Gran Turismo 7 is available now on PlayStation. These first impressions are from the PS5 version of the game.
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Disco Elysium is an isometric role-playing game inspired by the Infinity Engine style games like Planescape Torment, developed by ZA/UM and released in 2019.
While the game received “Game of the Year” nods from several publications including some perfect or near-perfect scores, the team never stopped working to make it even better and the result is Disco Elysium: The Final Cut available now on PC and all consoles including making its debut on Nintendo Switch which is where I have been lucky enough to experience it.
The Australian Classification banned the game for release initially due to well, stupid reasons, but that was reevaluated and thankfully they came to their senses. Yes at times the game hits controversial notes, but it’s a social commentary made up of dark parody and when a player does misbehave the game punishes you for doing so.
Disco Elysium has “Art” written all over it. The creators are made up of novelists, artists and musicians and the result is a brilliant satire that is likened more to a classic painting evoking emotions and forcing you to think about how your decisions have an impact on those around you and how you must try to make the best choice even though it’s sometimes just the lesser evil.
The control system feels like it was made for PC and that conversion to the Nintendo console is problematic. Movement on the left analogue stick is fine but the clunkiness comes from the right stick which can be hit and miss at selecting targets of interest. It’s not game-breaking thought but is worth mentioning as something you’ll just need to get used to.
Player and character dialogue are heavy in this deep narrative journey and that is one of the main improvements made over the other versions, it’s now all accompanied by a voiceover, so it’s less skim reading and a far more immersive experience. Especially when you hear the voice of your inner thoughts being portrayed by Jazz musician Lenval Brown, whose deep dark tones will pull you right into the game.
The Final Cut also brings other residents of Revachol to life with the total inclusion of one million professionally voice acted words by actors from all over the world. This gives the multiple diversities in the city true representation.
You’ll also find brand new political vision quests where you explore unseen areas with deadly encounters. These side quests are brought about by your political leanings while playing the game and have no real impact on the main story, but hey, who doesn’t want more game?
One thing you rarely hear about is just how funny Disco Elysium is. I had to check the credits multiple times I searched for the name “Neil Gaiman” but it wasn’t there. I assume that even though he didn’t write on this project the team must be heavily influenced by his works including “The Sandman” and “American Gods” but also to some extent it reminded me of Douglas Adam’s “Dirk Gently”. That dark satirical atmosphere in a deep and rich world that at times pushes the boundaries between right and wrong only to teach us important lessons.
In fact, Disco Elysium is inspired by the tabletop RPG “The Sacred and Terrible Air” that was written by the lead writer and designer Robert Kurvitz. A genius at work.
Disco Elysium – The Final Cut is the definitive edition of the ground-breaking, multi-award-winning open-world role-playing game with unprecedented choice and consequence. While the game is born for PC and lives comfortably on consoles, it’s on the Nintendo Switch where I’ve been able to truly immerse myself in the world even though at times the controls can be a bit clunky.
Disco Elysium The Final Cut is a near-perfect masterpiece scoring a 9.5 out of 10.
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In the latest Gran Turismo 7 release, the team come out fighting against heavy competition from other franchises like Forza Horizon and Need for Speed and landed some heavy punches. So much that it might even be the off the track gameplay rather than the racing that actually makes it the best.
From a visual and technical point of view, the game is a masterclass in racing simulators. The intensely realistic graphics of the vehicles shows the power of modern consoles and the gameplay is delivering more precision than ever before.
As soon as you load the title it’s all on display with a cutscene interwoven with credits that go for around 8 mins showing the evolution of cars throughout history at the same time preparing you for the same evolution in the game. It’s just a pity that you can’t skip it on the first run as I was just eager to get in and play the game.
Gran Turismo sets the tone early that you are going to need to run at the pace of the game and you don’t want to rush anything. Take your time, learn the ins and outs and enjoy the hard work that has gone into making such a powerful tribute to vehicle culture around the world.
After the credits, you roll on to a round of “Music Rally”. This arcade mode is a race against the clock (a music track) while gaining more time by travelling through checkpoints. You can keep going back in and trying new tracks with more being added later. The music on offer isn’t all that exciting or impressive but the mode itself is fun and solid. I imagine as more tracks are added hopefully we see more current artists taking part.
Gran Turismo 7 Career Mode
Career Mode has a specific European feel around it, with a cafe at the centre and everything else springing up around it. The Cafe is where you begin your adventure and learn about buying cars, your garage and racing. You’ll also meet some people here who will give you the history of the vehicles you gain along the way making it really educational and interesting. Car enthusiasts will probably know a lot about what you are being told, but I didn’t know much at all, so each bit of information was really welcome. You might be driving, but at times let the game take you for a ride, you won’t regret it.
Gran Turismo 7 is all about inclusion by making sure that there is a difficulty setting that will allow the most novice player to enjoy the ride but also allow freedom of control so that the most advanced player can set out to beat the best times. Having this type of range is what makes it a great experience for everyone.
On the track the precision racing experience is immaculate. For the first time I can remember some damage is visible on the car but only some so as to not turn it into a demolition derby and having the focus more on driving skills. Guides are there to help you take turns more effectively and you can also turn on a brake assist, but the experience is better without them once you get the hang of it.
One thing I don’t understand is why you always start at the back of the pack in a rolling start. There are options for a grid start from an idle position but in the career racing experience, you are always at the back turning it into a chase rather than a race. Every race makes you the underdog fighting for the first position and making it feel more arcade than a simulator.
Where the game excels for me is in the Pokemon style “gotta catch them all” feel to collecting the vehicles. There are 400 or so cars to collect either through gifting in races, buying in the shops (in-game credits) or via the roulette tickets you earn which for me so far have never landed on the vehicle offered, just the coins.
Having real-world cars gives you a great point of reference for just how realistic the game is, and collecting them means finding your dream cars and then modifying them as racing vehicles. So much fun and really easy to get a handle on, you don’t need to be a mechanic to figure it out.
Weather Effects, Affect Everything
The weather effects are absolutely world-class. When it’s raining, visibility is low and the rainfall feels like real-life weather. Your wipers will automatically come on and the road is affected. It’s just beautiful. It’s especially great when you play a two-leg race on the same track when one day is bright and sunny while the next is stormy and dark. This breakthrough in weather effect will hopefully be adopted by other games in the future creating a much more immersive experience.
Ray Tracing is included in the game but used sparingly for a better gameplay experience. In Ray Tracing mode the effect is limited to race replays and 3D scenery modes. The feature is disabled in actual races where your response time is important to the overall game experience. Where it really makes an impact is in the photography modes where there is a professional level of control over the image. Hours of fun just there alone.
I’m not a car guy, I like them and I enjoy the odd racing game but usually, Mario Kart is my jam rather than a full racing sim. Gran Turismo 7 has the balance to not only impress me but also make me want to keep going back in to collect more vehicles and compete on the track even though I’ve got other options of games to play that are more in my usual wheelhouse.
It’s an outstanding visual, technical and gameplay experience that is made by people who have a true passion and understanding of the automotive industry.
Now that I’m hooked, my next stop might be the racing wheel and pedals, although the Dual Sense controller handles it just fine.
Gran Turismo 7 scores a 9.5 out of 10 and is available now on PlayStation.
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Gran Turismo 7 has launched on PlayStation and has been met with a really positive response. I’ve been giving it a good nudge and working towards a full review at the end of the week but here are 7 First Impressions on Gran Turismo 7 that you should consider before you buy it.
1: When the game is installed you’ll be given the option to play a mini-game before heading into the main area. It’s a really clever way to give you a quick look at the impressive gameplay and amazing vehicles while getting used to driving. It’s also something you’ll be able to come back to time and time again to better your times and try new playlist songs to drive along to.
The mini-game is called “Music Rally” and rather than race a clock you are racing against a music track while gaining more time by travelling through checkpoints. You can keep going back in and trying new tracks with more being added later.
2: The opening intro credits is a beautiful look at the evolution of the motor vehicle and worth watching. If you are getting impatient and want to jump into the game though you’ll have to wait as it is not skippable on the first playthrough. After you’ve watched it once though you’ll be able to skip past by pressing any button. On that first run-through, just sit back and take it all in while paying respects to some amazing people who made the masterpiece you are about to throw most of your life into playing.
Take a look at some screenshots of my experience so far with Gran Turismo 7 here:
3: Gran Turismo games in the past have had an issue with showing damage on vehicles. It is believed that the car manufacturers don’t really want you to see their pride and joy in a game with missing panels, broken windows and large scratches down the sides. This game is about being a “precision driver” rather than a smash em up derby so by showing less damage you can concentrate on being a better driver. Things have changed ever so slightly in Gran Turismo 7, don’t expect massive amounts of damage on display but you will see dents and scuff marks on your car if you think that “rubbing’s racing”.
(Img: doccydarko - captured on a PS5)
4: The weather effects are absolutely world-class. When it’s raining, visibility is low and the rainfall feels like real-life weather. Your wipers will automatically come on and the road is affected. It’s just beautiful. It’s especially great when you play a two-leg race on the same track when one day is bright and sunny while the next is stormy and dark. The game is a visual masterpiece and the perfect way to show off how far these next-gen consoles have come.
5: Ray Tracing is included in the game but used sparingly for a better gameplay experience. In Ray Tracing mode the effect is limited to race replays and 3D scenery modes. The feature is disabled in actual races where your response time is important to the overall game experience.
6: The use of real-world cars makes a difference to me even though I’m not a car lover. I used to own a Toyota Prius, so I used the in-game credits to buy the same make and model of that car in order to see just how realistic it was. Seeing the dashboard display showing the same type of data was a great trip down memory lane and the car handled just like a real one until I added a few sports pack items to super it up a bit ready to compete better in the races. Now it’s a real machine!
I just wish they had my current car the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, I guess they’ll get me with download content if they add it later.
7: Gotta catch them all. This series is all about precision driving, we know that. But it’s equally about collecting all the cars you can for your garage. With 400 or so cars to collect it becomes a car head version of pokemon as you strive to unlock achievements and earn the coin to buy and then evolve your vehicles. It’s that gameplay mechanic that opens up a title like Gran Turismo 7 to more than “people who like car games” and while it gives them everything they want and more it also invites the rest of us in for a great time as well.
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Elden Ring is a great game with some majestical world building, I just wish I was better at playing it so I could see it all.
If there is one thing that has people divided about Elden Ring it's the difficulty level, or rather lack of it. The game has that same punishing, torturous mentality of character death that you see in most “From Software” titles like Dark Souls and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice but in this case, it is softened by the open-world environment meaning you can run away from enemies that are giving you grief, and you will, a lot.
That’s why it’s no surprise that “From Software” have teamed up with another world-class “killer of main characters you love”, George R. R. Martin, the man behind the Game of Thrones novels that inspired the worldwide phenomenon television series that set a new bar in entertainment. Just when we think we have forgiven him for Ned Stark and the Red Wedding he’s back in another fantasy franchise to kill our hope and dreams in the best possible way.
Martin provided material for the game setting and it really shows as he is obviously a Tolkein fan which you will see shades of the “Lord of Rings” throughout his work and it’s on display in Elden Ring from the get-go.
The game takes place in “a realm of lands between”, sometime after the destruction and scattering of shards of the “Elden Ring”. The realm is now ruled by a demigod.
IF YOU LOVE IT, BETTER PUT AN ELDEN RING ON IT!
You are one of the Tarnished called to the realm in the hope of repairing the ring and becoming an Elden Lord, assisted along the way by wonderfully designed characters like Melina who stands as “Finger Maiden” offering guidance and a link to power.
The gameplay follows fairly typical action role-playing elements that we’ve seen in other titles and at times I draw back on memories of Zelda: Breath of the Wild but in a much less kid-friendly Saturday morning cartoon setting. If you’ve played a “Souls” game before you will be able to jump right in and play immediately. If you haven’t the learning curve is steep but with a great tutorial level at the beginning and some good immediate lessons upon entering the world you’ll get the hang of it as long as you understand that you will get knocked down, you will get back up again and just get back in there and continue tubthumping.
The levelling up and equipment is far more advanced than we’ve seen in a “From Software” game and although the game rarely holds your hand in the learning process each item and skill has an explanation in the help, even though sometimes it can be really vague.
Choosing your character at the beginning will have a fair bit of impact on how you play the game initially, but once you start going up levels you can evolve in many directions. Once again, the character descriptions are vague but if you’ve read or played any type of fantasy you’ll be able to work out quickly what each one does and pay close attention to the stats. I played through as a Confessor which is a good all-around magic user and fighter with healing ability, all the classes are great, but avoid the virtually nude “wretch” unless you have a death wish or are a really experienced player.
Elden Ring is about discovery. They don’t give you much in the way of information or help and it can be brutal. But it's designed that way on purpose. So that you go out and explore. You go to the areas of the map that catch your eye and pique your interest. When you get there you might find something that will absolutely blow your mind, or you might not, that is the magic of it. It’s a beautiful game that is stylish and addictive. It wouldn’t give it justice to say it’s the love child of Zelda, Skyrim and Dark Souls, it’s so much more than that and will keep you coming back for more.
My final thoughts are on the decision not to have a difficulty level setting. While I understand that it's the developer's choice and that they have an artistic vision I firmly believe that games are for everyone and I want to see anyone and everyone be able to play them. So while a decision to omit a feature like that is fine, I often think of the casual gamers that want to experience the beautiful world they have created or to the players with disabilities who love games but playing them can be difficult.
If you google Elden Ring you’ll see the common question, “Is Elden Ring hard?”, the answer put simply is yes, but its also probably the best game you’ll play this year and if you spend the time levelling up and grinding at the beginning, the pay off will be magical. There’s no doubt this will be on most people's “Game of the Year” lists and we’ll be seeing elements from this title inspiring other games in the future.
Elden Ring was reviewed on an Xbox Series X and Scores a 9 out of 10
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