

Still, I figured that if they would add Gran Turismo 5 & 6, I might actually sign up for it just to play the two games in the series that I had been missing (and maybe even the Twisted Metal remake). So as you can imagine, I was very skeptical when I first heard about this PS Now service that Sony offers where you can stream PS3 games on your PS4 it just wouldn’t feel the same as actually owning the game. Sure various PS2 games have been rereleased digitally on the PS Store, but you couldn’t use your original copies in the PS4’s disc drive. One of the downsides of the PS4 IMO was that unlike PS2 and PS3, it wasn’t backwards compatible in any way. Thankfully, I did get myself a PS4 four years ago to set things right. While I really enjoy my X360, I wish I would’ve been able to play Gran Turismo 5 & 6 since the original was my very first video game.

Gran Turismo 7 does a great job improving on the customization options available in Gran Turismo Sport and brings them more in-line with competitors like Forza.I grew playing PS1 and PS2, so I regret having skipped the PS3 back in the day in favor of an Xbox 360 (due to an article I read on how the controllers would be pretty much useless once the battery ran out and how its design made it inaccessible). Along with all the usual cosmetic adjustments, shifting weight around a car's frame or adjusting the height of your suspension will change the way it handles turns and accelerates. The game's focus on real-world simulation also makes the detailed customizations you can add to cars feel more impactful. Gradually unlocking cars in Gran Turismo 7 and upgrading a favorite with my limited reward money feels more meaningful than hopping between dozens of different vehicles in Forza. It might sound like less fun at first, but even as a casual fan of racing games I appreciate the straight-forward approach of Gran Turismo 7 when compared to the bombastic stunts and destructible environments of Forza Horizon 5. While games like Forza and Need for Speed allow for more forgiving, arcade-inspired driving (including Forza's rewind button), cars in Gran Turismo 7 feel like they obey the laws of physics and don't drift around turns with the same sort of ease.
Gran Turismo 7 just focuses on regular races and "license" practice courses designed to improve your in-game driving skills. Other racing games, like the Xbox-exclusive Forza Horizon 5, have embraced variety in the genre with off-road driving, exploration, cinematic stories, and a bunch of game modes.
