I'm a big fan of the series but this is the same old stuff really. While I think the lack of vehicle damage and being able to use your opponents to help you get around a corner is something somewhat GT-esque, the time has probably passed for a series that prides itself on being the 'real driver simulator' to include those features, not to mention flags for cutting corners in races. edit - There does seem to be a couple of events which do slow you down for a certain amount of time if you do so - it may be the S events.
Graphically the game looks good, particularly the cars, but they don't seem to be pushing the ps3 to its limit with the scenery, and the step up from GT5 is very minimal if there at all. Another thing is that at times it seems too dark on certain parts of tracks, in the dashboard view some cars are completely black, and the shadows aren't constructed correctly. The menus have always been a bit clunky to get through in the series and while they have improved, we should be able to just go to the next license test or race without going all the way back to the original menus. This needs to be in GT7.
The best thing about this and what I looked forward to most was the license tests, where the clock does offer more of a challenge than the AI. In saying that, gold is definitely easier to get these days than in the earlier games in the series. Despite the disappointing continual omission of rallying/off road racing, apart from a few races, as expected there is a heap of things to do to keep a racing fan busy. And with regular updates it doesn't look like ending.
Gameplay 4.5/5
Graphics 4/5
Sound 4/5
Difficulty 3.5/5
Originality 3/5
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