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Sega GT 2002

written by Shaun McCracken

Game Information Publisher: SEGA Developer: WOW Entertainment Year Released: 2002 Players: 1-2 ESRB Rating: Everyone
Visuals	8.5
It looks somewhat realisitic, and sports some great lighting and car models, as well as a smooth and fast framerate.
Audio	8.25
The original music has to go. Good thing Sega GT 2002 supports custom soundtracks! Decent engine sound but the tire screech is too high-pitched.
Gameplay	8.5
A huge improvement over the original Sega GT in terms of handling, and seemingly user-friendly. But the game doesn't give you enough things to do.
Replay Value	8
You can probably get through everything in 10-12 hours. It's unfortunate that there's not a hell of a lot to do in terms of events.
Reviewer's Impression	8.25
It's a step in the right direction in terms of handling/control, now they just need to learn to give players the options and modes to keep them there. It's a fun diversion, but lacks long-term replay value.
Overall	8.25
Sega GT 2002 is not really Gran Turismo for the Xbox. It lacks the courses and race events that kept me hooked to GT3, and even the level of customization. However, as a racing game in general, it's very tight and very playable, and pretty fun while it lasts. Those starved for a racing sim on the Xbox really couldn't do worse than this, but then again, it's their only option.

The Sega GT "franchise" started out on the Dreamcast in 2000, as Sega's kind of answer to Sony's Gran Turismo series. While the options in Sega GT seemed like a carbon copy of Gran Turismo (such as the parts, event setup and tuning), the gameplay itself was bad. If you had a car that had too much power, or even had a moderate amount of tuning, the handling went to hell. It seemed like the only driveable cars were the slow hatchbacks, anything unmodified (and even some of those had bad handling manners) or the Audi TT (I remember that was one of the only cars I had fully modified and still driveable). The bad handling really destroyed what could have been decent competition for Sony's series. Knowing Sega GT's short yet tarnished history, I felt there was a need to approach Sega GT 2002 with some caution. Would this game play as bad as Sega GT on Dreamcast? Can it stand up to Sony and Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo 3, which raised the bar even further in simulation racing games? Is it even worth your or my time? The short answers are "yes", "no", and "yes, but". Want to know more on these answers? Keep reading. First and formost, I must applaud WOW Entertainment and Sega for really overhaulling the handling/controls for Sega GT 2002. To put it short, it's not a problem anymore. No more uneccesary spin-outs or swaggering, which was a constant pain endured in Sega GT for Dreamcast. This time, the control is responsive, tight and pretty easy to get the hang of. Perhaps a little too easy. I'm not sure about what other people think, but I found it a bit odd that almost every car in Sega GT 2002 has excellent handling characteristics. With the exception of some of the heavier cars such as the Skyline, or the cars with a boatload of power (such as the Viper), almost every car has no problem turning on a dime. Now, you may wonder why I'm complaining about this, it's not really a complaint, but more of a realization. When you look at Gran Turismo 3, there are differences in many cars in how they corner based upon weight, powerm drivetrain, etc. But in Sega GT 2002, almost all the cars seem to corner as well as each other. But, for some, this can be a very good thing. Sega GT 2002 makes it easier for novices to get into the genre with a slightly more forgiving engine than Gran Turismo 3. Although the handling mechanics are a little too perfect for each car, it's a hell of a lot better than the original Sega GT, by a mile. Now, for the next issue, does Sega GT 2002 have enough in terms of options, modes, courses, events, etc., to compete with Gran Turismo 3? Sadly, this answer is no, like I've mentioned earlier. While Sega GT 2002 adresses the problems with the handling of the first game, the developers seemed to have forgotten a part of what keeps people attached to GT3. There are racing events, but not enough variety in them. The main championship mode are just single races on a course, and really don't narrow itself down to a class of cars. There is an Event mode, but there are so few events to take part in, and only a few restrict to a certain car class. On top of that, there are not that many courses in the game. I think there's only 7 main courses, with some variations thrown into each (some changes are pretty drastic). Overall, you may be able to race on about 15 or so courses, which doesn't really compare to the amount of courses in GT3. Outside of the main Sega GT mode, you can take part in the Chronicle mode, which you can race one of seven or so classic cars in different time eras. It's an interesting mode, but nothing changes for each car. You'll go through the exact same races with each car. You have a quick race mode and a battle mode, which is what you expect to see in a racer, and a time trial mode. The time trial mode in Sega GT 2002 has to be the worst time trial since F-Zero on the Super NES. Here, you can pick from one of four courses to race on. But why four? I know there are more than four courses in this game! Why am I restricted to just four! As for tuning options, they are there, like GT3, but not as many. Plus, some parts have to be unlocked, and then purchased. Great idea, Sega. So, what about SGT 2002's visuals? Do they compete on the same level as GT3, or at least other Xbox racers? Kind of. I'm at odds on wether this is representative on how an Xbox game should look. The cars look great, which is good, because you should expect that much in a game like this. The framerate is smooth and the pace of the game feels pretty fast. As for the texturing, that's where I start to question things. In some courses and areas, the textring does make the game look pretty realistic. But there are some textures that seem to off in terms of color or even resolution. As for the lighting, that really does prove that this is an Xbox game. SGT 2002 does feature some great lighting and shadows, which is what the Xbox is known for. Out of all the graphical elements in the game, the thing I really don't like is the heat distortion effect in the first-person view. I think it kind of ruins the look of the game. The sound is also a bit of a mixed bag. While the engine sounds are decent enough, the tire screeching is way too high-pitched. Almost like the tire screeching sound was bumped an octave and blended with nails-on-the-chalkboard noises. The original music is blah. Some of the rock songs just sound nasty, and tend to be a bit drown out by the engine sounds. But, you do have the option to use custom soundtracks, and that really makes a difference during races. courses Final Thought So the final question here is wether or not Sega GT 2002 is worth your time. It can be for those who don't have a PS2 and a copy of Gran Turismo 3, or those looking for an alternative to Sony's dominating series. Sega GT 2002 does some different things in it's game than GT3, such as parts damage, the option to buy used parts, a camera mode during replays and money subtracted from poor performance (such as touching walls or cars) after races. But, it lacks the options, modes and even car variety that GT3 has to offer. When compared to other Xbox racers, it does okay for itself. It's not as tough as RalliSport Challenge or Project Gotham Racing, and does fill in an absent niche in the system. But it's far from perfect, which means it's far from GT3.