Sega GT 2002

"What GT3 should have been...."

By giving this game a 10, I don't mean it's perfect. If I could give it a 9.8 instead, I would. While it has some flaws, Sega GT 2002 is closer to my idea of perfection than any other game in existence. In other words; it is my favorite game of all time.

Before I start the review, I want to point out; this is all 100% a matter of opinion. All reviews are just that. Everything I say in this review is purely my opinion/preference. I will state everything as fact, so that I don't need to repeat myself and add ''in my opinion'' after every thought. So, if I say ''A is better than B'', I really mean ''A is better than B, in my opinion''.

Concept:

We all know SGT2002 is Sega's take on the Gran Turismo formula. The original Sega GT had many cool, unique elements, but lacked a solid physics engine. This game is a vast improvement.

The big question is: Is SGT2002 better than GT3? Well, in my opinion, yes. Big time. Everything I wish GT3 did, SGT2002 does. GT3 only improved one thing over GT2. That of course being the graphics. Everything else was either the same, or worse. Less variety of cars, and only 2 new tracks (and fewer tracks overall). Sega GT 2002 not only has new tracks (wow, what a concept), but has the best selection of cars in any video game, ever. For virtually every car in GT2 and GT3, there is a car like it in SGT2002. But SGT2002 also has many quirky cars that neither GT2 nor GT3 has, such as the Zero and Super Seven.

To get the whole GT3 vs SGT2002 thing out of the way, here is my run-down of the pros and cons of the two games.

SGT2002: Better graphics, gameplay, sound, physics, control, extras (which I will explain later), selection of cars, and NEW tracks.

GT3: More parts to buy, more tweekable parts.

So, as you can see, my vote goes to SGT2002 by a long shot.

With that out of the way....

Sega GT has three main modes. GT mode, Chronicle mode and Quick Battle mode.

GT mode is the heart of the game. You buy a car, tune it, win some races, buy a better car, tune it ect... There are two racing modes in GT mode; Official races, and Event races. Official races are how you progress through the game. They are the actual races that you must beat. After each stage of Official races (which varies from 2-5 races) you do a license test. After beating the first season of stages, a second season opens up that does not have license tests. Event races are shorter and reward you with more cash. They are there to support you in the Official races. Some Event races are only open to certain types of cars, such as cars from the 70's or Group B rally cars.

In mode race modes, you unlock parts and win cars along the way. Some of which are only unlocked by doing something odd such as going from 4th to 1st after the first lap to get a special prize. If you progress to the second season, you can no longer earn the first season prizes.

There are some cool features in this mode that few, if any, other games have. You can buy used parts, which are cheaper, but may break during a race. You can enter a drag racing tourney. You parts will wear down over time, and must be repaired. You can take pictures of your car during replays and hang them in your garage. You can buy items to put in your garage (like a guitar or helmet). You can bolt-on a turbo in an NA car and adjust it's boost level. The list goes on and on.

Chronicle mode starts you off with a classic car, and has you race against newer and newer cars. Between races, you use your points (awarded by your placement in the last race) to buy parts. Beating Chronicle mode with different cars unlocks more cars in Quick Battle mode. The early stages start out in black and white, and fade into color. A very cool effect.

Quick Battle mode is pretty simple. Only a small fraction of cars and tracks are unlocked. Beat every track, and more are unlocked. Use certain cars, and more are unlocked. This is also where you can play head to head vs a friend. The 2 player mode is pretty fun, if you know someone else who has the game. It's fun to race your cars against a friend's cars. But playing with someone who doesn't have the game, is not exactly a blast.

Presentation:

The menus are all well done, easy to navigate, and good looking. The only problem is, each menu has to load. If you make a mistake and enter the parts shop, when you wanted to enter the used parts shop... this extra loading time can be annoying.

Graphics:

Solid, but not amazing. As I said before, Sega GT has better graphics than GT3, but compared to Moto GP, Rallisport and Project Gotham, it falls a little short. It has very few jaggies, a smooth framerate, no background flickering, and decent draw distance, but it's not as beautiful or stylish as PGR (which has background flickering) or RSC (which has jaggies). Overall, I find the graphics good, but not amazing. The lighting does have it's moments though.

Control/Gameplay:

One of my problems with most ''buy a car, tune it, buy a better car, tune it ect..'' games such as Gran Turismo or Tokyo Xtreme Racing is they have poor gameplay. They remain fun due to their addictive nature, but without the tuning aspect, wouldn't be fun to play. Sega GT 2002 is different. It would be fun to play, even without the tuning aspect. It's simply fun to race whether you're winning money or not.

Compared to PGR, the cars feel stale. You can't feel the road, tires, weight transfer ect...

But compared to GT3, it feels great. The physics engine is far more complex, and not a rehash of a PSX physics engine *cough*. The weight transfer and slides are far more convincing, and the overall feel is more realistic.

Sound:

Great. Aside from the muscle cars (which sound like leaf blowers), the cars all sound great. There are three different BOV sounds, different tire squeals for different cars and tires, good collision sounds, and even a great ''sliding on ice'' sound for the rally track. Certain engine sounds such as the GT40 Concept sound so real, you can feel it.

Replay:

I've put over 80 hours into this game. Even though GT mode can be beaten fairly fast, the fun part is simply doing Event races over and over for cash, to buy new cars and parts. If you find collecting cars and tuning them to be fun, well, this is your game. It will last a very long time. If you simply want to beat GT mode then quit, it'll be over fast. Since I love collecting and tuning cars (and hope to eventually have every car in the game), I can see myself putting 130 hours into the game.

Some have complained about the number of tracks. But it hasn't bothered me. I never once, in my 80 hours of play time, thought to myself ''oh no... this track again''. There is a good variety of tracks, from oval, to rally, to city, to village, to circuit. And many variations on those themes.

Overall:

Sega GT is what I want in a game. A wide variety of cars ranging from old to new, muscle to sport, and everything in between. It has great gameplay and control, which, while not as good as PGR, is better than any other GT style game. Seeing a Charger, Mustang GT390, WRX, RX7, NSX and Z06 all racing side by side is a great sight. One you can't see in GT3 or Sega GT (on the DC). This game is the true heir to the GT2 throne.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/30/02, Updated 01/10/03