Gran Turismo 6 Review: Gameplay Videos, Impressions, Car List, Tracks and More

For real car enthusiasts, there can never be enough vehicles to gawk at, let alone drive. For 99.9 percent of the population, having a plethora of cars to choose from won't ever be a reality. For guys and girls like that, the Gran Turismo series was invented. 

In its 15th year of existence, the series has spawned some of the most memorable and respected racing video games in history. On Friday, the sixth overall—and most likely final one on the PlayStation 3—will hit stores. This Sony exclusive in moving on up to the big time next year, but GT6 is prepared to leave its mark in a major way for current-gen gamers.

With retail copy in hand and hours to burn with this mega title, I've collected my thoughts and I'm prepared to spew them in a passionate, yet composed spiel. As always, I'll talk about the expectations and realities as it relates to the game.

Lastly, I'll wrap it up with a numerical score for those who dig numbers like I do. Without further delay, here's my take.

Graphics and Animation

What Was Expected

First and foremost, this is not a next-generation title. To judge the graphics on the level of the games I've been playing of late would be unfair. If you look at the videos in this article—or elsewhere—and think, "this doesn't look quite as good as Forza 5," you're correct.

However, the hardware GT6 runs on is inferior to Xbox One and PS4, so a more fair comparison would be a game like Grid 2 or F1 2014.

What We Got

You won't find a more attractive racing game on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. Gran Turismo 6 pushes the current-gen hardware to a place it hasn't been on most any other game. The vehicles are as slick as a popsicle in the North Pole. 

The environments are picturesque and layered in a way that creates depth and beautiful backdrops for the racing action. This shines through when you watch your race replays. Beauty in racing games can often be overlooked if you don't watch your race once it's complete.

This is a feature equipped in most every racing title, but a hasty gamer may really miss out on enjoying the action from the pulse-pounding spectator point of view. In GT6, the various camera angles really show off the artistry in the game and add to the overall value.

Gameplay and Realism

What Was Expected

GT has built a great reputation as one of—if not the most—realistic driving series on any console. This has been true almost to a fault in some cases. Some may have believed the game's ultra-sim qualities were intimidating to gamers who aren't as vehicularly inclined.

I admit to being in that number to a degree in the past. But I've always appreciated the depth of the experience, even when it wasn't in heavy rotation on my playlist. 

What We Got

For some reason, I found GT6 to have the most pick-up-and-play appeal of any version of the series I've played. Perhaps the tutorial is better organized; it does direct you without confusion to your starting point for a career and aptly introduces the other features in gameplay.

Those are structural qualities that don't actually speak to the drivability of the vehicles, though. As things relate to this all-important aspect of the game, it is hard to imagine virtual cars feeling more real to control. 

Obviously, the PS3 controller isn't equipped with cool features like rumble pads to simulate the resistance one would encounter, but you can definitely feel the variable weight of the different cars in GT6.

This is not really anything new as it pertains to the series. This type of vehicle distinction has always been present. However, it is great to see that none of this has been sacrificed amidst the addition of new features.

This is the first GT title that I've actually played with a steering wheel and pedals as well as a controller. I can't lie, it is far more difficult to play this way. At the same time, it is ridiculously realistic and makes you appreciate the work put in to make the racing true to life.

Playing the game with a steering wheel takes things to the next level. This has always been the way to maximize your enjoyment of a true racing simulation, but in GT6, the authenticity makes it all the better.

Sound and Presentation

What Was Expected

I've always found the sound and overall packaging of the GT series to be a bit bland. I'm not implying the presentation should feature Slash from Guns N' Roses in the intro or Lil Wayne freestyling—if he even does that—between races, but something more than just pure racing would be nice.

What We Got

For the most part, we get more of the same with GT6 as it relates to sound and presentation. The menus are constructed cohesively, which is nice, but some elements of a human voice would have worked.

You have this beautiful game that primarily features outdated sounds and little to no human element. Somehow there it seems those traits are mismatched. In addition to that, the car damage is very minimal and not quite visible enough.

I hit the same wall—at a relatively high speed—twice and it seemed to only create a minor dent in the hood. As a matter of fact, I felt my eyes may even be playing tricks on me as I watched the replay.

I know this isn't Burnout, but we are still driving cars. Major collisions should produce visible damage that goes beyond a few scratches on the fender and hood.

It does appear that Sony and Polyphony Digital (the studio responsible for the series) has kept to the Dragnet style of presentation by choice.

Some GT fans may actually prefer things as they are, but I'm just not in that number.

Game Modes and Options

What Was Expected

We knew GT6 would deliver a complete complement of options and features, but how much is too much? Walking the line between keeping gamers occupied and overwhelming them can be a thin one. Does GT6 fall over that line?

What We Got

Cars? Oh There's Plenty of Those

It all starts with the cars. There are a boatload of them—1,207 to be exact. The vehicles come from over 28 different car makers. Massive car lists are nothing new to the GT series, but over 1,200 is eye-opening for even the most faithful GT fan. 

Acquiring all or a good number of the vehicles available is a cool challenge to consider taking on. That said, what's cars without tracks?

Tracks? Got Them Too

There are seven brand new tracks available, such as Silverstone Circuit, Goodwood Hillclimb and Willow Springs International Raceway. I've actually been to the latter at a GT racing event in November, so I can personally vouch for how accurately rendered that track is.

With 37 locations and 100 different layouts for pre-programmed tracks available, there should be no shortage of asphalt for your collection of vehicles to race on. 

GPS Functionality

I used the term "pre-programmed," because GT6 also includes a GPS-assisted option called Course Maker.

Using the GPS abilities of selected mobile devices, you can create a track based on one of your everyday trips in your real-life vehicle. That 10-minute drive to Gamestop to buy GT6 can be recreated in the game.

The geographic data is transmitted from the GPS device to the game. GT6 then creates a track based on the longitudinal coordinates. That's pretty slick. There are even more GPS-related and futuristic options coming down the line for the game via downloadable content.

While you're racing, the game employs real-life weather effects. Again taking the latitude and longitude position of the track into consideration, the game calculates a realistic weather condition based for each track and location.

The Long Haul

The career mode is much more guided and I definitely appreciate that. It's a little easier to advance through the levels on the different circuits. There is a new star rating process that enables advancement based on a sufficient rating being awarded per race.

This is cool, but if you're like me, you won't move on from one race to the next until you've won it.

The events have some variation, but at the end of the day, it's all about racing. For real enthusiasts of the genre, this will be appreciated.

Coffee Breaks

As mini-games go, you'll be hard-pressed to find another option that is as compelling or challenging as the Coffee Breaks in GT6. These options appear once you've completed an event in career mode. The first one asks you to knock down 300 cones within a specified amount of time.

There is a bronze, silver and gold prize awarded. Clearing the first challenge with a gold trophy requires you to hit the cones in 20 seconds or less. Again, I'm obsessed with getting the gold trophy so I wasn't satisfied with simply getting silver.

The video below shows me doing the best I could after about 12 tries. I was just 0.7 seconds too slow and boy is that frustrating. I had to force myself to put the controller down to make more notes and move on to other areas of the game for the sake of this review. Nevertheless, I'll be back.

Under the Hood

Souping up your car is still a big part of GT6. There's already a good number of parts and upgrades available, but more are said to be coming via future updates, per Sony.

The Online Experience

There's a new, more community-friendly approach to online play in GT6. Gamers can now create their own clubs and communicate through the game's forums to organize race events for club members.

The clubs can be private for friends only, or open to the public.

As is normally the case with launch-day reviews, the evaluation of online components is conceptual. The servers haven't faced significant volume and some of the online features aren't available pre-release.

The Bottom Line

Even if you've already converted over to a next-gen console, there is still solid value in GT6. The realistic driving, GPS functionality and extensive car list are all unique qualities.

If you're still exclusively a current-gen racing fan, then you'll almost certainly want to grab GT6. It is the best and most complete racing title on a current-gen system.

Now for the numbers...

Graphics and Animation: 9.5

Gameplay and Realism: 9

Sound and Presentation: 7

Game Modes and Options: 8.5

Overall: 8.5

Follow me for news and musings on Gran Turismo 6 and other sports video games