I can defend the game while it has obvious shortcomings. What's the problem with that?
Because according to internet rules you have to choose a side and stick to it...
But seriously, I'm also extremely torn when it comes to making up my mind about GTS. As a fan of the series since 1997 and huge fan of offline racing, GTS is not what I asked for. Not even remotely close. Yet, I was hoping PD would developed GT. From a Driving simulator to a Racing simulator. Like in, getting rid of flying starts (except ovals) and rabbit chasing events, making overtaking AI opponents a real challenge for the first time in the series. All that combined with a campaign that offers more than just having to grind the 2-3 best "credits per minute driven" events at some point. I also miss the dynamic ToD, I fucking LOVED this in GT5, and actually drove both real-time 24h events in LeMans and Nurburgring a couple of times. It was just an amazing and challenging experience, and it was so cool that with every lap, the track, especially the Nordschleife, looked different.
PD however decided otherwise. It isn't my cup of tea BUT that doesn't make GTS a bad game per se. From what I've learned an experienced driving an early beta in May 2016, PD had a vision for GTS and pretty much nailed that one. One can still criticize the lack of content of course (which actually is a common thing among GaaS games, I mean, they WANT you to get thirsty for more after all), but the core game itself seems to be awesome (hence my comment about GTS not needing a "patch", but content).
I for one decided not to buy this game anytime soon. Maybe later, once it's heavily discounted OR they introduce more content - tracks, cars and offline modes of course. Like with GTA5, I do not expect the last one to actually happen.
The little devil on my left shoulder actually hopes this game underperforms, so Sony and PD consider introducing a real "7". The game's technical foundation for that is excellent. How hard can it be?!