Sega GT 2002

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Sega GT 2002

Developer(s)	Wow Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Sega
Platform(s)	Xbox
Release date	^USA September 2, 2002 ^[1] ^JPN September 12, 2002 ^[1] ^PAL November 8, 2002 ^[1]
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single Player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone (E)

Sega GT Online

Developer(s)	Wow Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Sega
Platform(s)	Xbox
Release date	^JPN December 25, 2003 ^[2] ^USA January 27, 2004 ^[2] ^PAL February 6, 2004 ^[2]
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single Player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (T)

Sega GT 2002 is the sequel to Wow Entertainment's Racing Game Sega GT, released in Japan late in 2002 as a competitor to the PlayStation 2's highly successful Gran Turismo 3. The game was originally intended to be released for the Dreamcast, but when the Dreamcast was discontinued in 2001, the game was reprogrammed for the Xbox. Following its initial release as a retail game, it was given away on a disk with Jet Set Radio Future in specially-marked Xbox console packages. Sega released Sega GT Online for the following year, with extra cars and an online facility to be used with the Xbox Live, but that could not prevent the majority of critics from savaging the game and as a result retailers ended up reducing the price of the game sooner that most games released at that time-length would.

The game became criticized of its inaccurate portrayal of '60s muscle cars (e.g. Dodge Charger, despite having more than 700bhp, but only capable of performing no less than 11 seconds on a drag strip regardless of the ability of the driver, leading to numerous debates on various enthusiasts sites), limited tuning options and sponge-like handling of the featured cars.

Sega GT 2002 introduced plenty of innovative features, many of which were later adopted by future games of its kind.

1 Game features
2 Car features
3 Game modes
4 References

[edit] Game features

This is the first and only game of its kind to allow you to choose your opponents, and even create races featuring only computer competitors, though this can be found only in the arcade mode and car selection is limited.

The game makes use of a "damage meter" in lieu of rendered damage, but while it does not affect the handling, it will reduce the awarded prize money at the end of the race. When the player finishes the race with the car unscratched, the game will award a bonus cash prize. In turn, you will either finish with more or less than the prize money advertised, depending on the meter.

Unlike Gran Turismo, the license tests are merely timed laps, instead of separate tests focusing on specific elements of driving.

[edit] Car features

As applies to the real world, it is the only game of its kind that doesn't give the player fresh parts after each race, most notably tires, and encourages them to service the car at a regular interval depending on wear and tear.

This is the first game sold outside the Japanese market to emphasize largely on pre '80s classic Japanese cars, or "Nostalgic Hero" cars after the Japanese magazine of the same name. An example is the Honda S600.

It is the first and only GT-style game to allow you to name your price when you sell your car, rather than selling it at a fixed price. A price is named for your car and it then appears outside your garage with a "For Sale" sign. The player must race (ie. passing days) before the car is bought. Setting a higher price will result in a lower chance of your car being purchased, simulating a proper market. Also, only one car can be "For Sale" at a time: a user with a number of cars that must be sold quickly must set comparatively low prices.

Instead of specific license tests, focusing on a certain element of driving, Sega GT 2002 uses timed laps for its licenses. Each test uses a more powerful car.