Gran Turismo 6 is a game that has baffled many people since it’s announcement. Speculation began when series creator, Kazunori Yamauchi said that his team had started work on GT6 in 2011. After heavy speculation, Gran Turismo 6 was finally announced on May 15th, 2003. Despite being announced after the PS3, it was confirmed to be a PS3 title.
As to be expected, Gran Turismo 6 looks incredible on the Playstation 3. The car models are extremely realistic and the tracks are beautifully detailed. The damage engine still leaves a bit to be desired. This is something that the game has never fully captured and I was hoping for more from this iteration. As always, the in-game photo capture is a hoot. It’s really amazing to be able to take photos of your realistic looking cars in different scenarios.
Another huge improvement are the weather effects and the day/night transitions. Both really add to the overall look and feel of the game and make the environments that little bit more dynamic. The game installs as you play it so load times are a lot less of a problem this time around. The first track will probably be the longest load screen that you encounter but as time goes, these will shorten to an unnoticeable amount of time.
The first thing that you’ll notice when you boot up the game is the impressive main menu. It is spread across multiple panels and gives you access to career, car dealerships tuning features and a host of other things. The well-presented menu makes tracks and cars an absolute joy to sort through. It’s a huge improvement from Gran Turismo 5 in every way.
The tracks in Gran Turismo 6 are some of the series best. There are 37 locations with about 100 different layouts. This ensures that you won’t get sick of the same repetitive tracks in a hurry. There are a total of 6 grades to get through which will take you quite a while. When it comes to racing, the most noticeable improvement is the new suspension model. It’s obvious from the get go in the sense that cars respond better to sharp turns and hitting the curb feels more realistic.
This is most noticeable in the higher-end cars. Super cars which are weightier now feel much heavier and respond this way when turning corners. Karts on the other hand have much more control. This ends up being a much more rewarding experience and really puts you in control of your vehicle, so if you crash, it’s most likely going to be your fault. There are times where I still felt that the AI lacked a little in comparison to the Forza series.
There are over 1200 vehicles available within the game. You can buy all of these through the dealerships and thankfully the used car system has been removed. Gran Turismo 6 introduces the Recommended Cars area. The good thing about this system is that it suggests which cars you should buy based on your career grade and discipline, making it much easier for you in return. One of the biggest surprises is the introduction of micro transactions. All of the cars are available without them but they’re an effort to get.
Local multiplayer is a slight disappointment due to the fact that customization options are limited. Online is a whole different story. Gran Turismo 6 introduces seasonal events and other traditional racing modes. Finding a game is extremely easy and I had a great time playing with real racers.
