snickothemule
September 2nd, 2008, 02:41
SEGA RALLY (360,PS3,PC)
Easy Left!
Racing games of late have had great success with applying realism, damage modeling and loads of technical data about each car which can be tweaked to high glory in order to shave off half a second off your best lap. Although this can be fun for enthusiasts, regular shmoes such as myself just wanna pickup and have a bash at a race as quickly as possible and the fine folks at SEGA Racing Studio have done this with near flawless skill.
Easy Right!
In keeping with the arcade spirit, SEGA have gone with some design aesthetics which are over a decade old, zero damage modeling, invisible wall barriers and no customisation for vehicles save for manual or automatic transmission, road or off-road tyres, which is an absolutely fantastic choice as very few (if any) other developer has followed the same design path which in turn makes the game really easy to get into.
http://www.generalemu.net/view/reviews/segarally/rally1.jpg
Mike would later regret trying to get the action shot
From this you could argue that it is merely a remake of the original arcade game with shiny graphics. The game even has the same (or similar announcer) from the original. But to say this would be selling the game short as Sega have added focus on a fresh aspect of the rally genre, accurate track deformation.
Medium Left!
Wherever you drive on the track, be it tarmac, sand, dirt, mud, snow, water the path you take will carve out the track, so when you come around for the next lap, often the best racing lines will be tarnished with deep gouges in the dirt, forcing you to take the corner differently in order to keep your speed up, which is fantastic as repetitiveness is squashed right from the get go. This addition to the game is what makes Sega Rally a winner.
http://www.generalemu.net/view/reviews/segarally/rally2.jpg
Afraid to get dirty, Herbie avoided mud puddles
The courses themselves are not large in number nor time to complete laps, and you end up driving the same course in reverse numerous times, but the track deformation more than makes up for only one of the games shortcomings. The vast differences in the environments give you the feeling that you are indeed on the world rally circut.
Visually the game looks superb with sweeping savannah of the desert mixed with the lush jungles and freezing environments. Car models are accurately depicted, with mud, dust and snow sticking to the car as the race continues. This dirt can also be washed off should you drive through a puddle, but that runs the risk of slowing you down.
The game also sounds a treat, with great rally engine noises burling at you, classic Sega menu sound effects and the announcer which brings you back to the original. All give this a classic feel to the game.
http://www.generalemu.net/view/reviews/segarally/rally3.jpg
"We need taller cameramen!"
HARD RIGHT!
In the early levels or Championships as they call it, you gain points for each race, 10 points for a 1st place, 8 points for second and so on and so forth and after three races you are given a score out of 30 which goes on to unlock further championships and different cars. Which is where the AI of the game comes in to the foray.
Early on the races are fairly easy to dominate, as you get to the end of the championships the can become mercilessly difficult, punishing you for not making the correct cornering speed, wrong tire selection or accelerating off the line incorrectly in which case will see you fighting for fifth spot instead of first or second. This could lead to controllers being hurdled through the air, but a change in driving style might get you better results (or further your frustration).
http://www.generalemu.net/view/reviews/segarally/rally4.jpg
Stock rally photograph #412567
Finish!
Apart from the difficulty this game is pure arcade racing bliss, which looks absolutely gorgeous in its simplicity. To get the most out of this game you need to build yourself a cabinet to sit in (well cramp yourself in), get a quality racing wheel and a big screen tv only 2 feet away from your face and you will feel like you did over 10 years ago when you first played Sega Rally in the arcade. This game is a must by for racing fans everywhere.
Visuals - 90
Audio - 90
Gameplay - 93
Overall - 92
Positively brilliant, short for the brutal AI.
(Reviewed on 360 with gamepad, 40" Sony Bravia LCD via composite cables at 1080i)
For PC users:
* Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP (SP2) or Vista.
* Processor:2.0 GHz Pentium 4 or equivalent AMD Athlon 64
* RAM: 1 GB
* Video Card:128 MB Graphics Card supporting Shader Model 2.0 - 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible. Supported Chipsets: NVIDIA GeForce FX 5 series,GeForce 6,7 and 8 series.ATi Radeon 9600 pro and above
RadeonX200, X300, x550, x600, x700, x800, x850, x1300, x1600, x1800, x1900 and HD2000 series. Limited support (don’t ask me what they meant by limited :) ) for Intel Graphics i945 series,Intel Graphics i965 series.
* Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
* Free Hard Disk Space: 600.0 MB
* DirectX 9.0c (Included on the disc)
Easy Left!
Racing games of late have had great success with applying realism, damage modeling and loads of technical data about each car which can be tweaked to high glory in order to shave off half a second off your best lap. Although this can be fun for enthusiasts, regular shmoes such as myself just wanna pickup and have a bash at a race as quickly as possible and the fine folks at SEGA Racing Studio have done this with near flawless skill.
Easy Right!
In keeping with the arcade spirit, SEGA have gone with some design aesthetics which are over a decade old, zero damage modeling, invisible wall barriers and no customisation for vehicles save for manual or automatic transmission, road or off-road tyres, which is an absolutely fantastic choice as very few (if any) other developer has followed the same design path which in turn makes the game really easy to get into.
http://www.generalemu.net/view/reviews/segarally/rally1.jpg
Mike would later regret trying to get the action shot
From this you could argue that it is merely a remake of the original arcade game with shiny graphics. The game even has the same (or similar announcer) from the original. But to say this would be selling the game short as Sega have added focus on a fresh aspect of the rally genre, accurate track deformation.
Medium Left!
Wherever you drive on the track, be it tarmac, sand, dirt, mud, snow, water the path you take will carve out the track, so when you come around for the next lap, often the best racing lines will be tarnished with deep gouges in the dirt, forcing you to take the corner differently in order to keep your speed up, which is fantastic as repetitiveness is squashed right from the get go. This addition to the game is what makes Sega Rally a winner.
http://www.generalemu.net/view/reviews/segarally/rally2.jpg
Afraid to get dirty, Herbie avoided mud puddles
The courses themselves are not large in number nor time to complete laps, and you end up driving the same course in reverse numerous times, but the track deformation more than makes up for only one of the games shortcomings. The vast differences in the environments give you the feeling that you are indeed on the world rally circut.
Visually the game looks superb with sweeping savannah of the desert mixed with the lush jungles and freezing environments. Car models are accurately depicted, with mud, dust and snow sticking to the car as the race continues. This dirt can also be washed off should you drive through a puddle, but that runs the risk of slowing you down.
The game also sounds a treat, with great rally engine noises burling at you, classic Sega menu sound effects and the announcer which brings you back to the original. All give this a classic feel to the game.
http://www.generalemu.net/view/reviews/segarally/rally3.jpg
"We need taller cameramen!"
HARD RIGHT!
In the early levels or Championships as they call it, you gain points for each race, 10 points for a 1st place, 8 points for second and so on and so forth and after three races you are given a score out of 30 which goes on to unlock further championships and different cars. Which is where the AI of the game comes in to the foray.
Early on the races are fairly easy to dominate, as you get to the end of the championships the can become mercilessly difficult, punishing you for not making the correct cornering speed, wrong tire selection or accelerating off the line incorrectly in which case will see you fighting for fifth spot instead of first or second. This could lead to controllers being hurdled through the air, but a change in driving style might get you better results (or further your frustration).
http://www.generalemu.net/view/reviews/segarally/rally4.jpg
Stock rally photograph #412567
Finish!
Apart from the difficulty this game is pure arcade racing bliss, which looks absolutely gorgeous in its simplicity. To get the most out of this game you need to build yourself a cabinet to sit in (well cramp yourself in), get a quality racing wheel and a big screen tv only 2 feet away from your face and you will feel like you did over 10 years ago when you first played Sega Rally in the arcade. This game is a must by for racing fans everywhere.
Visuals - 90
Audio - 90
Gameplay - 93
Overall - 92
Positively brilliant, short for the brutal AI.
(Reviewed on 360 with gamepad, 40" Sony Bravia LCD via composite cables at 1080i)
For PC users:
* Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP (SP2) or Vista.
* Processor:2.0 GHz Pentium 4 or equivalent AMD Athlon 64
* RAM: 1 GB
* Video Card:128 MB Graphics Card supporting Shader Model 2.0 - 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible. Supported Chipsets: NVIDIA GeForce FX 5 series,GeForce 6,7 and 8 series.ATi Radeon 9600 pro and above
RadeonX200, X300, x550, x600, x700, x800, x850, x1300, x1600, x1800, x1900 and HD2000 series. Limited support (don’t ask me what they meant by limited :) ) for Intel Graphics i945 series,Intel Graphics i965 series.
* Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
* Free Hard Disk Space: 600.0 MB
* DirectX 9.0c (Included on the disc)