This Month's Most Viewed Games Tagged 'GT3' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg en-us Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec is a racing game, the first in the Gran Turismo series to hit the PlayStation 2. Gran Turismo 2000 was the working name used when demonstrated at E3 2000/2001. Released in 2001, Gran Turismo 3 is considered the best-selling game for the PS2 (along with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City).

Gran Turismo 3 features new elements to the series, such as oil changes. As the distance travelled on the motor oil accumulates, the vehicle engine's performance degrades gradually, until a notice light is lit on the dashboard during gameplay, signaling that an oil change is needed. It is also the first game in the series to feature a vehicle from Porsche, namely Porsche 911.

The Gran Turismo Mode has a reorganized layout, with a more structured and progressive arrangement of races and challenges. In addition, the car shops are now organized by country and then by manufacturer, which some find to be more intuitive than the East/West City method used in GT2. On the downside, far fewer vehicles are available in GT3 (just over 150) than GT2 (around 500). This is attributed largely to the work needed for the more detailed graphics and statistics for the cars, and the game's release being early in the PlayStation 2's lifespan.

Among the changes were the omission of the ability to "racing Modify" or add down force to production cars, removal of suspension damage and also re-absent of torque limits to races. The developers collaborated with computer and game prepheral maker Logitech for the game, which resulted in the GT Force steering wheel, which featured force feedback and was highly fitted to the game.

The initial Japanese release of GT3 was bundled with a 179-page booklet called the "Gran Turismo 3 A-spec Reference Guide", featuring detailed tutorials on driving techniques for the GT Force steering wheel, a complete tune-up parts catalogue and a description of all the cars featured in the game. Later releases of the Japanese version, like the one bundled with a PS2, no longer included the guide.

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec is considered a commercial success for Sony in Japan, Europe, and North America. The game is the best selling game for the Playstation 2 selling roughly 14.36 million copies. The game is highly praised by game reviewers and players as one of the finest racing games ever made and frequently appears on 'top 100 lists' (like IGN's Top 100). The music included an exclusive demo recording of 'Just A Day', 'Buck Rogers' and 'Seven Days In The Sun' all by Feeder from their Echo Park era.

Note: Adapted from Wikipedia's entry for Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

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