Gran Turismo 3: A-spec

The Good
Incredible Graphics - On first inspection you think, "Yeah, they're not bad", however after a bit of play you really appreciate how great they are. There are heaps of subtle touches - heat haze, track glare, smoke, environment mapping, shadows... it's all there. It amounts to something that could almost pass for real life video at some moments and really good computer graphics the rest of the time. Still impressive after a year or two out of the box!

Size - This is one big game, LOTS of tracks, LOTS of cars, LOTS of options and multiple modes of play. This game is the best value for money I've ever gotten from a game (maybe with the exception of 'Doom'). If only all games were this size we could justify the high cost!

Sound - Again, awesome. Sound effects are good, and each car has it's own growl. While not exactly the same as the real things, it's close enough, and closer than most other games have ever come. The music is also a good rock selection and while none of it is really well known, it all fits in with the atmosphere of the game and furthers the adrenaline rush.

Engine - The car handling is great and feels very true to life. At the same time you don't have to find tweaking minor details and studying stats and lap times fun, to do well - the emphasis is on the racing (as it should be!) - other games take note!

The Bad
Not Much - There's not much wrong with the game at all. All I would say is that the "Gran Turismo" (career) mode could have been balanced a little better. By that I mean that it is very easy to work into a corner where the only races you are likely to win are ones which you don't quite have a car that meets the criteria. This requires you to repeat previous races in order to get the money for new vehicles and/or parts. After a while this becomes a drag - but this is only a minor thing, and better that than have the whole thing mapped out linearly for you.

The Bottom Line
A game worth buying a PS2 for. Simply awesome.

The Good
Graphics are superb and smooth. Cars are rendered cleanly and have that signature shimmy and shine. Peripheral viewings as you are blazing down the courses is adequate for visual pleasure. It is not like you have a lot of time to ponder the surroundings unless you are in a slow car.

The Bad
All aspects but one were stellar. The one major flaw in this game are the endurance races. If you want to get 100% in this game you have to go through the tedious and hour plus races that totally takes all the fun out of this title. These races should be for "extra" points and not for completion requirements. It is so bad that some people have given suggestions on how to tape your controller in a particular position and acceleration on the oval tracks to get through the races. It is then recommended to go to a move while your rigged controllers buzzes your car around the track. I like to enjoy my games, not have them be a job!

The Bottom Line
Awesome on road and off road actions. Great for simulation and quick racing. As long as you can avoid the endurance races, you got a class A title.

The Good
Gran Turismo as a series has always been a great racing game. The realism is always been a factor, giving each car its own feel. For being an early PS2 game I found the graphics to be very amazing. Especially when I first bought it. The selection of cars, though less then GT2, still gave you a good variety. The tuning shops also let you take full control over your car's performance. I thought this game was great.

The Bad
It is hard to find problems with Gran Turismo but I did find it a little had to get money in this game.

The Bottom Line
This is one of the best racing games there are out there. With great flexibility on many factors, such as car type and track type, this game lives up to the claim of being "the real driving simulator".