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Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec (PlayStation 2) artwork

Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec (PlayStation 2) review


"You’re driving down the pavement, buzzing past every single car ahead. With your level 4 turbo kit, you’re the meanest machine on the track. Then, you approach a curve, and you slam on the brakes, struggling to stay on the road. Instead of making the turn, you fly to the opposite side, hitting the wall and spinning out. As you try to right your car, the cavalry of cars you just past scream around the curve, passing you. No, this isn’t a real race; it’s the ultra realistic Gran Turismo. It’s so r..."

You’re driving down the pavement, buzzing past every single car ahead. With your level 4 turbo kit, you’re the meanest machine on the track. Then, you approach a curve, and you slam on the brakes, struggling to stay on the road. Instead of making the turn, you fly to the opposite side, hitting the wall and spinning out. As you try to right your car, the cavalry of cars you just past scream around the curve, passing you. No, this isn’t a real race; it’s the ultra realistic Gran Turismo. It’s so realistic that you might want to bang your head off the wall.

Gran Turismo 3 continues to keep its predecessors goal; tons of realistic cars and the ability to customize them in just about every aspect. For every gear head gamer that has nuts and bolts on the brain, this game is paradise. The game introduces over five hundred cars from seven different countries. The simulation mode allows you to become a professional racecar drive. You start out with twenty thousand credits for one car. As you race and win, you get more money to buy another car or fix up your existing one. And, just like real life, if you want to drive, you must take the appropriate driver’s license exam. Chances are, however, you’ll be able to complete the real thing before you can actually succeed in these tests. They’re that difficult that you’ll spend hours upon hours trying to complete them.

Every car controls uniquely and varies in abilities. For some cars, no amount of customization will be enough to be successful. Others are so difficult to control that a real race driver would fail miserably in controlling them. Just about every part that comes to mind is available, such as turbo kits and transmission upgrades. You can actually see a major difference too! As you begin to fully customize your machine, it changes from your average streetcar to a dominating force to be reckoned with. With a few cars you can easily tip over 200mph. However, don’t be too proud, because you need to be able to drive good as well. The game employs real strategies used by actual racecar drivers. You can’t just turn a corner; you must slow down, and brake at the right time, and follow the line through a curve, accelerating and the perfect moment out of the turn. Braking too early wastes precious time, while if you stop too late you’ll be kissing the dirt or the wall.
This is where the game either makes you or breaks you; some people will love the realism and dive into the game never to return. Others will try to race a couple times then subsequently throw their controller at the wall. It just depends on your skill level and patience you possess.

Everything in this game is candy to the senses. The exotic sports cars are jaw droppingly gorgeous and the music and sound are at the top of their game. The constant hum of the engine fits perfectly with the blue sky and glimmering cars. The only issue I have with this game is the car line-up. Many of the cars that were present in the past games are completely gone. Previous titles allowed you to buy mom-and-pop cars like Dodge Neons and Ford Taurus’s. The newer title only seems to have only sports cars. It’s a shame; tuning the same car you mom drove into a racecar was a huge highlight in the past games.
However, still as good as ever, Gran Turismo may be the best racing game on the market. 9.5/10




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Community review by heroofthewinds (August 19, 2004)

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