Introduction

Back in the mid 90’s when arcades were all the rage gamers had few specific genres to choose from. Fighters, light gun games and racing titles. One of the most memorable and probably one I spent far too much money on was Sega Rally. Running on the famed Model 2 arcade board it was filled with awesome track layouts, multiple cars ( okay more like 3 ) , full size racing cabinet with a 4 speed manual and who could forget the classic “ GAME OVER YYYEEEAAAAAAAHHHHH “ it really was one of the best arcade racing games ever. The series has been quite dormant for some time. Asides from a small time sequel and some home ports on the Saturn and PC nobody really heard anything from Sega regarding its beloved arcade rally driving game.

            After a very long hiatus Sega offers Sega Rally Revo. We recently received DiRT from the rally geniuses at Code Masters it’s pretty much known this is the current cream of the crop. The new Sega Rally does have some stiff competition. Let’s see if it just spins its tires in the mud or if it is really is a revolution as the title claims.

Game play and Controls

Let’s get something out of way first Sega Rally Revo is no DiRT. If you’re looking for a very high end rally driving sim, this is NOT your game. Faithful to the original Sega Rally Revo is pure arcade rally driving unfortunately it also brings along some of problems that were present in the first Sega Rally game.

One of the biggest adjustments you’ll have to make from coming from a rally sim like DiRT or the Colin McRae games is that cars here feel very floaty, in some cases almost as if the wheels are not in contact with the ground. Initially you’re going to be slamming into the invisible barriers lining both sides of the track and coming in last place a lot. But because this is purely arcade physics at work here you can hit a wall head on lose some speed and be off on your way almost immediately. There is no damage model at all which I personally feel is a huge loss but most cars would almost be destroyed by races end!

It does take time to get used to as you will be drifting much earlier in anticipation for the turns thanks to your teammate issuing out pace notes telling you what is coming ahead. This can be hard to do because on top of maintaining your position you will also be bouncing all over the place, controlling drifts all while battling with your opponents. It pleases me to say that once you do get used to the course layouts ( and there aren’t too many to begin with ) in an almost elegant manner you’ll  be nailing all your turns, applying the right amount of throttle and brake and blasting out of those hairpins at full speed. But obviously one would need descent controls for that. Here’s where things tend to fall apart. I know I’m beating a dead horse here but the lack of rumble in the SIXAXIS really makes this game a tough sell as with all PS3 racing games. In a game where the feedback is so important it really is missed here. Are you hitting the barriers, about to spin out? There’s no way to tell with the standard controller but all is not lost. Dualshock 3 is coming stateside next year but you guys can do much better in the meantime. Sega Rally Revo takes full advantage of all PS3 compatible Logitech force feedback wheels. I have a Logitech G25 and man oh man the game goes to a whole other level. The force feedback in this game in just incredible make sure you set the force feedback settings to strong you won’t be sorry, I can’t remember the last time I smiled this much during a race. You fly into the hairpin fighting the wheel, quickly spin it back to center while maintaining the throttle and then counter steer and fly out of the corner and ready for the next turn. The feedback range is so broad and varied you will be able to feel the difference between the various terrain types and every bump and dip in the road. It really is awesome but sadly you need to buy a peripheral to get the best experience for the PS3 version at least. Asides from the lack of rumble the PS3 version stands toe to toe with its 360 counterpart.