As crazy as this might sound, I mean it when I say that Gran Turismo has had a huge impact on my life. All it took were a couple hours of playing it on Christmas 1997 for me to realize that not only do I love cars, but I enjoy plowing them into the first turn of a race to literally break down my opponents.

I would spend hundreds of hours playing the first three Gran Turismo games, to a point where over a decade later I can still freestyle Dogg's Turismo. 

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Yet, for how high I hold the series, the past couple releases have caused some serious structural damage, leaving it looking more like busted cars after I smash into them on turn one rather than top dog of the racing genre. And I'm sad to report that with Gran Turismo Sport, the days of being excited for a new Gran Turismo game might be over for good.

The Route of the Industry

One of the biggest topics in gaming right now is how single-player is becoming a thing of the past. The dissolution of Dead Space developer Visceral Games, which was supposed to be working on a massive Star Wars game right now, is just one of many examples of this trend. Without getting too long winded, the main reason for this industry-wide recipe change is money; many of the games that have made the most profit aren't necessarily well-reviewed, but instead find ways to keep players addicted in multiplayer while monetizing them heavily with microtransactions.

Gran Turismo is no stranger to this change. While our fondest memories are those of racing around tracks against A.I., and amassing the kinds of garages that only Jay Leno can compete with, that's now a thing of the past. Gran Turismo Sport is primarily a multiplayer focused game, a massive change for the series that is enough to leave die-hard fans dazed and confused.

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That's not to say that there isn't some form of single-player; there is. But it's effectively an Arcade Mode that has limited content and play value. You can get a handful of hours out of it, but you're going to more disappointed by it than The Hangover Part 2.

This might sound cataclysmic, and to some degree it is, but there's good news. The multiplayer execution is great, to a point where it's undoubtedly the most feature complete online racing game in existence. It's here that you'll be able to compete in daily challenges that are far more difficult to succeed in than the simple competition of past Gran Turismo games, something hardcore racers can appreciate. It can be rewarding, and explores a lot of real-world inspired elements, but ultimately is a huge far-cry from what we're used to.

Quality Over Quantity

When it comes to the fundamentals, Gran Turismo Sport is a champion. The car handling model is tighter than the series has ever seen before, replicating the thrill of coasting down Nürburgring Nordschleife or cutting through turns five and six of Willow Springs like a hot knife through butter. There's an incredible attention to detail here, with body roll, shift latency, and friction physics all at play as you hit corners faster than you ever would in real life.

This alone makes driving the game's list of roughly 150 cars worth it for racing fans. What's here isn't necessarily a hardcore simulator, but has a lot of complexity that is deserving of applause.

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On the topic of the car list, what's here is largely disappointing. Yes, the articulate detail of the cars is enough to make Tim the Tool Man Taylor grunt, especially when you consider that all cars on the track are rendered, inside and out—most racing games don't do this, not even Forza. However the quantity is what's lacking. It's kind of like going into an ice cream shop and only being able to choose between chocolate (Dodge Viper GTS) or vanilla (McLaren 650S). Yeah, vanilla is great and all, but I want to drive a chocolate chip cookie dough (Pagani Huayra).

In other words, nope, you won't find any of the three major hypercars here (Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1, or Porsche 918 Spyder). At least there aren't 40 different variations of Nissan Skyline.

Get Your Screenshot Trigger Ready

If you're one for console wars, Gran Turismo Sport is going to be your best friend or worst enemy depending on which side you're on. It's undoubtedly the best-looking racing game the world has ever seen, to a point where you might just be able to to send your friend a screenshot and pretend it's from real-life.

This is best shown off in Scapes mode, which allows you to take crystal clear images of the game's cars in an environment that increases anti-aliasing and other graphical settings. It's more than just about having cars that look identical to the real thing, it's about the stitching of the leather on the seats, and the precise positioning of dashboard elements. After all, if any one of these things were incorrect, there'd be someone out there screaming about it on Facebook. 

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The tradition of Gran Turismo having lousy audio isn't over, though. The sound is a lot better than what previous games had, yet the cars still sound like Hoover vacuum cleaners. I never knew that a Subaru WRX sounded like it could clean all the dirt off Laguna Seca. Oh wait, that track isn't in this game—my bad.

So, what you've got here is a superbly pretty game with a comprehensive online mode, 150 cars that steer close to the real thing yet sound like living room appliances, and somehow less single-player content than TOCA Touring Car Championship had in 1997. Sound good? Then it's for you. Otherwise, go get Forza Motorsport 7 or Project CARS 2, because they're more like Gran Turismo than Gran Turismo—if you know what I mean.

Conclusion

Gran Turismo Sport reminds me a lot of Final Fantasy XIII. It's a game that isn't necessarily bad, equipped with precise gameplay and the kind of graphics that belong on a calendar, but it fails to appeal to the core audience of its long-standing series. Both franchises hold top spots on my list of favorite games of all-time, but at this point I don't ever expect them to entertain me the way they once did, and that's deeply disappointing.