Gran Turismo 6 Review

Gran Turismo 6, as a product, seems a little illogical. A couple of years out from the long-awaited GT5, and releasing a couple of weeks after the launch of PlayStation 4, this seems like a strange time to put a big new game to the market. A Gran Turismo game arguably could have been the PS4 system seller, but alas what we have here is a final swansong of the now past seventh generation. What makes this situation even more obscure is the simple fact that GT6 is a brilliant game.

Those who played GT5 will find this iteration of the series very familiar. In fact, the core system has barely changed since the quintessential PS1 games. While other games that follow a continuous formula seem to lag a little over time (yes, Call of Duty, I’m looking at you), GT has managed to remain fresh and exciting even in this, perhaps least evolved, sixth title. There’s a great spread of options to choose from at the very start, but as ever you’ll be funneled into certain events and races. One thing that Gran Turismo has always nailed is that wonderful sense of progression. This game is possibly one of the best yet in this regard.

A brand new star system, in which attaining podium places rewards the player with one to three stars, is a great addition to the game from the off. Winning these stars unlocks various goodies ranging from special events to brand new cars for your ever increasing garage. The star system sits comfortably alongside the classic GT trophy mechanic (I still believe it to be the inspiration for the PlayStation trophy system). Aiming for that elusive gold trophy in a particularly tricky level is both frustrating and enthralling, in much the same way as a well constructed puzzle game.

So what kind of events are on offer here? They are, afterall, what makes GT stand out from the rest of the pack. The game begins in classic Turismo territory; driving relatively slow vehicles around familiar tracks like Autumn Ring and Apricot Hill. It’s not exactly exciting stuff, but it provides a good introduction to the tight driving mechanics that you’ll be warming up to over the course of the enormous game. It’s also a point to grasp the differences between varying types of drivetrain, weight and the unbelievable number of elements that make up a car.

The initial group of events are largely in this vein, but there are some new things to try. The coffee break challenges are new modes that task the player with various, more obscure, challenges. The more tame challenges, like knocking over lots of cones, are balanced with high octane drift trials. The mode also features the intriguing eco challenge in which the player must drive as far as possible with just 1 litre of fuel. This challenge in particular forces the player to think differently about the way they drive in-game. While these are engaging missions in of themselves, they’re also a great way to brush up on your racing skills.

Of course, they’re not as good as the license challenges which literally teach you driving skills. There are some great new ones and this time completing them actually unlocks a license for one of the six event groups. These events are unlikely to provide much excitement for those who don’t have an interest in motoring, but for the petrolheads, they offer an opportunity to try out different vehicles in various situations, with each level providing a new point of interest. The later event groups require the player to complete championship events in order to progress, so it’s a shame to see the license challenges drop off around half way through.

In reality though, by the time you’re halfway through the event groups all you’ll want to do is race exotic and exciting cars around world famous racetracks. More than ever, Gran Turismo 6 offers an unbelievable number of cars, tracks and events to try out. The vehicles on offer now number over 1’200, an absurd number when you consider that the original game featured just 140 (which is still a normal number for games like GRID or Forza). Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of variety here: supercars, roadsters, muscle, rally, go kart, vintage, sporthatch, pure racing, hybrids, open wheel, and some genuinely awesomely unique vehicles. There’s no game in history that gorges in such an overt love and appreciation of the world of motoring.

A brand new Goodwood festival of speed game mode lets the player try out some of the most unusual and special cars in the game’s collection. Each stage features three special cars such as the KTM X-Bow or Lancia Stratos, and are unlocked by gaining a certain number of stars. This new mode is a fantastic addition to the game. The number of cars available in GT games makes it nigh-on impossible to try them all, but this time the Goodwood mode ensures that you get to drive the real highlights that the game has to offer. The Goodwood uphill climb is a brilliantly tricky but speedy track that makes each time attempt a blast (although my attempt at getting the Aston Martin One-77 took one, very frustrating, hour).

I have no qualms in saying that a good collection of racing locations is what makes a racing game. The tracks on offer in Gran Turismo 6 are probably the best collection of circuits ever to be assembled in a video game. GT has long held the title of best made-for-game tracks; places like Trial Mountain and Special Stage Route 5 are absolute classics. For longtime GT players these locales will trigger your muscle memory in an undeniably fantastic way. The tracks in GT5 were already wonderfully varied, 6 only increases the total circuit count as well as adding some fantastic tracks. My personal favourite, Mount Panorama at Bathurst, is the best addition to the list. British icon Silverstone also has by far its best ever gaming re-creation.

With a staggering 100 tracks in the base game, there’s a wonderful amount of variety on offer. Having so many locations within one game makes Gran Turismo 6 one of the most varied games I’ve played over the past console generation. Those who don’t quite get the thrill of driving will just say that it’s going round in circles over and over, but any racing lover will find this to be one of the deepest, most feature-packed driving games ever to be produced. There’s got to be close to 100 hours worth of career driving to do here, more if you want to try out different cars and play online.

If there’s one significant issue I have with GT6, it’s the relatively poor AI. Admittedly, racing game AI has never been much to tout about, even the interesting ‘Drivatar’ of Forza 5 seemed to miss the mark slightly. During the first half of your GT6 career you’ll find the AI incredibly wooden; following the driving line to the point of stupidity. They become a bit more interesting once the proper racing cars start to crop up, but never come close to real world opponents. Thankfully, GT6 has a fully functional online mode; it lacks the wonderful progression of the single player, but if you want more realistic opponents it’s a good online world to jump into.

Sound design is the only other problem area. The game features the classic GT piano soundtrack, contrasted well with rock in preparation for races. Once racing though, the soundtrack takes a turn for the worse. I’ve often found that a stellar soundtrack can elevate a driving game to brilliance (Dirt 2 being the best example), but the tracks that play while driving in GT6 are pretty poor and there aren’t even that many. Thankfully, there is the option to upload your own tunes to the game, but it would’ve been nice to see a collection of songs as good as the virtual garage.

The sound effects are also a bit varied; most of the cars have a good array of guttural engine sounds and each one is distinct. However, little details like the ridiculous ‘thump’ sound when you collide with barriers or other cars will never stop being a real pain in the ears, it’s about time that was taken out of Gran Turismo. The horrific screeching noise from the wheels when you turn a bend is also hard to ignore. It’s not exactly realistic and is more annoying than satisfying, I got used to it by the end of the game, but at the beginning I could barely stand it.

When those collisions do occur, the visual effects are just as disappointing. The damage model system from GT5 has returned with a vengeance. Making contact with the rest of the world creates a few scratches on your car, or at worst a whole load of scratches. For a game that claims to be the real driving simulator, it’s a bit embarrassing to see arcade games like GRID 2 feature much more realistic damage simulation. A similar situation exists for the in-game scenery. Track surfaces and details look spectacular, but foliage in particular looks absolutely terrible. Trees are reminiscent of the PS2 days, while ground textures look painted on. Background scenery rectifies this issue in some places, especially on the beautiful Matterhorn track, but the muddy textures are disappointing none the less. Of course, the cars look spectacular, but you knew that already.

Gran Turismo 6 truly is a swansong of the PlayStation 3. In my opinion, it’s the best game in the series since GT2. There was a point, about halfway through the game, when I came to a sudden realisation: Gran Turismo isn’t a racing game, despite the obvious inclinations towards so. It is, in fact, a driving game. No game in history celebrates the world of vehicles and motorsport so openly and in such vast detail. There’s a level in GT6 where you drive the lunar rover on the moon! It sounds crazy, but it’s just a small sign of the depth and breadth available in this game. There are some stupid drawbacks that prevent this game entering the history books (and me giving it a perfect score), but this is an essential PlayStation driving game. It fully deserves to be the last game you play on your PS3.