Sega GT Online
Publisher: Sega
Platform: Xbox
If you played the original Sega GT 2002, then you already know what Sega GT Online is going to be like. There have been a lot of changes between 2002 and the Online. The biggest being that Sega GT Online is Xbox Live compatible, giving you yet another reason to keep your subscription to Xbox Live.
There are more cars, the graphics are tweaked a bit, and there are more parts along with some time-triggered weather events. All in all, these minor improvements make the package all the more attractive. However, it's not an entirely new game. Personally, I would have liked to do more with the cars, in terms of performance tweaks and whatnot, but I will say that the online component really makes this game worth having.
First of all, you're no longer stuck with dealing with split-screen action for multiplayer games. You can have it all to yourself when you challenge others on Xbox Live. Second, the minor improvements do add up to making Sega GT Online an attractive package.
Overall, my opinion of Sega GT Online remains about the same as how I felt about Sega GT 2002. It's essentially Gran Turismo "Lite" for the Xbox. Needless to say, it provides a good amount of fun and adds another reason to keep or renew your Xbox Live subscription.
Mario Kart Double Dash
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: GameCube
Mario Kart has established itself as the mafia don of all cartoonish racing games. Clearly, you're going to get only the best that arcade physics has to offer here. Now, while Mario Kart first introduced the concept of being able to use objects that you pick up along the course as weapons, hazards or power-ups, the franchise has taken this a step further with Double Dash. First off, you have a driver and a co-driver who can seamlessly switch places at any time during a race. Clearly, the driver cannot be the one to deploy whatever mischief you have in store, but your co-driver can. It seems fairly standard fare in the single player mode. When you get around to playing in the multiplayer mode, that's when things become interesting. At this point, you have the opportunity to play as the driver and assign someone else as the co-driver and vice versa. When linking up to four systems together, you can have a field of eight separate pairs. This is where the game becomes truly insane and truly addicting. And this is exactly what Nintendo wanted to create. An amazing multiplayer game that is fun as hell to play for hours on end. Nothing too complex, it's just a shitload of fun. This is yet another reason you should get a GameCube.
E3 Press Conference Wrap-Up
Sure, it's May now when I write this and it may seem a bit outdated at this point, but this is one of the first years we here at 2NR were invited to all of the big press conferences. Okay, just three of them. And we had to beg. The big news this year was from Nintendo and Sony. Each announced a new handheld console. Breaking it down by manufacturer, here is what each had to offer.
Microsoft announced a grip of new improvements to its Xbox Live service. Clearly, this is where the Xbox will shine during the final years of its product cycle. First of all, you will no longer be required to have a game disc to play all content and/or games from Xbox Live. Soon, there will be downloadable content and games or simply an offline mode. Of course, there will now be video chat (and video mail) in addition to the recently added voice mail option. Also announced at the Xbox event was the partnership between Electronic Arts and Xbox Live. Yes, it finally happened. Now, all of your favorite EA Sports titles will be Live-enabled. Halo 2's ship date was finally announced and Conker: Live and Reloaded was promised to us (again).