If you were a fan of Gran Tourismo on the PS then you're gonna love Sega's new racing sim, Sega GT. Be warned though, this is a simulation in the purest sense of the word. Arcade style racing fans like myself may not take well at first to the way the 130+ cars in the game behave just like the real thing, but after a few hours of intense racing you'll be coming back for more, and more, and more.

When you start te game you have a few choices. You can do a quick race or enter the championship. The quick race is more for people who just want to jump in and drive. Fun, but not extremely gratifying. Where this game really shines is the championship mode. In championship mode you start with no cars at all. Zero. So what's there to do? Well first you've got to get a license to drive. The cars come in 4 classes, E to SA, SA being the fastest and most powerful. You must gain a license for each in order to be able to drive the cars in the 4 classes. Once you have your license its time to buy a car and get racing. You can opt to buy a car from a pre-existing lot or you can use Segas built in automobile factory- the Carrozzeria. Other cars and new parts can be earned by completing different races. In the carrozzeria you can create, from scratch, any number of vehicles. Mathematically there are over 2 million possible combinations. This feature is pretty fun to play with and some races in the game require you to have a custom created car. The only problem is that even with over 2 million combinations the process seems very limited and you feel confined to only a few major differences to choose from. It is a very cool addition to the game though and you will probably wnjoy it. The rest of the cars that are already includedare from several actual manufacturers like Mazda and Nissan. (There are also plentyof sponsors and tuning companies that have lent their names to Sega GT). Youll notice that everthing about your cars performance is tweakable. You can change the gear ratio, the damper, the ride height, the suspention, the downforce, the brakes ,the tires, engine size, etc, etc ,etc. The list goes on and on. Sega has also thrown in a handful of special cars and a few secret cars for you to play with. You'll hve to figure out for yourself how to get your hands on these.

The actual game itself consists of a bunch of sponsored races and circuits that take place on 22 tracks. There are even 2 tracks designed especially for drag racing. Each of the tracks is a sight to behold. Near photorealistic graphics and brilliant course design. The cars also are beautifully rendered and handle exactly like real ones. Exellent.

Now for the sound... Well... The sound effects sound real but the music leaves a lot to be desired. There is a mix of rock and techno type tracks and there are a lot of them. The problem is that they arent very good. They just sound cheap. I like driving to music personally... just not this music. I long for the days of ridge racer when you could put in your own cd and it would play while you were racing. That was too cool.

Time to sum it all up. This is a great game for just about anyone who loves driving and the thrill of racing. Wether you are an arcade fan or a simulator junkie it doesnt matter. Keep in mind though, this game is hard. Not beacuse of bad programming or cruddy player interaction, but because of the combination of tough courses and a very real driving experience. Its like running down to the local Dodge dealer and picking up a new Viper concept and taking it for a spin on a wild race track at top speed... It would be hard but you know you couldnt get enough of it. You get the picture. Add to the mix exellent visuals with no slowdown and minimal pop-up, endless replay value, and a 2-player option and you've got a winner of a game. If you tink you'll like this game you will. If racing aint your thang, forget it. -JS
This game gets a 9 because of that music