Review: Sega Rally Revo (360/PS3)
Sporting gorgeous high definition graphics and an amazing sense of speed, Sega Rally Revo brings the arcade game to next-gen in fine form indeed. This all-new update to the arcade series retains that classic Sega racer feel complete with twisty, tricky tracks, vibrant colors and tough AI that makes the game a challenge right from the start. Phenomenal looking cars aside, the big plus here is the ‘GeoDeformation’ technology that allows cars to really tear up the tracks, making each lap different from the last. Although you get a nice selection of licensed cars that dirty up real good, unlike many current racing games, you won’t find any car damage at all and real-life drivers or courses are nowhere to be found. Nevertheless, the game is supremely easy to learn, tough to master and fans of the two arcade games (and the import only PS2 entry, Sega Rally 2006) will be driving until the cows come home and then some. Although the game isn’t incredibly deep in terms of features, it’s surprisingly hard and indeed, intensely thrilling each time you play.
If you’re hitting the road solo, you’ll get Championship, Quick Race or Time Attack options, while those of you with friends can hop into the Multiplayer modes that support two players via split screen or up to six over Xbox Live. A nice selection of cars and tracks is already unlocked, allowing you to sample some fine rides on easy to very hard tracks. All the cars have unlockable livery skins based on certain mileage requirements, so it’s possible to spend a few hours learning the courses and benefiting in two ways in the process. If you always wanted to scoot sideways around a super detailed track in car with a cool Sonic the Hedgehog scheme, here’s your chance. One thing’s for sure, it’ll take a hell of a lot less time to get that skin than to create a custom job in Forza 2. There are a couple of other fun Sega-related paint jobs to uncover, but you’ll need to buy the game for yourself and see. Let’s just say Sonic Team is well represented…
Championship lets you earn points to unlock new cars and tracks, while Quick Race is great for practicing and earning new skins. Time Attack is cool, allowing players to compete against the top worldwide ghost car times over Xbox Live, so expect competition to be completely unbalanced by the few dedicated folks that master the tracks and post ridiculous times right away. Multiplayer is awesome, lag free when everyone has a smooth connection and more fun than the single player game’s flawless track antics. On the handling side of things, you’ll only need to deal with one of two tire choices, Off Road or (wait for it…) Road. Off Road is a wee bit more slippy while Road is grippy and given the ever-changing road surfaces you’re about to face, you’ll learn the ins and out of each model in short order. There’s actually one Achievement on the 360 for winning a Championship using the Off Road setting, so get used to the slippy, I say.
Fans of hardcore Gran Turismo or Forza Style customization will probably be flipping out way too much over this lack of tweaking, but so what? Sega seems to be following Namco’s Ridge Racer model in not fussing much with a formula that already works wonderfully. On the other hand, simplifying an already slim racing formula to its basic elements actually hurts the game a bit if you come in expecting a raft of next-gen features found in other racers. While you’ll eventually unlock over 30 cars, there are only five environment types (Alpine, Canyon, Arctic, Safari and Tropical) with a few standard and reverse courses, Nevertheless, the game offers so much ridiculously addictive fun each time you pick it up that I’m going to go on record as saying it’ll be a staple of many a play stack or gaming party for years.
If you’ve never played a Sega Rally game before, all you’ll need to know is keep your finger on the gas except when you’re setting up for a sharp turn, and don’t touch the sides of the course at all. The AI is set to relentless and you’re always set sixth out of six in the pack, so get used to playing catch up from the very first lap. Amusingly enough one of the hidden Achievements is completing the first lap in first place, something that takes a few tries but can be done sometime within the first half hour or so of play. Taking a turn badly at too high a speed will send you ping-ponging off the invisible walls on either side of the track or worse, spinning out and forced to drive like even more of a maniac as the other five cars blow by your sorry behind. GeoDeformation comes into play right away as each car creates grooves in the road surface, some of which help you find the racing line, while others bounce you around something fierce. Road surfaces also vary on each track with mud, hard-packed dirt, asphalt of the wet and dry variety, snow, slush and even puddles to keep thing fun.
You’ll really get a kick out of the constant handling changes as you go from wet tarmac to even more slippery slush on one course before ending up briefly in deep snow, while another track offers up dirt to mud with huge patches of water that will slow you down should you drive through them all. If you’re really having a hard time, expect to find a few objects that can be smashed into and sent flying like part of a fence or a few empty metal drums. Oh, and if you’re still one of those folks that race in third person view, trust me on this: you’ll really be hitting walls and other cars a LOT more than in first person view. Switch to either the bumper or hood cam and never go back. You can always watch the replays if you want to see your chosen ride do its thing. As mentioned above, the cars get pretty and gloriously dirty as races continue, but the lack of any sort of cosmetic damage model might be an issue to some players. Granted, this isn’t DiRT, WRC or any other realistic rally racer, but hell Sega should have gone the extra mile and allowed for the cars to suffer a little more than some great-looking mud and crusty snow at a race’s end, but that’s what sequels are for.
Visually, all I can say is wow - all the licensed cars look fantastic and although there’s a tiny bit of GeoDeformation draw in here and there, the tracks all look incredible. My only major complaint about the visuals (other than the lack of damage) is that despite the lovely mud, snow and water flying all over, there should be a LOT more dust kicked up on the dry tracks. Then again, there are so many twists and turns that live players wouldn’t be able to complete a lap with five other perfect AI cars kicking up clouds of too realistic smoke. For the most part, you’ll be going so fast that you won’t care a whit about the dust issue much if at all. Both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions look very much the same, unless you’re really a hi-def video hound with a super setup. The only real difference is that the PS3 game runs in 720P while the 360 gets 720p, 1080i and 1080p resolutions. Additionally, the lack of Sixaxis vibration lessens the game’s impact somewhat, just as it does on any PS3 release - yeah, I’m spoiled that way, but it’s Sony’s fault in the first place.
All the cars sound great - I’m not sure if they sampled each engine 100%, but that wheezy aspiration a Ford Focus makes sure sounds different than the aggressive growl a Subaru WRX puts out as you blast around the tracks. Musically, it’s pure Sega arcade bliss - no custom soundtrack crap here. Plenty of wailing guitars and J-Rock style tunes you can turn down or off if you like. And of course, what Sega racer worth its salt wouldn’t have the immortal “Game Over, Yeaaaaaahhhh!” at the end of each Quick Race? That’s one thing that can’t be beat for bringing back those great arcade memories. Overall, Sega Rally Revo is an awesome, highly replayable blast from the past, upgraded with outstanding graphics and an even more insane sense of hurtling around some truly tricky tracks. Go grab a copy and hang on for dear life as you go on some really wild rides until your controller melts from your hands gripping it too hard.
Score: A
- Greg Wilcox
