Gran Turismo 7’s launchGran Turismo 7’s launch must be one of the most highly anticipated racing game launches in years. And that is saying something when the likes of Automobalista 2, F1 2021 and more have come and gone in the last year or two. But Gran Turismo 7 marks a big return to form for perhaps the biggest racing game series in the world. The PlayStation exclusive title still has plenty of fans in abundance and the hype surrounding the new game, now on both PS4 and PS5, has certainly been real.

Many might not be sure why this new game is such a big deal, though. How come Gran Turismo 7 has generated all of this hype? Well, there are a few crucial reasons behind the hype. Not least because it marks 25 years since the very first Gran Turismo came out back in the 1990s. And of course, a whole new generation is able to experience the first true Gran Turismo in some nine years. Why not Gran Turismo Sport? We will come to that shortly. But Gran Turismo 7’s release is a massive deal, and this is why it is.

A Return To Form For The Series

GT7_Alfa_Romeo_155_2.5_V6_TI__93_TrialMountainCircuit_02.0
via Polygon

The new Gran Turismo certainly marks a return to form for the series. The last game to bear the Gran Turismo name was Gran Turismo Sport, which released back in 2017. However, that game hasn’t quite received the same hype or attention as its predecessors have received. Part of the issue with Gran Turismo Sport was that it was quite a stripped back version of the game. It felt more like a Gran Turismo Lite, and as such isn’t considered a main Gran Turismo game.

Then there was the focus of the game. Gran Turismo has always been about the offline, single player campaign to unlock cars and complete challenges. Gran Turismo Sport was quite different. The focus of that was an online gaming mode, and it took a while for the traditional single player campaign to be added. Gran Turismo 7 sees the focus shift firmly back onto the single player modes and a proper Gran Turismo campaign has returned, and is perhaps one of the best single player experiences of any Gran Turismo game. That is a big step-up compared to Gran Turismo Sport, and it's naturally left many players delighted.

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Celebrating Gran Turismo’s 25th Anniversary

Gran Turismo 7 Trial Mountain
via Reddit

A big reason that Gran Turismo 7 is so important is that it celebrates 25 years of the game itself. The very first edition of the game came out in late 1997 and featured iconic tracks such as High Speed Ring and Trial Mountain. GT Sport kicked that track out, much to the dismay of many fans. However, with GT7, High Speed Ring and Trial Mountain make their return which of course which has pleased many fans of the series. Any return of iconic tracks is going to be a good thing.

It's incredible to think that it has been 25 years since the very first Gran Turismo was released. There will be many players of the new Gran Turismo that remember that first release fondly, and there are surely plenty of fans who actually still play the original game on the original PlayStation. Consoles and games have evolved a huge amount since the first Gran Turismo, with graphics, physics and many other things markedly different. And on the PS5, the latest Gran Turismo looks absolutely sensational, as you might well expect it to do.

Responding To Criticism The Right Way

Gran Turismo 7 Porsche 917
via Engadget

It hasn’t been all rosy however for the new Gran Turismo. First, there were quite a few server issues early on, although that is now well and truly sorted. The fact that you have to be constantly connected to the internet for the single player campaign though is a source of frustration for many. But the biggest issue players have is the microtransactions for credits in the game. Then, a recent patch reduced the number of credits that players earned from completing races, challenges etc. It's been a tough time recently for the game, after a very hyped up and successful launch. A controversial statement recently by creator Kazunori Yamauchi about cars in-game reflecting “their real life value” has only served to alienate the fan base even more. Recent reviews for the game have also been quite poor too, something that Polyphony Digital must surely take notice of.

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Fixing The Recent Wrongs For The Series

Gran Turismo 7 Mercedes SL300
via The Verge

If anything, Gran Turismo 7’s importance has suddenly gone up following the recent controversy. At its core, GT7 is a fantastic game. Loads of cars, tracks and challenges, great graphics, great physics and a fun vibe to the whole game. This feels like a proper Gran Turismo game. But the fanbase has been left frustrated after a great initial launch week. And it's shown that microtransactions, while they should be there to give players an option, should never be a necessity. They should only ever be a bit of a shortcut for those who maybe don’t have as much time as others. Let's hope that the road ahead can be much smoother for Gran Turismo 7.

Sources: The Verge, Engadget, Reddit, Gran Turismo, Polygon