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Gran Turismo 2000 is the original title of the project that became Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, with the name being used for several demonstration builds and one demo disc. It was based on Gran Turismo 2, where the physics and graphics were updated to showcase what Polyphony Digital could do with the new hardware in the PlayStation 2.

History[]

Gran Turismo 2000 was first shown at the Tokyo Game Show in Japan on 20 September 1999, as part of the unveiling of the PlayStation 2 console.

At the PlayStation Festival 2000 event in Japan on 18-20 February 2000, an improved demo was shown. Playable demo discs of Gran Turismo 2000 were also handed out to the public for the first and only time. Gran Turismo 2000 was also demonstrated at the E3 show in the USA on 11-13 May 2000, and the European Computer Trade Show in the UK on 3-5 September 2000. These builds feature opaque car windows, similar to those of PlayStation-era games.

The title of the game was updated to Gran Turismo 2000: A-Spec when demonstrated again at the Tokyo Game Show, this time on 22-24 September 2000. The build shown at the show are similar to various GT3 demo builds. After missing its potential release date of December 2000, the game was re-titled Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec.

PlayStation Festival 2000 demo[]

The PlayStation Festival 2000 demo is limited to only one combination of car and track: the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR '98 on the Seattle Circuit. The race time is limited to 120 seconds or two minutes, reflecting an effort to minimize the amount of time spent queuing to play the game whilst still allowing players to take in the improvements that have been made.

These cars, while also included in the demo, only appear as opponents, and cannot be selected to race:

Other content[]

The E3 2000/ECTS 2000 build of the game, while appearing similar to the PlayStation Festival 2000 demo, also feature the following cars, along with Laguna Seca Raceway:

Trivia[]

  • The PlayStation Festival demo disc contains leftover files from Special Stage Route 5, in an "OLDCOURSE" directory. This track was shown in the 1999 Tokyo Game Show tech/announcement demo, and in the introduction movie of the demo disc. However, several files are missing so the track cannot be loaded.
  • Near the end of the demo disc's opening sequence, a mixture of high-res scenes that were extracted from the Gran Turismo 2 opening can be seen. These scenes displays some vehicles and tracks that wouldn't be returning in future installments of the series.
  • The turn signboards on the demo disc's Seattle circuit are based on those appearing in the GT2 demos, rather than based on final GT2 versions.
  • By driving in the wrong direction at the start and heading for the left-most tire barrier, it is possible to break out of the Seattle course.
  • As the Gran Turismo 2000 demo disc was only handed out at a single event, a limited number of copies were available. This rarity, along with the lack of any other Gran Turismo 2000 releases, makes the game one of the most sought-after in the series for many Gran Turismo fans.
  • The yellow Mitsubishi from the game became a popular internet meme around 2018.

Pictures[]

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