Gran Turismo Mode

The Real Story

The Gran Turismo mode can be thought of as the story mode. Here you will use your modest savings to buy a car and race them in a number of different local, national, and international events. With the prize money, you'll be able to buy new cars or upgrade your own. There are three different racing leagues at varying difficulty, each which offers a number of different "events." Needless to say, completing every event will take you through hundreds of races. The rally events are always between two cars and the standard races are between six cars.

Main menu	Beginner, Amateur, and Pro Leagues; Rally Events, and an Endurance League
The Sunday Cup has 3 races. The badges (FF challenge, etc.) represent different cups	An Altezza-only race requiring a b license. We're still in the beginner league.

License Test

In addition to the events, license tests are an integral part of the Gran Turismo mode. You will need different licenses to register in certain events, but more importantly, these license tests help you improve your driving skill. These skills usually involve racing around a pre-defined path within a certain amount of time. The first test in the B-license class has you complete a one-kilometer track and come to a complete stop at the end of it under a predetermined time. So, not only are you trying to get to the finish line as quickly as possible, but you also have to slow down at the appropriate time so you do not overshoot the defined area and run into the cones. Later on you will have to make sharp turns at high speeds, or race around a wet track in a certain amount of time. There are 5 different licenses classes, each with a good variety of tests.

5 different difficulty levels, and a rally license

Color coded instructions

Tuning

Driving skills can only take you so far, however. As part of the realism, you won't find yourself making "easy money" from the races and be able to buy faster cars so easily. That's where the tuning comes in. You have a number of ways to improve your car through a number of different upgrades including those for your engine, brakes, suspension, mufflers, and transmission. Want more horsepower? You can add a chip to your ECS, or go with a new air filter, or a less restrictive exhaust. In addition to buying new upgrades, you can also tweak your car by playing with the gear ratios, car height, downforce, LSD, brake balance, and more.

I have carbon fiber TRD brake pads on my Camry

Need an upgrade?

Learning Curve

The main complaint I have with Gran Turismo 3 is that you start off with the most meager of bank accounts. GT3 teases you with some of the fastest cars on this planet, and yet you don't start with enough money to get a "modern" sports car. Unless you enjoy racing in budget family sedans and mini-wagons, the only sports car available to you is the Toyota GT-Apex (Corolla Levin). This can be frustrating because you race Civic SiR's and Civic del Sol's, but on the other hand, this also forces you to drive more effectively.

The opponent AI seems generally good for a game. While I didn't get the sense that I was racing against human opponents, the cars do seem to adapt. In races where I excessively bumped into other cars, the opponents seemed to be a bit more aggressive. You won't be able to win races by having a fast car alone - it will take skill.

Marcus is the biggest Initial D fan of all time!

You can afford this car in the beginning too

The learning curve for GT3 is similar to that of Counter-Strike, if not a bit easier. Unless you're familiar with the other Gran Turismo games, don't be surprised if your first attempt with GT3 is less than spectacular.