Sega Rally (PSP)

I played the original Sega Rally back in 1996 on an arcade machine, and loved it. I subsequently bought it for the Sega Saturn in 1997, followed by the superb Sega Rally 2 for the Dreamcast in 2000. In short, it is a series I have always been a fan of, hence it was inevitable that, when I saw Sega Rally (PSP) for £8 in HMV, I was going to be taking it straight to the counter.

==Gameplay==
Importantly, Sega Rally is not a remake ...
.../> When you turn on Sega Rally - the initial options that are presented to you are:
Quick race - this is an option to choose if you really just want to get stuck into a race, and try out one of the many tracks available. You will race five cars within the class of car you have chosen.
Championship - You can race in a series of championships against five other competitors.
Time attack - this mode sees you take to the track solely ... more

I played the original Sega Rally back in 1996 on an arcade machine, and loved it. I subsequently bought it for the Sega Saturn in 1997, followed by the superb Sega Rally 2 for the Dreamcast in 2000. In short, it is a series I have always been a fan of, hence it was inevitable that, when I saw Sega Rally (PSP) for £8 in HMV, I was going to be taking it straight to the counter.

Gameplay

Importantly, Sega Rally is not a remake of the arcade classic. This is a new game altogether and very similar to the V-Rally series on the PS1.

When you turn on Sega Rally - the initial options that are presented to you are:
Quick race - this is an option to choose if you really just want to get stuck into a race, and try out one of the many tracks available. You will race five cars within the class of car you have chosen.
Championship - You can race in a series of championships against five other competitors.
Time attack - this mode sees you take to the track solely with the purpose of achieving and breaking lap records for each of the circuits available.
Multiplayer - using wireless connectivity, you can race friends or online competitors.

When you enter into Championship mode, there are four main championships you can take part in - Premier, Modified, Masters and Final. These four championships revolve around the different classes of car available, for instance Premier cars are the Subaru and Mitsubishi, and the modified ones are the VW Golf and Skoda Octavia. Once you select a championship, that championship will be split into a further four mini-championships, which are Amateur, Professional, Expert and Final.

There are five main types of terrain you can race on - Safari (sandy/mud), Alpine (snow/ice), Tropical (sandy/mud), Arctic (tarmac) and Canyon (sandy/mud). Within these five types are three circuits - therefore 15 race tracks exist all in all. When you are about to select a particular track, you will be informed of the 'surface breakdown', showing how much of the track is tarmac or mud etc. This is to allow you to select the appropriate set of tyres for your car.

There is an excellent selection of cars too, which include the Subaru Imprezza, Mitsubishi Lancer, VW Golf GTI, Citroen Xsara, Ford Focus, Peogeot 206 and RS Cosworth, along with the classic Toyota Celica and Lancia Delta. You are given an initial selection, but you can unlock cars as you win ongoing races and championships. When racing, you can select four main views - following your car (afar), following (near), bumper view, and windscreen view.

Graphics

The graphics are of a high standard so as to capture the realism of rally driving. There is a good amount of detail in the track terrain, the mud that is thrown up by the wheels, the logos and colours on the cars, even small things on the track which get flung into the air when the cars make contact with them. The replays are superb, providing a wide range of different camera angles, and really giving an impressive account of your race.

Sound

The sound effects are good - the acceleration sounds realistic as do the skid sounds. There is music simmering in the background of the options screen and race, which are techno sounding, but you hardly notice it playing. As ever you have the co-drivers assistance, saying "easy left... medium right.... hairpin bend" as you come to each corner, which is very helpful navigation when you don't know where you're going next.

Personal opinion

Sega Rally is a very enjoyable rally game. The graphics are excellent which, concommitant with the sound, conveys a high standard of realism. The response of the car to steering and to the surface feels accurate, which makes you feel like you are getting a true experience of driving a rally car. It is very fast and furious with lots of bumps, hairpins, hazards and jumps, which gives a very exciting and fun element.

My main criticism is that I do not find myself challenged by the game. Even on expert or using manual transmission, I find it very easy to win races. In championship mode, I was able to score maximum points on 95% of the races. Yet you cannot increase the difficulty to make it more challenging for yourself. It does not take much away from the game, because if you're good, you're good.

Moreover, similar to a lot of driving games, no damage is caused to the car when you crash into something. Personally I like the challenge of controlling a functionally impaired car. It's not too detrimental, however it taints the realism of the rally driving experience.

Overall, Sega Rally is an exceptional game that lives up to the standard set by it's predecessors. The fast and furious element is thoroughly enjoyable which means I come back to it time after time. I fully recommend it for driving and Sega Rally fans.

Thanks for reading. 

...less