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Posted by @ 5:45 PM, EST
Gamespot posted hands-on impressions of Gran Turismo 3:

Likewise, even though Trial Mountain was the only track available at the Auto Show, it gives a good indication of the graphics potential of the final game. This course takes drivers through a wooded area where light pours down through a canopy of trees and is dynamically reflected off the chassis of each car. And with ten turns as well as a high-speed S-curve littered throughout this counter-clockwise course, Trial Mountain is also one of the most technical tracks in the game. It's also worth mentioning that the background music for this course was none other than Motley Crue's Kickstart My Heart.

One of the most mysterious aspects of the game is the fact that there are absolutely no multiplayer options of any sort. The engine is easily able to handle all four characters on screen in addition to the numerous enemies around, so it doesn’t make sense that the game’s engine is incapable of handling it. This, in addition to the fact that the normal game is rather on the short side, leaves X-Squad with little in the way of replay value.

The third biggest point is that the overall sense of ball handling is exceptional. The ball physics, which up until the last World Cup game were rather shoddy, have continued to improve over the years, and in this version they're excellent. I still wish the ball rolled with a little more realism, but hey. But what's very noticeable in looks and feel is the way the players handle the ball. When the ball hits a player's chest, it thuds, bounces off with a controlled impact, lands at the players' feet, ready for dribbling.