This game needs no introductions... (Gran Turismo 3 (PS2))

Member Name: Lawless Fever

Product:	Gran Turismo 3 (PS2)
Date:	30/06/02 (26 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing graphics, Brilliant rock soundtrack, Plently of modes

Disadvantages: Similar to GT1 & 2, Can be overly difficult at times, Not much of an improvement

This game needs no introductions. Unless you've been living under an extremely large boulder for the last five years, you'll know that this game is famed worlwide for its two previous titles on the Playstation. At the height of its release, back in mid-2001, it was hyped to surpass its predecessors, a mean feat in its own right. But now, this game has turned Platinum. And boasting the slick graphics and unfounded gameplay that the previous possess, its a sure bargain. This is Gran Turismo 3.

The concept should be old news to most gamers, but for the sake of those who've not yet experienced the lure that this game is, Gran Turismo allows you to race in the world's most expensive cars, crafted by the world's best manufactures, where you can race a friend, or simply cruise around the lush maps yourself. And that's just the start of it - the 'Gran Turismo' mode allows you to pit your skills against the masters of the road, competing for cups and other such prizes, also earning you a few choice cars along the way as a treat. However, to improve your skill and earn yourself a few more cars, you can attempt the various licenses. This is amazingly involving, and although it can be fiendishly difficult, also presents a fresh challenge to the player, especially for me, someone who never really got into this mode in the first two, but this really dragged me in.

The graphics are as good as your friends say, they really are. The modelling of the vehicles is off-the-charts, the attention to detail and the lighting effects are well worthy of its predecessors. The glinting metal, the sun shining, and the time you swear you can feel the wind in your hair all make the graphics a worthwhile experience, moreso than any other game on any other console. What's more, the Replay feature, made famous by the series is back, and if it weren't for the fact that a controller is in your hand, you could easily be mistaken for believing it
to be the highlight's of last night's racing!

The sound pulls no punches either. The difference between a TVR Tuscan that stears like a barge and an AC Cobra to the tortured scream of the high-revving S2000 is easily distinguishable, and rightly so. Also, each car has its own 'soundtrack', I suppose you call it. Being on a new console, new game, yes? Certainly in this department, as the screeching of your tyres and the smashing of your rear mirror into the arco barriers is recognisable without hesitation, far crisper than the lower-counterparts. Polyphony Digital have also added in some popular music, such as the likes of Feeder, Snoop Dog, and some well-known Japanese groups (in Japan, at least). The variety is superb, and will not be beaten for a while, and the music-selection is an excellent touch.

I hate to diverge from the positivity trip, but there are some disappointments with it. The selection of cars available left me with a bad taste in my mouth, not even a third of that from the previous. Also, the cars handle pretty much the same way as they did, in particular, GT2, and the results are the same. The racing experience (excluding graphics and other aspects of the game), is almost identical, and bears no real bonus from GT2. The AI is still lacking, and the collision detection is no different, and this does add a slight bore-factor to an otherwise daunting game.

It is for all these reasons (and more, which I couldn't cram into this review!) that I simply adore Gran Turismo 3! If you thought that Gran Turismo 2 left you cleaning up the skidmarks, you haven't seen nothing yet. If you thought that Metropolis Street Racer beared the best resemblance to real-life racing, you have been terrible mistaken, for Gran Turismo 3 is THE best racing game ever, bar-none, no if's, and's or but's about it. The Platinum seal of approval is all the more a reason to race down to your local garage...I mean shop, an
d pick up Gran Turismo 3!

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