An A-Spec Game (Gran Turismo 3 (PS2))

Member Name: R_Easton

Product:	Gran Turismo 3 (PS2)
Date:	03/10/01 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great graphics/physics, large, detailed game

Disadvantages: no weather, less cars then before

Gran Turismo 3 is one of the best racing games currently out. It follows the same game formula as the first two games, but because it is on the PS2 it has much better graphics than the first two. Its major disadvantage is the number of cars. The first game had about 400 cars, the second had 600 but this only has about 200. This is however still many more than most racing games. It has more tracks than the first two and some new cars like a formula one car!

The game is split into two modes – Arcade and GT. Arcade mode is similar to most racing games where you pick a car, a track and then just race. Arcade mode can also be played two player.

GT mode is more story based and gives much more long-term fun. You start with 10,000 credits (enough to buy a below average second-hand car), which you buy your first car with. You must pass license tests before you can do and good races. Once you have your first license you can start a championship. The championships are anything from 3 to 10 races. Each race consists of a 1-lap qualifier to decide your starting position, and a proper race against 5 other computer controlled cars. The races can be anything from a couple of laps right up to 100 laps for the endurance races.

You get money for the race (more if you come first) and if you win the championship overall then you get a championship bonus and sometimes a car. The championship winner is decided by points from each race, with 10 points for coming first and only 1 point for the person who comes 6th. As you get more money you can by new cars or tune and upgrade your old ones.

This game is definitely good but is similar to the first two and probably isn’t worth buying if you already have GT2. It’s more worth buying if you only have GT1, as the graphical difference is huge. The lack of cars compared to the first two is due to the extra time the designers spent on graphics and game physics. If you do wan
t a fun but lasting racing game for your newly purchased PS2 than this is probably it.

Summary: