Revving your engine

Gran Turismo 3’s three-and-a-half-minute marvel FORMAT PS2 / PUB SONY / DEV POLYPHONY DIGITAL / RELEASED 20 JULY 2001 / SCORE 10/10

Picture this: it’s 2001. A mere 16 months after the original PlayStation was creaking at the seams to deliver the grainy-textured Gran Turismo 2, PlayStation 2 was running riot playing Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec at 60fps. And all anyone needed to see was its three-and-a-half-minute intro to know the simple truth: the console generation was won. Listen… you can almost hear Sony’s hands being dusted off.

But the game teases you, beginning with an ephemeral blue. You don’t know it yet, but you’re

inside the Toyota Supra’s engine. The fuel is injected in slow motion before a synthesiser chord cuts in and it ignites, forcing the pistons into motion. It’s the fundamental principle of everything you’re about to enjoy: pure motor racing.

The engine revs, drum sticks click… one… two… one-two-babadaow and Feeder’s Just A Day comes crashing in. The guitars are ferocious and the snare drum sounds like it’s actually burst in that brief pause before the main vocal. And then, as the huge ‘3’ blazes onto the screen, so does the game. Oh goodness. The game.

This ultra-sharp Mazda RX-7 with its back stepping out is emblazoned into our memories because when we first saw it, we were looking at the future. We first saw this scene 17yearsago and it still looks spectacular. Imagine how it looked back then to people who had an N64.

The series grew up (with some growing pains along the way) and matured into the FIA-recognised GT Sport. Times have certainly changed. But it’s still a blast to watch GT3’s intro every now and then, to crank up the volume, and enjoy PS2 purring like a tomcat.