Edit: proof I'm playing:
https://psnprofiles.com/trophies/15576-gran-turismo-7/DryvBy
Oh I'm going to double post like some forum n00b on this too. My impressions:
I've played these games since GT1 because I'm basically the age of the old lady from Titanic at this point so I've been around the track. When Xbox landed the Forza Motorsport game, I dumped GT almost instantly and I've felt that Microsoft has held that crown since for me even though I still buy all the GT games.
GT7 is kind blowing my better on every level than every GT since GT4. In fact, I'm going to say it took the crown back. GT7 is amazing and I'll try and explain why with many words or until I decide to jump back in. This has put my Elden Ring playthrough on a temp hold until the weekend.
The campaign is of course back and I think it's the best one they've done. You run around a map doing missions for Bob the Baker and Steve the Mime and they give you missions and objectives to unlock cars. It's campaign stuff, you've seen it before. But it just flows really well.
What's more exciting to me is the level of customization. The liveries have a store and there's already some great copyrighted works on there. In sporting a Capcom logo on my car for kicks. On top of that, the part shop is back and it's packed. They split it into a bunch of tabs and each tab is loaded to the gill with goodies. It's always where I felt Forza smoked GT but GT said nah bro, smoke you!
Audio is amazing. The 3D audio in my Pulse headphones are amazing, especially in the rain. I took them off just to see if it was raining at my house. On my normal theater system, audio was beyond perfect. The graphics we've seen but get ready to have your ears experience something close to what your eyes will experience.
Of course the graphics are great but that 4K rendering is perfect. I'm using the ray tracing mode since I'm just cruising around in a Yaris and a FIAT, but it looks really good in person. Maybe just mentally it looks a lot better because I know it's rendering instead of a stream, but I'm more impressed than I should. While I thought GT Sport looked really good too, I think the lighting is what kicks this one into a new level of beauty.
I have not raced online only because I just got it today.
The other thing I wasn't expecting to work so well is the DualSense controller and how great it feels. I'm one of the people that loves pulling a trigger in COD for that feeling of the feedback it gives. But this game went all out on the DualSense. Motion controls, haptics offer either a smooth massage to your palm or a Parkinson's hand shake from rolling over bump terrain too fast. When you first hard break, you'll smile. Until you crash, but before that happens it's astonishing. This is the best use of the controller since the Astro game for me. It's the first game I felt gave the DualSense a shine.
My Double D-Pads review is so far an impressive 5/5. This year has been great for gaming, right before WW3 too.
Edit: I forgot to mention the load times which aren't a thing anymore. In 3 hours tonight, I've done at least 15 races and that with showing my kid what this game is all about and letting him drive.
And to answer my question about, assist it turned off before entering a race in that menu. It threw me off.