With just 30 days to go until Gran Turismo 7 finally lands on PS4 and PS5, Polyphony gave us a mammoth State Of Play focused entirely on the latest instalment of the iconic racing franchise.
After the multiplayer-focused Gran Turismo Sport, players were hopeful of a return to single-player and campaign-focused play. They are getting that, and then some! Let's take a look.
A true single-player experience
After the lack of single-player content in Gran Turismo Sport, Polyphony is delivering the classic GT experience to players once again.
While there is plenty of multiplayer and online racing to be had, the core of the game is the journey up the ranks and the collection and tuning of your cars.
The State Of Play video gave us a peek at the start of your journey when you get the game on release day.
Starting with only a handful of credits we have to get our first car. In the video it was the Toyota Aqua S '11 for just 14,300 credits. It looks like we start with 20,000 credits though, so there may be other options.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNwhpSsGsnM
Then it is off to the classic Sunday Cup to start our journey of earning credits, buying cars, and winning championships. It's the classic GT campaign mode, but there is also a lot more under the surface of GT7.
Cafe, Brand Central, and Used Car Dealership
There are several new features to the map for GT7, and Polyphony walked us through the lot.
Starting with the Cafe, where players are presented with a menu to complete.
By acquiring all the cars in the menu you'll unlock a track and get a reward, in this case it's a Roulette Ticket. This is likely to be a spin that gets you another car or reward, kind of like the Fora Horizon wheelspins.
The Brand Central is where you can buy your cars fresh off the dealer forecourt, as you would expect. However, both of these places also serve a second purpose.
Early on in the GT7 announcements Polyphony made a deal of celebrating motoring history, and this is where it lives. Both the GT Cafe and Brand Central will give you a chance to learn about the cars you are driving.
The Cafe will feature the designers of each car, while Brand Central will provide a kind of museum for each manufacturer.
You don't have to buy new though, as the Used Car Dealership gives you a chance to grab some vehicles that have a few miles on them. Some will be at less of a price, while others that are harder to find and more popular will be more expensive.
Not only that, but the stock at the dealership will change every day. This could well act as a living, breathing marketplace for GT7 cars.
What else is on offer?
Along with the usual campaign mode, there are of course the license tests. These act as coaching tips for new players, but you can also sweat them out to get gold in every single one just like the good old days.
There is also a new feature called Music Rally, where players can drive through checkpoints with a soundtrack behind them.
There are also Mission Races which will pose unique challenges to drivers. These include drag racing and Drift Trials, so be ready to tune up cars for that burst off the line or driving sideways!