Gran Turismo 3 was released 7 yesrs ago on the PS2. It's only like $10, now. Why am I saying this? Because you should definitely get this game. Almost everything about it is near-perfect, and it was years ahead of it's time. Why? Let's find out.

Graphics
Okay, I know I'm going to get flamed and torched for saying this, but I'm just going to say it. Here goes. The cars look like they should be on Xbox 360. Now I've seen racing games on the 360 that look better, but GT3 is at least in the lower end of the 360 racers' cars in the Graphical department. Back in 2001 when gas still cost $1.29 (simpler times, eh?) no one thought the PS2 could deliver graphics like this outside of cinematics. But GT3 delivered the best. The environments have aged a bit, but interestingly enough, they don't look that bad even by today's standards. The environments are the only reason I have to knock it down from a 10.

Sound
Do the sounds and music mesh with the brilliant Graphics. The answer is, hell yeah! It has a fairly limited amount of tracks to have for music (about 20-30 in all), but it doesn't matter when they fit so well with the game. The engines sound almost real and the great sound quality really helps you feel it every time your car crashes into another car. The sounds great, but just a little weaker than the graphics.

Gameplay
Apparently, the good people at Sony and Polyphony Digital don't take the words "Driving Simulator" lightly. They meant what they put for a subtitle. The physics in the game are like that of real-life. You have to slow down to turn and you don't get to gain speed from boost (well, you get Nitrous in GT4, but that's for another review), and while that might sound like a bad thing, it's not. You can develop your own specific racing strategy however you want to (ram other drivers off the road, be extra careful during hairpin turns, etc.). There's also no shortage of vehicles, either. From the Corvette to the Castrol race car, you get over 200 vehicles that you can buy and race with in simulation mode. With ~50 tracks, over 200 vehicles, a unique physics system and over 100 cups to enter (including the endurance races which take longer than an hour), this game almost has it all. Except for a damage system. You can ram and ram all you want but your car will run and look like it's brand new. Some might think of that as a good thing, but I don't.

Fun Factor
GT3 is one of the funnest games I've played. It seems like it has nearly everything and is an overall fantastic game. You really should play this.