The first thing I always do in a racing game is cycle through the manufacturers to determine if they have a worthy collection of cars. Sega GT 2002, I’m glad to say, does. It may not be the most numerous collection, but Sega has done a fantastic job getting some of the old classics in the game.
License to Drive
My father owns three junkyards in central Illinois: one is for new models, one is for the cars which were in excess, and the third one is for 1990 car’s and older. Guess which one I spent the most time at back in the day. When we were younger, my brother and I would spend hours fixing up old cars and driving them around like we owned the joint. (We couldn’t own the road since I was 14 and my brother was 11). So for me, because of those similar cars, I feel that I have a special kinship with the game. Ok, I’m getting sappy now.
So who’s in here? Let’s go through the list:
Ford has their Mustangs and GT cars; Chevrolet has their Corvettes and Camaros; Dodge has the Viper and a Charger; Nissan has their usual Skylines and Fairlady models, but they also have those funky 240 Z and a 432 R (I know some of you remember them); Toyota has the Supras, the Celicas and the MR series; Honda has their NSX cars, their popular Civics, and the especially quick S2000 and S600 cars; Mitsubishi, of course, was built on the Evolution series in video game racers, but they also allowed their Starion cars to be included; Mazda, best known for they RX models, has included each offspring of the RX (Savannah, efini,); Subaru’s Impreza is in here, as is the fun Alcyone; Acura is included, but is light on the cars; Lexus has the SC 430 and the IS 300; Alfa Romeo has a few cars in this game and they do just fine in comparison to the others; Audi, which have heavy cars, included their Quattros; Renault’s Clio cars are drivable; Mercedes-Benz popular coupes are present; Peugot, which seems to name their cars with numbers have their 205, 206, 307, and 406 sedan ready to race; Fiat, the best little car that could, have their Punto cars (no Spanish jokes please) and Coupes; My favorite manufacturer, which may be odd to some, is Opel. They have included my Speedster and Astra Coupe. Jaguar has the sporty ‘E’ Type cars; Lotus is even in here with Elisa, Espirit (not the clothing line), and Elan. And one that I really have heard of: Caterham, which is an older looking car called the Superseven R500R.
What a huge paragraph of cars! But that’s not even including the cars that can be won and unlocked. In total, you will have access to over 100 sports cars from the 60’s to the present.
You Are Here
So what do you do now that you have a definitive Who’s Who list of cars? Well, take them to the road!
Quick Battle is if you just want to play the game without going through series or tests. Pick a car, pick a course and get racing!
Time Attack. Get your car and course and attempt to get the best lap time. Lap times can come from the GT 2002 mode or from the quick battle, so the challenge is high because of the different cars that are available in each mode.
Replay Studio. Can you guess what this does? Watch your replays from a variety of angles, or even edit the replays.
Now for the delicious meat of the game. Where some games give you a 6 oz. sirloin, Sega GT 2002 gives you it’s man-meat...a full 2 pounds of classic muscle car racing or current models that allow you to show off their handling and appearance.
Chronicle Mode. Choose a classic car and race in stage-like fashion to clear the stages for that car. There are six total for each car. A grid keep track of your progress and as you complete rows and columns, you earn more cars to race in Quick Battle mode. But is that all you do? No, the stages get progressively harder as you race against new cars (while keeping the one you selected), so when you finish 1st in each stage you earn 5 points. These points can go towards upgrading your car. You are able to upgrade certain parts like in GT mode: the muffler, acceleration, tires, etc. Upgrading, of course, will help you with the harder opponents. Finishing a place other than 1st will get you no points and you must try again.
Ahhhh, Sega GT 2002 Makes Me Long For What Gran Turismo Should Be
That’s right, I said it. The simulation mode in GT 2002 is what Gran Turismo should have been. The actual process of racing and upgrading is similar to Gran Turismo, but there are a few subtle differences that make this mode well worth playing through the challenges.
First, buy a car. You start with 13,000 something. Whether its dollars or Euro-units is up in the air. The game just calls it money. After you find the perfect car for you, it’s time to start winning and upgrading.
There are two types of races that you can partake in. Official Races have you going through sets of battles in order to earn your licenses. Yes, you have to get licenses, but Sega has made it fun. For instance, Stage 1 has 3 races that you have to finish in order to even try for your C license. You can’t race further stages until you obtain the license. There is one big challenge in these licenses and two main goals. First, you have to beat the time given you. The times are not brutal and you won’t finish by milliseconds, giving your heart a scare. The times are well thought out. Second, while maintaining the time, you can’t let your ‘driving gauge’ empty. This gauge depletes when you drive off the road, hit walls, and do anything that hinders good technique. I think that was a good addition and you are not necessarily disqualified if you run off the road once. I will warn you that it does diminish fast and could be gone before you know it, so use this wisely.
Event racing lets you win prizes and money in 15 types of races. There is even a drag racing event. Excellent! In Event racing, there is a damage meter. Did you hear me right? There is a damage meter that monitors how much, um, damage you take. It is relevant to your speed, so look out. While you don’t actually see the damage taken, you still have to be careful, because it does come out of your winnings. Another little nuance is that Sega GT 2002 allows you to take up to six pictures of your replay and lets you hang one on your wall. Let’s see if you have what it takes to be a racing photographer!
The rest of the selections are standard simulation fare: go to your garage to switch cars, view your trophies, and such; and the parts shop/used parts shop lets you upgrade. I know there will be some people saddened by the fact that it resembles Gran Turismo, but let me remind you that this game has Sega’s flair.
Did Isaac Newton Work on This Game?
The handling of the cars was captured perfectly. I don’t know how else to describe it. The 1970 Toyota, which I have driven in real life, turns and seems to weigh as if I were driving it. As with most of the cars in the game, the heavier they are, the less responsive they are on turning and acceleration. Whereas I had to deal with what the car had in real life, at least in the game I can lighten the weight and get better parts. Of course, those that I have driven I chose first because of their familiarity and from what I remember they replicated the handling very well. I give Sega Kudos (not from Metropolis Street Racer, mind you) for getting detailed in this aspect of the game.
American Beauty, or Graphics Extraordinaire.
I was not disappointed with the graphics in the game. The level of detail on the cars was excellent and the detail on the tracks was even more phenomenal. The cars looked like they just came off the Detroit line (or the Japan line, depending on what you’re driving) and even though there’s no actual damage it awesome to look at the cars. The tracks are just as fun to look at. From the sand, to the grass, to the actual pavement, to the surrounding buildings, and even the helicopter that follows your drag racing event, you get a great sense of the detail. Be careful and you’ll be crashing yourself on the wall because your sight-seeing.
There are a couple of saddening aspects to the game. One is the number of tracks. Sega only put 5 environments (outdoor, town, mountain, etc.) and a little over ten tracks to race on. The tracks are challenging enough, but there just not enough of them. The second disappointing item is the damage meter keeps track of every single hit, especially if it’s not your fault. While your trying to jockey for position in the early stages of the game, you will find yourself half-way down on the damage meter. This is vital because you have to absorb some damage trying to move up, otherwise you won’t move up. Since the opponents follow a line most of the way, be careful because if you’re in that line, you will get hit and be accountable for the damage. I tried to wreck a computer controlled car and I couldn’t. To me that didn’t seem fair since it was possible for me to be disqualified.
This is a game for racing simulation fans, for Sega GT fans, and for anyone who likes Gran Turismo. There are just enough extras and different modes to really make this game a must-have. Wait, let me just add that you may like Gran Turismo, but you will love Sega GT 2002.
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