Career mode ? I'm in.
Will buy it in Dec.

I hope they keep adding content. I'm just not confident that using a developing model like that is a good idea. You get a lower meta since reviews look at the game as it launched and the initial lack of content can impact the user base in a way that it never recovers.

Driveclub is a terrible example of this kind of model, it had tons of hype but got disappointing reviews. The game improved afterwards, but the damage was done and sales were below expectations. I don't think mimicking the business model of a game that basically killed the studio that created it is a good idea at all.

Anyway, GTS isn't suffering from terrible servers issues of DC. The big franchise name attached to it also helps people to be more forgiving and it's harder to lose the hype. They also dodged a bullet by making it a spin-off, if it was called GT7 the critics would have murdered the game.

If they keep adding content and create meaningful events this could become a hit. I mean, organize an official FIA big e-sports tournament. Maybe like GT Academy, with the top prize being a contract as a pro racer. E-sports still is too dominated by shooters, MOBA, strategy and fighting games, they could carve a niche.

Immensely stupid of Sony to not include this from launch... Surely cost them a lot of sales.

So they have actual single player now? That's something at least, but how's the customization in this game compared to previous titles? I heard the tuning and optimization options are very limited? It's such an integral part of the GT series for me, it's like 50% of the game, if not more, along with a proper career mode, of course.

I thought it had good tuning options, but the upgrade section is a joke, basically a mobile game type of upgrading. You earn miles by driving and “level up” the power and weight reduction by redeeming those miles. All the suspension and transmission and tire stuff you used to have to race and earn money to buy are now given freely.

Still got a loooooong way to go before reaching acceptable single player standards but this is a nice start.

All the tuning options are available in single player and lobbies. Yet in sports mode all tuning options are now locked out and you can only race with stock settings automatically balanced by power and weight to match the rest of the cars. Reasons here:
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/will-gts-eventually-have-tuned-cars-in-sport-mode-racing.369565/

... ...

The only thing limited is additional spoilers and exhaust systems, turbos etc. It works differently this time...you kind of level up your cars power and dynamics. 

That said the new livery editor is spectacular and more than makes up for the missing spoilers imho!

The last few weeks were packed with official FIA and manufacturer tournaments.

It's even possible it was a tactical decision...they surely wanted to make people focus on the improved online-racing in the first place. Kaz always said the online focus is what the game will be about above everything else.

Great to hear that. But what I mean is a big live tournament, like the ones they do for LoL or the EVO championship. Live crowd, Twitch streaming. That kind of thing is not cheap, but it elevates the competition to a different level.

GT Sport even has a big advantage against these other games. It is officially recognized by FIA as a real sports championship. The rest is just kids play, this could be the real deal.