Amazing graphics and time-tested gameplay combine in one solid package. Not revolutionary, but a great game nonetheless.
User Rating: 8.1 | Gran Turismo 3 A-spec (Platinum) PS2
With the release of Gran Turismo 4, it’s time to finally produce a review for its predecessor: Gran Turismo 3. When the original Gran Turismo stormed onto the Playstation console, it was hailed as a new harbinger of racing games. Its excellent physics models, bevy of collectable and customizable cars, competitive events, and stunning graphics produced a gameplay experience that seemed unstoppable. I vividly remember staring at a friend’s television screen and thinking that the graphics were something straight out of a movie. Gran Turismo 3 arrived on the Playstation 2 and blew us all away. Nearly every aspect of the original Gran Turismo had been improved, and the sharp edges that had marred Gran Turismo 2 had been filed down and smoothed into a masterpiece. The graphics and physics underwent major overhauls for the release of Gran Turismo 3, making even Gran Turismo’s special “Hi-Res” mode pale in comparison. Each car model in the game was meticulously recreated on the screen, with a wide variety of colors available. The tracks sparkled with a graphical brilliance that we could have only imagined before, from the eerie orange glow of the streetlights on SS Route 11 to the rays of sunlight fighting to peek through the trees on Trial Mountain. Introducing the cars into this environment made it even more spectacular, as their polished, reflective bodies made the tracks look even more spectacular. Also overhauled was the physics engine. While the previous iterations of Gran Turismo games had sported a realistic driving model, Gran Turismo 3 brought it to new heights. The distinction between stable and unstable vehicles was magnificently highlighted, and reminded us of the importance of customizing more than just the gear ratios in the car setup screens. The rally racing physics also underwent a major overhaul, allowing for better feel on the slide-happy dirt tracks that rally cars beg for. The core concept of the game, however, has not changed. An arcade mode provides a selection of cars and tracks, in which you can challenge either the CPU or another friend. Regulation time trials allow you to compare your racing line and times to those run by the experts. The simulation mode, however, is where most of your single-player experience will be spent. In this mode, as before, you start out with a limited amount of funds and no racing licenses at all. Heading to the car dealership, you can purchase a vehicle and race in a variety of entry-level races. Difficult License tests strive to teach you the basics of controlling a car in race conditions, as well as allowing you to qualify for the more advanced series. Some competitions require a specific category of car, while others are open to all comers. And there are plenty of competitions to take place in. There are five leagues to compete in, from the easy Beginner League to an Endurance League that features long races. Each league has many race series, which take the form of single race events or series races that crown a champion based on a points system. But in the end, Gran Turismo 3 ends up being a little disappointing. While the new graphics are a spectacular addition to the game, and the improved game engine provides exciting racing moments, the core gameplay just hasn’t evolved. While there is plenty of gameplay value with the myriad of challenges, many of them simply become moot when you have the money to purchase and equip a “rocket ship” car. Some of this is unavoidable, but in other cases, a little more programming effort could have solved it. There is a particular race series, for example, were all the opponents’ cars are Japanese models, and the race is clearly a Japanese model race. But you aren’t prohibited from entering an American car in the race and blowing the doors off the Celicas and Skylines you’ll be competing again. The license system, while interesting and challenging, also proves to be another weak spot over time. The limited instruction during the license challenges doesn’t really provide enough information to succeed in the challenge, let alone improve your racing skill. As a result, you are forced to try and try again in order to pass a challenge so that you can access higher-level race series. A better option would have been to make the license challenges optional; let the purists run them, let the gamers skip them if they choose. Furthermore, never in the challenges do they cover racing against another car. But why should they? Just like in other Gran Turismo games, there is no damage modeling to be found anywhere here. You don’t have to worry about passing zones; you can just muscle your way past any opponent you choose. To me, however, I don’t find the lack of damage modeling a problem. Most games that claim to model damage don’t to a good enough job of it anyway. What I would hope for is a larger penalty for clipping a wall or another car. Right now, it’s a minor inconvenience at worst. Finally, there is one “feature” added to the game that is absolutely ludicrous. The game now asks you, as the owner and driver of these expensive racing cars, to change the oil every 300 miles or so, lest you lose engine power from old oil. While the mileage number isn’t terribly out of line for a “racing” car, and the mileage is probably okay for a “racing” car, in practice, it’s more of a crippling blow. Why? Because you can’t change the oil in the middle of racing series. So, when you’re in the middle of a 10 race championship series and your oil light comes on, you’d better hope you’ve got enough horsepower left to finish strong. Your opponents won’t be suffering from a loss of horsepower, but you will be. Sound stupid? That’s because it is. Overall, Gran Turismo 3 is a solid racing package. Its appeal lies in its graphics, the large library of cars, and the hundreds of hours of gameplay that it provides. But if you’re looking for a revolution to the Gran Turismo experience, you won’t find it here. Even though this is still the best Gran Turismo game ever made, it doesn’t stray too far from the flock. 
