I can really appreciate how much Kazunori Yamauchi has been pushing towards the most racing driver-oriented experience as possible, and it shows. I hope they keep that push into GT7. But a few things need to be taken into consideration as to why the GT franchise was so successful at first and part of it has little to do with the actual driving experience. The feel of accomplishment, having to work really hard to buy cars with cash earned from races, to tune cars yourself, ridiculous diversity of cars, starting from the bottom with slow cars, tons of single player events, championships, endurances...most people don't want to rely on an internet connection to enjoy themselves behind the wheel of their favourite car arounds their favourite track.
It’s comparable to an early morning Sunday real life drive in your weekend-only sports car. No one to compete against; just you, your machine you've built and your own terms. Nothing more. The Gran Turismo franchise needs to be able to update without removing some of the key things that have brought them success since the beginning. I'm not even joking when I say that I whoop out the original Gran Turismo from time to time, just for nostalgic sake, back when things were simple. I really value simplicity, and I hope GT7 doesn’t veer too far out to the new age of internet-based competition only. The comments surrounding Gran Turismo Sport really bring this to light, as most consider it a flop. I’m confident that the intention behind GT Sport was missed on some, but it serve to prove a point that people enjoy building something, not necessarily competing continuously.
There are many car enthusiasts out there. Some like to race and be the best they can be. And others like blow off some steam around corners, take in the sights and sounds of the purest automotive experience one can ever dream of. Safe to say I'm the later.
I’ve been out of the racing game scene for a while, but I’ve owned every GT game in the series. Amongst the metric tons of improvements, there’s definitely a lot of purity that has been lost along the way. If GT7 gets this right enough, I will buy a console just to get Gran Turismo 7. I wouldn’t want anything more.
I also hope they put a strong value on slower cars, visceral engine noises and as much realism as possible. Vibrations, squeaks, rattles, noisy hydraulic valve lifters, induction sound, exhaust sound, throttle bodies opening and pulling air in, misfires, those sort of things.
Cheers,
James