Sega Rally Revo

Sega Rally is easily the freshest arcade driving experiences to have emerged in years, providing more wide-eyed excitement in five minutes than most games manage in five hours. Not since "Burnout 2" has a driving game stood out as so completely different to everything else, and provided so much instant, moreish entertainment to such a high technical standard.

A near flawless combination of old-school Sega magic and exciting new track deformation technology, Sega Rally effortlessly delivers a fast and accessible, yet deep and competitive arcade racing game that should appeal to both diehard Sega fans and newcomers alike.

It's this kind of smooth, easy perfection that floods the game. [Nov 2007, p.92]

They have kept everything that makes Sega Rally great and somehow managed to improve it in nearly every respect.

The best game to carry the name since '95, but more than that - it's the best straight racing game you'll find on this console and indeed one of the best pure racers you'll have played in years...Every second is a second you'll spend on the edge of your seat. Thrilling. [Nov 2007, p.74]

The old king of rally is back. Who needs realism when the cars are this fun to drive and the world is so wonderfully vivid? What the game could have used is more variety in its tracks – and more tracks. [Oct 2007]

Sega Rally Revo, like its predecessors, is all about the thrill of flying around a track. [Nov 2007, p.73]

This version of Sega Rally isn't as good as the game that stole my heart and money all those years ago, however it's more than a worthy homage.

Even though most of the modes are all very similar, you'll have a blast rally racing every time you pick this one up!

Online races with six players were smooth and relatively lag-free, and the downloadable time trial ghost cars come in very handy when trying to better your previous lap records. It's the kind of feature set that hardcore SEGA Rally fans will appreciate, but casuals might be left wondering why more isn't on offer.

SEGA Rally Revo is a great rally experience if you like the more arcade side of things as opposed to the simulation aspect of gaming. The handling might seem a little off to players used to more rigid surfaces and the weird uncontrollable out of car view seems mightily strange to include in an game of this type.

By any measure, it has solid racing mechanics. But then, variety is the spice of life and this title could use a bit more.

Sega nailed the series' arcade feel. The game controls just like the original, right down to the muddy power slides and pure sensation of speed.

Sega Rally is the most ambitious racing game in some time and a brilliant return to form for the series. Overlook it at your own risk. [Nov 2007, p.110]

It’s a solid arcade racer that is fun to play. It feels shallow compared to other recent racers, but it's still appealing.

Simple on the surface, yet with almost endless replay value, and most definitely worthy of the great name it has inherited. [Issue#25, p.80]

While it may come off as unimaginative and highly repetitive to some, there is an ample amount of entertainment awaiting fans of the Sega Rally series, and those fans of arcade racers in general.

In the end I do feel that there's enough room for an arcade racing game, but it's important to realize that this type of game is not for everybody. Then again, this type of game will surely scratch a certain kind of itch that neither Forza nor Project Gotham Racing has been able to get to.

It has enough to keep any committed racing fan coming back for a good couple of months.

Sega Rally Revolution is the kind of game anyone you know could pick up and start enjoying immediately. It's not the deepest game you'll ever play, but it is fun and an excellent way to kill some time on the weekend.

Sega Rally Revo’s gameplay is both basic and difficult, and thus aligns correctly with its Sega Rally Championship roots, but these traits don’t transfer as well onto a complex console of the new millennium.

Unfortunately the game does itself damage by having very little depth and running out of new tracks long before you have even considered being satisfied.

The big problem is durability. With a fun but shallow physics model, a dearth of tracks, no vehicular upgradeability/downgradeability, and so few options, Revo simply isn't set up for a long run. But it's a hell of a good arcade ride in the meantime.

The technology behind Sega Rally Revo is undeniably impressive and the driving is a good bit of arcade fun, but the game's staying power is highly questionable.

It's certainly no "Dirt"--Codemaster's off-road racer is still in a league of its own--but Sega Rally Revo's uniquely interactive terrain and unrefined bounce-me-off-the-walls driving dynamic help compensate for its thin venue count and constrained physics. [Dec 2007, p.73]

SEGA Rally Revo is a fun arcade racer, but those expecting something with the depth of DiRT will be disappointed.

SEGA Rally Revo might not have every angle fully developed, but with the GeoDeformation and bright graphics all the flaws simply fade into the background as you rip up a few laps in your favourite Rally car. If you’re a fan of racing games SEGA Rally Revo is worth a look as SEGA returns to its arcade racing roots.

Sega Rally Revo is a great addition to a fun arcade racing series, and is a fantastic entry point for new fans. However, if you prefer your console racing experience to a bit more sim based, this isn't the title for you.

It sure is neat to look at.

Sega Rally Revo is a racing game developed for the gamer who does not want to be bothered by the nuts and bolts of a typical driving game, or realism. The game succeeds in being a good time for casual gaming fans who will not mind how shallow and simple it really is.

No, Revo's not bursting with originality or play options, but it's a solid racer that feels completely different from the competition. [Dec 2007, p.104]

Sega Rally Revo has its market and it knows it. You probably won't change your mind about arcade or rally racing games because of this game, but if this is your genre already, or you've just liked the past Sega Rally titles, feel free to jump straight in behind the wheel.

Perhaps, in this fastest of genres, it’s simply six months too late...in a race with "Forza Motorsport 2," "PGR4," "Dirt" and even the likes of "MotoGP '07," there’s the unmistakeable feel that Sega Rally’s been superseded before it leaves the grid. [Nov 2007, p.89]

It may take a while to get used to and not have the longevity that other racing games offer, but its frenetic arcade gameplay is a blast to play and makes a change from the simulations on the market.

If you played racing games in the arcade during the early to mid '90s, chances are that you've played Sega Rally Revo. Sure, the package is prettier now, and Sega has tried to update the franchise with the addition of deformable terrain, but compared to some of the newer racing titles available, everything else just feels like old hat.

Overall, "Sega Rally Revo" does offer the cool addition of GeoDeformation and moderately enjoyable multiplayer options. However, the game suffers from dismaying AI (which takes away from the fun of the single player), little depth and what I consider to be overly floaty control.

I had high hopes for Rally Revo. By all technical standards the game is a success, but it just wasn’t fun to play after getting beat up and down by the flawless AI and sadistic championship design.

GeoDeformed ruts are cool, but when each like-classed car handles the same and there's no threat of driving off the road, the only "rut" that matters is the one you feel you're in when going from one race to the next.

While some may argue that Sega Rally fits their bill for arcade racing, I don’t think there’s any forgiving this game for how shallow it is. Apart from unlocking tracks, cars, and paint schemes, it simply offers very little else.

Revo is moderately fun at best. The sense of speed is decent. The sense of control, power, and precision per car is hard to distinguish for the majority of vehicles, and there is nothing wacky, silly, or distinct about the game that provides that creative hook that other racing games such as Daytona USA, Colin McRae Racing, or Gran Turismo provide. In short, Sega Rally Revo is disappointing.