Review - Gran Turismo 7 (PS5) | WayTooManyGames

WTMG's Leo Faria: "Gran Turismo 7 was a mixed experience. I love its car loving philosophy, giving us gearheads a playground to mess around with some of the most beautiful and powerful machines ever created. Sadly, for every aspect Polyphony has knocked out of the park, such as the quality of the models and the Music Rally mode, there was something else that made the overall package feel like a glorified PS3 racing game covered with a next-gen, ray-traced coat of paint. The dated controls, the annoying hand-holding, the irritating UI, the single worst third-person camera system in a modern racing game, all of those made me realize that, at the end of the day, despite being uglier than this brand new 2022 title, I’d rather stick to Gran Turismo 6 instead. Or any of the countless racing simulators currently available on the PS5 and Xbox Series X."

[peppeaccardo]

This gentleman is entitled to have his opinion on a game which mayh or may not enjoy to its fullest ... HOWEVER HE CANNOT CALL HIMSELEF GEARHEAD ... this game has EVERYTHING a GearHead loves about cars:
- Unparalleled Driving Physics
- Amazing car models
- Best cars sound
- Fantastic tracks design
- Hours to spare in the livery editor
- Centuries to spend in the photo mode
- MIllenia to enjoy in multiplayer and Sport mode
- Years to collect and cusomize cars
.. and the list goes on and on !!

DUDE it is ok if you did not like it for the reason you have mentioned and it is ok ... BUT YOU ARE NOT A GEARHEAD!!

[porkChop]

All those things are fantastic, but if there are other issues that bring the experience down for him he has a right to that opinion. It doesn't make him any less of a gearhead just because some nobody on the internet said so.

[Knushwood Butt]

'The dated controls'.

[porkChop]

In the review they clarify what they mean by dated. Compared to other sims they think the controls feel too stiff and haven't progressed at all from previous GT titles. Dated controls are something any other game gets docked for, so why should GT be different?

[nickanasty206]

Dated controls are a huge issue. Look at The Last Guardian. Was an excellent game riddled with dated controls and camera movement. That ultimately destroyed the experience for a lot of people.

[yeahokwhatever]

wtf IS dated about the controls in GT7? what a stupid opinion.

[ScootaKuH]

And those dated controls he talked about are the same as practically any other racer out there. Also no mention that the game has a lot of ways to customise those controls if you want to. But hey, they're dated.

[Knushwood Butt]

I read the review and there are so many problems with it that I haven't got enough time to call them all out.

I will just say the reviewer calls some tracks as looking 'cheap', and backs it up with a screenshot of Suzuka. It's a real circuit! What do they expect? Laser projections on the track surface.? They then go on to say ACC looks better!!! I have ACC on PS5 and in no way do the circuits look better or any less 'cheap'.

[EazyC]

The driving physics are not "unparalleled", and car sounds are as good in other sims.

[philm87]

In terms of how the cars drive compared to their real life counterparts I think they are.

[Gaming4Life1981]

Everything you said is your opinion. This guy expressed his opinion on a game he is reviewing and explained why. You saying he is not a gearhead is also your opinion.

[peppeaccardo]

agree :)

[Michiel1989]

didnt know there was a monopoly on being a gearhead

[yeahokwhatever]

well, now you know.

[strifeblade]

Mate you forgot that there is 0 damage in this game. And that graphically forza horizon 5 looks better when playing and that is an open world game. Polyphony dropped the ball there

[iplay1up2]

I don't know. I haven't played it myself yet, but in many reviews graphically say they are even better than Horizon 5, which looks amazing. The videos I have watched of GT7 look fantastic. I think calling it a "Glorified P3 game" is an insult!

[porkChop]

He doesn't mean PS3 in terms of graphics. "The dated controls, the annoying hand-holding, the irritating UI, the single worst third-person camera system in a modern racing game".

[Knushwood Butt]

Then goes on to say they would rather play GT6, a PS3 game.

[porkChop]

Right. If you actually read the whole review rather than just the conclusion you'd understand why they said that.

[Army_of_Darkness]

Hey @porkchop!
Wanna join my team?? I think you'd make a great Defenseman 😉😏

[porkChop]

Lmfao

[ScootaKuH]

But all of those can be turned off. Don't like the auto brake? Switch it off then, likewise the racing line, ABS, fuel consumption. Pretty much every aspect of the game can be tweaked in some way so the "annoying hand holding" really isn't a valid criticism. They're they're for those that want assistance but by no means are they forced

[porkChop]

@Scoota

Seriously, guys, just read the review because it's obvious none of you have. When they talk about hand-holding it has nothing to do with auto braking, racing lines, ABS, etc.

"This is, in fact, a very slow-paced, extremely hand-holdy, and very linear series of mandatory objectives which basically dictate which race you should attempt next, which cars you should buy, which categories to explore. Most of the game’s car categories, modes, stores, and tracks can only be unlocked by accepting these linear objectives, so the café acts more as your quest hub. Gone is the possibility of just choosing your own path, as long as you had the appropriate racing license. While I do understand that this makes GT7 more appealing to newcomers, it turns this entire career mode into a borefest for veterans."

This isn't just some guy talking shit. It's valid criticism from someone who has clearly played and enjoyed previous GT games.

[IRetrouk]

It only handholds you untill you unlock all the modes, once that's done its a case of choosing to do more menus or entering whatever events you want, there is plenty to do beside the menus including championships and missions.

[yeahokwhatever]

"dated controls" = completely customizable controls and highly advanced force feedback
"annoying hand holding" = has a tutorial
"irritating UI" = has a deep menu system
"single worst third-person camera system in a modern racing game" = single worst third-person camera system in a modern racing game

[ChubbyBlade]

It’s pretty obvious you didn’t read because he’s not talking about the graphics….

[Jin_Sakai]

“but in many reviews graphically say they are even better than Horizon 5, which looks amazing“

I think the lighting and cars are the best I’ve ever seen in a racing game but the tracks aren’t that great looking.

The interior view is nice and I really like the wobble effect but they outside view is stiff as a board which kind of sucks.

As for the UI, they need to ditch the outdated mouse pointer used to navigate the menus.

[Om4ever]

Honestly every man that played horizon 5 will disagree with you ...horizon 5 is a better looking game AND it's an open world !!!

[Latex74]

Sorry but I've played forza 5 infact all of them an gt has always been better with graphics far better infact gt7 looks blood amazing on my oled tv . And yes I love forza 5 it's a great game . Yes it's open world

[MadLad]

Not to mention it's in an actual open world. Not on linear tracks.

Racing games have always been one of the easiest games to pretty up, simply because you didn't need to render a whole bunch at one time.

[senorfartcushion]

They are when you zoom in. Everything else has overall less polish. I have GT7 but have not played any Forza game. I prefer tracks to open world games. I know from just playing one which is the better looking game.

GT7 is accurate though. I was watching a film yesterday with a race track in from the game and recognised each turn 😂

[kayoss]

“The glorified ps3 game…and dated controls”. It’s a racing game that have the option to connect a steering wheel. How would try to reinvent the controls for a racing game that requires you to press the gas, brake, and steer?
For the hand holding critique, he should turn off the assist.

[elazz]

R2 drive, L2 brake, left analog steering...like all racing games :p
Controls are good. And you can modify almost everything to your liking or use a good steering wheel.

[sagapo]

Back in the day with GT1 I used left stick for steering a right stick for gas/brake, ‘cause L2/R2 were just buttons then, not triggers like now. Took some time to adjust to it, but in the end got better laptimes because of smoother riding and better control of gas/brake :)

[Kurt Russell]

@sagapo - I am so annoyed I didn't think of that back in the day myself!

[Charlieboy333]

You can even use motion control for steering which is even better than the analogue stick in my opinion.

[yeahokwhatever]

sagapo - ps2 GT was awesome because the PS2 had a completely analog controller. I used the d-pad and face buttons, all of which were pressure sensitive. it was perfect. it really bothers me that the ps5 has worse buttons than the ps2.

[Father__Merrin]

His reasons scream fanboy Ness the controls? If anything it's got the best controls out there not only full wheel support but dual sence support. This site should be struck off n4g it's OK not liking a game but at least be realistic about it

[coolbeans]

-"This site should be struck off n4g"

You know you can just challenge the review, right? We're not going to muzzle sites just because they bother you.

[John_McClane]

Yeah, I'm not a fan of censorship.

[MadLad]

It's Merrin.

He has many strong takes.
Not always necessarily good ones; but strong ones.

[Michiel1989]

just because it supports a wheel + dual sense doesnt mean the controls are great...so every steam game that supports gamepads + mouse and keyboard also automatically have the best controls out there?

[yeahokwhatever]

the controls in GT are completely customizable. calling the controls "dated" is inexcusable.

[Michiel1989]

you missed my point, he says they are the best controls just because they support both the ps5 controller and a wheel, which is in my opinion the bare minimum for a racing game on ps5. Maybe the customization of those are great, idk im not a racing game fan. but with his logic anything that supports basically the bare minimum controllers is "the best controls".

[Binarycode]

I've played most racing games. it's ok if you don't like something. But to say the game has dated controls. WTF.

What I've noticed in GT games above all else and the control system is spot on. I know on the controller when I'm at the limit. GTSPORT even provides this.

Has the best lighting in a racing game. Has the correct rain/spray when racing in the wet. Other games get this wrong with Hollywood fx,lol. This is a sim.

Sounds are excellent since GTSPORT and some close enough. No game is perfect in this regard. Forza overdoes this sound and makes every car sound too throaty.

The 3rd person Camera View can be adjusted. But again. A Gearhead does not drive in 3rd person view. lol

Most Gearheads use a Wheel and use either the clear view with no car in view, or cockpit view.

I want racing games to have a mode for MP that locks the race to cockpit like it would be in real life. Makes a massive difference.

The Review is a strange one. But opinions.

[Rdeal]

At least in other games you can see the rain and the floor gets wet, i like this game a lot but to mention the rain as a good thing makes me laugh when it's one of the worst things about the game and the third person camera is weird doesn't feel right and please don't call this a sim when the crash/bump physics are a joke also the graphics are worse than Forza 7 which is a 5 year old game, you can tell this is a PS4 game with a better res

[purple101]

It is indeed a jazzed up ps4 game I agree.

Physics are better than Forza though. By a country mile.

Even the older GTsport has better physics than Forza.

Also. dualSense.. I have this game on ps5, and let me tell you absolute game-changer with that controller. You MUST try it if you like racing games..

No damage in gt games yes your correct. They always actively encouraging you to race clean as well but I still think no damage is a cop out.

Saying all that it's still a ridiculously good game. Deserves an 8/10 minimum. What did this guy give GTsport
.. because gt7 is just like that but small improvements everywhere. Ohh yeh.. and the controller is off the hook!

[yeahokwhatever]

GT3 has better physics than forza. forza is basically cruisin' usa of the modern era. perfectly fun, but silly.

[dmonee]

Gran Turismo isn’t for everybody. I totally understand why some racing fans, think it’s the greatest racer ever, but I can also understand why someone would feel underwhelmed after playing this. It’s the best Gran Turismo game I’ve ever played, but certainly not the most fun I’ve had playing a racing game. Other racing sims are just more fun to play. This is definitely the most realistic feeling racing sim. With the assists off it’s like I’ve never played a racing game before. I never got that feeling playing games like project cars without the assists. Gran Turismo 7 has humbled me as far as racing a car around a track. I can see why this reviewer gave it a 7. In my opinion this game is at its best, when your racing alone on a track or against one other car. Racing against 20 other cars, without any sort of car damage,and rolling starts in last place feels antiquated to me, and feels cheap. I’m still hoping that there will be future updates to maybe add pole positioning for cpu races. I doubt they will do anything with that.

[RickRoland]

It doesn’t have damage? I guess my 350z scratched and dented up was a figment of my imagination. GT7 has damage, it just doesn’t have exaggerated damage.

[darthv72]

Replace "exaggerated" for "realistic" and then your comment makes sense.

FWIW, the game has bumps & bruises / nicks & scrapes, but nothing close to realism as other racers have.

[RickRoland]

“It is simple things like that which can separate real drivers from amateurs. so you would want to drive better so you dont end up in situations where your vehicle is compromised in performance. Having superficial damage in GT7 is just for show and has no real weight on the skill of the player as you can ping pong around the track and still come in first. So if that was what Yamauchi was going for then he needs to remove the words "Real Driving Simulator" from the brand”

Perhaps you misunderstand. GT7 has mechanical damage for collisions.

[RickRoland]

"Replace "exaggerated" for "realistic" and then your comment makes sense.

FWIW, the game has bumps & bruises / nicks & scrapes, but nothing close to realism as other racers have."

Sure, bumpers aren't hanging off...but I'm pretty sure the effort to add such things in unnecessary considering the point is to have a clean race, not play bumper cars. Having some visual deterioration and a mechanical impact on the vehicle being driven is plenty for this type of game and it is how Yamauchi claims he wants it. This is intentional. Everything else about the vehicles, sounds, handling etc are so on point and it would be silly to think this wasn't discussed in the conference room. "Realistic" to have one side of a bumper dislodge....yes. Additional affect on the game? None, Unless you want it to become a game of pit stops.

[darthv72]

Perhaps you misunderstand. by no means am I suggesting it should be like wreckfest... but instead if it had more realistic damage effects it would make you drive differently as those effects can alter the way the vehicles handle. Just like in real life, if you inadvertently sideswipe another racer, it can cause your steering to be effected. Same with if your hood is deformed, it can cause wind drag and you have to learn to compensate for that by adjusting your speed.

It is simple things like that which can separate real drivers from amateurs. so you would want to drive better so you dont end up in situations where your vehicle is compromised in performance. Having superficial damage in GT7 is just for show and has no real weight on the skill of the player as you can ping pong around the track and still come in first. So if that was what Yamauchi was going for then he needs to remove the words "Real Driving Simulator" from the brand.

[IRetrouk]

Gt has mechanical damage.

[yeahokwhatever]

"as you can ping pong around the track and still come in first" LOL no you cant.. usually one wall bump can cost you a race.

[z2g]

i dig it personally. i think its the best gran turismo in years. I do find the old school menus, the talking heads that have typed out dialog like an old nes game and the odd navigation system kinda laughable and horribly dated. A lof of the music is weird too - are we all mansion dwelling 65 year olds sipping Scotch?

BUT

The actual racing, car selection, car tuning, upgrades and more are all top notch. at the end of the day, the racing should be the most important part of a racing title, and fortunately for gt7, the racing is superb.

[racer22]

Fair review. Third person view which i use most in driving games feels like card board cut out floaty view. And ps5 could do so much better without this last gen ps4 engine.

[siLENTEsKI]

Lol “dated controls”

[Gregero]

lol time to reinvent the controls for every game out there I guess. Don't tell this to the FPS guys. They'll lose their shit.

[Petebloodyonion]

OK, I have yet to play this game so ill take this review with a grain of salt but the reviewer touched on some important points that should be discussed.

1 The control
Is"X" really the default gas button? Now you can probably map it to trigger like other games but what about the so important dual sense and haptic trigger that showcased the effect of the gas and brake pedals on different surfaces and cars? It's like basically saying that your sound is designed for 3d Atmos and the best home theater but having mono as your default sound setting.

2) The 3rd person camera view
Is it really like that where the car is the centerpiece and everything moves around it?
If the case how come nobody mentioned that? cause it does suck.

Now like I said I'll take this one with a bit of salt but I have yet to find something in the review that scream fanboy and I always remember that MGS5 was a perfect 10 for the majority of the reviewer until everybody agrees that it was the worst of the serie.

[MeatyUrologist]

To me, the car collecting and progression through a waiter in a Cafe giving you menus is weird. Maybe that part turns off a gearhead? It just seems quirky and weird for a hard-core sim but whatever.

As far as the third person view, I typically use first, but occasionally I like to mess in third, and it does seem poorly implemented in GT7 from what ive seen. Like the track is moving past your static car. The camera does not swing out for turning, and you can't rotate the camera with the stick like every other racing game of the last 15 years. At times, the third person visuals make it look like the car is pasted on the track and not really there. When adding in lack of any damage and car to car interaction, it is really immersion killing.

[porkChop]

I watched some gameplay earlier and yeah, the third person camera sucks. It's like a GoPro fixed to the rear or your car, so it moves basically 1:1 with the vehicle. That doesn't look good. It's one thing to see that in a YouTube video of a real car where it isn't so jarring. But in a game you want the camera to break away, so you can see the car twist around corners. The camera is supposed to add to immersion and make the car feel real. GT7's camera seems to do the opposite.

"you can't rotate the camera with the stick like every other racing game of the last 15 years"

Tell me you're joking.

[CML2]

The chase cam is weird. Its not an oversight because the GT Sport beta allowed you to move the camera around but then it was taken away when the game released so its definitely a design choice...

[Knushwood Butt]

'The camera is supposed to add to immersion and make the car feel real.'.

That's what cockpit view is for.

Chase cam is neither immersive nor remotely realistic.

[IRetrouk]

You can change the height and swing in the options.

[yeahokwhatever]

GT has always been sort of quirky. Its the Polyphony way.

[CML2]

You can choose the default button layout when you first start the game but L2/R2 is highlighted as the recommended option.

[Petebloodyonion]

Glad to know it's the default and recommended setting! Like I said I have yet to play the game but would have found this move really strange due to haptic trigger implementation.

[elazz]

When you start the game for the first time you have to do a music rally. Then it will ask about your preferred settings for a lot. If you don't skip or random click during the prompt you can choose between x / square, right analog and triggers for driving. I think triggers are default but don't remember.

The third person view does feel a bit weird. The camera is a bit to fixed behind the car. I think that should be adapted to be more dynamic and lag slightly when steering. The others work great. I'm only using cockpit view so don't have that problem.

[yeahokwhatever]

the default acceleration button is R2. the default brake button is L2.

[Firebird360]

Nothing he says is wrong.
The chase camera is pretty bad currently.
The gt Cafe is just odd, feels like out of place filler.
For me the entire game feel subdued.

[frostypants]

"dated controls"...lol what? It has big issues...the AI is awful and the MTX situation is bad. But...it's a racing sim. It controls like a racing sim. And even in GT Sport you could use motion controls to steer, and unlike most serious racing games...it works well. That's an invalid criticism, full stop. It has flaws but this reviewer is arguing in bad faith.

[EmperorDalek]

I probably agree. The slow start really dampens the overall experience. The visuals are remarkably unimpressive, honestly, not sure what everyone sees in them.

I don't want to make this a console fanboy fight, Forza just happens to be the only other racing series I've played of late. But the energetic starts to those games really make you excited to play the rest of the game, and the visuals in Horizon 5 are better than what I've seen from GT7.

The Dualsense features are great though, the ability to use the controller like a steering wheel is going to make it hard to go back to ordinary controls.

[P_Bomb]

Had a phenomenal time. Got all my licenses and just beat the campaign (cafe) yesterday. Just a pleasure. Highly recommend.

[plmkoh]

The GT Cafe exists to reconnect with an entire generation with declining interest in car culture. Yesterdays heroes of the road mean nothing when Tesla's are basically smacking down every car. So it's time to slow down, respect the beauty and learn why these cars are forever cherished.

The problem with every other car game is you either have a fast car or a slow car, except without context you'd never drive the slow car. GT is one of the few games that invite you to want to choose the slower car. If you want to understand what I'm saying is you just have to look at the most recent Grid Legends game, it's average because cars are thrown at you and all meaning is lost.

It's just odd that many reviews don't understand this. Digital Foundry even mention that the GT Cafe is an excellent addition for my stated reasons. For those reasons GT will always be a top racing game, not everyone needs to like the game but then again not everyone is a car enthusiast.

[Stonilein]

Your mom

[Killer2020UK]

Weird AF take. I've gelled with this game more than anything for years. I play on hard mode with no assists other than ABS and I am utterly addicted to shaving off hundredths of a second in the time based license, challenge or track attack modes. The sensory feedback from the dual sense and 3D audio is perfect. Learning each car's limits and how to correct oversteer/understeer for different drivetrains is so satisfying.

[FanboysKiller]

*averagegames.

[Charlieboy333]

Dated controls? What other game can you use the motion control of the duelsense to steer ( which is even more precise than analogue controls in my opinion )

[C-H-E-F]

I didn't read the review because, I feel like it's a clickbait review based off of the comments here (and I will not give the website any additional clicks), I see a comment regarding dated controls, so my question is, did the reviewer review on a wheel or controller? And which system? I see it says PS5, but there's no way you can say controls are dated when the haptic feedback is integrated great within the games gameplay. And they allow you to fully customize your controls to your liking, so if the controls are dated it's because you didn't try to tweak them, the only two things you can't change is the share button and the options/start button.

Personally after having nearly 100hrs logged into the game, I would give it a solid 9.5, not a 10 because small things, like when i leave GT Auto sub menus, it backs me all the way to the map instead of the beginning of the GT Auto menu, I would like a DEFAULT settings sheet for the cars when we are tweaking and adding sheets, so that I can have bearings, right now I just manually create one when I first buy a car and it's unnecessary. Right now in Sport everyone is using this electric car, and I feel like Polyphony need to do a better job maintaining metas, this car shouldn't be allowed in the race tbh, and if this trend continues this game mode will suffer greatly.

I play on GT with a G29 Wheel, on my PS5, if ya'll play sport we may have crossed paths, my name is Juju/DTM_Juju, if ya'll see me hmu, I love a solid race.

[Knushwood Butt]

That menu thing you mention is a bit weird.

Also, what's the point of the weather radar? Rain just comes and goes in seconds. Having the radar tell you this a couple of seconds before it actually happens is about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

[C-H-E-F]

lOl, I have no idea about the radar, but maybe super enthusiasts use such tools? So they will be able to adjust their driving with their current downforce setup. For example, if the wind is hitting the front of the car you know you can dig into a turn more because you have the wind + braking that will slow you down. If the wind is pushing your car you know you need to brake earlier because the wind is pushing you into the apex. Same with right and left winds... that's the best I have for that, im not a professional driver, I just race really well LOL.

[purple101]

Later on they will introduce the 20-30 minute 'c' race. At the moment we only have a & b. C races have pitstops. It will be useful to know when to pit for wet tyres a lap in advance.

But, at the moment, it is indeed, useless

[Knushwood Butt]

Thanks for the input people. It's nice to have a discussion with folks that actually play the game.

@ purple

I didn't know that about the C races. For sure, if you can see rain cloud creeping in from a few km or miles away, that's going to be a cool feature.
I'm just working through cafe challenges where the weather is clearly scripted. I got sick of crawling around Nurburgring GP in a BMW in the pouring rain, so went and bought intermediate tyres for it. Then went to the same race, equipped my rain tyres, then the rain magically stopped after the first lap because the CPU wanted to wipe out my advantage!

[JonnyBeoulve]

He forgot to mention the subpar inventory of cars. It's unbelievable how few cars from the past 3 to 4 years are represented.

[FyBy]

Interesting. But reviewer forgot one thing. PD is not trying to play some catch up game. They make gran turismo, as they see it should be. And yes, its still good old gt. And thats what I love on it. Please PD, never try to catch up to any of other games. Please! Make gt the way you think its meant to be. Not the way others do it. I dont need other Forza or Project Cars. I already have them. I want gt and this is gt. Thank you PD for it and dont listen to these cry outs :-).

[Knushwood Butt]

Right, GT has been doing the car history thing forever. I think it was GT5 or maybe 6, which had a fully voice acted history piece for every car in the game. You could just kick back, watch images of the car and listen to the explanation.

[Starman69]

I chose not to read this article

[Elda]

Opinions opinions everyone has one.