Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec Turns 25 Today

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Ugh.....

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Jordan
This is the discussion thread for an article on GTPlanet:

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec Turns 25 Today​

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec turns 25 years old today. First released in Japan on April 28, 2001, the PlayStation 2’s debut Gran Turismo title remains one of the best-selling games in the franchise’s history, and arguably one of the most important...
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All about GT2 surely - remember this? 😂
 
GT3 was the first GT game i played.
I managed to convince the wife it was time to buy the kids a playstation (never had a PS1) and now i’m 61 and still playing and enjoying GT7.
My son took the PS2 but let me keep my old games when he left home.then about a year later on a trip to the local rubbish site i was getting rid of some electrical things someone had left a PS2 there .So as no one was arround i quickly put it in the boot of the car and legged it sharp, i had to borrow some cables from my son to test it and was very pleased to see it work and it also had some game saves on a original PS memory card. I now have a gaming corner in the living room with A PS2 , PS3 , PS4 ,PS5 .But i’ve not played any of the older GT games for a couple of years now.
 
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TypeRDC5
25 years... damn that makes me feel old.

I skipped school to play it day one I was that excited for it, the graphically leap was unbelievable, you really had to experience it at the time. It felt like graphics literally could not get better, the replays especially looked amazing for the time.

I still play it to this day through emulation on my Steam Deck.

GT4 blew it out of water with so much more content but the impact GT3 had as the first next gen GT game was much bigger. Amazing game and great times.
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I know, I'll be 35 in September and I already feel old. gt3 was the start of my addiction with it. Never let it go since that day I found out about it. The glitches were out of this world. Remember the Mazda 787B sky one?
 
When GT3 came out, I was let down by the lack of content compared to GT2. But I couldn't complain about the graphics or general vibe of the game, and it eventually became nearly as nostalgic for me as GT2.

The advancements in the modding community over the last couple years, backporting cars and tracks from GT Concept, have done a lot to round this game out and add needed variety.
 
I still LOVE GT3! I'm playing a prototype mod for it called GT3: Concept. It's pretty darn ambitious and fun!!
 
Jeez, 25 years! :eek: Didn't expect that reality check today. :rolleyes: Not even going to work out the time from the first Gran Turismo, 25 years is long enough. :lol:

Love to know how long I spent on GT3. Much more time than GT Sport and GT7 put together I think.
 
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Miss you Tahiti.

Edit: Looking at this old video from PS UK magazine (2002) I had no idea that the Bugatti EB110 was in the archives of the game :drool: . Hope we can get this in the near future.

 
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I wish they did ports of the classic Gran Turismo games.
Such a shame they are stuck in the past on old hardware.
I love how Ridge Racer games are all coming out on PS4/PS5....
 
This was my first Gran Turismo! At the time, it was certainly a major departure from the other major racing game I played back then, being Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. Yet. it was through GT3 that I found out about so many models and manufacturers that I never knew about previously, like Alfa Romeo, Renault, RUF, and Daihatsu. Plus tuning firms like Nismo, Mugen, and Mine's.

The soundtrack was amazing, too, between both the made-for-game tracks as well as the licensed stuff - I think it was also this game that introduced me to Judas Priest!

At any rate, I feel like subsequent titles have only been improvements in general. So unfortunately, I don't think there's much reason to revisit GT3 in particular, except maybe for nostalgia. Are there some events, cars, and circuits from GT3 that ought to return to Gran Turismo? Sure, but I feel like those things are dwarfed by the sheer amount of other things that've been added to the series since, with the obvious ones being the additions of McLaren, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche - and so many others!

I mean seriously, as much as I have a fond spot for GT3, keep in mind that there's only a single BMW in the entire game, and it's not even an M3. Then again, I suppose there is a bit of charm to that same 3-series not being an M-branded model, as it feels more...relatable?
 
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Johnny Caisse
I still LOVE GT3! I'm playing a prototype mod for it called GT3: Concept. It's pretty darn ambitious and fun!!
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Oh, you are? That's pretty cool, you must be using an emulator too to continue to play gt3. I miss the arcade mode though, you could play with 6 AI players and you could choose the difficulty of the race. Easy, Normal or Hard.
 
Chris30
Oh, you are? That's pretty cool, you must be using an emulator too to continue to play gt3. I miss the arcade mode though, you could play with 6 AI players and you could choose the difficulty of the race. Easy, Normal or Hard.
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In the difficulty selection, if you hold down both R1 and L1, Hard becomes Professional.
 
evldave333
I feel old! I had the action replay (had been using it since the c64 days for cheat codes). Brings back good memories, always remember how GT raised the bar for graphics and the excitement of waiting for the release date.
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Yep. I still also enjoy playing Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec again on my PS3 CFW console to relive my childhood gaming memories.
 
Chris30
CFW console? What's that, similar to an emulator? I wish I could find an old ps2 that can play gt3, I would be in heaven with the nostalgia coming back.
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CFW stands for custom firmware. Only the very early model PS3 consoles could play PS2 games from disc. You can install special software (custom firmware) on some later model PS3 consoles to allow them to play PS2 games.

It might seem a bit daunting to do, but it is really quite simple if you follow the right instructions.

The advantage of using a PS3 console over a PS2 console to play PS2 games is being able to use the HDMI output, and being able to play Gran Turismo 1 to 6 all on one system.
 
Tristan H
CFW stands for custom firmware. Only the very early model PS3 consoles could play PS2 games from disc. You can install special software (custom firmware) on some later model PS3 consoles to allow them to play PS2 games.

It might seem a bit daunting to do, but it is really quite simple if you follow the right instructions.

The advantage of using a PS3 console over a PS2 console to play PS2 games is being able to use the HDMI output, and being able to play Gran Turismo 1 to 6 all on one system.Ok
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Okay, thanks for the clarification and explaining that. gt3 was also one of my nostalgia games on the ps2 starting back in 2001. I've had so many wonderful memories from that iconic game.
 
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Chris30
Okay, thanks for the clarification and explaining that. gt3 was also one of my nostalgia games on the ps2 starting back in 2001. I've had so many wonderful memories from that iconic game.
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Same. I basically started my playthrough again on Gran Turismo 3 first by getting all 8 gold medals for National B license (and getting a Mazda Miata LS). Man, getting all 8 gold medals is very challenging! Need 68 minutes!
 

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