Growing up with a PlayStation and then upgrading to a PlayStation 2, it dawned upon me that I never actually owned a racing game. The only game to break through the mould was Need for Speed: Most Wanted, and that was solely because of the constant nagging of my friends to give it a go. I have yet to touch a Gran Turismo game, especially during its early days on the old consoles.
After a four-year hiatus, Polyphony Digital is back with Gran Turismo Sport, the first title out of the door for the PlayStation 4. This will be only my second racing simulation game as Need for Speed: Payback is riddled with enough microtransactions for me to contemplate spending my hard-earned cash on aesthetics (thanks, EA.)
The Realism is… real
Right off the bat, what sets Gran Turismo Sport apart from other racing games like the Need for Speed series, Driveclub and Project Cars is the amount of realism adopted into the game. Obviously, I wouldn’t be able to compare seeing as I’ve never touched any of those games but a quick search through YouTube already gave me the answers and true enough, Gran Turismo Sport is out to be the most realistic racing simulation game there is.
From what I can remember, racing games were just meant to be casual fun where holding down on the R2 button (if that’s your preferred choice) would keep your virtual foot on the accelerator while sporadically pressing the L2 button to break at corners and turns. Honestly speaking, Gran Turismo Sport made me question my own ability on driving a real car after playing it. Thinking it’ll be a walk in the park, I decided to do what was expected of a racing game, and boy did I get that wrong.
The secret behind Gran Turismo Sport is all about patience and moderation. If you jam down on the brakes, the car will skid across the tarmac and fly head-first into the barriers (much like how Paul Walker crashed his Porsche… too soon?) What you need to do is slowly apply pressure on the brakes rather than jamming a virtual foot on it, like what we see in the Fast and Furious franchise (thanks, Dom.)
What Makes It Tick
When I spoke about the realism in Gran Turismo Sport, I wasn’t kidding. Even in the Campaign Mode, you will have to go through a series of license trials, racing scenarios and such to give yourself a proper feel of the game. Much like how you would when wanting to get your real license, but in a more overly-exaggerated manner.
A lot of factors are included into the game to make it lifelike as well. From the glaring sunlight in your rear-view mirror or even right in front of you, Polyphony Digital has done immensely well in this aspect, making it really seem like you’re a professional driver. If you want to take it up a notch, you can purchase the steering wheel and pedal combo online, but it will set you back a pretty penny. I almost clicked checkout on a racing simulation set because I have no other obligations or girlfriends, so I can afford to splurge (I may sound like I’m bragging but I’m not.)
Challenge Friends and Foes
Much like how an actual race will work, this is where Polyphony Digital have done well in terms of its PvP element. Known as Sports Mode, you will be able to race against other players from around the world on the track. There will be daily races as well as championship races, which grant better rewards.
To qualify for the daily races, you will need to sign up for them and go through the qualifying phase before getting into the real race. One thing that can lead to some annoyance is the “Sportsmanship Rating”, which is right beside your PSN ID.
This is Polyphony Digital’s way of weening out the players with unsportsmanlike conduct. This includes blocking race leaders who are about to lap you and collisions. Of course, the game will reward you if you do clean overtakes and respecting your other drivers. But who are we kidding; it’s the internet. Everyone is going to be a big baby about it and not care about ratings… to a certain extent.
Once you’re bored with going through laps and cars, you may want to give Scapes Mode a go. As it is the game’s in-depth photo mode, this is where you can edit a freeze-frame of your shots in explicit detail. Picture Adobe Lightroom, but on cocaine. It also offers DSLR-like adjustments like aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings. This allows you to edit to your heart’s content on all your shots, which can then be uploaded onto social media via the Share button.
The Downside
Of course, what’s a game without its flaws, which Gran Turismo Sport has aplenty. From it’s limited tracks to its limited selection of cars. Sure, it promised 160 cars but in fact, there are only 33 car manufacturers part of the game. This means that there will be plenty of the same models but tuned to different settings for different races. Smart move.
With that said, I’m assuming there will be more content to come in the following months, in the form of DLCs. That is pretty much how the gaming community works these days anyway.
