It felt insane to see the age of Gran Turismo.
Having the intro cinematic say “YES! You’ve been with us for 25 years!” was an experience to say the least. Immediately going for the jugular of nostalgia, Gran Turismo 7 wants you to remember your time with the series. For me, I was suddenly transported back to the first time I held Gran Turismo in my hands. If I’m correct, it was one of the first purchases I made with my paycheck as I entered the working class. Or maybe a laybuy? It was definitely a new experience for me. And here I am now, preparing my impressions about it’s seventh iteration as I’m lucky to have managed to work my way into the gaming space.
I wasn’t a fan of GT Sport to say the least. It’s not that it was bad, but maybe it was that it lacked soul. The reason to race. It was simply a paint by numbers tour of automotive acquisition. The lustre of the “grand tour” was dulled and the race took prominence. This may be because it was the newest version of the Concept series. Titles knowing for acting as placeholders until the next full release. But I feel it almost crippled the series.
Thankfully, Gran Turismo 7 (GT7) wastes no time in returning to its roots.
The world map opens after the introduction and sets you to work. Before that though, I’m going to talk about the anime Super Cub. A slice of life series, a young student finds her life changed by the Honda Super Cub bike. They find gratitude and comfort with new friends in cafes and stunning vistas. Which GT7 has somehow ended up recreating. A cafe with warm welcomes and literal workbooks will provide you with your way forward through the world of GT7.
If you’re like me, you’ll want to mod your car immediately. But that’s where GT7 sets the pace. It wants you to explore and get into the intimate details of what it means to be an enthusiast about motor vehicles. Whether it’s from the license tests (a staple of the franchise) through to the showrooms, the tuning shop and your own garage, the foundations of the series are all here but better for it.
The Grand Tour.
If you’ve been waiting for that pure Gran Turismo experience you remember, then GT7 has it in spades. From the graphical improvements which sees it performing at its best. To the spicy lack of load time and the ability to “go, go, go” thanks to the PlayStation 5. I’ve typically been a fan of the camera being outside the vehicle, but the sheer fidelity and feel of the game has me racing like I’m in whatever respective car at the time.
While the haptics are nice, the real winner for the DualSense are the adaptive triggers. Never have I felt like I’ve had such fine control over the pedals in a Gran Turismo game. The slight choke you can apply to ease into corners with the brake while gently accelerating felt truly innovative for the series, and has made every race a whole new sensation.
THE REAL DRIVING SIMULATOR
You've been waiting, and it's back.
Gran Turismo 7 lovingly captures the nostalgia of your youth, as it wraps you in a warm automotive embrace. Stupefying graphics are on display, as you watch your favourite vehicles wrap around the track in a fidelity the series has never seen before.
It's good to be back on the track!
