Driving anything I want and hit everything in site....

If you have read any of my PS2 (Playstation 2) game reviews, you will see that I thought Nascar 2000 and Madden Football where the coolest games out there. I still love those but I have to add Gran Turismo 3 and make it top of my list. I have spread my wings and added another game to my collection. This time, I must say, I am ever so impressed, more impressed and I am very happy that I got this game.

Gran Turismo 3 is a race car game. It is rated E for everyone. The graphics are superb, the sound is awesome, and the game is fun to play.

First, I would like to tell you, I do not have a steering wheel, I use my control that came with my PS2 and when playing 2 players, I use the control I bought extra. Second, I would like to tell you what you will see on your game screen. It is so awesome. On the game screen, you will see a course map, the gear you are in, shift indicator, speedometer, trip meter, odometer, rear view mirror ( I personally hate it because it confuses me), speed display, lap number with the total of laps remaining, total time, lap time, recommended shift change, speed display, boost gauge, tachometer, and a recommended shift change. Yes, all this on one screen. I am telling you the game is incredible.

Next, lets go driving. Ah ha, if you are driving with me, you will hit everything in site, and I mean it. I am getting used to the game, but even though I crash constantly, I love to play. Starting with the arcade mode, you have several options of racing. You can race a single race. You can chose your level of difficulty, ok, I will admit, I am still on the easy level. You can race in time trial. When racing in time trial, you want to finish the lap as quick as you can. The free run is when you can race on any track you chose, it is great for practice. The two player battle, well..let me just say, I have yet to beat my husband. You can chose to see the race side by side or one player on top, the other on bottom. I will win one of these days. It is fun to have an opponent, but for now I will continue to practice in free run the most.

Now lets go to the simulation mode. This is the mode where you can earn money. With the money you can upgrade your car, buy new tires, and more. There is a car dealer ship in this mode. In the car dealer ship there are flags of many countries, including the US, Japan, Germany, and more. You go to the area with the flag , choose the country, and then chose the car you want. I have yet to use the tune up section in simulation mode. I like this mode because is a car wash you can purchase, a wheel shop and even a lube station. In simulation mode you can qualify, replay, and more. The game is just incredible.

After each race you can go into replay mode and see your race. I laugh every time I see my replays. My car is all over the place and I mean it literally, but with time and practice I will get better at it. In replay mode, there are several options. The first option is normal playback. Second, the video option lets you see your replay to music ( I will tell you about the music later in the review). The race mode allows you to see the replay bigger, and finally the training mode allows you to see lines with the replay.

Now let me just give you some examples of the cars you can buy, I will just list a few. You can choose a Volkswagen Beetle, Mazda Miata, Chevrolet Corvette, and many many more. Depending on the class car you are driving, you can chose the color of the car. It is fun to play around with all the different cars, and trust me there are many, many to chose from.

The courses are fun. They are not just plain oval courses. There are many nooks and turns. I was amazed when I started playing Gran Turismo 3. You can race on pavement and/or dirt. The courses are not in any way dull. The graphics are superb. While driving, the trees are great to see, the grass looks like grass, all in all..if you stand back in my living room and look at the game, you will not think it is a video game- it looks like a real race.

Finally, I have to say I am so impressed with the music. I play with the music on so I can get into the groove of the races. There are many choices of music and you can customize your choices. Here is a short list of some music you can hear while racing, but I do warn you, sometimes listening to the music and the sounds of the car engine together can be annoying. I just got used to it the more I played. Here is the short list, there are more: 1)Lenny Kravitz- "Are You Gonna Go My Way" and "Again". 2) Judias Priest- "Turbo Lover" and 3)Grinspoon- "Champion". As I mentioned before there are some other choices. I do not know them off the top of my head, but another artist is Motley Crue.

I recommend this game to any one who loves to race, have some good sound, and wonderful graphics. Gran Turismo 3 is fun, again rated E for everyone, entertaining, and a blast to play. You can find the game at Wal-Mart for around $50. This is a definite keeper and it never gets boring.