Gran Turismo 3 (PS2) retrospective

[kokakolia]

I decided to play GT3 again purely out of nostalgia. I used to play this game a lot when I was 12 and it was one of the few PS2 games I owned since they were really expensive at the time. This is the only Gran Turismo title I played. It’s basically a racing simulator game where you compete in different leagues with restricted events. The game also encourages you to tune your car with massive upgrades to gain an advantage over your opponents. 

 

You start the game with 18.000 credits. This leaves you with the option of buying rather slow cars like the Mazda Mx5, the PT Cruiser or the Yaris. It’s very frustrating because you can buy a Camaro for not much more cash than that and it’s a wayyy better car. Most people would go with the Mx5 because it’s basically the fastest and best handling car you can start with. But that’s a huge mistake! There’s a Yaris only championship early in the game that allows you to get enough cash to buy something like an Evo or a Camaro as a second car. 

 

I like how the game introduces model specific events like that so that you have to  think twice before buying a car. Keep in mind that completing race events rewards you with a car. Interestingly, Japanese cars are rewarded like 99% of the time. So you’ll probably want your second car to be American or European, because there are some American/European only events. I wish I knew that sooner. 

 

Actually, it doesn’t matter. At one point or another you’ll win a race car from one of the championships in the amateur league. And then the game becomes rather...boring! You’ll just wipe the floor in most other events as opponents drive much slower cars. This is somewhat mitigated with event rules that restrict the type of car you can use. But it’s only a matter of time until you win another race car of a different type or model...and then another one...another one...

 

To make things worse, a lot of the championships just feel the same (especially the ones with the same restrictions) because there aren’t many race tracks in the game. I am thinking maybe 7 or 8. The game just becomes a grind as you finish each event out of completionism. 

 

In one hand Gran Turismo 3 is everything that I remembered: a fun racing game with lots of different cars and an awesome sound track. On the other hand, the game loses its charm once you win your first race car and every other car in the game just feels slower. I just wish that the different car categories (with regards to performance) were represented more. For example, the Honda S2000 is a blast to drive but you never really have a reason to drive one because a much faster car can be won early into the game. 

 

How are the more recent Gran Turismo games compared to GT3? 

 

[Rainbow Dash]

If you go backwards to PS1, Gran Turismo has gotten more pixilated. 

[kokakolia]

1 hour ago, Rainbow Dash said:

If you go backwards to PS1, Gran Turismo has gotten more pixilated. 

Yeah! About the graphics...It’s interesting to see how sunnier the newer racing games are. Gran Turismo 3 looks kinda dull and cloudy like Skyrim (I love to rag on Skyrim FYI). I suppose that the lighting FX of newer games weren’t developed at the time. 

[Rainbow Dash]

3 minutes ago, kokakolia said:

Yeah! About the graphics...It’s interesting to see how sunnier the newer racing games are. Gran Turismo 3 looks kinda dull and cloudy like Skyrim (I love to rag on Skyrim FYI). I suppose that the lighting FX of newer games weren’t developed at the time. 

I heard that the penalty system is pretty broken in the newer Gran Turismo that if someone rear ends your car, you get the penalty.

 

[kokakolia]

6 minutes ago, Rainbow Dash said:

I heard that the penalty system is pretty broken in the newer Gran Turismo that if someone rear ends your car, you get the penalty.

I can see why LMAO! Even the computer drives dirty in GT3. If you’re slow in a corner you can count on getting rear ended or slammed against the wall. I can see the penalty being applied on “shortcuts” as well, by that I mean avoiding some “S” turns and going straight through the grass or sand instead. I do that a lot xD.

 

EDIT: I hope they fix the penalty system. It shouldn’t work that way

[Rainbow Dash]

8 minutes ago, kokakolia said:

I can see why LMAO! Even the computer drives dirty in GT3. If you’re slow in a corner you can count on getting rear ended or slammed against the wall. I can see the penalty being applied on “shortcuts” as well, by that I mean avoiding some “S” turns and going straight through the grass or sand instead. I do that a lot xD.

 

EDIT: I hope they fix the penalty system. It shouldn’t work that way

Yeah in Gran Turismo you could just use the opponents as a wall to stop your car at a corner and nothing happens, but I guess too many people did that.  

[kokakolia]

Just now, Rainbow Dash said:

Yeah in Gran Turismo you could just the opponents as a wall to stop you car at a corner and nothing happens, but I guess too many people did that.  

Man! I lost my mind when my CPU opponent wall slammed me and got 2 seconds ahead that way. I was in the lead, not anymore. The game taught people to drive like knuckleheads I tell you...

[Rainbow Dash]

2 minutes ago, kokakolia said:

Man! I lost my mind when my CPU opponent wall slammed me and got 2 seconds ahead that way. I was in the lead, not anymore. The game taught people to drive like knuckleheads I tell you...

Now it's all about the braking, cornering tactics, and overtaking methods.