"Gran Turismo Sport" Review

"Gran Turismo" games have always been for extreme gearheads who eschewed the frills and hand-holding of arcade-style racers in favor of gritty, brutal realism. The sacrifice came in the form a spartan menu system and unforgiving progression system.

While "Gran Turismo Sport" eases some of the harsh barriers to entry of previous games, the old "GT" bones remain in place. This is no game for tourists, or, if you will, drive-by fans. A rich, immensely detailed driving experience that takes on several disciplines and unloads near-limitless customization options, "Gran Turismo Sport" is a ritzy steak dinner for Sony driving fans who have been waiting patiently for the franchise to emerge onto the PS4.

Optimized for 4K TVs equipped with HDR capabilities, "Gran Turismo Sport" is as insanely sexy looking as it is committed to replication the real-life feel of the road. A genuine, obsessive love of automobiles courses through every pixel of the game, starting with a possibly tear-inducing opening montage that hop-scotches through the history of competitive racing.

The built-in tutorial system wisely holds you back from jumping into the online fray at the beginning, forcing you to take on a series of time trials and simple races in order to build up your experience points to unlock online competition. Everything you do on the road contributes to your progression, allowing you to unlock new rides, customization options, tracks and circuits.

Anything but fuel for the "Mario Kart" crowd, "Gran Turismo Sport" is likely the game that a sizable cadre of players have been waiting for to take the PS4 plunge, as well as deck out their living room with a 4K HDR set. A stunner in visuals, gameplay and content depth, it's a complete package that proves to have been well worth the wait.
Publisher provided review code.