Up to this point, the actual racing offered little racing challenge. It may or may not be perfectly "realistic," but it absolutely nails the sense of every part of the car responding to the situation and driving inputs I give in the way my mind tells me a car ought to. Of all the driving games I've played, Gran Turismo 6 best embodies what sim driving games should achieve. However, GT6 does such an excellent job communicating all the aspects of its handling, that it took no time to adjust. Every aspect of trying to get this twin-turbo beast harnessed felt different. What really brought home the fidelity in the game's handling model was the abrupt slap in the face I received when I moved to a '97 Supra RZ to tackle my first rear wheel drive class races. The Focus begged to be pulled out of corners on power while the Clio exhibited a nearly unreal capability to wait deep into a corner to apply the brakes and still cut in on a knife's edge. While all three of these cars exhibited the basic characteristics of front drive cars, each communicated their own personality. Against the drone-like AI in the novice ranks, I felt like a superstar and gained confidence.Īs my garage expanded with a Focus RS and Clio RS, I grew to appreciate the new handling model in GT6.
Its front wheel drive layout, short wheel base, and forgiving chassis begged to be pushed. Uninspiring as that felt when I realized the game was going to force me to make it my first purchase, it turned out to be a perfect fit (pardon the pun) to the game's plan to continue teach me.
I stand at the beginning of my journey to earn that seat and GT6 hands me the keys to a Honda Fit RS. By its close, the game at least armed me with a good general sense of what to do out on the track, not unlike having an instructor at a real-world track.īut it's not going to just plop me down in a Ferrari yet. The designers did a fantastic job of matching these tips to the pace of the Clio as I worked my way around the circuit.
However, for drivers who don't live and breathe sim-racing, the blunt approach is appreciated. If you don't, bad things will happen," will seem overly didactic. For experienced drivers, tips like "when the line turns red, it means you need to hit the brakes.
Gran Turismo's progression attempts to give players an idea of how to unlock the amazing potential of the game's more exotic cars before handing over the keys. With a massive 1200-car garage, GT6 will have players behind the wheel of a whole gamut of vehicles, eventually including sports cars and race cars capable of amazing speed. Instead of pitting me in a 500+ horsepower exotic, I'm in a Renault Clio-a car that hasn't been sold in the States in over twenty years. Right from this familiar beginning, though, it catches my attention with the first nuances of its improved progression system. The game begins by dropping me behind the wheel for a couple of warm-up laps at Brands Hatch.
Sixteen years after the release of the original Gran Turismo, creator Kazunori Yamauchi and his team at Polyphony Digital are still trying to create “the real driving simulator.” The latest effort, Gran Turismo 6 for PS3, may be familiar for series regulars, but new features and tweaks give it real impact.