Playstation's cult racing series sets out to overtake. The word "Sport" in the title instead of the version number 7 gives you an indication of the direction in which the latest spin-off is heading. The change of direction only pays off to a limited extent.
The time has finally come. After almost four years, a new instalment of the legendary racing series is being released. "Gran Turismo Sport" has always been one of the top racing simulations on the market. Even at first glance, you can tell that developer Polyphony Digital wants to show just how much power the Playstation 4 has to offer.
The series has been known for its fantastic graphics and realistic driving experience since the first "Gran Turismo" for the Playstation 1 in the 1990s. The best way to get this feeling is with a good gaming steering wheel and pedals. "GT Sport" offers many opportunities to learn to drive properly and have fun at the same time. There is even a menu with a driving school section that offers up to 50 driving lessons so that you are perfectly equipped for the races. With each lesson, you can reach three levels (bronze, silver and gold), which encourages you to try several times. I strongly recommend that you visit the driving school if you have never played a racing simulation before or want to improve your skills. (Racing) sport, with all its rules and finesse, is not just an adornment in the title of the new "Gran Turismo".
"Gran Turismo" currently offers around 160 cars. Compared to "Forza Motorsport 7" or GT 6 with over 1000 (!) vehicles, this is a bit meagre. But there is finally a fully modelled Cockpit. Car manufacturers from all over the world have designed various original vehicles for this racing game, as well as prototypes that you can test with great pleasure. Almost every detail of the existing vehicles has been modelled down to the last detail and there are realistic dents in the event of a crash.
The classic campaign mode from before is barely recognisable. In the seventh instalment, missions are simply strung together. At the start of the game, most race tracks and cars are locked. You can take part in one-off races against the AI, time trials, drift trials, split-screen two-player battles and the limited VR mode. New rewards are unlocked with victories in Arcade mode. With every race you win credits, miles, distance travelled and an improved driver rating. The credits can be used to buy new vehicles, while the accumulated distances give you a new vehicle as a gift, which is actually amazing as you can get several vehicles at once. Almost every vehicle can be customised with fantasy and real brand logos. It looks quite funny when you decorate your vehicle with the Zurich Insurance logo and enter an online game :D.
Online games are known to be tied to servers. However, the rest of the game is now also online-based. In the past, you could still play offline without any problems. In "Gran Turismo Sport", the majority of the game is not accessible without an internet connection. Buying new cars, viewing the garage, editing car paintwork and even sending photos of cars is only possible with an active connection. Not even progress is saved if the servers or the internet go down - a problem that should not be underestimated.
The improved graphics engine enables 4K resolution at 60 FPS and HDR on a PS4 Pro, which guarantees vivid colours. Compared to other racing simulations such as "Forza Motorsport 7", you can effectively see a difference in the image quality. However, this only applies when comparing the console versions. "Forza" is also available for PC, where it overtakes "GT". Nevertheless, "Gran Turismo Sport" places a lot of emphasis on the visual presentation, while "Forza Motorsports 7" emphasises the sensitivity of the steering somewhat more. The steering in "GT" with a normal Dualshock controller takes a lot of getting used to. It is therefore advisable to gain a lot of experience in driving school before attempting a race.
If I had to choose between "Forza Motorsports 7" and "Gran Turismo Sport", Microsoft's racing simulation would be the clear winner. I have a very powerful PC at home and play "Forza" with a standard Xbox controller and have to admit that it looks a lot better than "GT Sport" on the standard PS4. The steering sensitivity and the suspension feel more realistic than in the Japanese competitor. "GT Sport" seems to have been asleep for a little too long and without a steering wheel it's only half as much fun. I hope that the next instalment will do better without the "Sport" tag.
