Gran Turismo 3: Your views

Is this the best racing game ever?

Gran Turismo is renowned as the definitive racing game series and has clocked up over 15 million sales worldwide.

Sony have now launched Grand Turismo 3 A-Spec, making full use of the power of PlayStation 2.

"Gran Turismo 3 is quite simply the best racing game ever created - and with supreme playability it's going to be a long time before it is overtaken," says the BBC's David Gibbon.

But what do you think?

Is it the best racing game around? Will it prove a big boost for the already popular PlayStation 2?

Here is a selection of BBC News Online users' views.

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No, never, eRacer for the PC is the nicest game ever, the cars handle like a dream.
Alex Threlfall, UK

I saw this on a huge big screen just the other day. It left me speechless. Absolutely amazing graphics. I'm still trying to come to terms with it! All I have to do now is buy a PS2 of my own.
Martin Bunker, Dubai, UAE

It's a very good game
Haydar, Canada

I was worried that the hype would be unjustified. I was wrong. The game has exceeded my expectations in every way. It's a shame I have to work. I'm in serious withdrawal during the week!
Richard Abbey, USA

The best racing game ever! Superb graphics and sublime gameplay, at last a killer-app for the PlayStation2.
Ray Cheung, Ireland

This is simply the best game I have ever experienced before on the PlayStation 2 console. The graphics are almost TV-quality, the sound effects are perfect and the courses and their environments are so real. Take for example the Monte Carlo course. I have been there before, and the course on the game depicts it almost exactly with the sharp cliffs and the Mediterranean-style buildings perched on the hilltop. I say excellent job to the game developers and please make more games like it. Well done!
Robert Jilley, USA

Here begins a summer of lost weekends

Adam McQueen, UK

This a not very good and it needs to be inproved. Gran Turismo 2 is much better than this game. But Gran Turismo 1 is awful.
Ben, Wales

GT3 is the most amazing driving game released. It oozes quality everywhere. Soon hospitals will be swamped with people suffering from 'GT3 thumb'.
Matt, UK

Not as good as the PC version.
Dick White, UK

I'm sure GT3 is fine and it is certainly beautiful, but one (unimaginative) racing game won't make me spend £300 on a console with little else to offer at present.

My advice is to avoid buying any next-gen console until they are all available and we can then judge them all by the content each offers.
Gary Parkes, Scotland

Here begins a summer of lost weekends...
Adam McQueen, UK

This game is simply outstanding! I have seen nothing better anywhere, including in the arcades. The graphics are simply mind blowing. The "feel" is perfect, and the sounds just right! OK, there is no damage to the cars, but I really don't care. Just how real do you want it? Put simply, this is the reason I got my PS2.
Craig Lish, UK

Well, I have just played it for 14 hours and I want another go.......

Derek, UK

I haven't yet bought a PS2 but I will for this game.
Patrick Finan, Ireland

The developers have taken the best elements from the preceding games in the series and wrapped them up in a shiny package. Makes all the other PS2 games look like Gameboy by comparison. My compliments to the creators. Bravo!
D Ranzerox, USA

Best game ever made on Playstation 2"
Nabeel, United States

If it's anything like GT1 and GT2, then it is sure to be the best one around, however, the PC can beat the graphics of the game, and I feel that Playstation are trying to force us onto their game systems.
Ste, UK

Wow! What can I say, when I first saw the picture of the two white cars pictured above I thought they were real. I have GT2, and that is a good game, but this is just amazing! It leaves the question, what will Gran Turismo 4 look like?
Arvin Mehdizadeh, England

Well, I have just played it for 14 hours and I want another go.......
Derek, UK

Fantastic. Need I say more?
Ian, UK

Dull course design, uninspired game design

Usamah Alnasrawi

Dude, Super Mario Kart has to be the best racing game ever.
Jason, USA

Dull course design, uninspired game design, a few more polys than the original, slightly better texture resolution. In short, pure Sony hype just like the PSX 2 really - mine is soon to go in the bin as I feel ripped off.
Usamah Alnasrawi, UK

I had a go on it today in with a view to buying a PS2, but was very disappointed. The handling of the cars is very good but the overall speed of the graphics seemed very slow.
Tom, England

You can't really say it's the best racer ever, there will always be better. What impresses me though is the sheer depth of gaming, when the Playstation 2's internet capability comes through you'll be able to download new cars and tracks. That's amazing.
Tom Hawkins, UK

Well GT3 has finally appeared on our shores, but surely Metropolis Street Racer on the Dreamcast is the better of the two! With the new console wars hotting up, developers are making it increasingly difficult to make a decision about which console to buy, but looking at the PS2's sub-standard releases it just won't cut the mustard; especially in the wake of the Xbox/Gamecube releases.

Nintendo have maintained their 'small selection/high quality' philosophy for years, and the Xbox looks as though it may steal the PS2's limelight single handedly. As good as I'm sure GT3 is, Project Gotham on the Xbox looks set to blow it out of the water! And then there's the Xbox's $1/2 billion advertising campaign Sony must be dreading...
IG, Britain

All the GT games I have found ponderous, boring and overly-detailed and I don't think GT3 is any different

Alex Macrae

GT3 has fabulous graphics and great cars, however I feel that without the muscle cars of yester year, it is a disappointment.
Larry Tullis, USA

This is the most real game ever.
Wakari Masif Gogporn, Thailand

I played the game and loved the handling. Although the only thing wrong was the lack on anti-aliasing on the surroundings. And overall lack of detail. But the gameplay was great.
Chris Hambrook, UK

I'm not sure it can be termed a 'game'. I would call it a simulation, a very accurate one at that - some people will no doubt get enjoyment out of this, but for those of us who prefer a pick-up-and-play game it just doesn't work. All the GT games I have found ponderous, boring and overly-detailed and I don't think GT3 is any different.
Alex Macrae, Scotland

Part of making a successful game in today's competetive environment involves a complete package. This includes a credible soundtrack, aggressive street cred marketing, and smooth yet mindblowing graphics/gameplay...GT3 is a prime example of the 'complete package'. But whether it has enough pulling power to pull more buyers for the PS2 remains to be seen.
Ajay, UK

Essentially it's an upgrade of the old versions on the original PlayStation but it's an essential upgrade. There is little new by way of game play but the graphics - no more squinting to make it look real. The playability: a true simulator, effectively strikes the balance between fun and simulation. Buy it and book the rest of the month off work...
George Bray, UK

My girlfreind watched me play for five minutes before she realised she wasn't watching a real televised race

Adam Dawkins, England

Having played Gran Turismo 3 for the last 24 hours, (minus sleeping, eating and drinking!), I have to say that it is one of the best games I have ever played. Graphically it is stunning. There is no denying the fact that this game is 99% photographically real. Coupled with the accuracy of the physics involved with the handling and performance of the too numerous cars makes this less of a game, more a real life simulation.

However, I doubt that it will boost PS2's sales beyond what Sony currently achieve. When Gran Turismo was launched on the original Playstation, the game streched the console's capability. The truth is if you play both GT1 on PS1 and then GT3 on PS2 their isn't that much difference. Only when Sony or another developer learn to push the boundaries of the PS2, as they did with the PS1, will the console earn its oversized spoiler and go-faster stripes. To go with its current pink fluffy dice!
Dan Dobson, England

If it does to GT2 what GT2 did to GT then it's going to be incredible. I'm still addicted to GT2 months after buying it!
Chris Horry, USA (former UK)

A phenomenal piece of software. A true 'killer app' for the PS2 that puts every racing game on any format to shame.
Neil, UK

Gran Turismo 3 really demonstates the full power of the Sony PlayStation 2.
George Sewell, UK

The driving model of the GT series is not realistic at all. F355 for the Dreamcast is the most realistic driving simulator I know of.
JM, Portugal

Fantasic game! My girlfreind watched me play for five minutes before she realised she wasn't watching a real televised race. Amazing.
Adam Dawkins, England

I'm an avid car fan and a game junkie, especially with driving games. And simply put, this is the solution for car addicts who wouldn't want to risk other people's lives or damage one's car from the thrill of those machines.
Steven Miyamoto, USA

A sure fire way to make your marriage end in divorce!

Anthony Hooker, Hong Kong

It's a good game, very realistic, but it's boring. Round and round the track you go, cutting a second off that last lap time, oh boy! I want a race game where I hit a curb, go flying over an overpass in a corkscrew jump, slam into another car, sending him flying into a building to explode, and I cross the finish line. Now that's a game! For realism, I'll just stick to life (though it is cool to drive some of the fancy cars).
Mark Verbitsky, Canada

I've been playing this game for two months. Without doubt, the most addictive game I've ever played. A sure fire way to make your marriage end in divorce!
Anthony Brooker, Hong Kong

Having had the North American release for over a week, I can say that GT3 is by far one of the better Playstation 2 titles on the market, if not the best, and stands as a benchmark for racing games as a whole. The key is that many of the cars are very real and accessible to anyone even moderately dedicated to cars: you can buy anything from a Mazda Eunos (i.e. Miata, which is what I first bought), to a Subaru Impreza WRX, to a fearsome Pagani Zonda. You can literally own your car in the game and real world at once, and the skills from one will transfer to the other.

It's even likely that the Gran Turismo series has had more impact on society than one would expect. Since GT1's introduction, the demand for imports of Subarus, Mitsubishis and Nissans (particularly Skylines) has soared... can this just be coincidence?
Jonathan Fingas, Canada

In my opinion GT is the mother of the simulation game, because that's what it does best. No way can it beat the sheer thrill of arcade games like Sega Rally or Daytona USA but in the home it is king of the track and the eye candy is fantastic
D Prince, UK

Stunning game. I can hardly concentrate on my driving for admiring the scenery.
Andrew, UK

This game is every racing fan's dream, who needs to drive the real thing when you have games like this?

Craig Roberts, England

'Objects in the rear view mirror may appear smaller than they really are.' Not that small! But anyway, mostly excellent. Easily the best driving game around today, but Lotus Turbo Esprit by Domark on the Spectrum will always be the best (will somebody update this gameplease?).
Eric Biggins, England

It is better than any other driving game I have played, but there is still loads more to come from the PS2.
Stewart Gadd, UK

The graphics are outstanding, the gameplay is superb and you definitely get your money's worth. Although the graphics are much better, there are aspects that don't match up to GT2. For example, as well as 450 plus more cars in number 2 there is also much more to do. However, GT3 is aimed at experienced gamers and is more challenging.
Ben Browning, England

This game is every racing fan's dream, who needs to drive the real thing when you have games like this? The detail of the graphics just make you sit there wide-eyed and totally absorbed in this visual masterpiece. This is a must-buy for any Playstation 2 owner, I have to stop now as I cannot keep my hands off it.
Craig Roberts, England

The world's best driving simulator just got better! The only thing that I can complain about is the license tests. They are just too easy.. (Taken nine golds in five hours of gaming).
Eddie Engstrom, Sweden

About time but well worth the wait! Graphics to die for matched with cool soundtrack. All the PS2 needs is more like this and Sony will dominate the next generation of console wars.
Martyn Tueton, UK

After buying Gran 1 and 2 because of all the hype in magazines l really am thinking twice about this one. The other two were good multiplayer games but the single player game bored me after a few hours and all my mates felt the same. Racing the same tracks and the boring race action really does put people off and the graphics alone are not enough to warrant buying any of the trilogy. I rest my case.
Mick, UK

The first PS2 game with global appeal. Even my dad was impressed. And sure, the PC can do the graphics better, but I'd rather sit on my sofa playing GT3 on a widescreen TV than hunch over my PC in a darkened room any day.
Keith, Scotland

Once again GT is the king of all racers. Once again Sony will dominate the gaming arena with PS2. If you don't think GT3 is the best racing simulation ever after playing it for a weekend, check yourself for a pulse.
David Mitchell, UK