SEGA Rally Revo (Xbox 360) Review
Posted by Rod Oracheski on 11.21.2007
If you want to slow down for corners, pick up Forza 2 instead. Who slows down for turns? Girls and old people - that's who!
There was a time when SEGA was king of the arcade racers, a run that included classics like Out Run, Virtua Racing, Daytona USA, and Sega Rally Championship.
SEGA's new racer, SEGA Rally Revo, doesn't appear in arcades, but it's obvious that's where its bloodlines originate. In a sea of racers that are busily trying to outdo each other in terms of realism, pushing to get their track surface temperatures and friction coefficients perfected, SEGA's development, aptly named SEGA Rriving Studio (SRS), is instead pursuing a different focus - boosting adrenaline.
That's right, there's little worry about drag or friction or proper entry and exit vectors for cornering, just crazy powersliding and to-the-floor acceleration - an arcade game in everything but location.
So do you want an arcade game in your living room?
Gameplay
As an arcade racer, gamers shouldn't expect much in the way of customizations for their rides. A few new paint templates can be unlocked for each car, taking just a few races to unlock, and there are two options for race-day preparations - do you want road or off-road tires? It's not exactly what gamers are accustomed to these days, when games like Forza 2 allow custom paint jobs and the ability to tweak even the most minor detail of your metal chariot. On the bright side, keeping things simple means that games start up quickly - choose a race (Quick Race, Championship, Time Attack, and Multiplayer), choose a car, select your tires and you're off!
Oddly enough, the largest customization in the game comes from the GeoDeformation system, which grants the track a high level of topographical detail - much more than is found in the typical racing game. In addition, the surface of the track becomes chewed up by traffic as tires gouge large ruts in soft mud, gravel, or snow. (Side note - the snow effects in this game are outstanding. When the track transfers from bare to slush to snow, then eventually transfers back, the visuals absolutely nail the look that you see on the average Canadian road in the winter. Fantastic job there, SRS!)
The effect is more than merely a visual, as deep ruts will slow down your vehicle. Even with off-road tires, it's best to avoid the really choppy parts of the track. That goes double during the sections with water, as ruts will fill with water and do a double-whammy on your forward momentum. Of course by the second or third time around the track it can be difficult to find a clean section to drive on, but that's part of the strategy. Do you leave a clean line on one side of the track, hoping no NPC driver will take it, so you have a chance at a fast final lap?
That bit of strategy aside, the most important thing to master is the controls. They're kept fairly simple, following the game's core arcade sensibilities, with the triggers for gas and brake, B/X Buttons to shift up and down, and the A Button for handbrake in the default configuration. A secondary configuration gives you shifting on the bumpers, which might work better for some players. The game also supports both the 360 Wireless Racing Wheel and Logitech Drive FX wheel.
While the controller works adequately, the wheel might be the way to go for this one as the game uses a center-pivot control system, where the car doesn't really turn through a corner so much as it slides through.
Light turns require a touch to the left or right, while medium turns take only a slight bit more tweaking of the controller. It can be difficult to grasp initially, especially for those who have become accustomed to the rigid systems found in simulation racers where entry speed and turning apex need to be considered carefully. In SEGA Rally Revo, however, the only concern is 'how fast can I take this corner and still make it through?'
Still, it's frustrating for beginners who'll find themselves wildly overcorrecting as they speed down the track. Invisible barriers keep vehicles on the course, another concession to the arcade nature of the game, so newbies can look forward to bouncing from side to side down straightaways during their first races.
One hitch to the crazy powersliding style of gameplay is a camera that, in any outside-the-car view, just doesn't keep up with the car. Sliding sideways through a 90 degree turn at 65 mph is fun, but when you're staring at the side of your car instead of the road ahead, it makes it a bit hard to plan your exit strategy...
Another slight negative is that there's no qualifying lap, so you'll start in last place in every single race, but at least there's an Achievement for moving into first place by the end of the first trip round the track.
The game offers online play for up to six players, as well as two-player split-screen for those who game offline. Matches are, as is to be expected, wild affairs that feature considerably more 'rubbing' than normal racing games - and very, very few gamers who'll complain about it. It's part of the game here, and part of the fun.
Graphics
As mentioned earlier, the environmental effects in SEGA Rally Revo are outstanding. Cars carve ruts in the snow, sand, and mud that persist through the race. Vehicles also collect mud, dirt, and snow through the race, though hitting a puddle will wash off some of the muck and going into warmer sections of track will melt off the snow - just top-notch attention to detail there.
The game doesn't aim for a photorealistic look, instead shooting for - and nailing - the classic SEGA racer feel: sun-drenched environments filled with vibrant colours. It's that hyper-real look that's so appealing to fans of their old games, offering up something that's largely overlooked in 'modern' games.
Outside the weather effects and the overall 'feel' of the game, things aren't as spectacular. There's a decent variety of vehicles, 30 in all and each with a few paint options, but there's no damage modeling at all - kind of a letdown for a game that emphasizes the wild nature of the racing, even if it is an arcade racer. The track selection, spread across a variety of environments, tend to blur together after just a few races. Each offers a decent amount of track-side detail, with accompanying sound effects, but that detail sometimes overcomes the game engine and causes the framerate to drop.
Pop-in is a minor issue for the game, but not in the parts of the track that you'd expect. Normally it's trackside detail that appears out of nowhere, but that's not the case here thanks to tracks that spend a great deal of time offering up curves. Instead it's the detail of ruts in the track that appear a car-length or two ahead, which makes planning a safe route through the carnage a bit more challenging. It's not a case of total pop-in, as ruts with water are visible from quite some distance - it really seems to mainly be the shading that pops in.
Audio
As an arcade racer, it's not surprising that the audio gets shortchanged but it's still disappointing. There's not much differentiation between engine sounds, and the environmental sound effects (elephants, jets, etc...) are all pretty generic. Even the announcer who calls out corners ahead of time isn't distinct enough to catch over the din of whining engines and splashing water. I expected more from the audio than it delivers, based on the relative quality of the rest of the package.
Lasting Appeal
In the end, SEGA Rally Revo doesn't provide a great deal of depth to the gameplay. Once you have a dozen or so races under your belt, you've pretty much plumbed the depths of the gameplay well. From that point on it's all about perfecting your lines and trying to get the perfect lap, then the perfect race.
The game is one that can be kept in a collection and popped in on those lazy Saturday afternoons for a few races, and offers up some replay value when friends are over. The split-screen is a bit difficult to play as it splits the screen vertically, limiting your peripheral vision. That's just poor form in a game that's all about sliding sideways into corners. Fortunately the races are relatively short and the controls are - once past the initial overcorrection-fest - easy to remember, so this is one you can play 'pass the controller' with.
Fun Factor
Like all SEGA's arcade racers, SEGA Rally Revo delivers on the fun factor. Like many arcade games, however, that fun wears off fairly quickly - this isn't a title that'll sustain the average gamer for hours at a time. There are very few racers out there with this kind of 'fun first' sensibility and, even with its glitches, the gameplay provides the adrenaline boost that it's intended to.
The 411
If you're a fan of arcade racers or just looking for a fun diversion, SEGA Rally Revo could be what you're looking for. There's not a great deal of depth to be found, but it's hard to hold that against an arcade racer when the controls work so well. Not for everyone, but a pretty good example of why SEGA used to be huge.
Graphics
8.5
It's got all the vibrant colours that you expect from a SEGA racing game and the snow effects are amazing. Some framerate drops and pop-in mar the otherwise serviceable graphics.
Gameplay
8.5
It's classic SEGA rally racing controls, but that's not for everyone. If you're not a fan of center-pivot racing, stay well away. There's not much depth to the racing, but what's there is fun.
Sound
7.0
Weak sound track and generic engine sounds. The turn calls can be hard to understand at times, but there's a good variety of environmental sounds.
Lasting Appeal
7.0
You'll get some games out of multiplayer, and there's even split-screen for offline racers, but there's just not much depth or variety here.
Fun Factor
8.0
The classic SEGA formula hasn't worn out its welcome, at least in this house. You can't help but feel they could have done more, though.
