Sega Rally Championship 2 (Import)

Obviously, the expectations were high with the sequel to what I and many others consider the greatest off-road racing game ever developed. Therefore, I'm pleased to report that Sega Rally Championship 2 has convinced me that come the Dreamcast's North American launch day, I will definitely be lining up early to score my very own machine. To me, this game alone is worth the ticket price.

GOOD 'N GRITTY

Like the Saturn version of the first Sega Rally, Rally 2 comes loaded with beautiful vistas, muddy runways and tough virtual opponents. The difference here is that the processing and graphics power of the Dreamcast now allows the developers so much more room to breathe. If you thought Sega Rally was something to look at, be prepared to lose all self control when your peepers float over Rally 2's 60-fps animation, rock solid 3-D backgrounds and awesome environmental effects.

The best thing about racing off road in Sega Rally 2 is watching how much of that muddy road your car picks up as it plows towards the finish line. This is in addition to the sparkling environmental mapping, reflections and transparencies on display in this looker.

The vehicles in Sega Rally 2 are absolutely stunning. Impeccably modeled and artfully textured, these cars run wide laps around anything currently seen on home console systems. Sega has gathered together an impressive collection of rally cars. Fans of the sport will be excited to see the missile-shaped Lancia Stratos HF, the sturdy Peugeot 306 and the extremely dependable Subaru Impreza WRC. These babies join Rally 1's familiar Toyota Celica GT and Lancia Delta HF at the starting line. In total there are eight vehicles to choose from at the start of the game but as you start placing well on each of the courses, a host of new vehicles are unlocked. Obviously as you earn new cars, you can also earn new lap and race records on each of the insidiously challenging rally courses.

Rally 2's courses themselves are astonishing. Separated into four individual environmental conditions, the "roads" of Rally 2 are alternatively icy, muddy, sandy or paved. You'll be racing on Snowy Mountains, in the Desert, up an Alpine trail or through an urban setting on the Riviera. Each of the courses is affected by a variety of weather conditions. You can race through the game in rain, sun, fog, and also at nighttime. The environmental effects in the game are terrific. The rain flying towards you is a sensational illusion, likewise is the gentle, calming snowfall.

Pretty lighting effects in Rally 2 abound. From the individual race fan camera flashes, to the sparking tailpipes and crimson taillight bursts of a slowing racecar, to flaring city street lamp lights, everywhere you look in this game you're destined to see something you like.

ALL THAT GLITTERS AIN'T GOLD

The visuals of Sega Rally 2 are not flawless, however. The game comes complete with corners cut and shortcuts taken.

Two-player split screen mode is especially disappointing. The draw-in is horrendous, the frame rate is dodgy and the lack of user-defined camera angles (only two choices) makes racing more difficult than it should be. Rally 2's split screen is hardly what I would call unplayable (once you get accustomed to the fact that it's not a step forward, it's quite fun) but it certainly doesn't run much better than the first Rally split screen on the Saturn! Frankly coming from what's being billed as the "ultimate video game machine," I find this lack of polish in the two-player split screen surprising.

I was equally surprised to see the fits and starts in Rally 2's frame rate in the single player mode. This only occurred when I played the game in the out-of-car perspective (again, why only two playable camera choices?)but the fact that it occurred at all was discouraging.

Obviously, there are some concessions that have to be made for first generation software on a new game machine, but as a qualified Sega-rooter I couldn't help but feel a tad saddened every time the motion would get a little chuggy. Here's hoping that both the frame rate and split screen issues are taken care of by the time the game is ready to hit North American stores.

10 YEARS?

As nice looking as Sega's Rally games are, it is the distinctive feel of the gameplay that has kept arcade and console players hooked on this series since its inception. As the first racing game to feature a scaled down, fun-physics interpretation of what it feels like to race on ridiculously slippery-slimy surfaces, Sega Rally was a spills n' chills blast. Fans will not be disappointed by the refinements and improvements made to Rally 1's hypnotic out-of-control vibe.

Sega Rally 2 comes packed with nail-biting sloppy corners, tasty air-catching jumps and a posse of the meanest daredevil virtual drivers this side of Twisted Metal. It has always taken a high level of patience and skill to succeed in Sega Rally. Nothing's changed. Well, actually, something has changed. Now your valiant efforts on the racetrack are justly rewarded. All of the vehicle choices and the nice assortment of courses and environmental variables makes Sega Rally 2 one of the most value-packed racers on the market. That's before we start talking about the Internet-capabilities (which we couldn't test, seeing that this was an import) or the very cool 10-Year season mode.

10-Year mode is awesome. This is where you put your skills to the ultimate test. Each season is made up of four tracks. You have to continue to beat the courses in the time allotted to advance to the next one. Do well successively throughout your current season and you'll advance to new seasons and even more rewards. This is a fantastic way to keep the solo-player involved. In fact, this is one of the first racing games I've played where because of the wealth of secrets and game play modes accessible, it's almost more fun just to play the game alone. 'Course networked play has yet to be experienced (oh, hurry up and release this thing over here, Sega!).

Control of the vehicles is quite supple but also comes in a variety of flavors, depending on the cars you choose and the amount of tinkering you do. Veterans of the first Rally will, of course, have to take some time to adjust to the Dreamcast controller. However, Saturn Rally players who utilized that system's 3-D analog joypad will find themselves in familiar territory here. The analog triggers on the DC controller operate as the brake and gas pedals respectively. It was extremely pleasant to discover just how precise these input toggles were. You could actually just let off the gas to make specific chicanes instead of having to resort to the "feathering" technique associated with digital buttons. Bravo!

The analog thumbstick itself is utilized well but truth be told, at first it feels like you've got a tighter grip on the road if you tap your way through the game using the digital D-pad. Odd. After several hours playing the game, however, I started to use the analog thumbstick exclusively and my lap times remained consistent or, in some cases, improved.

DEAFENING

Sega soundtracks are notorious for being overly dramatic, busy and cheesy. Sega Rally 2's music is no exception. An eclectic collection of powder-puff jazzy instrumentals and tasteless pop riffs, and of course a typical "Game Over" chorus piping up after a race, is what you can expect to find on the disc. The fidelity is good but once again a Sega arcade translation comes through with weak musical content. When is Sega going to surprise us with some smoking tunes?

Rally 2's sound effects fare better. Individualized engine whines and the sounds of tires working against the forces of nature come through strong. The fans' appreciation of the competition before them sounds convincing as does the whir of the TV helicopter's blades.

There's nothing in the game's audio which raises the bar above any of the best racing games you've played recently but you won't be embarrassed patching Sega Rally 2 through your surround stereo. Just turn the volume down when the singing starts.

PLENTY TO LIKE

Happily, the great graphics are just the start of Sega Rally 2's goodness. You won't spend very much time cycling through the generous offerings in the game's set up menus before you realize that this is a disc that must be possessed. September 9, 1999. Go ahead, mark it down on your calendars. I'll see you in line.

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