Sega Rally 2
- January 01, 2000 00:00 AM PST
Tune up your racer and hit the dirt with Sega Rally 2, a arcade-port and Saturn sequel that offers rally fans a good-looking and fun cross-country experience with just the occasional stutter in quality.
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Pep Rally
Sega Rally 2 is an arcade-style rally racer that combines the skill-heavy sport of rally racing with the speed and action of the arcade. You'll drive any of 11 real-world rally cars over Sega Rally 2's 12 grueling tracks, in Arcade Mode, Time Attack, Versus Mode, or the epic 10-Year Championship mode. Customize your car with tires for every occasion, tweak the suspension to match your driving style and race the long and demanding rally courses that threaten to throw mud on your reputation. You'll need every trick up your sleeve to win this rally.
Considering Sega Rally 2's age (in arcades for over a year now), the game looks good, sounds good and plays well, but its age shows through compared to what gamers know the DC can do. While the racing itself is a lot of fun, the tracks are designed with arcade-style Checkpoints, stopping the race altogether if you don't hit the checkpoint in time. Other little complaints dot the landscapes of Sega Rally 2, but none of them really keep the race from going on.
Hazardous Conditions
Sega Rally 2 is fun to play, especially if you enjoy all the little nuances of rally racing, from exploiting the middle gears to performing precision powerslides. The controls take a little getting used to (you'll slip-n-slide more than in most racing games out there), but once you learn to minimize those out-of-control moments, you'll leap way ahead in the standings. The most annoying part of the game is the arcade-style checkpoint system, even in the 10-year Championship mode. Miss one Checkpoint, and the game is over, and you can't reply lost races. As much fun as the racing is, doing it over and over again really wears on you after a while.
The game looks and sounds good, as long as you consider its relative age and arcade roots. The graphics are strictly first-gen Dreamcast, with the far-off fog and draw-in on the horizon, but the smooth frame rate and sheer speed make the game look better than most others. Soundwise, the voices and music are typical cheesy Sega arcade fare, but they manage not to annoy, as long as you concentrate on driving.
Hit the Dirt
Rally fans and arcade racers will love this dirt-slidin' good time, but gamers weaned on the post-Gran Turismo racing revolution may wince at the game's archaic checkpoint system. Still, as far as rally racing goes on the Dreamcast, there really is nothing quite as fun as Sega Rally 2.
