Grand Touring 7 is about to officially arrive in the homes of all fans of motors and video games and, during the past few days, we have had the opportunity to try this new chapter of the racing saga for a long time. Polyphony Digital, putting its playful formula to the test. The racing game packaged by the software house convinced us in several respects, let’s go and discover them in ours review of Gran Turismo 7.
Gran Turismo 7: our review
Gran Turismo is one of those racing games that has always tried to innovate its playful formula by keeping its feet planted in some cornerstones that have always characterized the franchiseas the to say the least obsessive reproduction of cars of the game and the made the driving model as realistic as possiblealso appreciated by professionals in the sector for its depth.
But most of all, perhaps, the soul of Gran Turismo has always been love towards l’automotive in all its forms, a love that is immediately visible also in this chapter, which from the very first moments of the game makes us understand in no uncertain terms that it is a product made by motor lovers dedicated above all to those who share this passion with them .
The very long opening film is proof of this, given that it is essentially a short film that traces the history of cars from their origins to the present day. It is no coincidence that the game is structured as a large (but not huge) sandbox, where the automotive culture can be felt everywhere; on the other hand the same Kazunori Yamauchi he described it as a “car life simulator”.
The activities to be carried out in the game are in fact divided on a sort of rather basic world map, from which we will be able to access the various activities available in the game, from the races to the concessionaire, passing through short interludes to the Grand Tourism Cafe, in practice, a real campaign mode of the game. The impression one gets while playing is almost that of being a theme park, which we particularly appreciated, despite a small initial disorientation.
What car is on the menu?
After selecting a difficulty level, among which there is also an option for all those who are unfamiliar with driving games, and having bought a starting used car, we were immediately presented with the backbone of the experience game of Gran Turismo 7, or the Gran Turismo Cafean elegant virtual venue accessible from the world map where we will be able to obtain a wide range of tasks.
These requests will be entrusted to us by Luca, the owner of the bar, through menus that we will have to complete by obtaining a selection of iconic cars divided according to various criteria, such as the type of car or the nationality of the manufacturer. To win the required cars we will have to face races in various parts of the world, usually placing ourselves in the top three positions.
Yes it comes to an interesting mix between a game campaign and a long tuorial, given that as new menus are unlocked it will also be natural to familiarize yourself with all the game dynamics that Gran Turismo 7 offers. At the same time it is also pleasant to follow, given that at each menu completed Luca will tell us something more about the cars he has just obtained, but not only.
In fact, some will stop at the café designers and engineers well known, who will share with us some interesting goodies about the newly obtained engines. The information that the game gives us is many and well-timed, to the point that we could almost speak of a real work of full-blown cataloging, also thanks to the sections museum for the cars that make their welcome return.
Of course, this structure also has a very important basic flaw: excessive linearity, which may please a neophyte, but will not fail to raise an eyebrow to the most seasoned veterans, who might find it really verbose.
Cars
But obviously the absolute protagonists of Gran Turismo 7 are the cars, impossible not to mention in the review and present in huge quantities in this new chapter of the franchise. Counting all the more than 50 brands present in the game, the roster of cars amounts to approx 400 unitseach of which, as per tradition, characterized down to the smallest detail, both as regards the bodywork and the interiors.
The places from which we will be able to buy the cars for this tour will be three different structures: the used car dealer, the Grand Central (which has the largest selection) and the legendary car dealer, which offers the rarest models, as the name suggests, at a very high price however. During the progression you will initially find yourself referring to used cars, and then move on to Grand Central.
Note that in the used car dealership you may occasionally come across vintage patterns, particularly rare and expensive, that you may want to add to your collection if there is one for sale. It must be said that during our test we almost never really felt the need to buy cars, if not for ends collectiblesgiven that those received as a prize from the races seemed to us to be sufficiently performing.
An element of the game that has not totally convinced us is the management and obtaining of credits to buy these cars, which after a certain point in the game become rather difficult to recover in such quantities as to be able to grab this or that model that attracts our attention. We would therefore have appreciated the slightly more abundant rewards for the victory in the races, because at the moment the progression is very penalized.
Races and game modes
As surely as you have already guessed it is once upon a time on the track that Gran Turismo 7 shows all its muscles, also thanks to a truly impressive amount of content. Both localities and i traced they are many and varied, while at this lap each track will host different types of competitions, a novelty for the series. The also return Experiences Plotchallenges dedicated to those who want to hone their skills to perfection.
They also make their return mode driving licenses (which will make you sweat the proverbial seven shirts at the highest levels), the sports fashion and the mode Scapes e Photos at Gara, specially designed for all those who want to take pictures of their vehicles in action and which touches on one of our weak points as players. Obviously the game modes certainly do not stop there, since we also find the Drag Race, le missioni, i Time Trial e i Drift trial to complete the playful picture of the game.
Also present is the split screen multiplayer mode, another element that we very much appreciated and ideal for evenings with friends. And we have not yet mentioned the more than excellent soundtrack, consisting of over 300 songs further enhanced by the mode Music Rally, perhaps the one that enjoyed us the most during our test.
These races are definitely peculiar: it will no longer be strictly necessary to excel on the track, but rather to enjoy the driving experience with good background music; but be careful: you will also have to be careful to reach the checkpoint signaled in the circuit in such a way as to reload a special timer and make the music go on. Nothing too complex then, but certainly relaxing and fun at the right point.
In any case, it will be necessary to carefully evaluate which car to use for each of these modes, since each of these comes with some precise characteristics, such as PP, which define its performance once per wheel.
The tuning
Finally, in this review of Gran Turismo 7 we cannot fail to mention the component of tuning of your car, which offers a a surprising amount of possibilities, to say the least. In the various customization screens we will be able to act on practically every aspect of the car, from the suspensions, passing through the tires up to even the aerodynamics of the bodywork.
Clearly all these changes will directly impact on PP (performance points) of the car, which are calculated in the background by the game as we apply the changes. Once these are confirmed, it will be possible to test the car immediately in a testcomparing the new performances to the previous ones in a simple and fast way.
Obviously there are also the cosmetic changespresent in boundless numbers and which will allow you to create your dream car, if you are willing to devote enough time to it.
Technical sector and conclusions
We close our review of Gran Turismo 7 with a small insight into the very solid technical sector of the game. First of all the simulation work fielded by the guys of Polyphony is really of a high level, with an extremely realistic rendering of the physics of the cars, even when these are solicited in bizarre ways and not exactly the result of an exemplary driving.
Driving in Gran Turismo 7 is almost always a pleasure, given also and above all the commitment that the team has put into rendering on the screen the authentic sensations that you have once at the wheel of our racing car, thanks to the sound design, the effect wake and the painstaking characterization of the performance of each individual car.
To all this is added the yield of weather forecast very convincing, especially as regards the wet effect during and after the rain, which combined …