So the open beta has since ended, and I managed to clock in a few more hours.... having the flu really didn't help the experience, but I gave it my best shot anyway!
That 30 lap endurance race in the 911.... probably the most intense single player race I've ever done.... ever... (I'm not joking). Let me start off by ranting a bit though. The AI is definitely more competitive than before, but the amount of times I've been spun out by the other cars is not funny.... Either I'm very bad at placing the car or the AI is intentionally trying to ram me off the road. Either way, it was frustrating as hell, to the point where I had to force myself out of the cockpit view just so I could watch the other cars and keep my distance from them. So that kind of killed the immersion....
There was one driver in particular that was grinding my gears, having made contact with me twice in the race. He spun me out first time and he instantly became my nemesis. I got a bit carried away and may have just nudged him off the track (I payed the price with a ten second time penalty), but the second time he tried to overtake me, I was certain he was going to spin me out again, so I had no choice but to keep the car straight and prey that I wouldn't lose control. He ended up hitting a wall and spun out ( he still managed to finish 3rd somehow....)
Aside from that, the tension of balancing speed with tyre and fuel preservation was insane. I had to make an additional stop near the end of the race just to make sure I'd have enough fuel to get to the end. Negotiating the slower GR4 cars was also a challenge, if not problematic at times (one dude in a Subaru just wouldn't get out of the way, no matter how many times I flashed my lights at him....)
So the racing aside from these oddities? Pretty bang on I'd say. I also managed to squeeze in several online races, finishing 2nd, 1st and 2nd respectively. The racing was tight and the competitors were mostly very sporting. Qualifying DOES make a huge difference though. In the last race, I didn't get enough time to set a good enough lap time and payed the price by starting 5th on the grid. If I'd been one place higher, I felt like I could have had the momentum to win the race.
In between all the races and feeling terrible with flu, I spent a long time just going through the museum pieces and learning new stuff about the manufacturers. I will definitely be spending more time reading the museum pieces when the full game comes out.
Finally, to end with disappointment, I spent a bit of time tinkering my GTR rally car. Increasing horsepower and reducing weight by 'levelling up' your cars made me think back to just how cool it was to take a slow car in GT games of old and turn it into an undriveable monster. Sure, the level up system in GT Sport makes the whole upgrade process a lot faster and more convenient, but it's nowhere near as fun. If anything, it's a copy paste of the 'upgrading' system that was used in GT5 prologue, where you used sliders to change the horsepower and what not. How very fun.... As much as I'd like to think they'll revamp the system with proper performance modifications, chances are, it's been set in stone now. We probably won't see bolt on superchargers or custom exhaust systems until the next GT.... which saddens me.... I am at least glad that we can modify the performance of our cars, at least a little bit.
Overall, I've really enjoyed the open beta and it's made me more hyped for the full release, but sadly the limitations of the game are already being showcased to me. I'm sure I will enjoy the game regardless, but I do hope that future updates provide innovation, in addition to just cars and tracks.
Also, is it me or is the penalty system in GT Sport too generous? When I got the ten second penalty in the 30 lap endurance race, I had gotten rid of it in plenty of time before the finish. All I needed to do was go into low speed corners slightly slower than usual. As long and difficult as that race was, I felt like I should have been disqualified for full on ramming someone off the track