Sega GT

"A solid effort by Sega in their first driving "simulator"."

Everyone knows that Sega has always made excellent arcade style racers. You could name a dozen arcade racers made by sega that are excellent, and a few that pushed the genre forward. However, Sega GT is different....it is Sega's first attempt at a realistic driving sim. While some mistakes are present, Sega GT's flaws don't keep the game from being incredible.

GRAPHICS-----

Sega GT's graphics are very well done. The cars are instantly recognizeable. There are no noticeable polygon seams or even sharp edges and the textures are so lifelike, you'll swear you can reach through the set and touch the cars. If there is any complaint about the cars, it's that I wish the cars were a little more reflective or shiny. It's a small complaint, though. The tracks are also well done. Trackside objects are very detailed and even the street textures look silky smooth. Despite the excellent graphics, it must be said that the game always runs very smoothly and I have yet to see any slowdown or other impaired performance.

SOUND-------

The sound in the game is only average. While many of the effects sound very realistic, the music is just plain bad! That may just be because the Japanese like different music than Americans, but I elected to turn it off and pump some music through my stereo with only the sound effects turned on.

GAMEPLAY------

I have seen several reviews on the net give this game a low score for handling. What are they thinking?! The game is realistic, even more so than Gran turismo, and that is why I think some people don't like it. I've got news for a lot of people out there, GT2 is just not as realistic as advertised ( although still a great game! ). For instance, cars do not make u turns at 70-80 miles per hour! F-1 cars don't even do that. A tight turn necessitates almost a complete stop to complete...just like real life. In real racing this is where the tension of the race comes in to play! Seeing who can get a better or faster line out of the turn. Sega GT captures that feeling, and I'm telling you you will be gripping that handle if you have someone on your tail through that last turn!! In other words you can't go burning your tires through corners or doing 80 Mph powerslides! Why do you think real grand touring racers don't use that technique?... Because peeling or screeching tires mean you've taken a bad line through a turn, and that makes you lose races. So, if you are looking for ultimate realism, look here, 80MPH powerslides, look elsewhere. This game is all about realism.


OPTIONS AND PRESENTATION--

If you're worried about the text in this game...don't. Most of the menus are in english and you may get stuck once or twice but it's pretty easy to figure out after an hour or two. After you get past the Japanese, you'll notice this is quite a deep game! It's got pretty similar options to GT2, although with much fewer cars. However, one of the best features about this game is your ability to make your own car, which is an awesome idea. There are around a hundred cars or so, so there are many to choose from. It is a Japanese racing game, though, so there are no American or euro cars, just japanese. I'm sure they'll change that for American release though. Until then, I'll take a Supra twin turbo, thank you very much...and I'll like it. Other than the create a car mode, it's pretty similar in options to GT2, so you'll feel right at home.

FINAL WORD------

Stop reading this and go buy the game, it's definitly worth your import dollar. Sega GT is not a GT2 clone, it is indeed ( homologation ) special.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/04/00, Updated 05/04/00