Gran Turismo 6 – PS3 swan song for the racing series

Gran Turismo 6 launches today (6 December 2013) and exclusively on the Sony Playstation 3. It’s the last game for the console made by Kazunori Yamauchi and his team at Polyphony Digital and is a great way to send off the previous generation.

Gran Turismo 6 launches into a very different market today. The driving simulation genre is being attacked on all sides by games like Forza Motorsport 5, Assetto Corsa, Project Cars, rFactor and iRacing. It’s tougher competition for GT6, which needs to be at the top of its game to attract players back to the series.

Traditional GT fans will feel right at home – the game offers 77 layout variations of a total of 33 tracks and 1,200 cars available on launch, on-disc, and without any paywalls to jump through to get them. Although the game does follow the trend of allowing for the use of microtransactions, these are only for using real-world money to add credits to your game. The game sticks to the old formula of awarding players money, experience (now in the form of stars) and prize cars for completing race series and earning licenses.

It’s a big change for the technology of Gran Turismo as well. GT6 moves to a world generated almost entirely through the use of adaptive tesselation. It’s a much more intensive task for the development team, but it significantly raises the look of the standard cars in the game so that they’re not as ugly as in GT5. There are additionally huge changes to the game’s weather simulation and Polyphony finally added in a working, realistic suspension model, accurately simulating body roll and giving players another visual aid to grip levels on the tires.

Some things have been scaled back in the game to make the release date, namely fully simulated damage models that affect the car’s performance, with improved engine sounds and the popular B-Spec mode promised in upcoming patches that will be applied to the game. It’s a work-in-progress for Polyphony Digital and the final game when all is said and done will be almost nothing like the original.

While the game’s economy isn’t affected much by microtransactions, there are changes to how it works offline. Instead of levelling up your avatar, you now simply earn stars for placing well in races, a system that looks more like GT3 than more recent titles. There is also no driver level for the cars – you can buy and race any car you want in the game without having to level grind for them, a welcome change to how things were in GT4 and GT5.

But it is a beautiful game and at times will give next-gen racers a run for their money. However, given the amount of stuff that GT6 makes the PS3 do, it’s recommended that you play the game in 720p mode to keep the game running at 60fps almost constantly. 1080p at 60fps is also doable, but the more extreme load from the redesigned game engine can cause the framerate to drop below 50fps at times.

So, what do the critics have to say about the game?

Gran Turismo 6

Polygon – 9/10

Polyphony Digital’s love for cars has always been clear, but it’s always felt a little cold and mechanical. The benefits of that technical expertise still exist in Gran Turismo 6, but they’re put to much more enthusiastic use. The result is a massive, passionate game and a fitting final lap for the PlayStation 3.

The Verge – no score

If it had been released a few months ago, the new Gran Turismo would have felt much more impressive. It features a great variety of races, more than 1,200 cars to zip around in, and when everything clicks, it looks amazing. But playing it now, after the PS4 and Xbox One have launched, it feels like somewhat of a step back. Games like Need for Speed Rivals look and feel so good on the PS4, and when you’re playing GT6, you can’t help but feel like you’re missing out on a better racing experience.

Gran Turismo 6

IGN – 8/10

Gran Turismo 6’s problems are baggage the series has been carrying since 1997; the second you thunk into a wall at 200 kilometres per hour and drive off scot-free, or hop into a belching V8 that sounds more like a wheezing milkshake maker, the glass shatters and the illusion breaks with it. But when you’re on one of Gran Turismo 6’s absolutely gorgeous tracks, fused with the car you’re controlling, attacking apexes with confidence and devouring sectors with steely precision, it’s not hard to see why this series is deservedly regarded as one of the best of its kind, and this one is no exception.

Playstation Nation – 9/10

Gran Turismo 6 took a very good game and made it great. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely a huge upgrade from GT5, and many of the changes have improved the experience greatly. Many Gummi Bears have lost their lives in the process of reviewing this game, and it’s all been worth it.

Gran Turismo 6

The Escapist – 4/5

More of a driving sim and less of a racing game, Gran Turismo 6 is the cream of the crop. It’s an easy game to hop into for a single race or plant yourself in front of for hours on end. They’ve added some interesting features but at its heart it hasn’t changed much from the last release. If you love racing games this is a must buy. Gran Turismo has been steadily improving, so it’s no surprise that this iteration is one of the best.

Eurogamer – 9/10

15 years since its inception, Gran Turismo carries on its pursuit much as it always has, delivering a driving simulator that’s as exhausting as it is exhaustive, as infuriating as it is intoxicating. As a foundation, it’s certainly more stable than its predecessor – and as a way to explore the thrill of four wheels it is, despite its many faults, exceptional, brilliant and pretty much peerless. It’s not finished yet, but Polyphony likely never will be – and in Gran Turismo 6 it’s just delivered the broadest, most complete iteration of its epic vision.