Gran Turismo 3 = Racing Bliss
We sat down and played the official GT3 demo... and played some more... and more... and more... find out what we thought.
Published: January 5, 2001
Whelp, it's official Sony is evil. Only they would release a demo of the single prettiest, best controlling, and arguably the downright best racer ever created in a time-crippled format. Yes, just like those old school PlayChoice 10 arcade machines that despensed 8-bit Nintendo luv in timed bursts per quarter (yeah, some of you know what I'm talking about), the GT3 disc that Sony sent out to every gaming press member under the sun to get them hooked faster than crack... is limited.
Sure, there're only 3 cars (The Honda/Acura Raybrig NSX, Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R, and Honda S2000), and only one track (Trial Mountain), but that's not what I mean. The actual demo is time-crippled, offering only a meager 150 seconds to complete the track. After literally 20+ hours, we're here to tell you: that's friggin' impossible. Even with the uber-fast NSX running perfect racing lines (and trust me, by the time we formed our conclusion, we can do it), we were still at least 15 seconds shy of the checkered line. But, of course this was done on purpose. Had you been able to race through the track willy-nilly, there's no real challenge other than the AI racers. With a time limit imposed, you have some thing (albeit impossible) to shoot for.
But, you're probably interested in how the game plays. I'm pretty sure we wore a perminent groove in the CD from playing the demo ad nauseum, day after day. Bottom line: this will go down as one of the best racing games in history (if not THE best racing game ever). GT3's graphics, control, and polish are leaps and bounds above anything else I've ever played, and after having this little bit of racing luv whet my appetite, I don't know if I can wait for the final release.
The very first thing I noticed when picking up the controller and letting my 600+ hp NSX scream around the track was that it honestly felt like I was controlling a huge, heavy, incredibly fast moving hunk of steel. That's not to say it felt clunky (far from it -- in fact it's the best control I've ever felt in a racing game), but I could actually feel the weight of the car and the rubber gripping the pavement. It's pretty much impossible to describe, but once you get a chance to play, you'll see what I mean. All three cars controlled differently, and everything from acceleration to handling could be felt nearly from the start.
Add to this the fact that GT3 is THE most gorgeous racing game you'll see for a while, and it just makes the whole package that much more attractive. The attention to detail borders on the obsessive. Light shafts plunge through the trees wherever possible, casting thick columns of sunlight down upon the forested sections of the track. Reflections -- whether of the roads or environments -- are all carried out in real-time, and the look is perfect. The textures are insanely high-res; even the friggin' wheels have textures wrapped around their rubbery frame.
Trial Mountain (and all of the other tracks for that matter; simply let the demo run, and you'll see replays from Rome, Seattle, Super Speedway, Laguna Sega, and more) have been totally revamped, spruced up, and otherwise given a 128-bit face lift. Every track has been coated in high-res textures, dynamic lights, and been given little nuances that weren't available with the PlayStation's power. For example, on Trial Mountian, there's the all too crucial 90 degree right hook after you exit the first tunnel. On the PlayStation, the rocks were defined by a simple bounding box, making them a boundry that you can slam into, but not really in accordance with what's on the screen. With GT3, it's still possible to miss the rocks if you scoot by the protrusions. It's small touches like this that show why GT3 can rightly be called a sequel.
The sound is, of course, perfect -- save for one glaring problem: the music. Anyone wishing to get a taste of the king of racers will have to assail their ears with the metal rock sounds of Motley Crue's "Kick Start My Heart". Yeowza. Otherwise, however the effects of the engines roaring, the tires squealing, and the plastic-on-plastic clack of bumpers colliding sound amazing. They're sampled at a high rate, and boast thickness from every end of the sound spectrum.
When GT3 finally hits later this year, it will be a reason to buy a PlayStation 2 if you don't have one, simple as that. What's truly scary is the fact that the build all of us in the gaming press got wasn't even close to final. Many tweaks to the graphics, sound, control, and gameplay will be -- and already have been -- implemented. GT3 can only get better than this, and judging from what we've played... and played... and played... it can't be released too soon.
Sure, there're only 3 cars (The Honda/Acura Raybrig NSX, Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R, and Honda S2000), and only one track (Trial Mountain), but that's not what I mean. The actual demo is time-crippled, offering only a meager 150 seconds to complete the track. After literally 20+ hours, we're here to tell you: that's friggin' impossible. Even with the uber-fast NSX running perfect racing lines (and trust me, by the time we formed our conclusion, we can do it), we were still at least 15 seconds shy of the checkered line. But, of course this was done on purpose. Had you been able to race through the track willy-nilly, there's no real challenge other than the AI racers. With a time limit imposed, you have some thing (albeit impossible) to shoot for.
But, you're probably interested in how the game plays. I'm pretty sure we wore a perminent groove in the CD from playing the demo ad nauseum, day after day. Bottom line: this will go down as one of the best racing games in history (if not THE best racing game ever). GT3's graphics, control, and polish are leaps and bounds above anything else I've ever played, and after having this little bit of racing luv whet my appetite, I don't know if I can wait for the final release.
The very first thing I noticed when picking up the controller and letting my 600+ hp NSX scream around the track was that it honestly felt like I was controlling a huge, heavy, incredibly fast moving hunk of steel. That's not to say it felt clunky (far from it -- in fact it's the best control I've ever felt in a racing game), but I could actually feel the weight of the car and the rubber gripping the pavement. It's pretty much impossible to describe, but once you get a chance to play, you'll see what I mean. All three cars controlled differently, and everything from acceleration to handling could be felt nearly from the start.
Add to this the fact that GT3 is THE most gorgeous racing game you'll see for a while, and it just makes the whole package that much more attractive. The attention to detail borders on the obsessive. Light shafts plunge through the trees wherever possible, casting thick columns of sunlight down upon the forested sections of the track. Reflections -- whether of the roads or environments -- are all carried out in real-time, and the look is perfect. The textures are insanely high-res; even the friggin' wheels have textures wrapped around their rubbery frame.
Trial Mountain (and all of the other tracks for that matter; simply let the demo run, and you'll see replays from Rome, Seattle, Super Speedway, Laguna Sega, and more) have been totally revamped, spruced up, and otherwise given a 128-bit face lift. Every track has been coated in high-res textures, dynamic lights, and been given little nuances that weren't available with the PlayStation's power. For example, on Trial Mountian, there's the all too crucial 90 degree right hook after you exit the first tunnel. On the PlayStation, the rocks were defined by a simple bounding box, making them a boundry that you can slam into, but not really in accordance with what's on the screen. With GT3, it's still possible to miss the rocks if you scoot by the protrusions. It's small touches like this that show why GT3 can rightly be called a sequel.
The sound is, of course, perfect -- save for one glaring problem: the music. Anyone wishing to get a taste of the king of racers will have to assail their ears with the metal rock sounds of Motley Crue's "Kick Start My Heart". Yeowza. Otherwise, however the effects of the engines roaring, the tires squealing, and the plastic-on-plastic clack of bumpers colliding sound amazing. They're sampled at a high rate, and boast thickness from every end of the sound spectrum.
When GT3 finally hits later this year, it will be a reason to buy a PlayStation 2 if you don't have one, simple as that. What's truly scary is the fact that the build all of us in the gaming press got wasn't even close to final. Many tweaks to the graphics, sound, control, and gameplay will be -- and already have been -- implemented. GT3 can only get better than this, and judging from what we've played... and played... and played... it can't be released too soon.
