While enjoying the sounds of the entire Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, zigzagging through the rest of the traffic in an old-fashioned Porsche 356 Speedster. The goal is not to overtake as many opponents as possible, but to cover as many kilometers as possible before the music stops. It’s a rather quirky race to start the game with – which is why it’s such a good first impression of Gran Turismo 7.
All new players are required to complete a Music Rally before they are allowed to play. It is one of the new additions to the latest iteration of the 25 year old series. Developer Polyphony is turning things around, steering away from the focus on esports and wanting you to start collecting cars again, just like in the older parts. Not only that: the game wants to teach you something about cars. Also with the idea of educating the younger generation a bit.
This time a single player
The great criticism of Gran Turismo Sport was the lack of single player at launch. Part seven now more than makes up for that lack. You are now obliged to first make quite a few meters in the game on your own. Only after you have won a number of races and championships, you are allowed to do split screen or go online in a lobby. Keep in mind that you need one to two hours to unlock everything.
The best way is to jump right into the new cafe. Here is a good-natured gentleman who gives you orders. For example, at the start you have to collect three Japanese hatchbacks, which you can win in certain races. Another assignment is to take a driving test to get your license. With each completed menu card you get background information about the collected cars or the completed assignments. Gradually you expand your collection of cars GT7 from.
Only 0.0 is served | Photo: © Polyphony Digital (screenshot TopGear)
Nice little stimulus
The nice thing Gran Turismo 7 is that it’s all pretty unpretentious. No hip movies of excited opponents and unnecessary fireworks at every finish flag. No, just a quiet jazzy tune in the menus and floating heads with written text that teach you, just like an old RPG on the Game Boy. Plus, there’s no tricky storyline with a villainous rival to be taught a lesson. Just do what you feel like, collect nice cars and hear interesting stories. Gran Turismo 7 is a wonderfully casual and low-stimulus experience.
Car ownership in Gran Turismo 7 is different from in GT Sport
One of the fundamental changes is how the game handles car ownership. Especially because – in our opinion – you are sent more to invest in one car, making that really your car in the game. The cars in your collection are therefore less interchangeable with each other. The makers do this in a subtle way.
Previously, once a day (if you had raced enough miles) you actually got a completely random car. This could be a Volkswagen T1, but also a GT3 racer. Now you can collect cars quite quickly by driving single player races, but these are mainly cars that humble mortals can also afford.
Photo: © Polyphony Digital (screenshot Top Gear)
So you start very modestly with a collection of nice street cars. You can, however, extensively modify the car you have. Exhausts, chassis, brakes, tires, turbos and superchargers are all in the range. Cars will sound noticeably different from new parts, and drive significantly different.
You have to be careful with your poet
It does not pay to outfit every car to the maximum at the same time, parts are too expensive for that. In GT Sport you could tie the sportiest tire under any car for free, but now you have to spend about 40,000 credits for a set of sticky tires. Financially it is therefore smart to focus on a small selection of cars that you use to progress through the championships. When the income starts to run, you can start saving for your favorite supercar. The satisfaction will be great.
In addition to chassis and engine tuning, you can do plenty on the outside. The range of real paints is unreal and there is also a huge collection of rims. New are the body kits and spoilers that you can mount. These are also not just dull uninspired spoilers, but parts that enthusiasts will appreciate. For example, a Garage Vary lip on an MX-5 or a ducktail on the back of a Skyline R32 GT-R.
Photo: © Polyphony Digital (screenshot Top Gear)
By customizing the car to taste, the bond with your car is further strengthened. In addition, some old elements are back, such as changing the oil in your car and taking the car through the car wash. Everything to pamper your beloved piece of can.
The road holding and physics from Gran Turismo 7
Gran Turismo 7 still uses the same slogan as 1997, when the first part came out. The slogan ‘The Real Driving Simulator’ was then completely correct; it was by far the most realistic game at the time. Gran Turismo has never been an arcade racer, but for several years now there have been other simulator racers that take it just a step further in realism. That’s not bad at all, because Gran Turismo wasn’t a brutal simulator, the game was accessible to everyone without making it too easy for enthusiasts.
The newest part sharpens the laws of nature a bit. For example, the cars are noticeably less forgiving; you hit faster than in GT Sport into an uncontrollable skid and you really have to be more careful with the accelerator when coming out of a bend. For the novice racer with a controller, there is of course the adjustable traction control.
Photo: © Polyphony Digital (screenshot Top Gear)
We feel that the creators have gone a little too far. Take the Toyota GR86; in four and low revs you will not get the car into a skid on the dry asphalt. Yet that happened to us a few times. Also, a Mazda MX-5 with 116 horsepower slipped mercilessly under our ass, without our being able to catch it. Doesn’t quite fit with our real-world experiences. Moreover, it creates a barrier, while the game wants to be accessible to a new generation of enthusiasts.
You can play more with the weight of the car
The sharpened physics have plenty of advantages. This way you can play with the weight of the car better. For example, brake when turning in with a Honda Integra to loosen the rear slightly. Drifting with a BMW M3 (E46) feels very natural and controllable. The further developed road holding demands of the seasoned GT SportRacer has some adaptability, but all in all they are welcome adjustments that make the game just a bit more realistic and challenging. Hunting for the perfect braking point and the right line is more satisfying than in the previous part.
Gran Turismo 7 can be played well with both the controller and the racing wheel. The haptic feedback is especially pleasant in the menus, but when racing we have to admit that it doesn’t offer a world of difference compared to the old controller. We don’t have that with almost any game, by the way – so that’s probably more up to us. The cars are a bit on the nervous side with the controller, but it just takes some getting used to. The force feedback for the steering wheel provides enough information when it comes to, for example, understeer, but it is still not at the level of, for example Assetto Corsa.
The graphics of GT7
At first glance, the new Gran Turismo 7 not gigantic with its predecessor. Since the interface is almost exactly the same while driving, you might as well confuse the two. For example, the asphalt is still a bit dull and not very detailed, but the cars are in GT7 really a big step forward. They are incredibly detailed and the way the light reflects off the bodies is beautiful to see.
Photo: © Polyphony Digital (screenshot Top Gear)
Also nice for the eyes is that the time course in some races is now dynamic. This way you start at night and drive through the sunrise towards the finish. This looks beautiful. Incidentally, the weather is also dynamic now – so in a race you can get a shower that has dried up again after a few laps. Keep it exciting.
Conclusion Gran Turismo 7
Purely looking at the racing is the new one GT not a revolutionary product. The cars behave a little differently, but the interface is the same as the old one for example GT. The threshold is slightly higher, but the extra challenge has made it a bit more entertaining in our opinion. We are charmed by the idiosyncratic game design, but those who want to race against their friends right after installation will have to be patient. The idea of collecting cars and customizing them also works well, especially if you like some background information.
if you now Gran Turismo Sport If you have turned completely gray online and you are looking for a new game to race against your friends online, the range of new tracks will be disappointing. For a large part, the offer is currently still the same as the old one GTs. You first have to work hard to build a new car collection. Do you want the old fashioned Gran Turismo-experience, then the seventh part is a must.
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