"Game over Yeeeeeeaaaaaaahhh! - Not!"

Being an avid supporter of the racing genre I really looked forward to getting my hands on my first Sega Rally experience, so in 1995 I did just that. What I saw and played upon powering up my beloved Sega Saturn certainly didn't disappoint.

Gameplay - 9
Now down to the nitty gritty. While the controls of Sega Rally may take some time to master, once mastered the intense rally experience is just beginning. I personally think that the high degree of realism in the controls enhances this game to no end. If your having trouble then the car settings can be adjusted to to suit your style. You can change the tires (hard to soft), handling (slow or faster responding), transmission (manual or automatic) and lastly the front and rear suspension (can be made loose or tight).

Sega Rally comes with three modes, these are; Arcade mode - whereby you start of in 15th place and have to work your way through the field over the course of 3 stages/tracks, at 3 laps per stage/track or 1 lap per stage/track - this is adjustable in the options menu. There is also a Time Attack mode. This is where you can race to beat your existing fastest times, something which does extend the life of this game quite a bit after the rather disappointing lack of tracks. Finally there is a 2 Player Battle mode, here you and a friend can race on any of the 4 tracks for 1-3 laps. There is even a handicap option so if you are finding the winning a little too easy, then you can perhaps try and win by starting a little later than your rival.

Graphics - 9
Being a 32 bit system, the graphics are pretty good for what can achieved. The detail on the cars is quite satisfactory. There seems to have been a good amount of polygons used and this helps everything look a lot more realistic, for example you can see shadow of the drivers in the car seat and also the sponsor logos on the cars themselves. There also seems to have been sufficient emphasis put into the development of the tracks, in particular with the background texturing. The Forest Stage looks pretty lush with all the greenery and mountainous areas it weaves you through. Another point to mention, slowdown - well all I can say is hardly noticeable at all. Even on the 2 player mode the game still runs at a nice crisp, fluid and smooth rate, however the graphics can be a little compromised. The games graphics really excel upon purchase of a component/scart cable, so I suggest you play with one of those. These also prevent degrading graphics present in the 2 player mode.

Sound - 8
Some nice thumping rock beats in Sega Rally. These really get you in the mood for some serious rally driving. The car sound effects i.e. engine sounds are well executed, the same goes for when you crash into either the scenery or rival cars. Overall, the sound effects are pretty decent when you take into account what the Saturn can achieve.

Replay Value - 7
While there may only be a limited amount you can do in this game due to its lack of cars/tracks, I have still found the replay value to be fairly decent. Mostly in the form of trying to beat your fastest times. If you have friends who also like this game then many hours can be enjoyed on the 2 player option. This seems to be where Sega Rally excels the most.

Overall - 9

Ninto liked:
+ Simple controls
+ good attention to detail
+ Car tuning option
+ Great 2-player mode

Ninto didn't like:
- Lack of tracks
- Lack of cars

A perfect arcade racing game but I still feel there are not enough tracks or cars. That said, it's still by far one of the best in its genre on the Saturn. I would say rent it first, you will probably beat it in one rental, so see if you like it. Make sure you check out the 2 player mode as well. The purchase is then yours to decide.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/28/02, Updated 03/16/02