WARNING: This Game Is Very Addictive (Gran Turismo 3 (PS2))

Member Name: aljones

Product:	Gran Turismo 3 (PS2)
Date:	10/04/02 (153 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stunning graphics, Endless enjoyment, Great selection of cars & tracks

Disadvantages: No damage model, but who cares!

Gran Turismo has become a household name. It has become the pinnacle in motor racing games. Is it deserved, undoubtedly, and does Gran Turismo 3 carry on the standards set by GT1 and GT2? You bet it does, and goes a bit further in an attempt to create the most realistic and enjoyable racing game on any platform.

The first thing I noticed when I first played GT2 was how addictive it was. I couldn't explain it, but I know I spent many, many hours in front of my TV hammering away at the control pad. So, when SCEE released GT3 on the new PS2 Platinum range, I had to have it. And the same thing happened! I am now completely hooked, with no end in sight due to the games shear size and playability.

Now when GT3 first came out, I was still playing through GT2, and noticed one major thing. GT2 has hundreds and hundreds of cars, whereas in GT3 Sony have really cut down on numbers, to around 20% of the number available in GT2. Well, the reason is that they have cut out most of the cars you'd never use, or hardly ever, and instead concentrated on getting a smaller number of cars almost inch perfect. I thought I'd miss the choice, but I haven't. The only really noticeable difference is the lack of second-hand cars in GT3. In GT2 you could buy a pretty decent second hand car to start the game with, such as a Nissan Skyline, but in GT3, you are limited to just a handful of cars that you can afford when you start the game, that are all pretty low-spec, with the best you can get being an older model Mazda MX-5. That just makes things more interesting, and challenging, as you can no longer walk all over the competition for the first few races.

But the cars look and feel great. Detailing on them is pin-sharp, and looks very accurate from what I've seen. Colours on the cars look more vibrant than they ever have before, and the lacquer reflects the sunlight beautifully off the bodywork. The graphics are certainly a major selling point for G
T3, and rightly so. Just sat in the middle of the road, not even moving, the surroundings look great. Not only are they smooth, they are also detailed, far more than in GT2. Start driving round and you?ll notice all the other great graphical touches. Run slightly off the road onto the gravel, and dust billows from behind your car. Drive down a road covered by tress, and the sunlight gleams through the leaves, in a very realistic manner. Drive head on into the sun, and the dazzle you get is amazing. I certainly have never experienced anything like this before.

The tracks themselves haven't changed a great deal from previous incarnations of Gran Turismo, so you'll instantly recognise the courses. There are however a few new ones, most notably the Monte Carlo Grand Prix circuit. The others are good, but in my view not as good as some of the tracks that have been replaced by them. Some of them are now far too tight and twisty, though this is a very good test of driving skills, and requires you to use yours skill rather than just flooring the throttle all the time. That said, the tracks are still pretty good, and vary significantly in style.

The handling of the cars has also improved, and now provides very realistic force feedback through the controller. When your car starts to over steer round a corner, you feel the friction through the controller, and it does bring a whole new level of realism to the game. Step on the throttle too early in a corner, your wheels spin and you start to slide. All the different cars handle differently, and you can easily feel the difference between front and rear wheel drive cars. There are only two places you can view from, either directly behind the car, or from the front of the car. No dashboard view is available, which would have been a nice touch, but to be honest, I only use the rear of the car view anyway.

The artificial intelligence of the cars is also pretty good. They don't always get their
line right, and do attack each other. Quite often you'll follow a group of AI cars into a corner, only to pass them all while they have a little tussle of their own. If you knock into another car, they also then seem to become more aggressive towards you. Maybe I'm imagining it, but it certainly feels like they do. All the AI cars are fiercely competitive, and won't give an inch on you if they can help it. This leads to some very exciting races, certainly among the best I've ever experienced in a game. Also, there are only ever 6 cars on the grid. Not many I know, but they do all stay quite bunched together so you get some good racing action.

One thing that Gran Turismo has never had is a damage model. That is, when you crash, you don't get marked, and your performance doesn?t suffer. You can drive straight into a wall at 200 mph, and drive off like nothing happened. To me that's a shame, and while you can use it to your advantage, it would be nice to be able to have some damage inflicted once in a while. That said, overall I don't think the game suffers as a consequence. But, having said that, that is the only thing I can criticise about the game.

As far as sound is concerned, you get an array of great rock sound tracks from the like of Feeder and Death In Vegas amongst many other great tracks. You also get pretty accurate sounds from your car and those surrounding you, including engines noises, and tyre squealing, as well as sound from rumble strips and any scrapes you may have with walls or other cars. None are superb, but they are all good and make the game complete.

GT3 still has all the features of previous Gran Turismo's, such as the license tests, machine tests, racing leagues, endurance races and rally races. Despite the game having fewer cars to offer, you can now store 200 cars in your garage, as opposed to the 100 you could own in GT2. Again, all your cars can be tuned, and new ones can be bought
with the credits you earn from the races. Some races and championships will also reward you with new cars as prizes, which you can either keep or sell.

If you own a PS2, you should already own this game, and I think most will. I don't know why I waited so long, but now that it's less than £20, there really is no excuse not to own a copy of this game. I seem to be recommending a lot of games recently, and this one is no exception. Truly brilliant, a masterpiece, and another game that will surely go down in history and will be used as a benchmark for other racing games.

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