Gran Turismo 3: A-spec

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)

The Good
This game has got lots of gameplay time, about 60 hours. The cars and tracks available are very high detailed. Also has different types of tracks, goes from technical, with lots of turns, to high speed tracks. Each car has a different handling. The endurance races are not too strenuous.

The Bad
In this game there were only about 180 cars, way less than previous titles. Some professional events and races are just too long.

The Bottom Line
This game marks a huge leap in graphics and that's due to the change from PS to PS2. It allows you to have a very nice time, alone or with your friends. It justifies being one of the best selling PS2 games ever. It's a classic and if you can you should get it.

The Good
Everything. There is a wide variety of cars, from compact to sports, including some '80s cars. There are lots of tracks, and all of them appear to have been worked on extensively, with detailed buildings, environmental effects and sun glare. In Rally races, they've even included believable dirt tracks, which when played in two player mode, can really distort the view of a trailing car.

The Simulation, or Career mode, is outstanding. You can only buy a few cars with your measley starting credits (cash), and you use that car to win races to earn money to buy upgrades to improve your car. It has been really thought out and was implemented nicely.

The Arcade mode, which lets you play two-player battles, free run, and other races is also done nicely. Not only is it there for people who don't want to start a career, but some areas of this mode MUST be completed to get a 100% completion rating for the entire game.

The iLink battle is astounding. If you have the hardware to set this up, you are guaranteed one of the most exciting nights of your life. You can hook six PlayStation2's to each other, each connected to a separate television and race each other, all at once, just like you would find in a video arcade.

The Bad
I can't really find anything bad to say about GT3:AS, but one thing I was disappointed at was the fact that they didn't include any '80s muscle cars, especially from Dodge, which were readily available in GT2. Other than that, the game is, well, perfect.

The Bottom Line
Any fan of racing games should pick this up no doubt. If you loved the previous GT games, you will adore this incarnation. People who aren't into racing would probably get bored of this game really fast, so I'd recommend it as a rental to non-race fans.