Sega GT Online

Sega GT Online had come out two years ago it would have been a great game' wait a minute - it did. Unfortunately nothing has changed for this latest GT except the Xbox Live support, which is slipshod and adds little to the game. I hate to be so harsh about what once was a pretty good racing game, but Sega really deserves it this time. Sega GT Online remains nearly unchanged from Sega GT 2002. The game does add 40 new vehicles to pick from a soundtrack that is more annoying than Indy ' but the gameplay, graphics and sound are untouched.

This simulation follows the tried and true method of starting the game with a tiny chunk of cash that you use to buy your first car. You then have to win races and cash to upgrade the car and eventually buy new, more powerful rides. One of the neat touches of the original game is that your prize money first has to be used to repair the damage on you car before you get to spend it on upgrades or new cars. The concept is quite a bit of fun to play; unfortunately the actual racing isn't nearly as fun.

I found the controls awkward and far too unreal for this game to be classed a simulation. The artificial intelligence is absolutely horrific with the cars racing off in perfect unison, all cutting the same exact line and sheepishly allowing you to cruise by them. Although the game tracks the damage to your car for after race repairs it apparently doesn't bother to let the car know while you are racing. You can have a nearly destroyed car and still take corners and speed along straight-aways with no problems.

Graphics offer up cutting edge imagery from two years ago, in other words, it's not really that good anymore. The sound is at best mundane. The game does sell for an incredibly low $19.99 so I guess relying on a nearly unchanged game as a foundation can be forgiven, if the add-ons make up for the stale play. Unfortunately, that is not the case here. This has got to be the closest I've come to not enjoying an Xbox Live experience. Typically, game play on the Xbox broadband network is seamless and offers plenty of cool frills. Not so in GT Online.

The game is bargain basement all the way with poor online matchmaking, a clunky online game setup interface and a selection of game types, which while inventive, just aren't much fun to play. The new modes include Team Battle and Navigator. In Team Battle you divide the laps up between team members. So each member of a team of three would race one of the three laps in a race. In Navigator you play with two in a car, the driver can see just what's in front of them while the navigator has a much broader view of things.

The biggest disappointment is how the online games end. As soon as the first player crosses the finish line the game ends. It does not matter if you have one or a dozen laps to go, the game is over. Sega GT Online is a low-priced version of what once was a great game, but with so many excellent racers out there to choose from it is a good idea to keep in mind that you get what you pay for.