By most developers' standards, three years is a generous chunk of time in which to create a game. Polyphony Digital will disagree. The studio so synonymous with the Gran Turismo franchise must have felt frantically rushed to push through a full sequel in the mere 1,107 days that have passed since GT5 rolled out. Then again, 2013 marks the 15th anniversary of Sony's genre-redefining driving game so a little extra effort must have felt appropriate.
And, of course, there's also the fact GT6 is very much like GT5.
Of course, veterans of the series will know that in a decade-and-a-half, very little tinkering has been done to the core of Gran Turismo. Which is by no means a criticism – GT's original concept was bolted to a sturdy chassis, one that has flexed over time to accommodate new concepts and features, but never to the point of warping Polyphony's grand vision of a real driving simulator. With GT 6, you get some additions, of course: around 120 extra vehicles, and new tracks in the form of real-world titans such as Brands Hatch, Mount Panorama, Silverstone, Willow Springs, Ascari Race Resort, and Goodwood Festival of Speed's hillclimb, alongside a fictional Matterhorn-inspired configuration and the return of fan-requested Apricot Hill.
Otherwise it's business as usual. There's a massive roster of cars – now in excess of 1,200 – and this time around you can tune up the 'Standard' and 'Premium' models, although there is still no cockpit view for the former. The visuals push the hardware as hard as ever. The cars look gorgeous and many of GT5's graphical issues are gone, although the 16-strong grid replays still reveal the limitations. There is the same 'mobile chicane' behaviour from AI opponents, the same idiosyncratic soundtrack selection, the same driving licence test-locked progression, and the same ample selection of Nissans.
But you also get the widest selection of motorsport categories available on any current console driving game – everything from micro vans and superminis to concepts and hypercars, ably supported by representatives from the kart, Super GT, NASCAR, touring car, ice racing, drift, sportscars, hillclimb, and WRC scenes. Keen to show off its range, the game again introduces a large number of these relatively early on in the Career mode.
The thankfully redesigned central menu system (if you ask nicely, the NHS is still offering counselling to those traumatised by the bewildering mess that was GT5's counterpart) offers the typical selection of themed race meetings but at given points you're given access to a roster of side activities. So Mission Races place certain requirements on your performance, One-Make races are self-explanatory, and the more playful Coffee Break Challenges are where you'll find traffic cone bashing, accompanied by the surprisingly captivating Eco races requiring you to maximise distance or negotiate a circuit with just a litre of fuel in the tank.
Elsewhere you might get invited to power some exotic machinery through Goodwood's superbly rewarding though deceptively tricky hillclimb or even – and skip the rest of this sentence if you don't want the surprise spoilt – slip into your astronaut suit to bounce around the surface of the Moon in NASA's Lunar Roving Vehicle.
All of these, as well as the final 'main' race events, unlock progressively once a specified number of 'stars', obtained through race performances, is reached. It's a tried-and-tested mechanic, of course, but a new structural introduction to the series that has major impact because it affords players a flexibility that has previously been missing. You can now pick and choose your events – and therefore your progression throughout the game – with greater abandon. True, you still can't enter any of the six licence tiers without undertaking the now-traditional set of driving tests but there is more opportunity to fast track your way there this time around.
That's not to say that GT's infamous grind-based structure doesn't apply. You still earn Credits in order to purchase, tune up, or service cars, and some – such as the 20-million-credit-costing 1967 Ferrari 330 P4 – will take some serious saving up. To counter this, and following the controversial trend of the times, Sony has introduced microtransactions. These range from £3.99 (500,000 Credits) to £39.99 (7 million), in a move that has already met strongly worded negativity from some gamers. Time will tell if this adversely affects the balance of GT6's world, particularly online.
On that note, it's worth pointing out that Sony assures us an enhanced GT6 online experience, with the ability to create clubs and organise events for members. However, at the time of writing the online portion of the game wasn't available and therefore doesn't form part of this review.
Similarly, the publisher's promises of much more content to come in future updates, such as the Course Maker, B-Spec Mode, additional community features, GPS Track Regenerator, GPS Visualizer, and more tracks and cars (redeemable with in-game currency), can't be taken into account at this stage.
But what we can judge is the disc's considerable content offering. And all of this substance would be relatively pointless if GT6 isn't able to underpin it with a solid and rewarding set of handling mechanics. Whereas GT5 made significant strides over its direct predecessor in this regard (which it had to, given the Forza Motorsport series' challenging – and some will rightfully argue, winning – contribution in this department), here the advancement is less pronounced, but noticeable nonetheless. You'll pick it up the moment you sit behind a dedicated force feedback wheel/pedal set-up, but even through a DualShock 3 most cars exude a palpable sense of bodyweight shift resulting from an enhanced suspension model, which when combined with improved levels of tyre behaviour, means you can really play around with the cars in real-world fashion.
Sure, GT5's handling was advanced enough to enable you to deliberately unsettle the rear end under trail-braking or lift-off oversteer in order to improve corner entry, for instance, but this time around you benefit from a general additional degree of control and, in particular, increased tyre feedback. Lean heavily on those black rubber rings now and, in most cases, you get a more comprehensive feel of when you're pushing them too far.
The result is a set of dynamics that, when driven at the limit, roll at the forefront of what is currently achievable on console. If you can't feel the exhilaration of blasting through Goodwood in a SLS AMG GT3, the lunacy of taking the new 125 Shifter karts around Matterhorn's rollercoaster circuit, the thrill of successfully overtaking a fellow X-BOW around the outside of Brands Hatch's Paddock Hill Bend, or the terrifying ordeal of maintaining 200mph-plus on Nordschleife's final straight with the windscreen showing nothing but a rival's plume of spray, then the only engine you really need is a defibrillator.
The reality is that Gran Turismo 6's on-track performance isn't in question. When it's firing on all cylinders, Polyphony's latest is arguably the best console driving game to date. There is nothing out there that collects such a disperse selection of vehicles and consistently delivers in terms of convincing handling dynamics, on some of the world's finest circuits. On top of all this, Polyphony also adds immense game mechanic-altering elements such as weather and night racing.
But this impressively engineered octane cocktail can't be fully enjoyed without the bitter aftertaste of a series that has systematically ignored key structural stresses as well as fundamental developments within the genre. Take the mediocre AI. The enduring argument is that the opponents' inadequate intelligence does not matter because Gran Turismo is about you, the car, and the track. It's valid, but it can't mask the undeniable frustration of players who only experience credible motorsport competition when online – or, to a lesser degree, via the adequate two-player splitscreen option.
Similarly, there's the continuing resistance to implement full visual damage. Oddly, the damage model appears to have been significantly toned down from GT5, and combined with an unrealistic collision mechanic (both in terms of dynamics and sound effects) this does much to undermine the game's otherwise authenticity. Then there's the recurring issue of the progression mechanic – although some improvement has been made in this latest iteration – and the franchise's overly clinical, impersonal feel.
Granted, tinkering with these would mean re-engineering a philosophy so engrained in GT's tyre tread that Polyphony must fear a catastrophic puncture. Yet, accomplished as GT6 is, the team will need to revisit some fundamentals if future iterations are able to stand wheel arch to wheel arch with the Forzas of the world. Indeed, the prospect of how the developer may be willing to evolve the franchise for PS4 is a riveting one. But knowing Polyphony Digital, that's a few years down the road yet.
For now, at least, PS3 owners should focus on enjoying another excellent Gran Turismo outing.
