TGS 2001 Fall: Hands-OnSega GT 2002

Sega developer Wow Entertainment unveiled an early playable build of Sega GT 2002 for the Xbox on the TGS show floor. First 2808070shown on tape at Microsoft's last Japanese press conference, the game has managed to come a long way. While still pretty early, the game offered a hint of the direction it's going.

A small assortment of vehicles was available for players to use when racing on the demo's lone track. Each vehicle has a variety of paint and model options, as well as the ability to select between normal or hard tuning for the car. The actual track features detailed graphics along the side of the road. While a bit jaggy in places, the game offers the large environments and detailed graphics that are being expected of Xbox titles. The cars reflect their generous polygon budget and manage to add a host of little touches that show off Wow's proficiency with the Xbox. Not only will you be able to select your car color, but you'll also find several different versions of the car taken from various points in time.

In terms of gameplay, Sega GT still needs a bit of work. The cars feel a bit floaty and unresponsive in spots, and rumble in the game controller still needs to be tweaked, as it doesn't reflect the car's engine. Wow's president, Rikiya Nakagawa, stated the company's intentions on taking advantage of the Xbox hard drive and on offering an add-on disc to Sega GT 2002, as well as new cars and courses for download.

Sega GT 2002 is currently slated to ship for the Xbox in March 2002.