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This thread has been linked to the game 'Sega Rally Online Arcade'.
Sega Rally is one of those iconic names in Sega’s past glory days. A mere mention of the name can stop some gamers, like me, in their tracks. So why someone thought they needed to add “Race your friends to the finish line” as a caption on the little advert for Sega Rally on Xbox Live is beyond me, Sega Rally deserves better than that.
Sega Rally first made an appearance in my local arcade in Glasgow when I was a student. My £1 coin was in like a shot and I was tearing around the tracks like... well like a student who had spent a few hours in the Student Union beforehand. The steering was just surprisingly sensitive, that’s my excuse and I’ve stuck to it ever since.
Sega has provided us with an arcade driving experience on our consoles with OutRun and then with Crazy Taxi. Sega Rally provides a welcome addition to your virtual Sega arcade and I for one thank them and demand Daytonna next.
This latest Sega Rally offering is very much an arcade experience which is no doubt why it contains “arcade” in the title. And you can play it online which is no doubt why it contains “online” in the title... it’s very cleverly named.
As part of that arcade experience you’ll not be tweaking the setup of your car, you’ll not be picking the best tyres for the conditions, you won’t even be picking the colour of your car, you simply pick a car, pick a track and get racing. You’ll be on the track much quicker than you will with the likes of Dirt 3. If you are looking for a deep rally experience then stay clear. If, however, you are looking for a fine spot of arcade rally racing then you’ve come to the right place.
This version of Sega Rally is very much based on the 2007 retail release. It is full of Sega trademark colours, particularly on the tropical track where you half expect to see a certain blue hedgehog darting about in the background. The track surfaces vary from tarmac to sand, mud and water and a spot of snow. The tyres tear up the surface as the race progresses but whether this has the same effect as the retail release is debatable. The theory with the retail release is that you are best sticking to the existing tyre marks as cutting through the surface slows the car down slightly. I’m in no position to compare and I’ve seen conflicting comments for other people.
As an arcade title with arcade handling, you will see no effect the surface has other than the water slowing you down slightly. And I only know that because of the in-game tips, I didn’t really spot the effect myself. The surfaces are used to nice cosmetic effect though. If you find yourself behind another racer then you will find visibility greatly affected by the plumes of smoke or snow from the vehicle in front. And tearing through the mud will coat the back of your car which is a good authentic touch especially when the lack of actual dirt on the cars was a criticism aimed at the original Colin McRae Dirt.
The driving is every bit an arcade experience. You have a brake but you’ll find little use for it, cornering is really all about sliding. As long as you start turning at the right time, you’ll make most of the bends. There are some hairpins to navigate but lifting off the accelerator can see you glide through. It’s a lesson you’ll learn quickly when you touch the brake and find everyone whizzing past you. You’ll also find that sometimes bumping off the wall is still a quicker way of getting round than slowing down. The cars themselves take no damage no matter how much of a bashing you give them as I said earlier, if you want a deep rally experience then the likes of Dirt 3 is where you should be looking.
The single player can take part in the championship race, a quick race and some time trials. In addition to this, there are a few cars and a track to unlock. And as a nice little bonus, the course from the original Sega Rally arcade is included complete with an HD make over. If only my student friends could see my precise control over the Toyota Celica now.
The championship plays over 3 events. You start in 21st and have to make your way to 1st place by the end of the 3rd track. Reach the finishing line in 1st place and you are then faced with a head to head on a new track which is considerably harder than the others. And since you have to win the championship to unlock the track you’ll have to do all the learning as you compete. Quick race is standard stuff, pick the car pick a track and race. Time trials come with online leaderboads and allow you to download ghosts to let you see why some people are finishing 10 seconds better than your time.
Online is the main component and as good as it is, for the centrepiece of the game it is somewhat lacking in content. You can race and that’s it, there are no rewards and nothing to unlock, there isn’t even a tournament mode. Regardless of this, it is good fun though and with up to 6 racers in each race you can have some entertaining events. The success of the online modes is always down to the other players and whilst I’ve not seen any of the usual rage quitting which affects most racing games, player numbers online do seem to be in decline which is a shame. A split screen 2 player mode is also available.
Sega Rally Online Arcade is a fine game. The racing is very much arcade and shallow but it is fun which is what an arcade game should be. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Sega Rally game in the past then you’ll enjoy this. But basing the game on the retail version is a highly questionable choice. The latest offering is a stripped down version, fewer tracks, fewer cars and fewer events. Owners of the retail version have no reason to buy this. The other issue is that due to the age of the 2007 version, you can pick up a copy for the same money or less as the downloadable version. Perhaps it isn’t fair to compare considering the retail version was a full price title on release but the fact remains, you can get more for your money with the retail version today. But saying that, I don’t regret my purchase for a moment.
7
Sega Rally first made an appearance in my local arcade in Glasgow when I was a student. My £1 coin was in like a shot and I was tearing around the tracks like... well like a student who had spent a few hours in the Student Union beforehand. The steering was just surprisingly sensitive, that’s my excuse and I’ve stuck to it ever since.
Sega has provided us with an arcade driving experience on our consoles with OutRun and then with Crazy Taxi. Sega Rally provides a welcome addition to your virtual Sega arcade and I for one thank them and demand Daytonna next.
This latest Sega Rally offering is very much an arcade experience which is no doubt why it contains “arcade” in the title. And you can play it online which is no doubt why it contains “online” in the title... it’s very cleverly named.
As part of that arcade experience you’ll not be tweaking the setup of your car, you’ll not be picking the best tyres for the conditions, you won’t even be picking the colour of your car, you simply pick a car, pick a track and get racing. You’ll be on the track much quicker than you will with the likes of Dirt 3. If you are looking for a deep rally experience then stay clear. If, however, you are looking for a fine spot of arcade rally racing then you’ve come to the right place.
This version of Sega Rally is very much based on the 2007 retail release. It is full of Sega trademark colours, particularly on the tropical track where you half expect to see a certain blue hedgehog darting about in the background. The track surfaces vary from tarmac to sand, mud and water and a spot of snow. The tyres tear up the surface as the race progresses but whether this has the same effect as the retail release is debatable. The theory with the retail release is that you are best sticking to the existing tyre marks as cutting through the surface slows the car down slightly. I’m in no position to compare and I’ve seen conflicting comments for other people.
As an arcade title with arcade handling, you will see no effect the surface has other than the water slowing you down slightly. And I only know that because of the in-game tips, I didn’t really spot the effect myself. The surfaces are used to nice cosmetic effect though. If you find yourself behind another racer then you will find visibility greatly affected by the plumes of smoke or snow from the vehicle in front. And tearing through the mud will coat the back of your car which is a good authentic touch especially when the lack of actual dirt on the cars was a criticism aimed at the original Colin McRae Dirt.
The driving is every bit an arcade experience. You have a brake but you’ll find little use for it, cornering is really all about sliding. As long as you start turning at the right time, you’ll make most of the bends. There are some hairpins to navigate but lifting off the accelerator can see you glide through. It’s a lesson you’ll learn quickly when you touch the brake and find everyone whizzing past you. You’ll also find that sometimes bumping off the wall is still a quicker way of getting round than slowing down. The cars themselves take no damage no matter how much of a bashing you give them as I said earlier, if you want a deep rally experience then the likes of Dirt 3 is where you should be looking.
The single player can take part in the championship race, a quick race and some time trials. In addition to this, there are a few cars and a track to unlock. And as a nice little bonus, the course from the original Sega Rally arcade is included complete with an HD make over. If only my student friends could see my precise control over the Toyota Celica now.
The championship plays over 3 events. You start in 21st and have to make your way to 1st place by the end of the 3rd track. Reach the finishing line in 1st place and you are then faced with a head to head on a new track which is considerably harder than the others. And since you have to win the championship to unlock the track you’ll have to do all the learning as you compete. Quick race is standard stuff, pick the car pick a track and race. Time trials come with online leaderboads and allow you to download ghosts to let you see why some people are finishing 10 seconds better than your time.
Online is the main component and as good as it is, for the centrepiece of the game it is somewhat lacking in content. You can race and that’s it, there are no rewards and nothing to unlock, there isn’t even a tournament mode. Regardless of this, it is good fun though and with up to 6 racers in each race you can have some entertaining events. The success of the online modes is always down to the other players and whilst I’ve not seen any of the usual rage quitting which affects most racing games, player numbers online do seem to be in decline which is a shame. A split screen 2 player mode is also available.
Sega Rally Online Arcade is a fine game. The racing is very much arcade and shallow but it is fun which is what an arcade game should be. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Sega Rally game in the past then you’ll enjoy this. But basing the game on the retail version is a highly questionable choice. The latest offering is a stripped down version, fewer tracks, fewer cars and fewer events. Owners of the retail version have no reason to buy this. The other issue is that due to the age of the 2007 version, you can pick up a copy for the same money or less as the downloadable version. Perhaps it isn’t fair to compare considering the retail version was a full price title on release but the fact remains, you can get more for your money with the retail version today. But saying that, I don’t regret my purchase for a moment.
7
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Sega Rally is one of those iconic names in Sega’s past glory days. A mere mention of the name can stop some gamers, like me, in their tracks. So why someone thought they needed to add “Race your friends to the finish line” as a caption on the little advert for Sega Rally on Xbox Live is beyond me, Sega Rally deserves better than that.
Sega Rally first made an appearance in my local arcade in Glasgow when I was a student. My £1 coin was in like a shot and I was tearing around the tracks like... well like a student who had spent a few hours in the Student Union beforehand. The steering was just surprisingly sensitive, that’s my excuse and I’ve stuck to it ever since.
Sega has provided us with an arcade driving experience on our consoles with OutRun and then with Crazy Taxi. Sega Rally provides a welcome addition to your virtual Sega arcade and I for one thank them and demand Daytonna next.
This latest Sega Rally offering is very much an arcade experience which is no doubt why it contains “arcade” in the title. And you can play it online which is no doubt why it contains “online” in the title... it’s very cleverly named.
As part of that arcade experience you’ll not be tweaking the setup of your car, you’ll not be picking the best tyres for the conditions, you won’t even be picking the colour of your car, you simply pick a car, pick a track and get racing. You’ll be on the track much quicker than you will with the likes of Dirt 3. If you are looking for a deep rally experience then stay clear. If, however, you are looking for a fine spot of arcade rally racing then you’ve come to the right place.
This version of Sega Rally is very much based on the 2007 retail release. It is full of Sega trademark colours, particularly on the tropical track where you half expect to see a certain blue hedgehog darting about in the background. The track surfaces vary from tarmac to sand, mud and water and a spot of snow. The tyres tear up the surface as the race progresses but whether this has the same effect as the retail release is debatable. The theory with the retail release is that you are best sticking to the existing tyre marks as cutting through the surface slows the car down slightly. I’m in no position to compare and I’ve seen conflicting comments for other people.
As an arcade title with arcade handling, you will see no effect the surface has other than the water slowing you down slightly. And I only know that because of the in-game tips, I didn’t really spot the effect myself. The surfaces are used to nice cosmetic effect though. If you find yourself behind another racer then you will find visibility greatly affected by the plumes of smoke or snow from the vehicle in front. And tearing through the mud will coat the back of your car which is a good authentic touch especially when the lack of actual dirt on the cars was a criticism aimed at the original Colin McRae Dirt.
The driving is every bit an arcade experience. You have a brake but you’ll find little use for it, cornering is really all about sliding. As long as you start turning at the right time, you’ll make most of the bends. There are some hairpins to navigate but lifting off the accelerator can see you glide through. It’s a lesson you’ll learn quickly when you touch the brake and find everyone whizzing past you. You’ll also find that sometimes bumping off the wall is still a quicker way of getting round than slowing down. The cars themselves take no damage no matter how much of a bashing you give them as I said earlier, if you want a deep rally experience then the likes of Dirt 3 is where you should be looking.
The single player can take part in the championship race, a quick race and some time trials. In addition to this, there are a few cars and a track to unlock. And as a nice little bonus, the course from the original Sega Rally arcade is included complete with an HD make over. If only my student friends could see my precise control over the Toyota Celica now.
The championship plays over 3 events. You start in 21st and have to make your way to 1st place by the end of the 3rd track. Reach the finishing line in 1st place and you are then faced with a head to head on a new track which is considerably harder than the others. And since you have to win the championship to unlock the track you’ll have to do all the learning as you compete. Quick race is standard stuff, pick the car pick a track and race. Time trials come with online leaderboads and allow you to download ghosts to let you see why some people are finishing 10 seconds better than your time.
Online is the main component and as good as it is, for the centrepiece of the game it is somewhat lacking in content. You can race and that’s it, there are no rewards and nothing to unlock, there isn’t even a tournament mode. Regardless of this, it is good fun though and with up to 6 racers in each race you can have some entertaining events. The success of the online modes is always down to the other players and whilst I’ve not seen any of the usual rage quitting which affects most racing games, player numbers online do seem to be in decline which is a shame. A split screen 2 player mode is also available.
Sega Rally Online Arcade is a fine game. The racing is very much arcade and shallow but it is fun which is what an arcade game should be. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Sega Rally game in the past then you’ll enjoy this. But basing the game on the retail version is a highly questionable choice. The latest offering is a stripped down version, fewer tracks, fewer cars and fewer events. Owners of the retail version have no reason to buy this. The other issue is that due to the age of the 2007 version, you can pick up a copy for the same money or less as the downloadable version. Perhaps it isn’t fair to compare considering the retail version was a full price title on release but the fact remains, you can get more for your money with the retail version today. But saying that, I don’t regret my purchase for a moment.
7
Sega Rally first made an appearance in my local arcade in Glasgow when I was a student. My £1 coin was in like a shot and I was tearing around the tracks like... well like a student who had spent a few hours in the Student Union beforehand. The steering was just surprisingly sensitive, that’s my excuse and I’ve stuck to it ever since.
Sega has provided us with an arcade driving experience on our consoles with OutRun and then with Crazy Taxi. Sega Rally provides a welcome addition to your virtual Sega arcade and I for one thank them and demand Daytonna next.
This latest Sega Rally offering is very much an arcade experience which is no doubt why it contains “arcade” in the title. And you can play it online which is no doubt why it contains “online” in the title... it’s very cleverly named.
As part of that arcade experience you’ll not be tweaking the setup of your car, you’ll not be picking the best tyres for the conditions, you won’t even be picking the colour of your car, you simply pick a car, pick a track and get racing. You’ll be on the track much quicker than you will with the likes of Dirt 3. If you are looking for a deep rally experience then stay clear. If, however, you are looking for a fine spot of arcade rally racing then you’ve come to the right place.
This version of Sega Rally is very much based on the 2007 retail release. It is full of Sega trademark colours, particularly on the tropical track where you half expect to see a certain blue hedgehog darting about in the background. The track surfaces vary from tarmac to sand, mud and water and a spot of snow. The tyres tear up the surface as the race progresses but whether this has the same effect as the retail release is debatable. The theory with the retail release is that you are best sticking to the existing tyre marks as cutting through the surface slows the car down slightly. I’m in no position to compare and I’ve seen conflicting comments for other people.
As an arcade title with arcade handling, you will see no effect the surface has other than the water slowing you down slightly. And I only know that because of the in-game tips, I didn’t really spot the effect myself. The surfaces are used to nice cosmetic effect though. If you find yourself behind another racer then you will find visibility greatly affected by the plumes of smoke or snow from the vehicle in front. And tearing through the mud will coat the back of your car which is a good authentic touch especially when the lack of actual dirt on the cars was a criticism aimed at the original Colin McRae Dirt.
The driving is every bit an arcade experience. You have a brake but you’ll find little use for it, cornering is really all about sliding. As long as you start turning at the right time, you’ll make most of the bends. There are some hairpins to navigate but lifting off the accelerator can see you glide through. It’s a lesson you’ll learn quickly when you touch the brake and find everyone whizzing past you. You’ll also find that sometimes bumping off the wall is still a quicker way of getting round than slowing down. The cars themselves take no damage no matter how much of a bashing you give them as I said earlier, if you want a deep rally experience then the likes of Dirt 3 is where you should be looking.
The single player can take part in the championship race, a quick race and some time trials. In addition to this, there are a few cars and a track to unlock. And as a nice little bonus, the course from the original Sega Rally arcade is included complete with an HD make over. If only my student friends could see my precise control over the Toyota Celica now.
The championship plays over 3 events. You start in 21st and have to make your way to 1st place by the end of the 3rd track. Reach the finishing line in 1st place and you are then faced with a head to head on a new track which is considerably harder than the others. And since you have to win the championship to unlock the track you’ll have to do all the learning as you compete. Quick race is standard stuff, pick the car pick a track and race. Time trials come with online leaderboads and allow you to download ghosts to let you see why some people are finishing 10 seconds better than your time.
Online is the main component and as good as it is, for the centrepiece of the game it is somewhat lacking in content. You can race and that’s it, there are no rewards and nothing to unlock, there isn’t even a tournament mode. Regardless of this, it is good fun though and with up to 6 racers in each race you can have some entertaining events. The success of the online modes is always down to the other players and whilst I’ve not seen any of the usual rage quitting which affects most racing games, player numbers online do seem to be in decline which is a shame. A split screen 2 player mode is also available.
Sega Rally Online Arcade is a fine game. The racing is very much arcade and shallow but it is fun which is what an arcade game should be. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Sega Rally game in the past then you’ll enjoy this. But basing the game on the retail version is a highly questionable choice. The latest offering is a stripped down version, fewer tracks, fewer cars and fewer events. Owners of the retail version have no reason to buy this. The other issue is that due to the age of the 2007 version, you can pick up a copy for the same money or less as the downloadable version. Perhaps it isn’t fair to compare considering the retail version was a full price title on release but the fact remains, you can get more for your money with the retail version today. But saying that, I don’t regret my purchase for a moment.
7