Becka Reid
There is no greater thrill than the purr of an engine, the curvaceous line of a chassis and the screech of the tires as they rear for take off. Gran Turismo 6 has all these glorious features and much much more.
How does one describe the game? Some have referred to it as PlayStation 3’s last great game, which could be a fitting title for the experience I had with it.
For those who have been living under an abnormally large rock for the past 16 years, Gran Turismo is Sony’s flagship series, the be all and end all of PlayStation games and has been wowing myself personally since the beginning. I can remember when I first picked up that controller to play Gran Turismo and it sure has come a long way from those days.
Fortunately for all the die hard fans and even the newbies, Gran Turismo 6 is the best installment in the series yet, through its sheer design and revolutionary setup, continuing on its long legacy with pride.
When you first load up the game you are thrown straight into the action with a test run to get you familiar to the controls, this is pretty helpful and gives you a chance to sort out the viewing angle (which is always incredibly important) and teaches you the basics of braking and all the other good stuff. From then on it suggests you purchase a Honda Fit RS ’10 and at this point in the game it’s the only vehicle available, so purchase it you will.
Then it’s onwards with all of the Novice races and so on and so forth.
Gran Turismo is quite easily the benchmark for a beautifully designed game that is pleasing to the eye and ears. The driving simulator is realistic in the fact that all cars have the curves and lines in the right place and all those all too familiar sounds of the various engines. Considering it runs on decade-old hardware it is probably unfair to compare it to Microsofts Flagship Xbox One title Forza Motorsport 5 however it still holds its own with its meticulously designed tracks and extreme attention to detail.
One thing that Sony is using to market this incredible game is the absolutely massive range of cars the game contains.
With it’s arsenal of over 1000+ cars you are forever purchasing and upgrading your personal collection, living vicariously through your imaginary race car driver life. However in my personal opinion I would say there’s not exactly a need for such an arsenal.
I mean I love the Mazda MX5 as a personal favourite both on and off the track however I don’t really need all 30 different versions of it. The vehicles are licensed and represented as true to life as possible with even the interiors matching their real world counterparts.
The tracks have also received the same treatment, all the big names are there. You can place your foot to the floor on tracks such as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Laguna Seca you can then jet off to Japan’s Twin Ring Motegi Super Speedway, a wide variety so you are sure to never be bored.
One pet peeve I have about this game however is the impact damage. Although if you tend to do enough damage to your car you can decrease performance but the extent of the damage modelling leaves much to be desired. In my opinion it lacks realism and if I crash into an another car I want to know about it, so to speak.
In comparison to Gran Turismo’s single player path the multiplayer aspect of the game although playable and still extremely fun, still leaves me thinking like something is missing.
I do however like the fact that you cannot just bounce straight online through to multiplayer mode as some players would do, Gran Turismo forces you to go down the single player path before you are allowed to compete online in multiplayer and racing is generally lag-free.
The seasonal racing events make a comeback and are always enjoyable, with the chance to win a Toyota FT-1 (a seasonal event currently and I cannot wait to get my hands on one of those little beauties!!)
In summary, yes Gran Turismo is an amazing game, it has minor flaws, however any game does.
The cons are far outweighed by the pro’s and I could not be happier with the outcome.
Coupled with stunning visuals, realistic sound and style, Gran Turismo 6 is the game that you just have to have.
One of the PlayStation 3’s best finale titles in my opinion as it hands over it’s dominance to its younger counterpart, the PS4.
Gran Turismo 6 definitely fuels my lust for fast cars and realistic driving and has definitely not disappointed me, I shall continue to be an avid fan and very much look forward to the future of the flagship series.
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