GT Sport Isn't Perfect But...
...it's the exclusive and realistic racing game the PS4 desperately needed.
I've played most of the GT games from the very start, with my favorite being 2001's A-Spec on PS2. I probably still have my progress from that game saved on a memory card, somewhere.
GT: Sport is the latest game to be released by Polyphony and, despite some obvious omissions, the game looks great and feels even better. The iconic handling model that this developer is known for is still very much present in this latest iteration; it's one of the few racing games that is genuinely rewarding in just the drive alone. It also allows for novices and adepts alike to compete together in a very professional environment.
One thing that stands out is the lack thereof an actual career mode. Instead, the game implements a sort of system where the whole thing counts toward your career. Whether it be single races, time trials, online matches or even custom events, all of the progress earns you credits and experience points toward your overall rank in the game. There's no "Sunday Cup" or "Hot Hatch" prefabricated tournaments, but I actually like this because it gives the player total control over what sort of events he or she wants to participate in.
With custom races, the game allows you to choose a track, time of day, car, tires & transmission, and then a slew of configurable settings such as lap count, penalties, number of opponents, where you start on the grid and even the length of a rolling start. You can also, of course, select how difficult the AI drivers will be and you can fine tune the difficulty in such a way that it's either super challenging or very casual--or a perfect blend of both if you wanted. The pitting system is also present so you can plan lots of single or multiple class endurance races if you've got some time on your hands.
Photo mode and scapes have returned and offer a wider range of image enhancements and effects. Visual customization is limited to paint, decals, liveries and wheels but that's enough for me. There's also some neat little racing items that you can equip to give your rides a bit more of a race car look. You are also able to download and apply liveries from the community; even though the system is a little wonky, the results are purely cosmetic until you get to the tuning. This component is as you would expect from a GT title... tire pressure, ride height, camber angle, gear ratios etc. It's all there and from what I gather there are profiles to store custom tunes and setups.
Overall, I really enjoy playing this game and I will for some time to come. I will note that the number of cars and tracks is limited for the time being, but I feel that is not important to include as part of the main review. More content will likely be added in the future and there isn't one track that doesn't belong. My main gripe is that the classic Turismo tracks, such as Trial Mountain, Deep Forest, Tokyo R246 and Grand Valley are not there--as well as a lot of real world iconic tracks like Leguna Seca, Sonoma, Fuji, Road America or even Le Mans so that means a star off from me. However, the Nurburgring, Suzuka, Willow Springs, and Bathurst are in there right now, as well as a few new additions. This certainly helps the game's case for me personally, as the tracks that are included are exquisitely detailed and a blast to drive around.
GT: Sport is a worthy addition to the series and my PS4 game library and is also (albeit slowly) making me forget about that other game with the driving and the clubs...