Back in 2001, the third game in the amazing Gran Turismo series, emerged from all the hype caused by the release of the ps2 and took no prisoners on its journey to becoming one of the greatest race titles of all time.
Originally named Gran Turismo 2000, Gran Turismo 3 or GT3 as its also known came out and literally stunned the world with arguably the best graphics seen in a computer game ever. Its smooth and easy interface pleased everyone, from the most hardcore tune-head, to the casual arcade gamer and that is what made it so successful.
Graphics: Even if it was 4 years ago, gran turismo 3 has graphics to rival even the latest games out on ps2. The crew a polyphony digital out done themselves in creating such a glorious looking title. The cars are so detailed that if you squint you could be fooled into think they are real. Every model in the game is almost perfectly accurate to its real life counterpart. That's the cars, but you obviously need a place to race them. Well the game contains a whole host of tracks new and old. GT veterans will be familiar with some of them that have been revamped from gran turismo 2, but there are new tracks here new to everyone that simply are amazing. As you race over tarmac, gravel or dirt you can see why the surfaces are some of the most amazing textures you'll have ever seen in a racing game. There are also the backdrops to the tracks that provide excellent atmosphere and seem very appropriate where used. The lighting effects are second to none and the cars reflect all the scenery around them beautifully. The graphics are so good in fact that sometime you wont mind playing and just watch the excellent replays of your laps.
Overall: 9.2
Presentation: As soon as you turn it on and watch the intro you will realise that this is no joke. It looks so slick the whole way through and has a great interface making it easy for any gamer to get to grips with. Menus are cleverly laid out and are very smooth. Finding what you want is easy and with little or non loading times, it's a joy. The HUD is very simple but effective. While in game you have a map of the course which shows the location of you and your opponents, and, as you'd expect, the times, place position and speedometer. There's nothing cheap about the looks of this game. It feels and looks like the real deal from start to finish.
Overall: 9.5
Gameplay: If you are the casual gamer that plays a few hours at the week end or if you are an addict that plays as much as you can then this game is right for you. The simulation mode is serious as hell. There's no speed boosts or power ups, this is just pure racing. You start off with just enough money to buy a car and you slowly start working your way through the race tournaments. Of course before you do much racing at all you will have to pay a visit to the licence centre. Here is the best place to get to no the game. You can master the controls like steering, braking and even gear changing (if you use manual transmission). The controls are simple. No need to explain them. It might be an idea if you're a real racing nut, to invest in a steering wheel for the game. It provides a great challenge and an overall more realistic experience. There's nothing too hard here that'll make you want to break something, or, too easy for that matter, and that is what makes the gameplay so great.
Overall: 9.8
Sound: All the cars have there unique engine noise, and although most people wont care, its nice that you can tell the difference between your mini and your F1 car. The menus are accompanied by really smooth jazz pieces that are easy to listen and are great if not ideal for the background music. The soundtrack features many stars and unknown artists, but all the songs are very well chosen for the game and are great to drive to. Sound isn't important in a game like this but they got it right anyway.
Overall: 9.5
Lifespan: You will be still playing this for months after you buy it. If you are going for 100% completion
you can look at about 3-6 months of fair on and off gaming. You will encounter well over 400 races that are all as varied as possible. You will need specific powered cars for certain races and most races have a horsepower limit so you cant enter something too powerful into a race to make it easy. There are also the endurance races. There are 10 in total and each take between 1 and 2 hours to complete! In the end its very satisfying and you need to do them anyway in order to achieve 100%. You can also waste many hours buying cars and then tuning them to the max. I must say that this has the greatest racing game lifespan ever seen.
Overall: 10
The verdict: GT3 rarely messes up. Its smooth, slick and well presented the whole way through. You would sometimes wonder how other racing game come up so short and unpolished compared to this. Overall its an amazing title. You need this game in your collect if you suspect in the slightest you want to drive. It's a driving paradise. Get it.
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