Gran Turismo 3: A-spec

The Good
Nice graphics. Large variety of music.

The Bad
The first time that I played it I was very disappointed. There are no used cars. I was expecting a huge car line up. As an example there is the Chrysler dealership and the only car that it offers is the PT cruiser. A lot of the dealerships offer only a very small selection to choose from. Something is wrong with the stats. I bought a Mazda Miata and upgrade the motor so I was sitting on 280hp. It said that the car made 17 ft/lbs of torque. There are still the licenses to get but they seem almost pointless...like someone remembered that GT1 & GT2 had license tests so GT3 should have tests as well. You cannot adjust the level of the music and background volume as you could in the earlier versions. Instead you can only turn it on and off. I find that the music volume is barely audible and I would like to be able to adjust it. I could be wrong but it seems like the tachometer and speedometer are not custom to each car. All cars have a max 9k tac and 200mph speedo, they simply have different rev limiters. All in all the game feels less personal and detail oriented. For me this takes away from the overall fun factor. I am still playing this game, so if it grows on me with time I'll be sure to update this review. I am still playing the game trying to get into it but I'm so far having a hard time.

The Bottom Line
A graphical step step forward. The lack of detail and car selection is disappointing.

I would buy this game only if you already own a PS2 and the game is cheap.

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
When this game was released it was without question on of the beautiful racing games ever seen on any console. Being the first Gran Turismo on the PS2, the graphics department is one area where this game certainly didn’t disappoint. The amount of details in each car was astonishing, and the little touches like glowing brake discs under heavy breaking was a nice inclusion. Engine sounds were great in this game, except the V8 engines (good news is that GT4 has some beaut V8 engine sounds).

The Bad
GT3 was a great game, and although it looked the best in the series, it really missed some features that the original one’s had. One set back was the lack of cars/variety of cars. There were 120+ cars in the game, but GT1 had about 150, and GT2 had 300+ cars, the 120 presented in GT3 did seem small. But the number wasn’t really the problem, it was the variety. For instance there is something like 6 different Mitubishi Lancers all practically the same.

Another drawback to the game was the sense of speed. Or lack of it actually. There are situations where you find yourself driving a car at 150+ and it feels like your just cursing around at 20kph.

But the biggest drawback to this game, in my opinion anyone, was the computer AI. The computer controlled cars were to too stupid and offered no challenge.

The Bottom Line
Even with it's flaws, this still is the best racing game (Until GT4 hits our shelves). This game (series of games) is the sole reason I ever bought a PS2 (and PSX/PSOne). The game still offered some of the most realistic handling and physics ever, without sacrificing playability too much. If you're a serious racing fan/car nut, go out and grab this game (should be budget priced now). Or you can just wait for GT4. (I have played GT4:Prologue. And it is great)