The best racing game for the PS2. Hear me out.
What first hooked me on the series and what is prevalent in TXR3 is that it is more than just a racing game; It has rpg elements. Experience points in the form of miles on your odometer unlock parts for your car, essentially "leveling up". The 83 Wanderers in the game act as side quests, complete with requirements. There's also minions, bosses and a "final boss", if you will. This alone hooked me, but there is so much more.
I'll start with the paint and customization aspect. Sure, in other racing titles/series you can change colors (maybe even skins) and might even be allowed to put a tribal or flame decal on a pre-designated area on the car. Ho hum please wake me up. In TXR3, though, you literally have a full-blown version of MSPaint. Stamps, stickers, the ability to modify on the pixel-level, lines, line thicknesses, textures, cut and paste, squares, circles, ovals, rectangles, flood fill... The only thing not available is text boxes; but with a steady hand, you can even draw that on your car. You can make the car your own, not just use a prefabricated design the developers made available to you. Though not as detail intensive as some other racing series, the parts you purchase for your car do have quite a bit of customization available. You can adjust gear ratio and many other parts as well.
Each rival you have to race (of which there are over 600) has two different background summaries (personal and driving), each rival distinctly different and in some cases related to another rival in some way. This adds a lot of depth and background to the game, though not directly affecting the game itself. How annoying would it be to wade through 2 hours of unnecessary cutscenes? Despite the rpg elements, this is still intended to be a driving game.
The gameplay is engaging as well. I've heard complaints that the races were monotonous, which surprised me coming from reviewers who drooled over *both* the simulation-like Gran Turismo and the flashy, arcadey NFSU series. TXR3 strikes a perfect balance between the two. I found myself not only having to think quick and tactical (they're right behind me coming up fast there's a corner coming up with a truck my SP is almost nil what do i do now); as well as playing dirty (...i'll just ram em into the truck). And with the many, many rivals the game isn't over in a few hours. Sometimes if you're having difficulty with a particular rival you might have to do a few races to have the money in order to get a better part/car. Lots of playtime.
So do yourself a favor and buy this if you're a racing and/or rpg gamer. There's something in this game for everyone.