To be frank, the PSP version of Sega Rally is for all intents and purposes very much like its console and computer brethren, but one must respect the efforts of developer Bugbear Entertainment, who were charged with the rather tricky task of porting the game down to Sony’s handheld. Sega Rally on the newer console formats is something of a graphical powerhouse, but it’s no slouch on the PSP either. The controls have been adjusted to gel a bit better with the PSP’s notoriously rigid analogue nub – an excellent move on the developer’s part we must say. The PSP version of the game also features a completely different set of tracks which have been designed largely to take the system’s control limitations into mind. It’s the sort of porting job that puts the efforts of many other major studios to shame.
Not the best place for a Sunday drive with the missus
That said, Sega Rally on the PSP is quite possibly the most forgiving rally game we’ve played. Cars control really tightly, and almost cling to the quality terrain like magnets. The game doesn’t really punish the player for sliding off the track, spinning out or hitting a wall – the controls are set up in a way that allows one to recover from their mistakes quite easily. This is only the beginning of the way Sega Rally literally takes a dive and lets the player win the match. Sega Rally does not use rubber band AI (Hooray! – Ed.), but instead employs a system that is much the opposite; rather than giving the computer an advantage when the player bursts into the lead, the game gives the CPU drivers a big advantage to begin with, and it is up to the player to drive cleanly in order to catch up. Now it’s not really fair as such, but this pursuit style of play is certainly more interesting than the rubber-band method which has sadly become something of a standard. Of course, it’s sort of null and void when one finds out just how easy it is to catch the first place driver, but it’s better than experiencing the frustration of the opponent that suddenly gets an unfair advantage just because one is driving exceptionally well.
Sega Rally has a fairly basic selection of modes to choose from – the usual quick race, championship and multiplayer race modes. There are a reasonable number of tracks which are varied in their design and rather fun to race on. The different surfaces make a substantial difference to the way the cars handle – players have to make a decision at the start of the race as to which type of tyres they’ll fit on their car; selecting the right set of tyres for the terrain will make all of the difference. There’s a good selection of cars available from the usual manufacturers, but players should be aware of a few issues – namely that the initial selection of vehicles is quite slim, and the game provides no guidance as to the qualities and abilities of each vehicle. Instead, it is really up to the player to race each car and decide which one suits his or her needs – it’s a really bizarre omission.
There are a number of other minor issues that hold Sega Rally back. The PSP is no stranger to long load times, but Sega Rally’s intermissions come in as high as 60 seconds, which is really inexcusable for a portable game. The number of tracks is a little bit on the thin side, which really shows when it comes to the championship mode. Infrastructure and ad-hoc multiplayer support adds a bit of extra life to the game, but one will find that they’ve seen the best the game has to offer within a few days of their initial purchase. Our other main issue is that the game seems to lack the pace and sense of speed of the original two Sega Rally games – one never really feels like they’re hurtling down a track at breakneck speed with a crazy soundtrack and confused navigator (easy right maybe!) blurting in their ear like the originals – the game seems to take itself a bit more seriously than the originals (the lack of ‘GAME OVER…YEAH!’ crushed my spirit – Ed.).
I mean, imagine the nagging and screaming when pulling off a drift like this.
The area where Sega Rally shines the most is in its visual presentation. While it’s obviously not a patch on the new console versions due to the differences in hardware power, the game really pushes the PSP. Fortunately the developer has ensured that the game doesn’t skip a beat – so we get beautiful looking cars, environments and effects and a silky smooth racing experience. The game handles about six cars in a race, which is a reasonably good number, especially given the detail. Unfortunately, the same praise cannot be directed towards the game’s audio, which fails to make any sort of impact on the experience. Particularly disappointing is the game’s navigator, who lacks the enthusiasm of his predecessor.
Sega Rally is a bit of a victim of its own legacy. It’s a good rally game, but it doesn’t really feel quite like the Sega Rally we know and love. While the new Sega Rally offers a satisfying rally experience, it seems to lack the spirit of the two arcade originals – all of the parts are there, but the soul of the series just doesn’t seem to shine through. Perhaps if the sense of speed, crazy music and confused navigator were in place, it would still hold that same weight with us. On top of lacking the same spirit, there’s a few issues with long load times and slightly limited content – you could claim that older Sega Rally titles suffered the same lack of content, but one must keep in mind that this new game was developed with home console use in mind, and thus we would expect a higher degree of content than in an arcade port. Still, despite these shortcomings, Sega Rally is a good game in its own right, and anyone looking for a solid portable rally driving experience should look into it.
Loading...
