Exactly 25 years ago today, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, the part that took the Gran Turismo series to the PlayStation 2, finally got a ride in Europe.
Today marks the 25th anniversary of its release Gran Turismo 3 on the European market. It was the first Gran Turismo for the then-new PlayStation 2 console and definitely one of those games that made you buy that console. The jump in terms of presentation was huge and I remember that at that time during the half-times of the Champions League matches, there was a commercial in which the driver would stop in the middle of the race and listen to the birds singing.
The third Gran Turismo was initially developed as Gran Turismo 2000but when the developers realized that they wouldn’t be able to finish the game that year, they renamed it Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec. It was the first Gran Turismo to have its own steering wheel with a seat – Logitech’s GT Force.
The game, like the previous part, was divided into simulation and arcade mode. It was raced on a total of 19 tracksmostly fictional, but there were also licensed ones like Laguna Seca and the circuit in Monaco. For the first time in the series it was possible to race bolidima. There were six models, but they were not licensed, with players in the European version of the game only getting two models.
For the first time in the series, Formula 1 cars could be raced.
The offer of cars was supplemented by well-known manufacturers Lamborghini and Porsche, but again – not in the European version of the game. As for the fleet, Gran Turismo 3 had it significantly less number of cars from its predecessor. From 650 vehicles in GT2, we dropped to 180 in GT3. However, the vehicles in the trio were graphically more refined and statistically more detailed, so the players did not protest too much.
Moreover, no one protested and Gran Turismo 3 s 14.89 million copies sold then became the best-selling part of its series, but later that result was surpassed. Some will say that its sequel from 2004 was even better, but by then we were used to its graphics. When Gran Turismo 3 appeared, it was a significant leap compared to the presentation from the first PlayStation, and it is precisely for this reason that this part remains in the fondest memory for many.
Unfortunately, the game remained exclusive to the PlayStation 2 and there were no subsequent ports to other platforms or emulation of the same via the PlayStation 4, as was the case with some other hits from the PS2 era.