So we consider ourself pretty lucky that we've managed to actually obtain the game. Sega Rally for the N-gage has been out for six months and we think it's fair to say we could be the last people to review it.
Those who own an N-Gage are having a tough time lately, the DS is out, the PSP is on the horizon and N-Gage games are just about impossible to find, anywhere. Those who own an N-Gage are most certainly looking for a reason to cheer (and i am one of them) so is Sega Rally worth hunting down or was it better left dead?
Sega Rally for the N-Gage is a rally game based on Sega Rally for the Saturn, Dreamcast and Arcades. The game is a huge franchise for SEGA, and like they've done with many of their other big franchises, a port has been developed for the N-Gage.
Sega Rally first appeared in arcades, and ten years later an N-Gage version is available. It is important to note that a Gameboy Advance version of the game is available but is completely different to this version; not saying that is a bad thing though.
So much potential, so little of it fufilled.
We must commend SEGA on their support for the N-Gage platform, they really have been consistantly providing many games which has boosted the N-Gage's library, such as Virtua Tennis, Super Monkey Ball and now Sega Rally, we would love to see Crazy Taxi make the transition to the N-Gage, although it wouldn't be worth the effort if the game turns out like this one.
Sega Rally features three modes, championship, time attack and free run. The most in-depth mode is the championship mode which consists of three cups, with another two beckoning to be unlocked. There are over ten selectable cars (although in reality they all look the same except with a different paint job) and five tracks, ranging from Desert to Oval to Snow.
For some bizarre reason, Sega Rally does not feature multiplayer, which is a surprising omission from the game. Most N-Gage games released feature support for at least some form of multiplayer, so we are disappointed Sega Rally didn't incorporate this feature. Multiplayer could have have at least made an awful game not as awful, however this isn't the only place SEGA cut corners when developing this game.
The loading is one of the worst aspects of the game and goes for more than ten seconds. Game begins. Load. Start Menu. Load. Select Car. Load. Select Track. Load. Just getting into the game takes a ridiculously long amount of time, which is simply not good enough for a portable title.
Wow, can you feel the excitement?
However, the presentation of the game is a lot more impressive than the game itself. The car images and the track visuals are of a high standard and the menus are easy to navigate, even if it does take a little while.
As soon as the game begins the problems begin to surface. Acceleratnig is done with the '5' key and braking is done with the '7' key, moving the directional pad left or right will make the car move sideways and drift. This is the first problem with the game, as the need to use brake is relegated as the game automatically turns the car, making it feel very unrealistic.
The tracks also aren't very exciting, and just contain a few tunnels, hills (some of them are impossible to see until the last moment) and a few N-Gage signs. The game doesn't create any atmosphere at all, so it feels like a very static race. There are no shortcuts or tracks that really stand out in our mind.
The championship mode involves progressing through each track with arcade checkpoints. Failure to get to any of these checkpoints will result in the end of the championship. Believe it or not, once you can get past the design problems, the game doesn't get any easier. There is no second chance and no chance to redeem yourself, it's just the end of the championship.
The graphics don't exactly impress either. The game is 3D but the entire track is extremely flat, and changes in the terrain are hard to notice. There is some dreadful pop up in the middle of races, at times i was going through a tunnel and could easily see the "trees" on the other side of the tunnel.
At times the track won't load fully and the game becomes a little glitchy, meaning you will lose track of exactly where your car is. The track is also extremely linear, not allowing for any deriving from the track surface, an invisible wall appears and stops the player from going further. We understand that rally games have to have some restriction, but blocking everything off feels ridiculous.
The sound is nothing special, the engine noises are flat and their is basically no soundtrack, The main menu selection sound is very similar to the one in Tony Hawk. We wouldn't be surprised if it was just ripped straight off this game.
As we mentioned above, their is no multiplayer and the championship mode won't take too long to get through. However, we truely doubt that anyone will have the patience to stay with the game long enough to actually complete it. There are no unlockable cars or tracks, only unlockable championships.
Sega Rally is a disgrace of a game. Very rarely will we find a game that we have absolutely nothing positive to say about, however we've found one here. There is a reason that this game is so hard to find, and that reason is that the game is terrible. Avoid it, this game should never have been released.
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