Sega Rally 2

Genre: Racing	Number of players: 1 or more (internet)	Memory space:
Release date: TBA September	Publisher: Sega	Developer: AM3
Compatible peripherals: Standard Controller,	Steering wheel

An editor at DREAMCAST.IGN.COM has had the chance to play Sega Rally 2. Here are his first impressions (pics at the bottom of the screen).

"Dreamcast's first real racing title (sorry, Pen Pen) hit Japan this past week, and I've spent the past three days since securing my very own copy playing it almost non-stop. After seeing a brief videotape of the conversion at October's New Challenge Conference II, and, subsequently, Tokyo Game Show, I'll admit I had my doubts as to how it'd turn out – it looked mighty under-whelming at the time – but to Sega's credit, I've got to say that I've come away very impressed from my marathon play session. That said, however, it's still not without its flaws.

Having been in Japan the week that Sega Rally 2 hit arcades there, I've spent my share of quality time with the game's Model 3 powered sibling – and I can safely say that its home incarnation delivers a spotless facsimile of its slip-sliding, realistic rally gameplay. The combination of the Dreacast controller's analog stick and shoulder buttons functioned even better than I had expected; I've yet to experience the game with the now-available steering wheel, but I'll update the preview with my impressions as soon as it arrives.

I'm even more impressed, however, by the number of home-only additions that have been made. A whole slew of new tracks and cars are in place, and while the latter serve mostly as icing, the new courses are truly incredible, and don't feel out-of-place in the least. Joining the new courses are environmental effects not seen in the arcade game, such as different times of day (the arcade had nighttime on one course, the home version sports twilight and nighttime on a number of courses) and the addition of rainy weather to the existing snowy and dry climates. The rain effect is rather good, but doesn't produce the splatter effect on the in-car view;s windshield that I was half-way hoping for.

The new cars bring equally new tuning options, which include suspension softness, tire type, steering responsiveness, and several others. Careful adjustment of these options proves essential in obtaining first place in the later stages of the 10 stage rally mode, another new addition to the game. In this mode (which joins a traditional time attack feature), you've got to take on 10 separate heats of four stages (different variations of the six base courses) each in order to be come the grand champion. Placing first each year results in the unlocking of new cars, and, I'm assuming, new cars – I admittedly didn't make it all the way in first place. Why's that? Because the game is definitely on the difficult – though not impossible – end of the spectrum.

Here's where Sega Rally 2 truly shines, and, at the same time, stumbles. By and large, the game is an excellent approximation of its arcade sibling, right down to the special effects. Subtle touches such as spectators running off-track to avoid approaching cars are intact, and while they may not look so hot, the effects of splashing water and mud look exactly like they do in the arcade. Sega has even implemented some new visual effects, the most prominent of which is a sparking of car tailpipes when downshifting.

Framerate – or a lack of consistency therein – is the one area where the game's visuals come up noticeably lacking. In a standard, multi-car match, the game's framerate will vary wildly from the neighborhood of 60fps down to the 30fps range. While neither framerate is anything to scoff at, it's the simple fact that the game can't decide on one to stick with that's annoying. In straight-aways it's eerily smooth, but that's soon remedied when heading into corners, where things begin to get noticeably slower. I'm hopeful that, in its effort to prep the game for stateside release, Sega either optimizes the game enough that it can run at 60fps consistently, or opts to "lock it in" at 30-40fps.

This is one area where the game truly equals its coin-op cousin in every respect, and even betters it in some. Every sound effect has been precisely recreated – from the various engine sounds, to the different sounds made while travelling on tarmac versus dirt – there's even the option to select between male and female co-pilot voices. Very cool.

As for the music, I quite like it. I'll admit that some of it is borderline (or beyond) cheesy – the "go, go, Sega Rally" theme in particular – but that's actually something I've come to love in Sega's racers. Blue Blue Skies? I couldn't get enough. (Oh boy, the hate mail's going to be non-stop…)

I've only had the opportunity to race against others via the game's split-screen mode (Sega's server was busy, busy, busy!) but it was nonetheless a fun experience. Having played two-player matches in the arcade, there really wasn't much difference, unless or course you count the substantial drop in framerate. I'll give my opinions on the Internet play feature as soon as I'm able to log on to Sega's Japanese server.

I was a huge fan of Sega Rally 2 in the arcade, and though I have some serious issues with the Japanese release's framerate, I'm extremely pleased overall with the way the conversion turned out. It looks great, the gameplay is to die for, and the plethora of home-only additions only makes it better. Do I think it's the perfect racer in its current form? No. But do I think it's one of the best I've played in all my years of gaming? Definitely.

Here's hoping that Sega does some re-touching in preparation for the game's domestic release, because if the right changes are made, it could truly be a AAA title across the board.