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95 of 113 found the following review helpful:
 not quite five... Jun 01, 2001
By iluspook
":)"
i love this game but, with that said, i want to get the bad stuff out of the way... LESS CARS-many less...a lot of my favorites have gone the way of the dodo. 126 cars to start with, with a few more added later, is a lot, but when compared to four to five times that in gt2, it pales in comparison... DUMB A.I.-sure the computer cars are a little more "intelligent" than before, but when a random car that had never been touched slams its brakes, effectively taking it out of the race, just to stop the player, then their is work to be done... besides this, all cars still follow a racing line, albeit not as religiously as before. a.i. could be better... NO DAMAGE-understandably, the manufacturers will not allow the gt producers to portray their perfect cars as anything less than that(i.e. no scratches or dents in these work machines), but slamming a wall at 200km/h plus,(i have japanese version) will have repurcussions. i will gripe and gripe until this is corrected! NO WORKING HEADLIGHTS-i will give my right eye for a left one that can see the road! why turn on the headlights at all? the street lights obviously do an adequate job! the headlights look pretty, but do nothing! yes this is a minor gripe, but simple physics is not too much to ask for! argh... ok...with that out of the way, time for the good... GRAPHICS-obviously being the first thing one will notice, the graphics are phenomonal! sure, the audience remains a cardboard cut-out and the rear- view mirror does not present all the fixins(very generic), but with these being the only flaws, this game is truly a sight to behold. the lighting is extremely impressive(i was actually blinded by the sun) and the textures are right on. i have read of texture lighting problems, but have yet to experience any. all the touches are in the right places. and the replays...beautiful! MUSIC-again, sony got different bands for the soundtrack...like lenny kravitz, feeder, grand theft audio, overseer...it really keeps you motivated. although i do like the music in gt2 a bit better(one of the best video game soundtracks ever), this music was still right on! MORE RACES-even more races including the gt2 rally races and some f-1 racing this time, the race options are amazing! IMPROVED PHYSICS-not a very noticeable change, as gt2 had great physics, but a significant one at that. rear and mid engine cars do not flair as wildly out of control as in the past, and the new wet ground physics are great. the pinball action off the side rails remains, however... running out of space, i realize there is a lot to say about this game, and it is an extremely enjoyable experience. granted, the time to make each car model limited the selection this time around, but there are still more cars than any other ps2 racer. try it out and see...especially if you have never played a gran turismo game...you are sure to enjoy!
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 The king of all racers! Jul 08, 2001
[...] WHY NO PORSCHE? there is porsche! its called RUF! Porsche (the name) is licensed to other game companies and locked up! Ferrari is not available due to tighter licensing and no "RUF" for ferrari to get round this. FEW AMERICAN CARS? because the game was made in Japan, by Japanese the emphasis is on japanese makes .. plus, in the GT world, the range, depth and ability of japanese racing cars is much greater than American cars.. even so they've added many european makes, and a decent range of US cars as well. FEWER CARS THAN GT2? Many cars in GT2 are just existing cars with a stripe added.. all of the GT3 cars are modelled with a much greater degree of accuracy and most have authentic recorded engine sounds. Polyphony Digital took seven times longer to add a single GT3 car than a single GT2 car due to this extra attention to detail. MANY OF THE SAME TRACKS? Yes, but redone in graphics that bring them alive. Given a choice of totally new tracks or old favorites from GT2 done to this level, the compromise of many old tracks and about five new ones is pretty good. Ok my original review: I've had the Japanese edition for some time. Its basically identical to the July 11th release US edition.. The game is a triumph.. the designers said in an interview that they hope gamers will get six months of use out of GT3, and I'd agree with that.. you can get to 100% complete faster, or you can never get anywhere near 100% complete and just dip in randomly for fun - either way there are well over 100 hours worth of play in here, much of it not released to you until you're ready.. Graphically GT3 is the best looking (and feeling) racer on all platforms, and looks to be unchallenged for the forseeable future.. there simply isnt anything even in development that will come close... Its worth buying a PS2 purely to play it.. the force feedback wheel adds to the experience (if you can find something to clamp it to!) as it imparts extra sensations you don't get with the analog dual shock.. Any magazine reviewing on a 5 or 10 point scale gives this game a perfect mark.. if you hate accurate racing simulations, then why are you reading these reviews? but if you enjoy looking at and using cars and racing against another (split screen) or against computer cars, or against your own best laps (ghost image), then you need to buy GT3 because there will not be another racing game that matches it for some time. Having got GT3 and a PS2 you can also look forward to amazing titles this year such as Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid 2, ICO, State of Emergency and many others.. after a drought of A grade titles since the PS2 release, there is a FLOOD coming your way... Some special moments in GT3 racing for me: Racing at high speed in rally mode and not being able to see a thing due to the dust clouds from the car in front! Finally getting all golds in two sets of racing license tests, after hours of practice and incremental improvements.. Controlling a high powered car on a wet track using gradual acceleration and braking.. Managing to lap at Monaco without hitting any walls.. Watching replays of innumerable close races. Finally earning enough money to buy a top GT car.. It goes on and on really.. stop reading and get this game.. it won't change your life, but its brilliant value for money.
11 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Worth buying a PS2 for this game alone Apr 24, 2003
By Michael S
I literally have not bought another PS2 game since I've had GT3 for over 4 months. I've taken it out of the player maybe once or twice. It is the most realistic driving simulator I've ever tried. Good points:
* Good selection of cars (and colors). Everything from econoboxes to muscle cars to sports cars to F1 and prototypes.
* Good selection of tracks, including city, race track and rally. Plus several real-world (the challenging Laguna Seca and Monaco tracks)
* Cars are customizable: add parts, fine-tune settings.
* Good custom wheel selection
* Realistic driving physics. Oversteer/understeer, wheelspin, weight shift, suspension mods, etc. behave as you'd expect.
* Great graphics
* Challenging
* 2-player battle and iLink (you can hook up several PS2's and compete) Not-as-good points:
* AI cars hit you, each other and the walls, and can be annoying.
* Car selection emphasizes Japanese cars (not that they're bad, but I'd like to see more European)
* No damage model or rollover, so bouncing off walls has no effect
* Rally races aren't set up like real rallies (they're all head to head as opposed to beating a time)
* Only appearance change is wheel. I'd like to see custom graphics, paintjobs, bodywork, etc. If you're looking for an arcade action game, this is not it. You'll likely be frustrated by the license tests which need lots of practice to get through. And most of the races require some level of license. But if you're looking for a challenge and to improve, the license tests will make you work for your skills, and enable you to beat some tough AI competition. But even with a few problems, I give it 5 stars. I could probably get by without buying another game until GT4 comes out. Seriously, it's cheap. Buy it.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Vrrrrrm! Sep 29, 2003
Gran Turismo 3 picks up right where GT2, its predecessor, left off. With improved car selection, more courses, and crisper graphics on the Play Station 2, it instantly became my favorite racing game. There is nothing better than being able to pick your vehicle of choice from any major automobile company. With choices from Hondas to BMWs your options are limitless. The fun doesn't stop here though. After you have chosen your vehicle and made a little cash from some races, you can even start modifying your car. You can buy basic performance parts like mufflers, and gradually work your way up to high powered turbochargers. No other racing game has ever been able to come close to this. It is up to you to squeeze every bit of horsepower you can out of your vehicle so you can at least try to hang with the fastest sports cars in the world. All of these modifying options do take time, so patience is certainly something to have when playing this game. This is just what comes along with the game that is known as the best racing simulator. There even is a car wash and wheel shop which really enables you to customize your ride. The game gets down to the exact specifications of each car as well. It lists the weight, ride height, performance specifications, etc. From graphics to game play, this game really has it all. It is so realistic you can almost smell the aroma of gasoline and burning rubber on the track.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Give it a Chance Dec 11, 2002
By C. Caruso
I purchased this game a few months ago from Wally World(Wal-Mart), a GREAT deal in my opnion. When i got home and popped this into my PS2 one word came to my mom, DETAIL. Everything in this game is worked down to the water droplets flying up from the road to the sounds of the car's engines. One thing I liked about this game is that you had to work for what you recieved. In the beginning of the game you start out without much money, and no liscences. The liscense test's themselves are a pain, but you need them to proceed into the depths of the game. After you get your first liscense and bought your first car you can start racing, and eventually build your career until you win the "good" cars. I myself have recieve, as a reward, two F1 cars(secret cars within the game). When I won my first one i thought to myself, this is what gaming is all about. I dedicated my time and my skill and it paid off, it was one of my most relieveing moment in my gaming console career.
My final thought on this game is....if you want a game you can jsut rip off in a matter of hours, get something else, or rent this and play arcade mode, but if your the kind of person who has the patience and the dedication to proceed in a game, this is for you.
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