Kami

Mini-Review: Sega Rally (360)

A long long time ago, we reviewed the demo for Sega Rally. At the time I was positive, being as my knowledge and experience of racing games was poor to say the least. Give me Mario Kart over Gran Turismo any day. However there was something about Sega Rally’s total arcade feeling, not really bothering it’s self with this so-called, ever loved “Realism” they’re always banging on about. Pfft, like physics has ever been fun in video games.

At the time, I’m fairly confident I gave the demo a thumbs up, with the disclaimer that it was fun, but not £40 worth of fun. Well I saw it pre-owned for £9.98 recently, and could not refuse. I think that, based on that investment, it is a fun game. However it’s hard to place who this game is for. It’s too based in regular cars to be aiming for the Need For Speed/Burnout crowd. There’s no boost, no nos, no extras. It’s the cars and the mud. And that’s really it. Which will 100% put off the tweakers, the ones who know the difference between 51% and 52% suspension hardness on the front wheels in handbrake turns. There’s nothing there for you, so don’t expect it. Lying in the middle of these two groups, I can’t say that my minority will be caught up in the experience and want more, similar experiences either way. This game sits comfortably in constant inner turmoil; tricky yet simple, wacky yet believable. The game pulls you no further in any direction, sim or arcade, than you would be had you not played it.

That’s not to say the game isn’t fun. Racing by it’s nature is fun, watching the distance between you and 1st place shorten with each turn is enthralling, especially when you just feel validated in that perfect turn through deep snow or mud. Sliding near sideways through 90 degree turns is executed so perfectly that you almost feel the g-forces contorting your body as you play. This is certainly assisted in the beautiful scenery. Racing through muddy and dusty ravines, wet and sandy jungles, snowy and frozen Arctic, you forgive Sega for not including anything more memorable or even recognizable in the course choices. There are no real tracks, no official rally championships, and that’s fine. The beauty of the tracks is that they are designed for maximum fun, not maximum replication.

The game is brief and repetitive. Boasting only 16 tracks, it’s hardly surprising that most of the games tournaments repeat tracks. You’ll find your self racing over roads you have not but 2 championships previous, and feel less that you’re discovering and learning and adapting, but retreading old ground very quickly. The championship mode allows you access to 3 different car classes. Championship: you’re fairly standard rally car line-up, modified: more tweaked versions of championship cars, adding to the frustration of tweaking cars yourself, and Classic: A line up of old rally cars that look fairly tame by comparison to the other two classes. However, you must unlock the modified and Classic game modes by first playing a lot of the championship mode. I’m all for unlocking, but when a singleplayer “campaign” cuts off 2/3 of it’s content from the get go, whilst allowing you to race the locked cars in quick races and time trials, it’s a little annoying, and seems like a wasted means of prolonging gameplay.

Ultimately, Sega Rally is fun. It’s stupid racing, not Need For Speed stupid, but stupid none the less. Casual race fans will enjoy picking the game up occasionally to run a few races, hardened race game vets will find the experience lacklustre and constricted. I’d recommend picking it up if you’re lucky to find a nice, cheap pre-owned copy somewhere. Sorry Sega, but I can’t endorse paying £40 for it. £10 is a good price for this. I’d have taken a toned down XBLA version for that price without blinking.

TL:DR, 3 WORD REVIEW: Dumb Dirty Fun