Gran Turismo 3: A-spec

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".

The Good
I will never change my opinion, Prince of Persia is the top game ever for me, but in the case of driving games two strong candidates are Gran Turismo 2 & 3. The graphics are simply outstanding in this game, the speed control, smoke effects and light in this game are other things that are great, this game is technically perfect, but what is technical perfection without great enjoyment? Nothing is the answer, but luckily for us gamers, this game is enjoyment at it's peak, all the racing action is worth the price of this game without the superb graphics and technology.

The Bad
It's overall an excellent game, with no flaws at all, except the Playstation 2 controller, but the controller doesn't have anything to do with the game, does it?

The Bottom Line
The result: A fast and exciting racing simulation with great cars. A great game that is a must-play, and it lives up to the Gran Turismo series.

The Good
The amazing amount of realism: Light flowing through cracks in the tree branches and bouncing off the roof; headlights lighting the way through the rain; sun sets blinding your view; logo's on the cars. Everything has been taken care of.

The tracks: Updated looks for classic tracks from GT1 and 2, and new tracks with plenty of winding roads and tight turns, making for some great passing moves.

The Cars: A great selection, including some new models (and my personal fav, the Ford Tickford V8 Supercar, marking the debut of Australian cars in the GT series).

The Rally mode: Bigger and better then GT2, and just as good as any other stand alone Rally game out there.

F1 Cars: Yes they are in there, somewhere, although not the latest versions, but still this makes for another good reason to complete the game as best you can.

And finally, the sound. Plug in your surround sound system, and you'll be in heaven.

The Bad
A few things missing in the latest version:

Online: It's a pitty that an online mode hasn't been included, but that makes GT4 all that more important for the PS2. The i.link modem meanwhile, does a good job of bringing heaps of people together at a time.

The Cars: Not as many as the previous title, but then again, it wasn't all that much fun racing in a VW Beetle, was it? So the lack of a huge amount isn't that much of a worry.

Car Damage: Thank the car manufacturers for this loss, as they do not wish to see their cars damaged. This would have added a lot more realism to the game, and a bit more strategy in buying new parts, etc. So hopefully GT4 will change that.

No Drivers: Not that I didn't like this, but it seems funny driving these super realistic cars without a driver inside them!! Makes it look like radio controlled cars!

The Bottom Line
The only reason (for the time being) why you should save up and buy a Playstation 2. Amazing detail, and a sign of great things to come over the next few years, considering this is a 1st/2nd generation title. You must get this, if only to watch the sun set.