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Gran Turismo 6

SCORE: 80

Gran Turismo is considered by many to be the grand daddy of racing games. The mark by which all other racing games are measured. My excitement for the release of Gran Turismo 6 was monumentally high. I played some Forza Motorsport 5 to prepare myself for Gran Turismo 6.

Do you ever have what seems like a really good idea at the time? Then when you implement it you realize it was not such a good idea? Yup. Playing a next gen racing game, and then playing Gran Turismo 6 on the Playstation 3 - not the brightest idea.

Why not? Because Gran Turismo 6 does not look so good graphically. So the debate at Family Friendly Gaming revolved around was it fair to compare Gran Turismo 6 to a next gen racing game? They are both products on the market. Yet they are done on different machines and different technologies. I am trying to walk the fence on the issue myself.

I played a variety of PS3 games and then went back to Gran Turismo 6. My impression of the graphics was still luke warm. There is a lot of variety in the thirty-seven locations, and over one hundred different lay outs. The 1,200+ different cars look decent. They show damage when they connect. Dirt flies up when you go off the track into those spots. The grass looks nice. Gran Turismo 6 just does not excite me in the graphics. The small words on menu screens is probably a part of that.

Gran Turismo 6 is nice to families in terms of the music. Families can import their own Sony track lists into this game and listen to it. If you do not have a Sony track list, and do not like the music then it can be turned off. Not a song at a time like so many other sports games. It winds up being an all or nothing proposition.

The tutorial in Gran Turismo 6 is fantastic. It takes the player through the beginning stages of the game. It teaches us how to play the game. There is a line on the track where you need to drive. Red on the line means brake there. No rewinds in Gran Turismo 6, and no braking for you.

Gran Turismo 6 is hard for casual gamers. Knowing what to do, and being able to do it are two different things. Gran Turismo 6 is a difficult game for those not used to racing games. Money is earned for each race, so eventually a casual gamer could buy a faster vehicle. As long as they keep it below the points limit for a certain series. Stars may be harder for casual gamers to acquire.

Gran Turismo 6 is packed full of content. Plenty of tracks, vehicles, and adjustments. Loading screens feel a bit on the long side to me. But an improvement over Gran Turismo 5. There are a variety of different challenges like the Coffee Breaks, and online multiplayer game play.

Gran Turismo 6 has neat physics and great controls. It feels realistic - even when we go on the grass. Too many racing games immediately drop cars to a low speed when they go off the track. Gran Turismo 6 does not do that. In fact I won some races thanks to taking short cuts through the grass on 'S' curves.

This home console game would be a nice send off to the Playstation 3. I expect Sony will continue to support the Playstation 3 after Gran Turismo 6. I am very curious to see how the Gran Turismo franchise will look, and play on the Playstation 4. Gran Turismo 6 is a solid racing game design more for the core gamer than the casual gamer.
- Frank

Graphics: 77%
Sound: 76%
Replay/Extras: 100%
Gameplay: 70%
Family Friendly Factor: 78%

System: Playstation 3
Publisher: Sony
Rating: 'E' – Everyone
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