E3 2002Sega GT 2002 impressions

The original Sega GT was released three years ago on the Dreamcast. The game was intended to sate fans of racing simulation games who enjoyed the customization found in games like Gran Turismo. While a solid entry on the DC, the game wasn't quite as polished as it could have been. For the next installment in the series, developer Wow Entertainment has set out to refine the gameplay found in the original and add new elements to help set it apart from the crowded pack of console racing games. We took the game, called Sega GT 2002, for a spin and found it to be on its way toward achieving the polish the original lacked.

The game will offer four modes: GT 2002, chronicle, quick battle, and time attack. The GT 2002 mode offers a refinement of the driving sim gameplay seen in the original game. You'll buy a car, race through various series, earn cash, and upgrade your vehicle as you're able. Chronicle is a new mode that lets you participate in one of six races, each set in a specific decade starting with 1960. The challenge will be advancing through the races using an old car. You'll earn points by placing high and will be able to upgrade one part of your car to help you compete against progressively better opponents. Quick battle lets you jump into a race with a pretuned car or with your own custom car, for a speedy pick-up-and-play experience. Time attack offers the standard challenge to beat a set time on a track. You'll be able to increase the number of selectable cars in the later modes by unlocking them in the GT 2002 and chronicle modes. All told, you'll find more than 125 cars in the game.

Control in the game is pretty easy to pick up since it stays true to the standard racer layout in Xbox games. The triggers will handle acceleration and braking, while the face buttons will let you switch your view to one of three preset camera angles, shift into reverse, and use the hand brake for sharp turns. Handling has been tweaked to make the game a bit more accessible. We noticed a damage meter onscreen during races, although precisely how this comes into play isn't clear, since the cars don't appear to take any physical damage when you impact objects.

In terms of presentation, the game is looking quite sharp and much improved from previous showings in Japan. The car models are quite stunning and feature real-time environment mapping as you tear through the various tracks. The environments you'll be racing through in the game are as gorgeous as the car models, and they feature a generous polygon count, amazingly clean textures, and a good amount of detail. Lighting and lens flares are used convincingly to make the game look almost photo-realistic. The other big component in the game is its sound, which is great thanks to Dolby 5.1 support.

So far Sega GT 2002 is shaping up to offer quite a bit more than its predecessor. The game's handling is strong, and it's looking quite sharp. We'll be eager to explore the game's other modes as its release nears. Sega GT 2002 is currently slated to ship this year for the Xbox. Look for more on the game from the show floor and in the coming months.