Changes: Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

Revision as of 01:04, 17 January 2020

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (commonly abbreviated to GT3) is a driving simulator / racing game for the PlayStation 2. GT3 was developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001. The games serves as a sequel to Gran Turismo 2 on the original PlayStation. It was met with critical acclaim, both publicly and critically, shipping 1.89 million copies in Japan, 10,000 in Southeast Asia, 7.14 million in North America, and 5.85 million in Europe for a total of 14.89 million copies as of April 30, 2008, making it the best-selling game in the Gran Turismo franchise. The title received an average of 95% in Metacritic's aggregate.

Gameplay

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec is fundamentally based on the racing game genre. The player must maneuver an automobile to compete against artificially intelligent drivers on various race tracks. The game uses two different modes: Arcade and Simulation.

The Arcade Mode has been reorganized into "stages". These stages are made up of five to six tracks pooled from all available courses in the game, including dirt courses. To progress and unlock the next stage, all tracks on a stage must be completed on Easy difficulty or higher. By beating the stage on Normal or Difficult, additional cars are unlocked for play.

The Simulation Mode also has a reorganized layout, with a more structured and progressive arrangement of races and challenges. Races vary from short beginner events to multi-hour endurance races, and includes dirt rally events against an opponent. In addition, the car dealerships are now organized by country and then by manufacturer, which some find to be more intuitive than the North/South/East/West City method used in its predecessor. On the downside, far fewer vehicles are available in Gran Turismo 3: A-spec (187 in total) than Gran Turismo 2 (just under 620). This is attributed largely to the work needed for the more detailed graphics, providing detailed statistics for all the cars and the game's release being early in the PlayStation 2's lifespan.

New to the franchise, Formula One (F1) cars can be obtained. However, they cannot be purchased, they are only unlocked by winning endurance races or certain championship events. In the PAL version of the game, there are two F1 cars available, the Polyphony001 and Polyphony002. In the NTSC version of the game, there are six F1 cars, the F094/H, F094/S, F686/M, F687/S, F090/S and F688/S. As expected, they perform significantly better than the other vehicles featured in the game, however, they wear out tires in less laps than usual and players cannot buy harder tire compounds to compensate for this.

Omitted from GT3 is the ability to perform Racing Modifications on production cars, removal of suspension damage and removal of power limits on race events.

Development

Polyphony Digital collaborated with computer and game console peripheral manufacturer Logitech for the game, which resulted in the GT Force steering wheel. The wheel features force feedback and was designed specifically for GT3.

A demo copy of the game was shown during the 2000 PlayStation Festival, allowing players to drive a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR '98 on the Seattle Circuit for 120 seconds.

Compared to Gran Turismo 2, the graphics are greatly improved thanks to the newer PlayStation 2 hardware but the number of cars has been drastically reduced due to the large amount of work devoted to the graphics, modelling structure, detailed statistics of all cars and the game's release being early in the PlayStation 2's lifespan. Around 187 cars are featured in the game, depending on the disc region.

A giveaway was launched at release, and it included Gran Turismo merchandise and branded clothing. In North America, winners could receive a day at the Skip Barber Racing School, or car payments for a month.

Reception and Criticism

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec was met with critical acclaim from game critics. It received an aggregated score of 94.54% on GameRankings and 95/100 on Metacritic, placing it among the top 50 of all games on the multi-platform site and in the top 10 of PlayStation 2 titles. It has appeared on some 'Top 100 Games' lists such as that by IGN in 2003.

"The gameplay may be a little too deep and difficult for many, but for its core followers, Gran Turismo is the be all and end all of digital racing, and GT3 has been voted as the best of the bunch." - IGN

Gran Turismo 3 sold 1 million copies in its first three days of release. By July 2006, it had sold 3.8 million copies and earned $120 million in the United States alone. Next Generation ranked it as the third highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. The game also received a "Double Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

Soundtrack

Like the previous and following game, the soundtrack to Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec varies somewhat between game region.

All Regions

glowl - daiki kasho
mirage - daiki kasho
obscure - daiki kasho
sky scraper - daiki kasho
strike breaker - daiki kasho

NTSC-U Version

Are Your Gonna Go My Way? (GRAN TURISMO Remix) - Lenny Kravitz (Also in NTSC-J)
Satisfied - 8 Stops 7
Stop the Rock (Mint Royale Mix) - Apollo Four Fourty
Mad Skillz - Mic Chekka - BT
Break In - CiRRUS
Go Gran Turismo - Dave Aude
Call It Brisco (And Why Not?) - Elite Force
99 Red Balloons (Adapted from '99 Luftballons) - Goldfinger
As Good As It Gets - Grand Theft Audio
Champion - Grinspoon
Stone Free - Jimi Hendrix
Turbo Lover - Judas Priest
Def Beat - Junkie XL
Crash - Methods of Mayhem
Kickstart My Heart - Mötley Crüe
Never Enough - Papa Roach
Super Nova Goes Pop - Powerman 5000
Determination - Raekwon
Dogg's Turismo 3 - Snoop Dogg
She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult
Again - Lenny Kravitz

NTSC-J & PAL Version

Shark - Ash
Aisha - Death in Vegas
7 Days In The Sun - Feeder
Buck Rodgers - Feeder
Just A Day - Feeder
Avarice - Grand Theft Audio
Dead Man Leaving - Grand Theft Audio
Wake Up In Your Own Mind - Grand Theft Audio
Sober (Saint US Mix) - Muse
Screw Up (edited version for GT3) - Overseer
Stompbox (Radio Edit) - Overseer
Supermoves - Overseer

Trivia

By accessing the game code in the NTSC versions, a Porsche 911 GT3 and Lancia Stratos can be obtained, both of which were cut from the game.
The Lamborghini NOMAD Diablo GT-1 (JGTC) '00 can be obtained in the NTSC-U/C version by using a cheat device.
The models of the 911, Diablo and Stratos were completely removed in the PAL version.
By holding the L1+R1 buttons on the "Select Difficulty" screen in Single Race in Arcade Mode, a "Professional" difficulty is available instead of the "Hard" difficulty, which gives the player a tougher challenge. (10 Laps instead of 5, tyre wear ON)
The menu selection sound effects are reused from the previous game, Gran Turismo 2.
A rather infamous glitch can occur if one sets up specific tuning values for certain cars (usually the Suzuki ESCUDO Pikes Peak or Toyota GT-ONE) to cause a wheelie, that will allow the car to accelerate extremely quickly to 2,147,483,647 mph or km/h. 2147483647 is the highest possible 32-bit value for signed binary integers used in programming. Since the car will keep accelerating, the player will only be able to see this momentarily before the game crashes due to overload of the data buffer.

Videos

Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec (PS2 Intro)-0

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Infobox/Game
-<noinclude>{{TalkpageBox}}
+|name          = Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
-</noinclude>
+|image         = [[File:Gran Turismo 3 - A-Spec Cover.jpg|250px]]
-{| class="infobox" style="width: 25em; text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"
+|developer     = [[Polyphony Digital]]
-|+ style="font-size: larger;" |'''Gran Turismo 3'''
+|publisher     = [[Sony Computer Entertainment]]
-|-
+|designer      = [[Kazunori Yamauchi]]
-| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Image:Gran Turismo 3 - A-Spec Cover.jpg|250px]]<br />
+|engine        = Custom
-|-
+|genre         = Racing
-! Developer
+|modes         = Single player<br />Multiplayer
-| [[Polyphony Digital]]
+|rating        = ESRB: Everyone<br />ELSPA: 3+<br />OFLC: G
-|-
+|platform      = [[PlayStation 2]]
-! Publisher
+|input         = Dual Shock 2<br />GT Force
-| [[Sony Computer Entertainment]]
+|release       = {{Flagicon|JPN}} April 28, 2001<br />{{Flagicon|USA}} July 10, 2001<br /><sup>{{flagicon|European Union}}</sup> July 20, 2001
-|-
+}}
-! Designer
+'''''Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec''''' (commonly abbreviated to GT3) is a driving simulator / racing game for the [[PlayStation 2]]. GT3 was developed by [[Polyphony Digital]] and published by [[Sony Computer Entertainment]] in 2001. The games serves as a sequel to [[Gran Turismo 2]] on the original [[PlayStation]]. It was met with critical acclaim, both publicly and critically, shipping 1.89 million copies in Japan, 10,000 in Southeast Asia, 7.14 million in North America, and 5.85 million in Europe for a total of 14.89 million copies as of April 30, 2008, making it the best-selling game in the ''Gran Turismo'' franchise. The title received an average of 95% in Metacritic's aggregate.
-| [[Kazunori Yamauchi]]
-|-
-! Engine
-| Custom
-|-
-! Platform
-| [[PlayStation 2]]
-|-
-! Release dates
-| {{Flagicon|JPN}} April 28, 2001<br />{{Flagicon|USA}} July 10, 2001<br /><sup>EU</sup> July 20, 2001
-|-
-! Genre
-| Racing
-|-
-! Modes
-| Single player<br />Multiplayer
-|-
-! Ratings
-| ESRB: Everyone<br />PEGI: 5+<br />OFLC: G
-|-
-! Media
-| 1 DVD-ROM
-|-
-! Input Methods
-| Dual Shock 2<br />GT Force
-|-
-| colspan="2" style="font-size: smaller;" |
-|}
-'''''Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec''''' is the third game in the ''Gran Turismo'' series. It is the first in the ''Gran Turismo'' series to be released for the PlayStation 2 video game console. ''[[Gran Turismo 2000]]'' was the working name used when demonstrated at E3 2000/2001.
 ==Gameplay==
+Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec is fundamentally based on the racing game genre. The player must maneuver an automobile to compete against artificially intelligent drivers on various race tracks. The game uses two different modes: Arcade and Simulation.
-As with its predecessors, the basic aim of the game is to win all the provided races and championships, complete license tests, and achieve 100% game completion. Every 25% of the game completed results in the player being awarded a car as a special prize.
+The ''Arcade Mode'' has been reorganized into "stages". These stages are made up of five to six tracks pooled from all available courses in the game, including dirt courses. To progress and unlock the next stage, all tracks on a stage must be completed on Easy difficulty or higher. By beating the stage on Normal or Difficult, additional cars are unlocked for play.
-===Changes from previous games===
-''Gran Turismo 3: A-spec'' underwent many changes over the previous ''Gran Turismo 2''.
+The ''Simulation Mode'' also has a reorganized layout, with a more structured and progressive arrangement of races and challenges. Races vary from short beginner events to multi-hour endurance races, and includes dirt rally events against an opponent. In addition, the car dealerships are now organized by country and then by manufacturer, which some find to be more intuitive than the North/South/East/West City method used in its predecessor. On the downside, far fewer vehicles are available in ''Gran Turismo 3: A-spec'' (187 in total) than ''Gran Turismo 2'' (just under 620). This is attributed largely to the work needed for the more detailed graphics, providing detailed statistics for all the cars and the game's release being early in the PlayStation 2's lifespan.
-The ''Arcade Mode'' is reorganized in "stages"; these stages are made up of 5 or 6 tracks pooled from all available tracks in the game, including both road and rally races. To get to the next stage, all tracks on a stage must be completed on Easy difficulty or higher. By beating the stage on Normal or Difficult, additional cars are unlocked as well for play in any mode of ''Arcade Mode'' (including two-player battle and time trial).
+New to the franchise, Formula One (F1) cars can be obtained. However, they cannot be purchased, they are only unlocked by winning endurance races or certain championship events. In the PAL version of the game, there are two F1 cars available, the [[Polyphony001]] and [[Polyphony002]]. In the NTSC version of the game, there are six F1 cars, the [[F094/H]], [[F094/S]], [[F686/M]], [[F687/S]], [[F090/S]] and [[F688/S]]. As expected, they perform significantly better than the other vehicles featured in the game, however, they wear out tires in less laps than usual and players cannot buy harder tire compounds to compensate for this.
-The ''Simulation Mode'' has a reorganized layout, with a more structured and progressive arrangement of races and challenges. Races vary from short beginner events to multi-hour endurance races and also rallying events against an opponent. In addition, the car shops are now organized by country and then by manufacturer, which some find to be more intuitive than the East/West City method used in its predecessor. On the downside, far fewer vehicles are available in ''Gran Turismo 3: A-spec'' (just over 150 in total) than ''Gran Turismo 2'' (around 650). This is attributed largely to the work needed for the more detailed graphics, providing detailed statistics for all the cars and the game's release being early in the PlayStation 2's lifespan. This was eventually amended in ''Gran Turismo 4'' (with 700+ cars, the exact number depending on the game's region).
-[[File:Gran_Turismo_3_(Black).png|thumb|91px]]
-In the PAL version of the game, two special F1 spec cars can be unlocked by winning endurance races or championships. These cars are labeled as the Polyphony 001 and 002, as opposed to being named after actual F1 car manufacturers. In the NTSC version of the game six F1 cars labeled as F094/H, F094/S, F686/M, F687/S, F090/S and F688/S, with the  letter representing the family name of the driver of the F1 car model, are available. As expected, they perform significantly better than the other vehicles featured in the game. The only liability of the eight cars is that they wear out tires in less laps than usual. Players cannot buy harder tire compounds to fit on them (except on dirt).
-Other changes were the omission of the ability to "race modify" or add down force to production cars, removal of suspension damage and also the removal of torque limits to races.
+Omitted from GT3 is the ability to perform [[Racing Modifications]] on production cars, removal of suspension damage and removal of power limits on race events.
-==Track list==
+==Development==
+Polyphony Digital collaborated with computer and game console peripheral manufacturer Logitech for the game, which resulted in the GT Force steering wheel. The wheel features force feedback and was designed specifically for GT3.
-Original circuits:
-* [[Apricot Hill Raceway]]
+A [[Gran Turismo 2000|demo copy]] of the game was shown during the 2000 PlayStation Festival, allowing players to drive a [[Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR '98]] on the [[Seattle Circuit]] for 120 seconds.
-* [[Grand Valley Speedway]]
-* [[Deep Forest Raceway]]
+Compared to Gran Turismo 2, the graphics are greatly improved thanks to the newer PlayStation 2 hardware but the number of cars has been drastically reduced due to the large amount of work devoted to the graphics, modelling structure, detailed statistics of all cars and the game's release being early in the PlayStation 2's lifespan. Around 187 cars are featured in the game, depending on the disc region.
-* [[Midfield Raceway]]
-* [[Super Speedway]]
+A giveaway was launched at release, and it included Gran Turismo merchandise and branded clothing. In North America, winners could receive a day at the Skip Barber Racing School, or car payments for a month.
-* [[Test Course]]
-* [[Trial Mountain]]
+==Reception and Criticism==
-* [[Complex String]] (Time Trial, and Free Run only)
+Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec was met with critical acclaim from game critics. It received an aggregated score of 94.54% on GameRankings and 95/100 on Metacritic, placing it among the top 50 of all games on the multi-platform site and in the top 10 of PlayStation 2 titles. It has appeared on some 'Top 100 Games' lists such as that by IGN in 2003.
-* Deep Forest Raceway II
-* Grand Valley Speedway II
+''"The gameplay may be a little too deep and difficult for many, but for its core followers, Gran Turismo is the be all and end all of digital racing, and GT3 has been voted as the best of the bunch."'' - IGN
-* Trial Mountain II
-* Apricot Hill Raceway II
+Gran Turismo 3 sold 1 million copies in its first three days of release. By July 2006, it had sold 3.8 million copies and earned $120 million in the United States alone. Next Generation ranked it as the third highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. The game also received a "Double Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom.
-* Midfield Raceway II
-Real circuits:
-* [[Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca]]
-Dirt circuits:
-* [[Smokey Mountain]]
-* [[Swiss Alps]]
-* [[Tahiti Circuit]]
-* [[Tahiti Maze]]
-* Smokey Mountain II
-* Swiss Alps II
-* Tahiti Circuit II
-* Tahiti Maze II
-City circuits:
-* [[Côte d'Azur]]
-* [[Rome Circuit (GT3)|Rome Circuit]]
-*[[Seattle Circuit]]
-*[[Special Stage Route 5]]
-*[[Special Stage Route 11]]
-*[[Tokyo R246]]
-*Seattle Circuit II
-*Rome Circuit II
-*Tokyo R246 II
-*Special Stage Route 5 II
-*Special Stage Route 11 II
 ==Soundtrack==
+Like the previous and following game, the soundtrack to'' Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec'' varies somewhat between game region.
-Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec featured twenty different songs on its soundtrack. These songs ranged from classic rock to rap. Below is the list of songs featured in the US version of the game. Much like [[Gran Turismo 2]], the PAL version has a different soundtrack, and the song in the PAL intro is ''Just A Day'' by Feeder.
+===All Regions===
-* ''Are Your Gonna Go My Way? (GRAN TURISMO Remix)'' - Lenny Kravitz
-* ''Satisfied'' - 8 Stops 7
-* ''Stop the Rock (Mint Royale Mix)'' - Apollo Four Fourty
-* ''Mad Skillz - Mic Chekka'' - BT
-* ''Break In'' - CiRRUS
 * ''glowl'' - daiki kasho
 * ''mirage'' - daiki kasho
@@ Line 108: / Line 50: @@
 * ''sky scraper'' - daiki kasho
 * ''strike breaker'' - daiki kasho
+===NTSC-U Version===
+* ''Are Your Gonna Go My Way? (GRAN TURISMO Remix)'' - Lenny Kravitz (Also in NTSC-J)
+* ''Satisfied'' - 8 Stops 7
+* ''Stop the Rock (Mint Royale Mix)'' - Apollo Four Fourty
+* ''Mad Skillz - Mic Chekka'' - BT
+* ''Break In'' - CiRRUS
 * ''Go Gran Turismo'' - Dave Aude
 * ''Call It Brisco (And Why Not?)'' - Elite Force
@@ Line 124: / Line 72: @@
 * ''She Sells Sanctuary'' - The Cult
 * ''Again'' - Lenny Kravitz
+===NTSC-J & PAL Version===
+*''Shark ''- Ash
+*''Aisha ''- Death in Vegas
+*''7 Days In The Sun - ''Feeder
+*''Buck Rodgers ''- Feeder
+*''Just A Day - ''Feeder
+*''Avarice ''- Grand Theft Audio
+*''Dead Man Leaving ''- Grand Theft Audio
+*''Wake Up In Your Own Mind ''- Grand Theft Audio
+*''Sober  ''(Saint US Mix) - Muse
+*''Screw Up ''(edited version for GT3) - Overseer
+*''Stompbox ''(Radio Edit) - Overseer
+*''Supermoves ''- Overseer
-==Logitech Steering Wheel==
-The developers collaborated with computer and game peripheral maker ''Logitech'' for the game, which resulted in the GT Force steering wheel, which featured force feedback and was well fitted to the game.
-==Reception and sales==
-''Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec'' is considered a commercial success for Sony in Japan, Europe, and North America. The game is highly praised by game reviewers and players as one of the finest racing games ever made. IGN awarded it a 9.8 and Gamespot awarded it a 9.4. GT3 also received a platinum award from Electronic Gaming Monthly. ''Gran Turismo 3'' has a 94% on Gamerankings as of September 6, 2008. It frequently appears on 'top 100 lists', such as IGN's Top 100.
-As of April 30, 2008, the game has shipped 1.89 million copies in Japan, 7.14 million in North America, 5.85 million in Europe, and 10,000 in Southeast Asia for a total of 14.89 million copies. It is the best selling game of the GT franchise, and is a part of the PlayStation 2's Greatest Hits.
-==Gran Turismo Concept==
-Due to GT3's good reception, three short versions titled ''Gran Turismo Concept'' were released in various parts of the world in 2002, except North America. It included new models unveiled during famous Asian and European Motor Shows.
 ==Trivia==
-*By accessing the game code, a Porsche 911 GT3 can be found, along with the Lancia Stratos which were both cut from the game.
+*By accessing the game code in the NTSC versions, a Porsche 911 GT3 and Lancia Stratos can be obtained, both of which were cut from the game.
-*The [[Lamborghini NOMAD Diablo GT-1 (JGTC) '00]] can be obtained in an NTSC U/C version of the game by using Gameshark.
+*The [[Lamborghini NOMAD Diablo GT-1 (JGTC) '00]] can be obtained in the NTSC-U/C version by using a cheat device.
-*The models of the 911, Diablo and Stratos were completely removed in the PAL version & default to the body a Daihatsu Mira/Cuore.
+*The models of the 911, Diablo and Stratos were completely removed in the PAL version.
-*By holding the L1+R1 on Select difficulty in Single Race Arcade mode, 'Professional' difficulty is available instead of the 'Hard' difficulty which gives the player tougher challenges.
+*By holding the L1+R1 buttons on the "Select Difficulty" screen in Single Race in Arcade Mode, a "Professional" difficulty is available instead of the "Hard" difficulty, which gives the player a tougher challenge. (10 Laps instead of 5, tyre wear ON)
+*The menu selection sound effects are reused from the previous game, [[Gran Turismo 2]].
-*There is a glitch that if one uses a wheelie setup for a good enough car, that car will be able to go up to 2,147,483,647 mph (3,456,039,922 km/h). This, however, causes the game to crash.
+*A rather infamous glitch can occur if one sets up specific tuning values for certain cars (usually the [[Suzuki ESCUDO Dirt Trial Car '98|Suzuki ESCUDO Pikes Peak]] or [[Toyota GT-ONE Race Car (TS020) '99|Toyota GT-ONE]]) to cause a wheelie, that will allow the car to accelerate extremely quickly to [[Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec/Glitches|2,147,483,647]] mph or km/h. 2147483647 is the highest possible 32-bit value for signed binary integers used in programming. Since the car will keep accelerating, the player will only be able to see this momentarily before the game crashes due to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffer_overflow overload of the data buffer].
-<p style="text-align:center;">
 <gallery widths="220" orientation="square" position="center">
 .jpg|A Porsche 911 GT3, which can be obtained only through game code.
@@ Line 147: / Line 98: @@
 </gallery>
+==Videos==
-<p style="text-align:center;">{{Games}}</p>
+<gallery hideaddbutton="true">
+File:Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec (PS2 Intro)-0|Intro (NTSC Version)
+</gallery>
+<p style="text-align:center;">
+</p>
+{{Games}}
 [[Category:PlayStation 2 games]]
 [[Category:2000s games]]