For the single player, Sega Rally's main appeal lies in the championship mode, the only extensive single player mode in the game. Players start off only being able to access the premier car class championships. Within each car class championship, there are several leagues and within each league there are rally tournaments with three races. The overall objective is to win each race and then unlock leagues. As players progress further into the championship mode they'll unlock different car class championships. As the main single player mode, the championship mode isn't all that extensive, but it is broken down well, so playing a three race tournament can be done in about fifteen minutes. There is good incentive to play through the championships. As you progress throughout the leagues you'll unlock a variety of things including new vehicles and liverys for your cars.
Seriously one of the most visually impressive games we've played.
If you'd rather just race around the track for fun then there is also a quick race option and a time attack option as well as support for a two player offline head-to-head game and an online mode. In the online mode you can play either a quick match, a custom match or you can create a match. If you select to create a match there are several options, such as whether to enable race catch up and the number of laps in a race. The game supports up to six players online and all racers race at the same time, which should satisfy those who were let down by Dirt's multiplayer options. Online races were lag free and there are also downloadable time trial ghost cars, but overall the online functionality isn't all that extensive.
When it comes down to it though, the beauty of Sega Rally really lies in the racing. In the first ten minutes you'll probably find yourself asking what the fuss is about, the game starts off tough and you'll be smashing into every corner at a high speed. But after about ten minutes you'll start learning to brake and soon enough you'll be sliding around corners like a natural, then you'll change vehicles. Quite often you'll be playing a game, it will come time to change vehicles and everything feels the same. However, this is not true of Sega Rally. Every single car ends up feeling different and just because you end up mastering a canyon track in the Subaru Impreza it doesn't mean you can hop into an Evo and slide around the corners gracefully.
You'll be pushing L1 quite a bit.
There are very few games around where you'll want to watch the replay, but the visuals in Sega Rally are so incredibly impressive that you'll want to watch your replays at the end of races. By pressing L1 in a race you can also look behind your car if you're using the out-of-camera angle. We should warn you that for the first few races in Sega Rally, you'll be pushing this button consistantly, just because looking behind you and seeing snow capped mountains or dust particles is a surreal experience. The tracks really are very impressive visually, as are the vehicles. Little details like the fact that the track deforms and changes around you add to the graphical prowess of the game. One of the tracks features a railway crossing and as you progress further through the track you can actually see the train approaching the railway crossing. Put simply, Sega Rally is one of the most visually impressive games on the PlayStation 3 and significantly even manages to keep a very steady smooth frame rate. The sound is okay, but not memorable. Still, the cars sound great.
In terms of the lifespan, having the one extensive single player option is a bit of a disappointment, but it should keep most players occupied for in excess of ten hours. The online play will appeal to those who love their rally games. Even though there is only the one single player mode, Sega Rally is so simple to pick up that we can imagine that we'll return to the game quite frequently but for ten or fifteen minute races.
Little background details add to the immersion of the game and yes, the dirt builds up as you race.
So is Sega Rally better than the impressive Dirt? Well, rally fans should have no hesitation in picking up both titles and while Dirt is a little more arcadey than previous Colin McRae titles, Sega Rally is even more arcadey. Comparing the two titles really is like comparing Ridge Racer and the Need for Speed series, pointless.
Sega Rally is a remarkably enjoyable game and a title that is easy to recommend to rally fans or fans of arcade games in general. The game just feels so incredibly polished and even though the single player championship mode is a little bit bare you will keep returning to the game just for a quick race, the online play could be a drawcard for several people as well. Fans of the franchise rejoice, Sega Rally is better than ever before.
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