Gran Turismo 6: PS3 review

Gran Turismo is back and after only 3 years since the last incarnation, Gran Turismo 6 (GT6) is one of the last big-budget game releases on Sony’s aging Playstation 3.

With around 1200 cars available from launch, GT6 can boast the largest number of available cars in any racing game. But that's not the only drawcard. Improved graphics, a new physics engine that improves realism and new tracks - including Bathurst for the first time in the series.

The developers over at Polyphony Digital have painstakingly recreated some of the most gorgeous and enviable vehicles on the planet for you to pelt around a race track. However, much like in Gran Turismo 5, all cars fall into either a "standard" or "premium" category. The standard cars are just holdovers from previous games, meaning they get a bump up in resolution and textures, but still look blocky and dated, especially the headlights.

They are unmistakably ugly next to the primo cars.

The premium cars, on the other hand, are built from the ground up and it shows. These cars are lovingly reconstructed to show the minutest of detail and, with fully modelled interiors, even feature a cockpit view while driving. The standard cars lack this last feature, too.

The crux of the game is better than ever, thanks in large part to a completely reworked physics engine.

Weight transfers convincingly from side to side as your push your car through the bends and you can actually feel the increasing levels of grip as your tyres warm up lap after lap.

Even when you crash, it is a marvellous feeling trying to wrestle back control of your car while the inertia and weight transfer throws you across the track like a pendulum. Gran Turismo has always been known as the 'Real Driving Simulator' and this new physics engine definitely moves it closer towards its nickname.

It's a more engaging game to play as a result of the changes, and in tandem with the fancy eye candy GT6 is more satisfying than ever.

GT6 developer Polyphony Digital has also given more attention to the variety of cars on offer. The previous iterations of the game were heavily skewed towards Japanese cars and automakers, often neglecting -- or downright ignoring -- many of the iconic and brilliant cars coming out of both Europe and America.

It seems as if Polyphony Digital has made a conscience decision to amend this.

There is now a much wider selection of cars on offer from around the world, including the all new 2014 Corvette Stingray, the recently revealed 2014 BMW M4 Coupe and even Australia’s own Holden Monaro CV8.

The much touted Vision GT mode makes its debut in GT6, in which Polyphony Digital approached several brands like as Nike, Toyota, Air Jordan, and Mercedes-Benz to create dream cars for the game.

The first of these cars was unveiled at the 2013 L.A. Motor Show, the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision, and is free to drive in the game, while the others will be offered later, ensuring the car selection will remain varied.

Finding somewhere cool to drive GT6's 1200 cars is made easier than previously, with track variety arguably the best seen in any racing game to date. In total there are 71 courses, from 31 locations.

Fan-favourite Apricot Hill Raceway makes a return after being absent from the previous game and new tracks, such as Silverstone and Brands Hatch, make a welcome debut. Even the famous (or is it infamous?) Mount Panorama circuit in Bathurst gets a nod, and it's brilliant. It will be worth the price of admission alone for some, and there's even a Ford V8Supercar available to drive.

However, it’s the fictional tracks that are the real stand outs. Racing through the narrow streets of a digitally rendered London, while jockeying for first position is a thrill few other racing games can match.

As well as the traditional racing, GT6 also allows you to try a handful of different events, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hill Climb and even driving the lunar rover on the moon. I kid you not!

However, the most creative and challenging of these events has to be the Eco Challenges. In these events, the game tasks you with travelling the furthest distance you can, on a single litre of petrol, in a supercar. If this sounds challenging, it’s because it is. You need to plan ahead and be very light on throttle and braking to get the maximum distance from your car.

The gorgeous cars and beautiful tracks would mean nothing if the gameplay did not hold up, and thankfully it does and the game gives you the tools to tackle the new physics system anyway you see fit.

The tuning options are so numerous; it is almost absurd. Everything, from ride height to spring rate, to gear ratios and down force, can all be adjusted in any way imaginable.

If you want to turn your car into an oversteering, rear tyre shredding drift machine, you can. And if you want a perfectly balanced, track devouring, time attack weapon, you can have that too.

If you don’t know the difference between camber angle and toe angle, however, GT6 does offer a quick description of what each tweak will do to the car, so even the newbie motor heads can have a go at tuning and customising their dream cars. It's all very neat and tidy.

Where Gran Turismo lets you customise your cars to the Nth degree mechanically, it is let down by a lack of customisation cosmetically.

Much like in previous games, not much can be done to differentiate your cars from others and it feels like Polyphony Digital has missed an opportunity to really bring the series forward in a big way. Essentially, only front and rear spoilers can be added, wheels can be changed and cars can be resprayed. That’s it.

Other games feature full decal editors and multi-layered liveries that let players design almost anything they wish. I can’t help but feel GT6 is a step behind in this department.
 
However, Gran Turismo’s biggest Achilles’ heel has always been the lack of damage modelling featured on the cars and GT6 is no exception. You can hit a wall or opponent at 200km/h and nothing more than a dented bonnet will be the result. This takes away the risk factor present in many other racing games, and in real life racing for that matter, and lets you throw around your car collection with wild abandon, caring little for the consequences.

The inclusion of micro-transactions (spending real money for in-game enhancements) will also irk a large number of fans, especially when Polyphony Digital decided to significantly reduce the number of award cars you receive for completing race series.

Cynics will see the connection between these two changes, but some gamers will these micro-transactions as a way for you to save time. Either way, these micro-transactions don’t affect the game in any major way and the prices of the cars have not gone up.

Finishing the game and obtaining every single car will still take your hundreds of hours.

GT6 marks the best Gran Turismo game to date. With more than a thousand cars to pick from and the best track selection seen yet. It's safe to say that GT6 is the definitive racing game experience on the PS3 and shelf life is extended with a comprehensive multiplayer mode, with up to 16 online gamers competing for podium honours in any one race.

However, a lack of innovation and unwillingness to shake things up see the familiar Gran Turismo formula becoming stale. Although it is most certainly the reigning king of Playstation racers, the inevitable Gran Turismo 7 for the PS4 will have to move the series forward in leaps rather than steps if it wants to remain relevant.