So, I haven't been around for a while. Partly that was because I was busy, partly because I grew tired of discussing the same old stuff, with nothing really new about GTS to talk about. Yes, I saw the beta obviously but without playing it, not much to say.
Well, now they've talked about and shown more, I'll give my thoughts on this game as it is, and seemingly as it'll be on release day.
They're treating EVERYONE as a beginner yet again. It's absolutely ridiculous that they are forcing everyone to do a "drive the car in a straight line" test, and I'd wager most of the beginner stuff is equally stupidly basic. Nothing wrong with supporting beginners, but why force everyone to do all of it when we've played racing games for 20+ years? We know what the steering wheel and pedals do by now.
UI looks way too busy, and still has old flaws. Still after completing one license test you have to exit back to the main menu to select the next one, no 'next' button. They have a 'home' button that only appears on the home screen, which is very cluttered.
The car and track list is very poor. The game was going to launch in 2016 with 19 locations and 137 cars. It's launching almost 12 months later with ~150 cars and 17 locations.
If they add Interlagos, that means ONE new real world location. One. Sorry, but that is pathetic after 4 years development. There is even the possibility that track isn't finished and is going to be DLC. In which case, no new real tracks. Oh dear. I don't see how anyone can defend that either way.
There is only one conclusion for me. They were/are miles behind on their development as usual. In terms of tracks, they were probably just way behind on their real circuits. When they launched the game initially, all 6 tracks looked unfinished in some way. That should've given you a warning, if the 6 tracks they had to show off weren't finished, what state were the rest in? Not very good, it seems.
So to somewhat make up the numbers they seemingly knocked together simple little tracks like BB Raceway and Kyoto Driving Park. Clearly not much time went into those, simple layouts, basic scenery. So much easier to knock those out than detailed real world tracks where you have to match reality.
I don't see any other logical reason for having two less locations than you announced for 12 months earlier, and only one new real world track at best. Very poor.
For cars, the same. They said they were going to have 137 ready for 2016, they've got ~150 ready for a year later. They have surely made more than 20 cars in a year so either they've got more ready to go that they're saving for DLC or they just had no chance of having 137 ready a year ago, not even close. Neither reflect well on them.
It's all very well saying your cars are the most detailed in the world of gaming, but what good is that when there are so few of them, and they're outdated because of how long you've taken? There has to be a balance, and they've gone too far in the wrong direction IMO focusing on spending a whole heap of time on detailing the stitching on seats and insides of headlights. These details do not matter when racing, which is supposed to be the core of the game. It seems they actually care more about scapes, and how beautiful they can make it look.
As with the tracks, they've clearly just taken shortcuts to increase the numbers, I mean a Group 4 Veyron racing against a Renault Megane, really? Lots of outdated cars, Gr.1 is still seriously weak with mixed, old LMP1s. Where are the 2015 and 2016 LMPs? Then you have 40 odd fictional cars. Very, very poor IMO. It's all very well saying you only drove 50-60 cars in past games, but that was from a selection of several hundred. Of the current list, there are maybe 10-20 cars I'd look forward to driving. It's not good enough for a team the size of Polyphony and more than four years work.
Campaign Mode looks boring, just the same old stuff that they've had since GT1. Lots of super basic driving tests, lots of "overtake 3 cars in 4 corners". Gameplay in general doesn't seem to have changed much except the graphics. Still the same old collision physics, still the same old very limited mechanical and visual damage. Where are punctures, where is bodywork falling off? Mechanically it's just the same basic stuff you got on PS1, bit of crabbing/veering off and going slower.
Graphics is literally the only thing I can see that has greatly moved on. Everything else could be GT6. No innovation, no mind-blowing features actually in gameplay.
You'll note I haven't even once compared it to their competition. I don't need to, the flaws of this game stand out alone, without comparison required. If anything, even compared to previous GT games it doesn't stand up. Reduce the graphics to PS3 level, what else are they doing in this game they couldn't do technically there? Where are they using the power of the PS4 except for graphics? Maybe a little extra in the physics, but from what people have said, it's not massively different and as I say, it still has the age old collision physics. Same for sound, clearly they've improved, but not enough.
Online is clearly the focus, and we always knew that, but even with that everything I've written above lets it down, even if I did enjoy online gaming, which I don't.
Gran Turismo needed an overhaul. It was a tired old formula that needed new life. What they've done, is not it IMO. I will not be buying, nor will I be returning here any time soon to discuss it, no point. I'll perhaps come back in 5 years when they have another crack at it.
It's just so very sad. When I was playing the PS1 and PS2 GT games all those years ago, I enjoyed them a lot, but I would also constantly think about what racing games would be like in the future. Of course I envisaged better graphics, but I also envisaged them being a lot more like the real racing I saw on TV. I expected the damage and collisions, I expected the variable weather, I expected a huge roster of all the best cars and tracks, I expected tracks full of life, I expected huge career modes from zero to hero, with huge grids of cars. I expected super intelligent AI and exhilerating racing.
GT has evolved, but not enough, and not in the right areas for me. It looks super pretty, but that is about all I can say. Take the pretty away, what is left? Not much, for me.
PS sorry mods about the car/track lists, feel free to completely take those over because as I say, I won't be returning or have the desire to update those.
