Publisher: SEGA
Released: January 28, 1999 (JP); October 14, 1999 (EU); October 31, 1999 (US)
Before the release of Sega Rally Online Arcade and after Sega Rally Championship in 1995, there is one marvel of an arcade racing game, and that is Sega Rally 2. Although the arcade version was released in 1998, the Dreamcast version has more to offer than the arcade itself that'll keep you racing along the dirt, mud and snowy roads with your favorite rally car and race to become the legendary racing driver. Let's kick it into high gear and start off with the review of this classic game, shall we?
The car(s) with a dream.
Unlike the Arcade itself, the Dreamcast version offers a wider variety of cars, although Ford is only available in the Japanese version, so the US and the EU version will not be able to get their hands on the Ford cars, but they still can drive cars that were not featured in the Arcade version, which includes FIAT, Renault, including additional cars from Peugeot, Lancia and Mitsubishi. All these vechicles handle arcade-like; different cars have different benefits on races as you drive them such as the Peugeot 306 Maxi, a FWD car that can handle corners with relative ease with reasonable handling, such as the legendary ace Lancia Stratos HF (or simply the lancia Stratos). A new feature is where you can select different types of transmissions, whether it be the classic 4-speed AT/MT transmissions or the new, quicker transmissions (such as 5-speed, 6-speed and 7-speed). You can also tweak the cars' handlings, such as the gear ratio, tires, suspensions, brakes, etc. if you want to make your car handle better for racing along the rough terrain.
What's the difference between the Arcade version and the Dreamcast version?
Although the Dreamcast version does offer both Championship and Practice modes in the Arcade Mode, the Dreamcast version offers the 10-Year Championship, where you must overtake oppoents within the time limit and reach the finish line. There are a couple of stages that progress as you race up until to the point where you must reach the finish line in first place on the final race. If you do manage to finish in 1st, you will be rewarded with a vehicle for your excellent performance by finishing in first place. Although, even a good racing game does have a flaw to it, as the Dreamcast version has a mixture between 30fps and 60fps, whereas the Arcade version is simply 60fps that runs smoothly. As for the Dreamcast version, while it is much beneficial than the Arcade version, its framerate that caters the overall gameplay does have some negativity to it throughout the game.
Even cars have their own biography?!
That's right, the Dreamcast version features Car Profiles where you can select vehicles to choose and listen to the narrator as he talks about the details of different cars. The one exception is a hidden vehicle that's unlocked form the Arcade Mode, which is not present. Strange, isn't it? Regardless, though, the narrator does give you description of real-world vehicles' histories of past rally races, even famous drivers from around the world. While it's nothing special to it, the subtitles would've been added so it would be easier to understand. In the end, however, it's a pretty nice feature to it. if you want to learn the cars' histories of their past races.
No racing game would be without a bit of music.
And yes, this game is famous for the songs that can be heard from the races, as it add a bit of action and adrenaline as you race and try to win the races. These songs were made be famous composers and musicians, such as Jun Senoue, Hideki Naganuma, and Tomonori Sawada. Most of these songs are a mix between rock, trance, jazz, even electronic, all which fit perfectly well for this particular arcade racing game, especially the soundtracks. Ther are also Re-Arrange versions of the songs, although most are pretty... mellow-like. It may not fit well for a fast-paced racing game, but the songs are still pretty nice, but you won't find them inside the game, however.
Nice graphics for an old game!
Well, Sega Rally 2 was released in 1999 for the Dreamcast. It doesn't matter how old the game or the graphics are, it's basically a trip down to memory lane thirteen years back as if you're playing the game again, as the graphics are really nice, in terms of both the environment and the cars. The cars look pretty realistic with the overall appearance, including the wheels and decals, and the weather is pretty nice along with the environment from the track.
Is that all there is to it?
Nope, there's more there is to it! There are more features in the game such as the co-driver feature. He, or she (depending on how you want your co-driver to be voiced for the race) as he/she says "150! Easy right maybe!", "Crest Drop! Water!", even "Narrow! Bridge!". Also, you can try and beat against the clock and achieve your personal best, whether it be a 3-lap race, or simply drive around the track freely with no time limits. Also, you can race with your friend and try to beat him/her to the finish line. And yes, that's all there is to it.
Rating: 4/5
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