Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

Written by Eftal Sogukoglu on July 20, 2001

Second View: Greatest Drivers. Greatest Cars. Greatest Honors.

Despite still being roughly new in the market, there are quite a few good games for the PS2. The system enjoys boasting its superior graphics and awesome capabilities with games such as Dynasty Warriors 2 and Kessen. Nevertheless, there hasn't been a game yet with enough dept that it became the sole reason to own a PS2. That is, until now.

Long awaited Gran Turismo 3 was finally released in the US in July 10th, and it's by far the greatest racing game to hit the console. This statement was also made for its predecessors. The original Gran Turismo was called the greatest, but people had their doubts about the graphics on Gran Turismo 2. A major upgrade from the original system's days, the game has evolved while sticking true to its roots to provide a fun and challenging racing experience.

In terms of graphics, GT3 pushes the PS2 system to incredible limits. Sun glare scintillates off of your car as you drive by majestic landscapes. There are two views while driving Ц one in car and one with a 45 degree angle looking at your car. If you pick the second view, you will notice that almost every object you pass by casts a shadow on your car. When you fly by a tree, you can see it reflect on the back of your car until it dissipates in the distance. The cars themselves look fantastic. It's almost like watching a race on TV sometimes.

The sound and the music haven't changed much. Sony seems to have paid a visit to each car featured in the game. The monstrous V8 on the Mustang SVT Cobra resonates a deep, menacing rumble, while the Turbocharged Lancer Evolution lets out an agonizing screech. There is also an addition Ц crowd's cheering. The last one seems almost like an afterthought, but it doesn't really hurt the game.

Fortunately, GT3 has stuck to its roots in providing two games within one. One is the arcade racing game, with 2-player vs. game play and well known features such as time battle and single races. There is also the simulation version. This is the core of the game. You start off with 18k in your pocket, and launch your racing career with an 80's model sports car. As you win more and more challenging races, your money adds up and finally you end up driving an 800HP Dodge Viper in a Gran Turismo All Stars event. You win cars and money as you go up in ranks, and you are also allowed to buy performance parts for your car.

If you are a hardcore sim'er, you can fully customize your car with a racing suspension and play around with the stabilizers, shocks, traction control computer, and etc until you have a machine that you are 100% comfortable with. There are also speed-adding tune-ups, such as Turbochargers, Cat-Back systems, and a racing chip. You can take an Acura Integra and bring it up to 500 HP with enough money.

The races themselves are quite vigorous. The AI is rather flawed, since they seem to have a knack of knocking other racers off the track. But that is okay; you can knock them around too. What is most amazing about this game is that you can practically feel the speed. Sega GT was the Dreamcast equivalent of Gran Turismo, but despite its better graphics the game ran too slow. It felt like you were doing 55 when flying down the track at 150. This problem greatly reduced the fun-factor, but in GT3 you feel exactly like you are doing 170 when you are doing 170. And when you are flying up that dreaded ramp with the downhill S corkscrew descent lurking behind at Laguna Seca, 170 does scare you.

There are, as with many great games, some flaws. The pre-mentioned AI is part of the problem. Sony, are you reading this? Fix the AI, please. Real racers don't knock anybody. Realistic damage would also make this a pure simulation. Moreover, some might complain that it has only a ╝ of the cars that were included in GT2. Believe me, of the 600 cars that were used in GT2, only about 200 of them were race worthy. The other stupid cars like Mini and Geo Metro had no place in a racing game.