Gran Turismo Sport could be the driving game car fans have been waiting for
FROM cornering to accelerating, drifting, braking or just generally driving, each car has its own character which shines through.
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IT’S been a good month for motor racing games — no sooner had I climbed out of the driver’s seat of Forza Motorsport 7 and taken my racing helmet off, Sony released their own hi-tech driving game for PlayStation 4.
Gran Turismo Sport is the latest in the venerable Gran Turismo series, which bills itself as “the real driving simulator”.
Of course, for most of us, “real driving” involves being stuck in rush hour traffic or spending 83 per cent of our time keeping an eye on the speedo lest it creep marginally over the limit and generate an expensive impromptu photo opportunity from Constable Kodak, but that wouldn’t be a very fun game.
Fortunately, developer Polyphony Digital’s definition of “real driving” involves being out on a track in a range of racing cars, most of which are ludicrously expensive and very, very good at what they do.
Each of the game’s numerous cars comes with a write up and all the technical specifications you could want. Unfortunately, much of it appears to have come straight from the PR companies of the manufacturers and the end result is I found a lot of it feeling self-serving or like an ad for super expensive cars.
There aren’t a vast number of tracks in the game, either, and while the ones that are there are well done, nothing leapt out at me as particularly memorable or iconic.
The user interface is a mess, too — it looks like it belongs on PC rather than console, with menus everywhere that seem to lead to more menus.
Where Gran Turismo Sport shines is its driving handling. I don’t know what sort of witchcraft Polyphony have performed under the bonnet of this game, but the handling of the cars is outstanding — from cornering, accelerating, drifting, braking or just generally driving, each car has its own character which comes through prominently even on a standard controller.
It really is amazing and the technical team behind it deserve acknowledgment for bringing the performance driving experience to life so vividly.
The graphics are excellent too, particularly on a PS4 Pro running in 4K — they’re very detailed, with car interiors rendered to add to the immersion and create the feeling you really are driving a car which costs eye-watering amounts of money.
The “Driving School” seems to be aimed at people who have never seen a car in their lives, with tasks such as “Drive in a straight line” and “turn the steering wheel from side to side a bit while driving in a straight line”.
Gran Turismo Sport is supremely detailed and looks amazing, and as a PlayStation 4 exclusive it’s something platform owners can be excited about, but at the same time if you’ve got a PC or Xbox One X you’ve got the outstanding Forza Motorsport 7 instead — which has far more cars in it.
Having said that, the garage for Gran Turismo is pretty big too, with cars from all the major racing manufacturers including Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Chevrolet, Ford and Aston Martin, among many others.
There’s also a photo mode, allowing you to position cars from your garage in front of a range of iconic and scenic backdrops and create your own photos straight out of a glossy brochure or high-quality automotive magazine.
The single-player mode of Gran Turismo sport is also clearly aimed at getting drivers ready for the very serious online multiplayer component, which is set up like a proper racing season and gives off pretty strong Serious eSport vibes; you have to watch five minutes of videos on “sportsmanship” and “not being a complete muppet on the track” before you can race against other players.
Races run every few minutes, and while you’re waiting you can run qualifying laps to determine your starting place. The matchmaking seems to work well — the other opponents I encountered were of a similar skill and driving similar cars — so that aspect of the game was well done too.
If you’re a fan of performance cars and pure racing — and most importantly, own a PlayStation 4 — you’ll want to be starting the ignition on Gran Turismo Sport. There’s a lot here to fiddle and tinker with and the driving feel is frankly phenomenal.
However, if you’re more of an arcade/casual racer, the depth and involvement might seem off-putting, especially if you just want to jump online every now and then and compete in a single race against other people.
Overall, Gran Turismo Sport is a remarkable racing game and one that’s very much worth adding to the garage if you’re a PS4 owner with a fondness for all things automotive — just don’t go in expecting a casual arcade racer.
Originally published as Gran Turismo Sport could be the driving game car fans have been waiting for