Since its introduction last year, the Playstation 2 has been a regular denizen of the Lycos 50. Yet, while plenty of computer games live in the Lycos 50 (Half-Life Counter-Strike, Diablo II, The Sims), no game made for the Playstation 2 has cracked the list yet.
Gran Turismo 3 seems poised to be the first. Grand Turismo 3 A-Spec (its official name) is the third iteration of a popular driving series that began on the original Playstation. GT3 came out two weeks ago and this week nearly makes the Lycos 50.
One of the things which makes Gran Turismo so popular is the "simulation mode," which allows you to build from a humble, original car to a more advanced, heavily upgraded car by winning money through a series of races. The path is long and detailed and turns Gran Turismo into more than just an arcade driving game -- it's a complicated role-playing simulation.
The game lets you drive over 150 real-world cars, and upgrade your cars with real-world brand after market parts. For example, if you chose a Ford car, you upgrade with Mopar parts like in real life. Then you race on racetracks and road courses modeled after existing tracks or real cities such as Tokyo, Seattle, and Rome.
(What, no Waltham? Perhaps Gran Turismo 4 will allow you to speed past Lycos headquarters.)
Gran Turismo 3 may getting some of its popularity by riding the wave of interest in racing brought on by The Fast and The Furious. This Gran Turismo website even includes a link to showtimes for the movie.
I asked my friend (and car enthusiast) Marc Helmick to explain the joy of Gran Turismo 3, which he plays non-stop. His response: "Being the gear-head that I am, I find the simulation mode enthralling, the level of customization available outstanding, and the car selection akin to a virtual racing smorgasbord. Those factors are really what sets GT3 apart from other racing games. Not to mention it's damn pretty."
Apparently, lots of Lycos users and PS2 owners agree.
TOMORROW: The next big mook band.
