Sony decided to rename GT2K to Gran Turismo 3.

New screens: pic #1, pic #2, pic #3, pic #4, pic #5, pic #6, pic #7, pic #8, pic #9, pic #10, pic #11, pic #12, pic #13, pic #14, pic #15 pic #16, pic #17, pic #18, pic #19, pic #20, pic #21, pic #22, pic #23, pic #24, pic #25, pic #26, pic #27, pic #28, pic #29, pic #30, pic #31, pic #32, pic #33, pic #34, pic #35

--------------------------------------------

Update: September 04, 2000

The game just keeps looking better and better! The graphics and gameplay have been further enhanced and the game will now also be compatible with a steering wheel for the ultimate in realism for a racing game. Included in the newly enhanced graphics are heat waves (those mysterious translucent water-like phonamena) seen just above the pavement on a hot day. I think this is the first game to implement that affect. It looks like there are a confirmed 150 cars in the game as well which is actually more than I epected seeing that each one takes two weeks to create and is made up of 5,000 polys. All the car models are EXACT replica's of the real thing and it shows cause they are simply the best looking cars I've seen in a game yet.

--------------------------------------------

Update: May 22, 2000

From behind closed doors at E3, new information about this world-renowned game has surfaced. The first thing that needs to be cleared up is that GT2000 is not a full-blown sequel to the series. It is more of an upgrade of GT2 but don't get worried just yet, the game will still have many new innovations that will make this game a must buy for any racing fan. The most obvious enhancement to the game is the graphics and the design team is determined to create the best graphics possible by maximizing the PS2's power. To show us they mean business they have created cars made up of 2,000 to 4,000 polygons! The texture realism is out of this world, and with the shear number of polys that make up the cars we will be seeing probably the best graphics ever in a racing game.

Special effects like rain and lighting will be greatly improved and new effects like fog and mist will be added. These new environmental conditions will provide new gameplay challenge because now visibility also becomes a factor to deal with during a race. One potential problem however is the really bright sun. It actually blinds people when it flashes out at you from around a corner or from behind buildings. That just shows you how realistic the effects are but I'm sure the sun will be "turned down" before the release. Another interesting note is that currently, the game engine is pumping out 20 million polys and the developers are still saying they haven't used it's full potential yet!

The physics engine will be upgraded to give cars very accurate suspension so that players will really be able to feel what the car is doing and it will also make driving new cars more rewarding. The design team will work on AI to give the computer a more emotional driving style. This time they will drive more like people, making the odd driving error here and there, trying to block your path etc. The computer will even remember how you drive and how you treat them on the track! If you ram a guy off the road, next time he comes up behind you he will try to hit you. That sounds way cool but I can also see it being a potentially frustrating problem.

The rally aspect of the game will be improved over GT2 because now it is possible to perform all the complicated calculations on the PS2's CPU. It's harder to do then on pavement because when your rally racing, sliding plays a major part in cornering and you need to have just the right amount of sliding to pull off the effect realistically. Collision detection is yet another improvement and the suspension will be more tweakable. It's good to see that the PS2's power is being put to good use because many of these physics related aspects of the GT games on PSX had to be dumbed down because the system just couldn't do it all.

Now most of you are probably wondering about how many courses and cars there are. There will actually be two new courses in GT2000 in addition to the regular ones in GT2. Unfortunately there just isn't any way there will be the vast choice of cars as in GT though. When they were working on the last installment it took them just a day to make one car. But in designing them for this game, it takes two weeks, obviously because of the realism involved and the new system. My guess is that the game will have 35 to 40 cars. But each one will be absolutely beautiful and probably the best looking cars ever seen in a game.

--------------------------------------------

When Gran Turismo was first released it gained instant appraisal, more than living up to the hype and went on to become Sony's best selling game ever. Not surprisingly, Sony has decided to release their third installment of GT on the PS2, titled Gran Turismo 2000 (or GT2K). GT2K will be one of the flagship titles sold at the launch of the PS2 in March next year as reported by Sony at the 1999 Tokyo game show.

More than anything, GT2K has absolutely gorgeous drop-dead graphics. High resolution, high polygon cars are some of the new features just to name a few, but one thing I particularly liked are the lighting effects. If you thought those cool car reflections were good, just wait until you see what GT2K has to offer. In GT2K, all the lighting is real-time, meaning that all the highlights and shadows are based around where the main light source is placed (e.g. the Sun). It looks as though GT2K uses a 3D rendering technique called 'raytracing', what it does is simulate real light rays being bounced around in the particular 3D world. This feature is normally only found in pre-rendered FMV's and allows for effects such as water reflections etc. Another nice touch is the way the Sun has been made, it's really atmospheric in the afternoon races.

Although GT2K gathered huge crowds of people at the Tokyo game show with their jaw's dropped in awe at the graphics, it played like the original GT.
Hopefully the folks at Polyphony digital will add some new features and not just release a re-hash of GT 2, knowing it will sell because of the name. For instance they could add visible damage. With all of the PS2's immense power it is more than capable of calculating damage on the cars, perhaps even the track damage. And I don't just mean some deformed textures, I'm talking about scraping bumper bars, paint scraped off and smashed windscreens etc. Many people praised GT's physics engine, but it's glory ended as soon as you hit a wall. Remember the way your car couldn't flip? You ended up with something like that out of a roadrunner cartoon.
Hopefully Sony won't overlook these features, but I find it hard to believe that they can implement things like this by March. But rest assured, they did it once and they can do it again. We'll keep you posted on any updates.