Gran Turismo 6

Since video games came to be, racing titles have existed and strived to deliver intense and high octane vehicular experiences to you the gamer as you sit comfortably in your armchair. Various franchises have aimed to do this in a number of different ways. WipeOut excelled in offering futuristic hovercar racing. Need For Speed managed to take all the things that made the Fast and The Furious movies and translate it into a game. Then Burnout offered pure arcade-style carnage. However, one series has always remained the champion of realistic racing simulation and in Gran Turismo 6, Polyphony Digital wasn’t going to change in that respect.

This game plays rather like any other modern-day Gran Turismo title. However, if you aren’t familiar with the GT series, the game also has similarities to racing titles such as The Crew, Driveclub, Forza Horizon and Project Cars to name a few. However, none of these games come close to taking the crown of the most authentic racing simulator on the market.

Back On Form

If you played Gran Turismo 5, you may remember the old XP system that would lock you out of content and progressing through no fault of your own. Well, you’ll be glad to hear that this has been scrapped in favour of a classic car unlock reward system similar to the likes of Gran Turismo 4. This allows the player to constantly have an incentive to progress and do so without having to jump through hoops just to compete in a race that they haven’t already finished twenty times in an attempt to grind.

Then another welcome change is the ability to purchase any car from the respective dealerships as and when you choose, provided you have the capital. GT5 would have you wait until they were on a used car lot and pick them up by chance. Thankfully though, the developers have done away with this silly method and gave players back their freedom. Essentially, the campaign plays more reminiscent to Gran Turismo 4, which I am sure all GT fans will agree, is all we ever wanted.

Typically Stunning

It almost goes without saying that this title blows every other racing title on the platform out of the water with its visual quality. In a number of instances, you find yourself having a double-take trying to distinguish if you are playing a game or watching a real-life recording. The detail of each vehicle, environment and track is second to none and only adds to the brand promise that this title is the most authentic racer on the market.

The tracklist is also mind-boggling. You’ll have all your usual suspects such as the dreaded Nurburgring, the Tsukuba Circuit and Circuit de la Sarthe to name a few. However, there are more than a handful of sublime new additions to come to grips with as well. The content looks great, is true to the real-life inspiration and is super fun to learn and master.

Old Habits Die Hard

Just as the usual plaudits roll in for this game, so do the criticisms. The title remains unrealistic in terms of vehicle damage, meaning if you want to T-bone a fellow racer that’s leading at a hairpin turn then you might as well do it because the game won’t punish you. The other car will bundle off the track and you can trundle along as if you simply bumped off a wall of pillows. Then, in addition, the sound quality of the engines is poor once again. There seems to be no difference between the revving of a Toyota Yaris and Mercedes Maclaren which does nothing for the immersion that this game is known for.

Better But Not The Best

The developers have clearly had a hard look at the shortcomings of Gran Turismo 5 and backtracked on a number of terrible decisions, allowing them to give sixth-gen GT fans a game they can be proud of. However, it still lacks refinement in areas that have been calling out for change for over a decade. Gran Turismo 6 feels like a redemption story rather than a remarkable return to form.

Pros

• Typically stunning visuals
• A cavalcade of tracks to choose from
• A campaign format that goes back to it’s roots

Cons

• Cars on the roster are a little outdated
• Damage detection is still as good as absent
• Engine sound breaks immersion