Turismo 7’s The main area is called the World Map, which contains many important places in your journey. Outside of the World Circuits location that is home to the races themselves, you’ll have to be connected online to access anything in the game, including the game’s campaign mode.

The garage is your hub for most of your post-acquisition automotive needs in Gran Turismo 7, it’s a place you’ll go quite often. Car installation has always been a major part of Gran Turismo series, as tuning and making adjustments to your vehicle can be the key to winning races. However, this is still very complicated and can be quite difficult for casual players who are not used to options like this in their racing game.

The Car Collection is also located here and allows you to see a complete list of your collected cars in the game against all available cars. This includes useful tools for sorting by things like country, manufacturer, and even year. One interesting aspect is that cars you haven’t purchased are still considered silhouettes, so this can help you figure out which vehicles to target even if they’re just silhouettes.

Collect all the cars in Gran Turismo 7 It would probably feel a bit monotonous without structure to it, but fortunately the game has its own campaign mode that involves collecting some of them. This is done through the in-game Café, where you get a Menu Book that gives you tasks like getting a specific set of cars, tuning a specific car, completing at the top certain events and more.

That’s not all, as the Menu Book at the Café teaches you a lot about the history of the auto industry, something suitable for Gran Turismo series. This will teach you about various cars based on the ones you have collected for that Menu Book which contains lots of interesting facts. The only downside here is that it’s all text-based as this part could certainly have used some actual voice acting to add a bit of liveliness to it. However, the above information is still interesting enough for car enthusiasts.

A total of more than 400 cars were collected Gran Turismo 7feels a bit lacking compared to a series like Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon has over 700 and 500 in their last two entries respectively. It can also feel like a huge effort to get a lot of that in addition to the ones you can earn through the Menu Book, as the rate at which you earn in-game credits is so slow.

Gran Turismo 7 is a welcome return to the series after the lackluster GT Sport, despite some flaws mainly related to microtransactions.

This is made even worse when microtransactions are included in the form of additional credits that can be purchased. This makes players feel like they need to spend real money due to the minimum credits earned while playing, especially when grappling in some of the more difficult races in the game where you need torpedoes. better car. The way it’s handled in the game itself feels predatory by the game speed reminding you that you can “recharge on the PlayStation Store” when you don’t have enough to buy a car, which really doesn’t. should happen in the case of full price games like this.

Brand new to the series in this iteration is a game mode called Music Game, which is a cool addition to the series. In this mode, the music will start playing and the goal is to keep driving until the song ends, but it’s not as simple as it sounds. That’s because you have a counter that’s counting down all the time, which means you have to get to certain checkpoints to get more time to get to the end. The music selection has been limited to just six songs since its debut, but promises more songs in the future. This is definitely the most casual game mode in the game, so your mileage may vary depending on how well you can participate.

Gran Turismo 7 is a welcome return to the series after the lackluster GT Sport, albeit with some flaws mainly related to microtransactions. The racing physics and visuals are always top-notch, and the game’s unique campaign that teaches you about the history of the auto industry will keep auto enthusiasts and novices alike for hours as they play through. Gran Turismo 7.