Gran Turismo 6 - Verdict?

[PTRACER]

Played GT5 quite a number of times with a controller. I was impressed, but it's still far from the "ultimate driving sim". Not that I tried it with a wheel. GT6 any better?

[Sam]

My verdict:
There is clear improvement in the physics department. The cars feel much more alive and weighty, so you can do much more steering with throttle and brake than you could in GT5. It's probably still pretty far from the hardcore sims, but it is another step closer.

Overall user experience is better, menus are slicker and loading times feel faster (although they are still pretty damn long), but the career progression is very linear and, in the end, you don't really have sense of freedom you got in GT4. Graphics have improved a bit with a new lighting engine, and there are less visual issues like jaggy shadows, but there are still some oddities like reflections turning on or off on cars that are far away. No real change in the sound department either, engine sounds are as terrible as they were before. Content wise there's not that much new stuff, some new cars and

Generally the AI is still not much to shout about, but they do pull some clever moves occasionally. I was once passed on the outside in the final corner of the final lap at Willow Springs, a perfectly clean move that took me completely off guard. I was quite impressed with that, but sadly those kinds of moves are an exception rather than a rule.

Overall: If you liked GT5 despite it's flaws I'd recommend getting this, because it's really more of the same with better physics. But if GT5 drove you mad I would think twice.

[Puhis]

Pretty much what Sam said. The online feels slightly better, and racing with your own name (or fake name if you insist) is better than having your PSN nick displayed along the real(istic) names on the sidebar. That's one improvement I really like. The used car dealership is gone, so you'll be able to buy every car from the dealership which is nice if you're into collecting. Online races now have qualifying sessions available, and the server host options feel much better. As Sam said, you can now really feel the car, it feels real and behaves like a real car would instead of the "floaty" feel you got in GT5.

As for other stuff, the track editor has been removed but will be added (and improved) in a future update. Same applies for B-spec and the endurance races. Users also have the option of switching between A-spec and B-spec during longer races, which makes endurance racing much better as you don't have to drive the entire race alone if you don't want to.

Overall, I'm disappointed with the sounds as well as the AI but they have also improved immensely in the physics department, which in the end is what matters the most to me. The updates to online gameplay, new tracks and some of the new cars were good choices and add even more depth to the experience.

I'd give it a 8/10. The score is subject to change when the track editor is released. Being able to map a route using your phone's GPS and then importing it in-game sounds wonderful, so I'm eagerly waiting to see what it's really like.


P.S. My PSN nick is Rainyday77 if you ever feel like racing.

[kals]

I ordered this yesterday, should get it tomorrow. I'm looking forward to playing it but I am realistic about what it's going to be like.

[Antonov]

i will await your judgement before even considering placing the order.

[kals]

The game feels good. The handling seems a little better than GT5. The license tests are a little easier to achieve all golds, plus there are less of them and there is a new system to unlock each license level. The game feels massively scaled down compared to GT5 (which is a good thing) and there is no B-Spec (for what I've noticed so far).

I've only completed a small proportion of the game but I've already managed to unlock Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Lunar Rover levels.

[Sam]

The game feels good. The handling seems a little better than GT5. The license tests are a little easier to achieve all golds, plus there are less of them and there is a new system to unlock each license level. The game feels massively scaled down compared to GT5 (which is a good thing) and there is no B-Spec (for what I've noticed so far).

Apparently B-spec will be added on a patch later.

I've only completed a small proportion of the game but I've already managed to unlock Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Lunar Rover levels.

What do you think of the Lunar Rover events? I thought they were good fun and a great laugh, but I've heard others who have essentially called it a death of GT franchise...

[kals]

It is very gimmicky and a good amount of fun, but quite frustrating too (I've not been able to complete the cones level yet). Calling it the death of the GT franchise is a bit much though.

[Metzo]

Lunar Rover is probably the only realistic sounding car in the game

[Michkov]

If you can hear it than no its not

[kals]

That's just what I've been thinking while playing it. Surely it should be deathly silent?

[Antonov]

just purchased for half the price. Update installing now. Looking forward to play.

[caneparo]

I've had this game for long but I just started playing it few days ago on PS3 and I'm almost done with the international B events.

Good thing:
- graphics of the cars is very good
- the cars are a great fun to drive, you'll always look for a better time lap after lap
- there's a big amount of cars to play with
- the menu music (lounge music soundtrack) is fantastic

Bad thing:
- the career mode is really lame, some events are the carbon copy of others, and only half are fun to do it, the rest you make it only to have the 100% completion
- AI is terrible; generally your opponent are much faster in acceleration and on the straight, but you totally outclass them braking; all the races must be conducted with the same tactics
- All the usual issues (damages, penalties etc..) of the GT series are still there.
- Crappy tracks like Matterhorn and Spring Willow

The career flows pretty linear, and I completed the 80% of the events with only 3 cars, which is ridicoulous compared with the span of choice you have.
The Bspec is totally unuseful because especially if you choose the cars under the handling over speed principle, which usually pays off in aspec and it's giving a bigger return on investment. The bspec driver will never win a race and that makes it a waste of time, because I'd delegate the AI driver to race in some events or circuits I don't like.
It leaves me unimpressed the fact that in 20 years major issues regarding AI racing behaviour has not been fixed.
In conclusion the game is fun to play if you seek for the fastest lap, but totally crap if you look for a racing experience, making it boring after 20 minutes of play.

[PTRACER]

80% with the same car...was it a tuned 1989 Nissan Skyline?

I haven't played GT6, but in GT5 the AI behaviour was exactly the same as in Gran Turismo 1. The sounds have also never been improved and we'll never have proper crashes because the car makers won't allow it (something they've been saying since Gran Turismo 3). The realistic car interiors are a nice touch though.

[caneparo]

I wrote 3 cars
Delta hf
Lotus elise
An rx7 which you get winning national competitions

The last two cars are effective in international b events as well. You ll need an american muscle car (you get a charger r/t as a prize earlier) and a kart to do the rest on int b events