Hi everyone. So this weekend, I borrowed my friend's PS4 and his copy of Gran Turismo Sport, to try out the game for the first time since launch, cause I heard the game got a lot of updates that improved it significantly. At launch, I thought the amount of content was pitiful, hated the online focus and the fact that game was 99% online only, hated the lack of traditional meaty single player campaign, the removal of dynamic weather and time of day, traditional upgrading, lack of old cars, and more.
So needless to say, I went back in with low expectations. For some background knowledge, my favourite GT game is Gran Turismo 4. Still the magnum opus of the series. Takes GT3, makes the physics better, add boatloads of content, while bringing in new features like B-Spec and Photo Mode. The single player campaign mode is the BEST in any racing game EVER. Though I really liked GT2 and GT3 as well, great games all around.
Now GT5 and GT6, in my opinion, are an inconsistent, muddled, mess. Felt like a hodge-podge of assets from all the GT's. Now with GT5, it's now 2010, six years after GT4, on brand new hardware. Still using PS2 era cars dating back to GT3, and also GTPSP cars too. A lot of the older tracks that are carried over, like Trial Mountain and Laguna Seca. Just so they can write "1000 cars!" on the back of the box. There's a huge jarring gulf in quality between the new assets and the old. And I swear some of those tire squels are still from GT1. Too much repetition with some of the cars, like having 30 miatas and 40 civics. Just plain filler.
Meanwhile, Look Car audio and sfx that are way behind than any of the competition. Non-existant damage model. Not being able to do visual customization to your car. In 2004 it could pass, but in 2010, it's a no-no. The framereate was inconsistent, the loading times too long, menu cumbersume, and more.
The career mode, while still good, felt a step back from GT4. Most notably, only being allowed to get a prize car once, and the level system which barred you from getting cars you could comfortably afford. There were much less events in GT4 too. This is most certainly because of the increased focus on online, which I wouldn't paticularly mind, except they shut the servers down in just 4 YEARS.
I think the problem is they went too overambtious with this game, with how much they tried to add. That a lot of the additions feel half baked, like the track creator.
GT6 solved some stuff (better menus, better loading times, somewhat better graphics on tracks, removal of level system), but it didnt shake off those god-awful PS2 assets, which still makes it just a slightly less bloated mess than GT5.
The first two generation of GT had an established formula of new game with brand new assets, than the second games that takes those assets expands the amount of content significantly. GT5/6 should've followed that trajectory.
The physics and driving are great as always, but the package around it is just so bad.
Forza motorsport 3 and 4 absolutely destroys these games.
Enter GT Sport. Polyphony has FINALLY hit the reboot button, which was ten years overdue.
- Handling model is amazing, no surprise since it's GT.
- The online focus, while I hated it at first, I've realized how good the online is. Very stable servers, and just fun, clean racing, with it's regulation system. It isn't perfect (namely the penalty system being isnconsistent), but it gets the job done. The fact that races are at set times adds more weight and importance to them, I like it. Gives you time to practice the track. This online focus isn't for me, but I appreciate how good it is.
- Gone are the PS2 assets, every single car and track is built from the ground up especially for PS4. It's very consistent with it's quality. Man, these graphics are breathtaking. It's up there with the top dogs like Red Dead and Forza Horizon when it comes to graphics. But GT is more impressive, because it runs at a silky smooth 60 fps, which none of those other games do. These car and track models are simply the best in the business, unmatched by anybody else.
- Holy shit, the presentation and menus are sublime, the menus and music just reek of classyness. Replays are perfect too. Loading times quick.
- Scapes are great, you can spend hours and hours just tinkering around and getting shots.
- Finally, a livery editor, a very good one as well! Long overdue feature.
- PD has made big leaps and bounds when it comes to sound. Cars now sound pretty good, and you can tell them apart now.
- There's actually a very good selection of cars and tracks now after all the updates. Even if it's just shy of 300, the list cover the entire automotive spectrum pretty well. It has a little bit of everything. From your 90's JDM, to your 50's and 60's antiques, to your modern race cars, to a bit of rally, a bit of kei cars, and PORSCHES!
All this without feeling the list is bloated.
- Vision GT: It's pretty cool that manufactures made concept cars just for GT, and a lot these are pretty cool too, I really like driving these concept cars.
- Surprising amount of single player content for a online-centered game. The driver's school does well to teah you how to get better at the game, very helpful. Circuit experience mode is great too. Mission Challenge, the best mode of the game, gives you unique tasks and scenarios on the track to do, mixing things up a little. And finally, GT League is blast from the the past, and acts as the "traditional" campaign, not quite as full fledged as the previous games, but it compliments the other modes well. It's a decent suite of content.
- The love for cars just shows. I like thing like the brand museums to get a brief history of a lot of the manufacturers.
- I like the way cars are dished out with the daily gifts, and how you progress in the game. It's wierdly satisfying (though dont expect it to be like previous GT games)
- Damage model is a bit better than previous games, and time applied to every vehicle in the game.
There are things I dont like, like being always online, lack of dynamic time and weather, the upgrade system, B-spec, . Which all have been in previous games, and is taken away in this one. So it's not perfect by any means. Doesnt quite hit the heights of GT4 for me, which is one of the best games ever made.
However, it's tons better than the last few entries, GT5P, GT5, GT6, GTPSP, the best entry in the series in more than a decade. Polyphony Digital has got their mojo back.
It's a great game in general. Do I prefer it to it's arch competitor, Forza Motorsport 7? Uhh.. that's hard to say. In a way, Forza 7 is a better "Gran Turismo" game, than GT Sport. By that I mean, the big, meaty, car collectathon caRPG, all the previous games were. If you prefer those games, that F7 is the game for you. It's GT5 and GT6 done right. Lowkey, Forza 7 has also made an 180 since launch, and is now a fantastic game (it's not far behind FM4 for the best in the motorsport series). I'll do a thread on F7 in a month or so. Back to the topic at hand.
So to sum it all up, Gran Turismo Sport has brought the series back on track, in a way I though was not possible, after the dissapointment that were the PS3/PSP era of GT games. Getting my own PS4 soon to play some of it's exclsusives, and this one is the first one on my to buy list.
Cheers.
So needless to say, I went back in with low expectations. For some background knowledge, my favourite GT game is Gran Turismo 4. Still the magnum opus of the series. Takes GT3, makes the physics better, add boatloads of content, while bringing in new features like B-Spec and Photo Mode. The single player campaign mode is the BEST in any racing game EVER. Though I really liked GT2 and GT3 as well, great games all around.
Now GT5 and GT6, in my opinion, are an inconsistent, muddled, mess. Felt like a hodge-podge of assets from all the GT's. Now with GT5, it's now 2010, six years after GT4, on brand new hardware. Still using PS2 era cars dating back to GT3, and also GTPSP cars too. A lot of the older tracks that are carried over, like Trial Mountain and Laguna Seca. Just so they can write "1000 cars!" on the back of the box. There's a huge jarring gulf in quality between the new assets and the old. And I swear some of those tire squels are still from GT1. Too much repetition with some of the cars, like having 30 miatas and 40 civics. Just plain filler.
Meanwhile, Look Car audio and sfx that are way behind than any of the competition. Non-existant damage model. Not being able to do visual customization to your car. In 2004 it could pass, but in 2010, it's a no-no. The framereate was inconsistent, the loading times too long, menu cumbersume, and more.
The career mode, while still good, felt a step back from GT4. Most notably, only being allowed to get a prize car once, and the level system which barred you from getting cars you could comfortably afford. There were much less events in GT4 too. This is most certainly because of the increased focus on online, which I wouldn't paticularly mind, except they shut the servers down in just 4 YEARS.
I think the problem is they went too overambtious with this game, with how much they tried to add. That a lot of the additions feel half baked, like the track creator.
GT6 solved some stuff (better menus, better loading times, somewhat better graphics on tracks, removal of level system), but it didnt shake off those god-awful PS2 assets, which still makes it just a slightly less bloated mess than GT5.
The first two generation of GT had an established formula of new game with brand new assets, than the second games that takes those assets expands the amount of content significantly. GT5/6 should've followed that trajectory.
The physics and driving are great as always, but the package around it is just so bad.
Forza motorsport 3 and 4 absolutely destroys these games.
Enter GT Sport. Polyphony has FINALLY hit the reboot button, which was ten years overdue.
- Handling model is amazing, no surprise since it's GT.
- The online focus, while I hated it at first, I've realized how good the online is. Very stable servers, and just fun, clean racing, with it's regulation system. It isn't perfect (namely the penalty system being isnconsistent), but it gets the job done. The fact that races are at set times adds more weight and importance to them, I like it. Gives you time to practice the track. This online focus isn't for me, but I appreciate how good it is.
- Gone are the PS2 assets, every single car and track is built from the ground up especially for PS4. It's very consistent with it's quality. Man, these graphics are breathtaking. It's up there with the top dogs like Red Dead and Forza Horizon when it comes to graphics. But GT is more impressive, because it runs at a silky smooth 60 fps, which none of those other games do. These car and track models are simply the best in the business, unmatched by anybody else.
- Holy shit, the presentation and menus are sublime, the menus and music just reek of classyness. Replays are perfect too. Loading times quick.
- Scapes are great, you can spend hours and hours just tinkering around and getting shots.
- Finally, a livery editor, a very good one as well! Long overdue feature.
- PD has made big leaps and bounds when it comes to sound. Cars now sound pretty good, and you can tell them apart now.
- There's actually a very good selection of cars and tracks now after all the updates. Even if it's just shy of 300, the list cover the entire automotive spectrum pretty well. It has a little bit of everything. From your 90's JDM, to your 50's and 60's antiques, to your modern race cars, to a bit of rally, a bit of kei cars, and PORSCHES!
All this without feeling the list is bloated.
- Vision GT: It's pretty cool that manufactures made concept cars just for GT, and a lot these are pretty cool too, I really like driving these concept cars.
- Surprising amount of single player content for a online-centered game. The driver's school does well to teah you how to get better at the game, very helpful. Circuit experience mode is great too. Mission Challenge, the best mode of the game, gives you unique tasks and scenarios on the track to do, mixing things up a little. And finally, GT League is blast from the the past, and acts as the "traditional" campaign, not quite as full fledged as the previous games, but it compliments the other modes well. It's a decent suite of content.
- The love for cars just shows. I like thing like the brand museums to get a brief history of a lot of the manufacturers.
- I like the way cars are dished out with the daily gifts, and how you progress in the game. It's wierdly satisfying (though dont expect it to be like previous GT games)
- Damage model is a bit better than previous games, and time applied to every vehicle in the game.
There are things I dont like, like being always online, lack of dynamic time and weather, the upgrade system, B-spec, . Which all have been in previous games, and is taken away in this one. So it's not perfect by any means. Doesnt quite hit the heights of GT4 for me, which is one of the best games ever made.
However, it's tons better than the last few entries, GT5P, GT5, GT6, GTPSP, the best entry in the series in more than a decade. Polyphony Digital has got their mojo back.
It's a great game in general. Do I prefer it to it's arch competitor, Forza Motorsport 7? Uhh.. that's hard to say. In a way, Forza 7 is a better "Gran Turismo" game, than GT Sport. By that I mean, the big, meaty, car collectathon caRPG, all the previous games were. If you prefer those games, that F7 is the game for you. It's GT5 and GT6 done right. Lowkey, Forza 7 has also made an 180 since launch, and is now a fantastic game (it's not far behind FM4 for the best in the motorsport series). I'll do a thread on F7 in a month or so. Back to the topic at hand.
So to sum it all up, Gran Turismo Sport has brought the series back on track, in a way I though was not possible, after the dissapointment that were the PS3/PSP era of GT games. Getting my own PS4 soon to play some of it's exclsusives, and this one is the first one on my to buy list.
Cheers.
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