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Sega
have quite a reputation with motorsports. Ask anyone
what the highlight of the arcades in the 1980s was and
they’ll answer OutRun, Hang On and Street Fighter.
Whilst not boasting the pedigree that Capcom has with
fighting games, you could say that the staff at Sega are
as passionate for motorsports as they are videogames.
This passion continued into the 1990s with the first
driving game to use true 3D technology with Virtua
Racing, Daytona USA gave 8 players the chance to battle
it out.
Sega
Rally boasted something a little less significant, small
differences in the handling of each car and road
surfaces. This didn’t stop Sega Rally becoming the most
popular arcade game of 1995.
Although it’s difference between other racing games
aren’t huge, you get the feeling that Sega have finally
perfected the genre. The cars handle like a dream, the
way cars slide over the ground is the most realistic
feeling in a video game yet, nothing comes close.
Courses are a mix of bumps, jumps, hairpins and
chicanes, differences in road surfaces are instantly
noticeable as your car slides across gravel and your
tyres screech across tarmac. There’s always the feeling
that one small mistake will send your car slamming into
a wall, calculating the right angle to take a jump is a
game in itself.
The
Saturn version, despite the loss of the force feedback
steering wheel, loses none of what made the arcade
version so good. Championship and Practise are available
in the Arcade Mode. Versus Mode and Time Attack allow
you to choose from one of four available rally courses
ranging from Desert, Forest, Mountain and Lakeside with
the option to race, or record lap times, backwards or
mirrored. For those who complete the Championship in
first place, using the similarly tuned Toyota Celica and
Lancia Delta, the Lancia Stratos is available. Lacking
in stability you’re given the bonus of driving the
fastest car in the game.
There’s
a wide array of driving games on the market offering a
ludicrous amount of vehicles and courses. Whilst these
numbers seem impressive, they lack in style what they
have in substance. Therefore Sega Rally’s longetivity,
as it has already proved in the arcades, will outlast
that of any competitor.
Sega
have delivered yet another racing classic.
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