Sega GT 2002

"Wow should look up the definition of "fun" in researching their next game."

Sega GT 2002 is probably the best racing sim game on the market today, sadly, that still doesn’t make it very much fun. The core racing in and of itself is quite enjoyable, but everything in-between is a brutal chore. Thankfully, the folks at WOW did fix some of the problems that were in the first game, like the complete lack of any sense of speed in the game. However, those fixes don’t amount to much in the grand scheme of things due to the other flaws overshadowing them.

First off, the simulation-based gameplay is implemented quite well. If you’re a fan of sim-based racing, you’ll be in heaven thanks to the copious amounts of fine-tuning you can do to your car. However, if you’re like me, and you want to get racing without having to spend an hour racing just so you can get the money to get one part so that your car has a chance in hell against others, you MIGHT not find this fine-tuning to be a good thing. Now I don’t mind some customization in racing games, in fact, I’m all for it, but not when it comes at the expense of making a fun game.

The key problem I have with the game is that the primary game mode (cleverly titled “Sega GT 2002”) requires you to do all of the above stuff, multiple times at that, if you even hope to do well in races. Now, you can always come in dead last in races and get SOME money, but that money will barely cover the damage costs you’re likely to incur during the course of the race. The point of having a damage system that doesn’t actually show damage eludes me, and I really wish it wasn’t in the game since it adds nothing to the game, and only serves to add yet another layer of frustration to the game. Now, there is a quick race mode included in the game, but the laughable selection of cars puts a damper on the whole thing. It seems like a tacked on novelty feature rather than an alternative playing option for folks who don’t want to trek through the monotonous Sega GT 2002 mode.

The controls in the game are one of the few highlights. The controls are nice and responsive, and really give you a sense of control over your car. While I would have preferred a different button layout for acceleration and braking, the default options aren’t bad. It’s a shame that the actual game isn’t too fun, or else the game’s fantastic controls would really be noteworthy.

The graphics in Sega GT 2002 are probably the finest I have seen yet for a pure racing sim. The car models look fantastic thanks to a wide variety of lighting effects used on them, and the tracks themselves look great thanks to the high amounts of detail in them. The aforementioned sensation of speed that was sorely lacking in the first game is in this game with a vengeance. There’s really a great sense of speed throughout the game, which is quite surprising due to the original’s lack of it.

The sound is a bittersweet pill to swallow. On one hand, the sound effects for the vehicles are fantastic, and on the other hand, the soundtrack for the game is horrid. The former features nice, loud and rich sound effects, like engine noise and tires screeching that add a nice bit of atmosphere to the game. The latter features a bunch of generic techno music that doesn’t do anything to pump the player up, or get them excited about the game. Thankfully, the custom soundtrack feature remedies this problem to an extent, but the default soundtrack shouldn’t be so bad as to basically force folks into putting songs on their hard drives just to get through a play session of the game. My recommended songs for the game are: “Pledge of Allegiance” and “Weapon” by Matthew Good. Some nice ZZ Top also fit’s the bill as well, since it will definitely put you in a good mood, which you’ll need in order to tolerate the game.

Sega GT 2002 has very little, if any, replay value unless you are willing to put up with the paltry car selection in the quick race mode. The needless complexity of the Sega GT 2002 mode doesn’t make it too replay-friendly, and while the quick race mode lacks cars, it also lacks all the needless crap that comes with the Sega GT 2002 mode. Between the two, the quick race mode is more suited for replay, especially if you don’t mind the sub-par car selection. If you find a car you like, stick with it. That way you will be able to get the most out of that mode. Don’t be afraid to try new vehicles out, some of the fun of the mode comes with trying out new cars.

At the end of the day, Sega GT 2002 is bitter pill to swallow. The game succeeds in a couple of areas, and fails in nearly every other. Hopefully, if Sega makes a sequel, they will either make the core game mode more fun to play though, or add some vehicles to the quick race mode. As it stands, Sega GT 2002 is simply too bland to be any real fun. If you don’t mind the car selection, I would really recommend focusing your attention to the quick race mode. While it doesn’t offer as many bells and whistles, it will probably give you more fun in just a couple of races than the main mode would ever give you.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 05/04/03, Updated 05/04/03