Why GT3 is considered the best?

[Com Fox]

The following monolithic wall of text is based around my personal experience. Extremely strong bias should be noted.

My introduction to the Gran Turismo series was with GT2. I went to my neighbor's house one day and saw them playing a fun racing game. He eventually let me play the game for a little while. If you recall my very first post here on GTPlanet, I even remember the first car I used and the first track I drove in: The Mazda RX-7 GTC LM / Tahiti Road. Granted that I crashed my way through the track and never made it past 6th place (I was nothing but a young'n back in the day), the game had one factor that made me come back to it: it was fun. The mere fact that I can drive many cars around oh-so-many tracks was something so mind-blowing for little old me.

Eventually, I got my own PlayStation 1 as a Christmas gift and both GT1 and GT2 as well. I dumped so many hours into those games; unlocking cars, tracks, beating the races and the license tests. I had lots of fun with those games.

Fast-forward to 2001, and GT3 arrived at my house as a yet-another Christmas gift (you're gonna have to get used to that) bundled with a brand-spankin'-new PlayStation 2. So, naturally, I plugged the PS2 to the TV, popped in GT3, and was immediately blown away. The very first thing that caught my attention were the graphics. My oh my, were the graphics jaw-dropping. You could spot all the little details around the cars, the curvature of said cars, etc. The tracks got an astounding face lift as well, from Grand Valley to Midfield, and so on. And the sounds, oh boy. I remember plugging some headphones to the TV just to hear how beautiful the cars, the songs, the sound effects, etc. were. And the soundtrack got a boost as well, ranging from Lenny Kravitz, to Powerman 5000, Daiki Kasho, Goldfinger, Apollo 440, and even Snoop Dogg made a song! And the handling was even better than its predecessor. Needless to say, I loved every aspect of GT3. Granted that I also noticed a lack of cars (There's around ~150, I believe), but I didn't put much thought into it, since I knew that things could only get better from here on out. I could go on and on about this game, from the atmosphere, to the pick-up-and-play nature of it, but with what I had in front of me, it became clear that Gran Turismo 3 was to become one of my favorite GT games, and games overall.

Fast-forward once again to 2004, and a report on GT4 was on the TV. I was immediately glued to the TV, and the visuals were astonishing. Everything that made GT3 great, now better than ever. More tracks: now I can drive through New York, Italy, Hong Kong, the Nurburgring, Suzuka, Le Mans, and so on. More cars: more than 700(!) cars to choose from. And the graphics? Well, let's just say that even my mother was impressed at how the game looked. And so, another Christmas passed by and GT4 arrived in Christmas wrap. I popped the disc in and the experience I had with GT3 was exactly the same here: the graphics, the cars, the tracks, etc. I was astonished by this game.

But as time went on and played more GT4, I started to notice something about this game. That "something" wasn't immediately pointed out to me; instead it gradually caught up as time passed. Eventually I came upon the realization: This game feels sanitized. Sometimes even cold and sterile. While the technological aspects of the game cannot be understated (700+ cars, with some highly detailed, alongside the many revamped tracks the game has to offer and the highly improved graphics), the game at times just doesn't feel as welcoming as its predecessor; a certain "zing" was lost in the process, if you will.

One way I can compare the GT series is with another racing series: Burnout:

• Burnout 1 introduced us with a new concept (GT1),
• Burnout 2 improved certain aspects of its older brother (GT2),
• Burnout 3 is regarded by many (including myself) as the hallmark of the series (GT3) and while,
• Burnout Revenge vastly improves technologically over its last iteration, it loses a certain charm that was present in its earlier installment (GT4)

So I guess what I want draw from all of this is that: yes, Gran Turismo 4 is superior in many ways over Gran Turismo 3; from the cars to the tracks and everything in between, but to me Gran Turismo 3 will always be my favorite of the series because it remembers what it should provide to the player: fun. GT3 gives me a level of fun that not even a technologically superior GT4 can provide.

=====

But hey, that's my .02¢. Take all of this with an extremely big grain of salt. I mean, the jumbotronic mess of a name I have should've given away what game I liked...

Honestly, GT reminds me more of Pokemon...

GT1/Gen I - Introduction with a few kinks to work out.
GT2/Gen II - Fixes the kinks and expands on the gameplay.
GT3/Gen III - Scales back a lot but focuses hard on what it can do.
GT4/Gen IV - Expands nearly everything to give more than GT2/Gen II though does lose a little bit of GT3/Gen III focus.
GT5/Gen V - Online starts taking the stage (I know Online existed in Gen IV but it wasn't that notable), though it tries to keep what was favoured previously as well as try to refresh the formula (GT5 having a Level System and Gen V not having any old Pokemon during the Main Story).
GT6/Gen VI - Online becomes even more focused to the point of ruining the single player by making it easier, shorter and nothing to do Post-Game. It has hints of what was done previously but it is all for naught as it is outnumbered.

 

[revhead_1000]

For me GT4 felt, clinical in a way. There were was nothing obviously terrible about it (that made it unplayable) however, GT3 just felt like an overall more fun experience. Going to 4 from 3, felt like taking the same game, expanding on it but removing something that made it fun.

I went from GT4 to GT3 and if felt like it was dead and lifeless. The menu system was so simple and commonplace it was dull. Wereas GT4 was crisp, had a sense of adventure and was very classy.

 

[queleuleu]

In my mind, no game will top the feeling when i've seen for the first time gt3 in a shop. Rock music soundtrack, funky music in menu (slipstream in arcade) or "warm" graphism. It's sad to see that poly has lost that magic feeling. Please Poly do the same arcade mode that gt3!

 

[Zero McDol]

Stopped buying consoles after ps2, but gt2>gt4>gt3 for me.

Things that killed it for me in gt3 was: no racing mods/downforce for normal cars, no endurance races (I like running them), no red rock valley track, and a very limited selection of cars compared to gt2 at the time.

GT3 was a great game, don't get me wrong, but coming from gt2 at the time, I found myself underwhelmed after playing it when it first came out.

 

[GTPVenomZombie]

In my opinion, GT3 is the best one out the series. Why?

• Physics, you could see a lot of the car when it goes for a turn in 3rd person
• Sounds of the cars
• PAL Soundtrack with Feeder, Ash, Death in Vegas
• The way the game feels when you're driving/racing the car
• The tracks with the Sunset structure like Laguna Seca, Grand Valley Speedway* etc. & Rome!
• Hidden cars like the Ford GT40, Toyota GTONE Road Car & all the original F1, F2? Cars
• Long Career mode that doesn't get boring quick (Apart from the Professional Vitz race)
• Competitive A.I
• Simple menu structure, easy to navigate

Have I missed anything?

 

[Akouhi]

You're right man
I also really think that Daiki Kasho the main music composer of Polyphony Digital was an essential part to make this game the best of all GT.
Daiki Kasho's songs were really immersive and created a deep philosophy into GT3.
When you raced on a track, maybe the song was better and harder to dive you into the race than the original race

I remember several laps i've made when i was a kid on Super Speedway track and how i liked these songs

 

[jontikis]

To be objective, I cannot consider GT3 as a less better game than GT4 nor a better game either, since I didn't have the opportunity to play it. But if I had played it, it would probably be a tie between the two for these reasons:

1) Number of cars - When you exclude the dublicate cars from GT4, it's obvious that the advantage isn't so big. Sure you still have some iconic cars to enjoy and that's a slight advantage compared to GT3.
2) Number of tracks - Here comes the difference. GT4 was known back then for the many additions of circuits in an overall approach, from real world circuits to city circuits. And thats what keeps it still fresh. GT3 has a more nostalgic tone for the tracks (SSR11, Smokey Mountain, Complex String etc.) and that's great if you want to feel the old good magic again. I don't believe I would have a problem with the fewer tracks if I was still 9 years old and had started both GT3 and GT4. But now I'm 18 and, let's be honest guys, a respectable racing game cannot be accepted if it doesn't have the Nurburgring or the Circuit de la Sarthe today
3) Career Mode - The philosophy for both games seems the same to me (except some minor differences), so I would easily enjoy GT3's career as much as I did with GT4.

 

[Jump_Ace]

I've thought a lot about this over the years and for me it comes down to a few things why I prefer GT4:

1) No more randomly given prize cars. This is the single biggest reason why GT3 infuriated me.
2) More race cars
3) More license tests
4) More real life tracks
5) El Capitan. As time passes this is the track I miss the most, more than Seattle even.
6) Everything else looked and felt more polished all around. Better looking cars, better physics.
7) I loved the homescreen, was hoping it'd always look similar in future iterations


Jerome

 

[Zero McDol]

Stopped buying consoles after ps2, but gt2>gt4>gt3 for me.

Things that killed it for me in gt3 was: no racing mods/downforce for normal cars, no endurance races (I like running them), no red rock valley track, and a very limited selection of cars compared to gt2 at the time.

GT3 was a great game, don't get me wrong, but coming from gt2 at the time, I found myself underwhelmed after playing it when it first came out.

I just started playing Gran Turismo 3 again and having a lot of fun. I'm wrong in certain parts of what I said and about the game being underwhelming. I'm not sure if I have a better version now or didn't notice before (bought a new copy), but GT3 does have endurance races, also, I like the physics in GT3 a lot more than GT4 (GT4 is as high as I've gone in the series, I only have a ps2).

In terms of best game in the GT series, GT2 will always be the best to me.

 

[xyloscissor]

I like the physics in GT3 a lot more than GT4

Bingo 👍

 

[GTvsForza]

How to find out why GT3 is so fun: Take an R34 GT-R.
Tune it to 1000HP.
Drift around any track.

My "Midnight Monster"

 

[Matej]

I actually prefer GT3 over GT4 for its physics and variety of challenging races. You could also view 2P replay in full screen and use your own garage cars in arcade mode.

I think even GT4 Prologue had better physics than its full relative. It is hard to tell whether they just copied GT3 code or not, but it still looks better:

 

[Wadsy]

GT3 is my favourite in the series but only just... 4 is a close second. Here's what I think are better in each game compared with the other:

3:
Driving physics/Gameplay
Prize money is better
Multiple Reward cars from an event
Better main menu music
Reasonable endurance races
When driving a reverse course - the time of day/weather changes
More F1 cars
Tracks genuinely look better/prettier than the same tracks on GT4 (Seattle and Swiss Alps are the only exception for me)
Not forced to drive pathetic sports tires in most if not all events

4:
Better career mode
Has B-Spec mode
Way more cars and tracks
Used Car Dealership
Better in-race music
More unique events - Less repetitive races and events
More Reasonable with number of laps in the advanced events
Feels more polished overall
More restrictions posed on events (must race in a certain type of car or certain percentage of game completed)

 

[o000o]

GT3 is my favourite in the series but only just... 4 is a close second. Here's what I think are better in each game compared with the other:

3:
Driving physics/Gameplay
Prize money is better
Multiple Reward cars from an event
Better main menu music
Reasonable endurance races
When driving a reverse course - the time of day/weather changes
More F1 cars
Tracks genuinely look better/prettier than the same tracks on GT4 (Seattle and Swiss Alps are the only exception for me)
Not forced to drive pathetic sports tires in most if not all events

4:
Better career mode
Has B-Spec mode
Way more cars and tracks
Used Car Dealership
Better in-race music
More unique events - Less repetitive races and events
More Reasonable with number of laps in the advanced events
Feels more polished overall
More restrictions posed on events (must race in a certain type of car or certain percentage of game completed)

I guess multiple reward car is good stuff, something that is brought from GT1 and GT2.
The better music part is subjective for either GT3 or GT4.
More F1 car yeah, better part of GT3 imo, though it can be frustrating if players keep getting the slower F1 car.
I guess the track looking better in GT3 was a part of GT being weaker in environment?
One of GT's complaints is the no performance limitation in certain games, I guess being forced to drive Sports Tires is a form of performance limitation.

 

[Wadsy]

I guess multiple reward car is good stuff, something that is brought from GT1 and GT2.
The better music part is subjective for either GT3 or GT4.
More F1 car yeah, better part of GT3 imo, though it can be frustrating if players keep getting the slower F1 car.
I guess the track looking better in GT3 was a part of GT being weaker in environment?
One of GT's complaints is the no performance limitation in certain games, I guess being forced to drive Sports Tires is a form of performance limitation.

Sports tires feel awful in my opinion, especially in GT4. Always such a chore and I’m almost certainly tempted to B Spec races with those requirements unless the cars are slow.

This is something that is not brought up a lot but I feel that the majority of tracks that appear in both games look better in 3. I felt Swiss Alps and Seattle might have been the only exceptions where 4 improved their look. I am on the fence with Tahiti Maze, which looks more detailed in 3 but somehow more realistic/better in 4…

 

[wagnerFAM98]

Oh, looks like I just found a very interesting thread to comment.

Recently, I've made a thread on Gran Turismo 7 forums ranking all GT games from best to worst in my opinion. GT3 was the last one, so it didn't take long for people to start mocking me. That's fine, surely they can disagree with me.

Here I'll say my pros and cons of this game then I'll write yet another controversial conclusion at the end:

Pros:

• The AI is really competitive, even though there is rubber banding.
• Graphics are insane, especially if you consider it's a 2001 game.
• Soundtrack is amazing, no need to say more.
• License tests are brutally hard (especially on the PAL version), just the way I like it.
• It indeed has that GT soul, real fans will understand me.

Cons:

• Physics are not bad, but GT4 (and strangely even GT2) physics feel better for me.
• Content (cars & tracks) is very low, simply as that.
• Because the game is low on content, the career mode features many events repeated 3 times on different difficulties just to extend the progress, which is terrible.
• Some stuff that were cut from its predecessor were injustifiable. GT3 killed Red Rock Valley, keep that in mind.

As you can see, I don't find GT3 to be a bad game, far from that. The problem is that it succeeds GT2, which is the best GT in my opinion. Some may argue that lots of those 600+ cars on GT2 were useless and I partially agree. I said "partially" because there's no way 400+ cars were useless to the point they didn't make into the next game.

Like I said about the career mode, if its structure doesn't read "hey we want your experience to last long but we don't have enough content to keep up, so we'll repeat lots of events 3 times", then I don't know what it is.

Ultimately, I get the importance and impact of this game for the series as a whole, it was breathtaking graphically, it was fun to play, it was a legit Gran Turismo... but sorry, I can't help but say it's overrated.

 

[Wadsy]

I won't mock you, lol. I just disagree with certain things.
I felt that 3 had the best physics and drive feel, the lack of content really didn't hurt the game for me much because I got the quality out of it that I wanted.
I like GT2 but it is so dated... I am talking about the graphics. I just can't enjoy anything prior to GT3 because the first two games look incredibly dated. My biggest flaw with GT2 is actually winning the car you wanted. I know a whole heap of people disagree with me as per the GT2 forums but I swear that prize cars in that game are based on what car you use (particularly for endurance racing and the GT300-500 series).

 

[Destroy321]

In my mind, no game will top the feeling when i've seen for the first time gt3 in a shop. Rock music soundtrack, funky music in menu (slipstream in arcade) or "warm" graphism. It's sad to see that poly has lost that magic feeling. Please Poly do the same arcade mode that gt3!

Exactly. The GT4 graphics felt very "cold". It was very soulless racing with bad racing music and nothing was fun.

 

[queleuleu]

Oh, looks like I just found a very interesting thread to comment.

Recently, I've made a thread on Gran Turismo 7 forums ranking all GT games from best to worst in my opinion. GT3 was the last one, so it didn't take long for people to start mocking me. That's fine, surely they can disagree with me.

Here I'll say my pros and cons of this game then I'll write yet another controversial conclusion at the end:

Pros:

• The AI is really competitive, even though there is rubber banding.
• Graphics are insane, especially if you consider it's a 2001 game.
• Soundtrack is amazing, no need to say more.
• License tests are brutally hard (especially on the PAL version), just the way I like it.
• It indeed has that GT soul, real fans will understand me.

Cons:

• Physics are not bad, but GT4 (and strangely even GT2) physics feel better for me.
• Content (cars & tracks) is very low, simply as that.
• Because the game is low on content, the career mode features many events repeated 3 times on different difficulties just to extend the progress, which is terrible.
• Some stuff that were cut from its predecessor were injustifiable. GT3 killed Red Rock Valley, keep that in mind.

As you can see, I don't find GT3 to be a bad game, far from that. The problem is that it succeeds GT2, which is the best GT in my opinion. Some may argue that lots of those 600+ cars on GT2 were useless and I partially agree. I said "partially" because there's no way 400+ cars were useless to the point they didn't make into the next game.

Like I said about the career mode, if its structure doesn't read "hey we want your experience to last long but we don't have enough content to keep up, so we'll repeat lots of events 3 times", then I don't know what it is.

Ultimately, I get the importance and impact of this game for the series as a whole, it was breathtaking graphically, it was fun to play, it was a legit Gran Turismo... but sorry, I can't help but say it's overrated.

Just my two cents: GT3 at its release was crazy! And when I mean crazy, I can't find another word. Graphics were the best in the industry, and something else : it was fun.

Reading that GT6 or GTSport are ranked higher than GT3 is surprising but mocking you is ridiculous...
The latest GTs are too cold, it's just a feeling with no mathematical proof. Like some says Driveclub is soulless.

 

[Greycap]

I think that the main thing why GT3 is so widely loved is that for many it was either the first GT they played, or the largest technical leap. When looked at without the nostalgia glasses on, GT4 did just about everything better and on a ridiculously much wider scale.

 

[Destroy321]

I think that the main thing why GT3 is so widely loved is that for many it was either the first GT they played, or the largest technical leap. When looked at without the nostalgia glasses on, GT4 did just about everything better and on a ridiculously much wider scale.

I don't think so. I only liked the photo mode, human modeling, driving missions, and 1080i output on the GT4, and I feel that the GT3 was better at everything else.
Above all, GT3 was playing and it was "fun", but GT4 was playing and it felt like "work".

 

[o000o]

Just my two cents: GT3 at its release was crazy! And when I mean crazy, I can't find another word. Graphics were the best in the industry, and something else : it was fun.

Reading that GT6 or GTSport are ranked higher than GT3 is surprising but mocking you is ridiculous...
The latest GTs are too cold, it's just a feeling with no mathematical proof. Like some says Driveclub is soulless.

Graphic's room of improvement in current era seems to have reached the limits, there won't be those with breathtaking graphics like GT3 in its era anymore... (of course, PS1 graphics were boxy).

I don't think so. I only liked the photo mode, human modeling, driving missions, and 1080i output on the GT4, and I feel that the GT3 was better at everything else.
Above all, GT3 was playing and it was "fun", but GT4 was playing and it felt like "work".

I think I want to hear more for your counterarguments against features that people commonly praise for GT4 like for example the GT Mode, Used Car Dealership, etc.

 

[o000o]

As you can see, I don't find GT3 to be a bad game, far from that. The problem is that it succeeds GT2, which is the best GT in my opinion. Some may argue that lots of those 600+ cars on GT2 were useless and I partially agree. I said "partially" because there's no way 400+ cars were useless to the point they didn't make into the next game.

Like I said about the career mode, if its structure doesn't read "hey we want your experience to last long but we don't have enough content to keep up, so we'll repeat lots of events 3 times", then I don't know what it is.

Ultimately, I get the importance and impact of this game for the series as a whole, it was breathtaking graphically, it was fun to play, it was a legit Gran Turismo... but sorry, I can't help but say it's overrated.

Nah, never reject car numbers, GT should act as car encyclopedia and contain any kind of car, 600+ should be at least kept, not "removed due to useless". Though I do think of that at first below, but actually the 3 times event on GT3 is like GT2's multiple power events, the events may seem the same and repeated, but they have different level of cars racing there, like how in Professional FF Challenge, the cars are high tier for FF like New Beetle Cup, Spoon Civic Type R, etc. In the lower tier FF Challenge, it's the really slow ones like Demio and Vitz. I wish that they show more detail about the opponents like GT1's entry list though, showing how much power the opponent's cars have.

 

[Destroy321]

I think I want to hear more for your counterarguments against features that people commonly praise for GT4 like for example the GT Mode, Used Car Dealership, etc.

I don't know what exactly is being praised about GT4's GT mode, but I didn't find any of the races interesting due to the graphics, AI, sound and physics which I feel are worse than GT3.
The used car system is not a particularly interesting or important feature for me.

 

[astrarobotica]

What do people think GT3 does better than GT4? I've been playing GT4 over the past year and a half and I'm at 29% completion. I've done all Beginner, Professional, Japanese, and American races, and about half of European races. I have all licenses, I've done about half of the Driving Missions, and a small chunk of Extreme Conditions. My next goal is El Capitan 200 to unlock a car for the World Championship, so I can unlock Extreme Events, but I don't really know what to expect from that.

I can say it does still feel difficult to earn any substantial amount of money, unless I'm supposed to keep grinding races for valuable prize cars to sell. I'm not bored of it, but I can't really afford any of the cars I want to drive. There's still plenty of content it seems but I feel like I've plateaued from a lack of funds.

 

[Destroy321]

I think this video explains why I prefer GT3 to GT4.
The GT4 graphics feel very sterile, static and cheap.

 

[ICEYOU3]

Honestly, GT reminds me more of Pokemon...

GT1/Gen I - Introduction with a few kinks to work out.
GT2/Gen II - Fixes the kinks and expands on the gameplay.
GT3/Gen III - Scales back a lot but focuses hard on what it can do.
GT4/Gen IV - Expands nearly everything to give more than GT2/Gen II though does lose a little bit of GT3/Gen III focus.
GT5/Gen V - Online starts taking the stage (I know Online existed in Gen IV but it wasn't that notable), though it tries to keep what was favoured previously as well as try to refresh the formula (GT5 having a Level System and Gen V not having any old Pokemon during the Main Story).
GT6/Gen VI - Online becomes even more focused to the point of ruining the single player by making it easier, shorter and nothing to do Post-Game. It has hints of what was done previously but it is all for naught as it is outnumbered.

Gen 1 = GT, GT2

Gen 2 = GT3, GT4

Gen 3 = GTPSP, GT5P, GT5 GT6

Imo

 

[gigio79]

Totally disagree. Anyone can say what he wants but that doesn't mean it's right. For example, I love GT4 but that doesn't make it the best of the series. Each version is gorgeous and always attracts a lot of players.

 

[astrarobotica]

I think this video explains why I prefer GT3 to GT4.
The GT4 graphics feel very sterile, static and cheap.

That's a really good comparison! I didn't know they changed the track designs so much. The video is interesting though, it says GT4 is "1080i" but I play the game in 1080i and there is no anti-aliasing whatsoever. Even though the uploader says it's not emulation and it's being played on a console, they're either not being honest or they're using modding tools to add effects like anti-aliasing that the game doesn't support.

 

[nostradavor2]

GT3 was only GT I never played (yea I know). I loved all other ones and GT5 will probably always be my favorite because of my subjective reasons but few days ago I runned GT3 on PS3 so with emulation it doesn't even work as it should 100% and after few days casually playing, my thoughts were that this is best GT ever.