Sega Rally Championship PC
Preview by Al Giovetti, 02/10/97
Price: SRP $44.95-$49.95
Release: February 19, 1996 (s.i.c. Sega)
Developer: SEGA of Japan
Producer: Matt Wolf and Scott Hawkins
Art: Ryuhei Arai
Music: Naofumi Hataya
Programmer:Tatsuya Satoh
Publisher: Sega Entertainment
Category: Arcade-Racing
Objective: Mastery of performance on the track
Release: February 19, 1997
Demo: 8.8 MB ( HYPERLINK http://www.sega.com/segapc/downloads/games/rally.html http://www.sega.com/segapc/downloads/games/rally.html The downloadable demo does not have the music soundtrack included but the final game will.
Web site:HYPERLINK http://www.sega.com/segapc/games/arcade/rally/page3.html
Platforms: PC CD-ROM
ESRB: K-A
Requirements: Windows '95, Pentium with 75 MHz, 16 MB RAM, 2x CD-ROM drive, 20 MB free on hard drive to install, 16 bit audio, SVGA, 256 colors, Sound Blaster 16 or compatible. (Optimal System is a Pentium with 133 MHz.) Rally is also MMX compatible.
Company line: Hi Al, I wanted to give you the heads-up on Sega Entertainment's newest PC title, Sega Championship Rally, which is shipping in mid-February. I thought you might be especially interested in the title because it is well known in the arcades and the name will be recognized among gamers.
Sega has earned a quality reputation for developing killer arcade racing games and they've taken one of their biggest hits in Sega Rally Championship (both in the arcade and on the Saturn) and brought it over to the PC. Arcade racing games, while they have been around in arcades and on console systems, have not been available on the PC. Sega Entertainment is one of the first to deliver an experience previously not available for sole PC gamers. Sega Rally Championship is an arcade racer where the objective is mastery of performance on the track. Rally "thrills" with superior gameplay as opposed to a racing "sim" where players become highly involved in fine-tuning everything. History:
Plot: You win when you come in first. The game is fun to play whether you win or not. You must reach the next check point in the game within the allotted time to move on to the next screen. Unlike the arcade version, you cannot put a quarter into the game to go on, once the time is out you cannot go on.
Game play: This is an all our race with the screen showing total time, lap time, car type, fastest lap, gear (shift), speed, best lap, and position. There is no dash board on the screen and these statistics are shown on letters that overlay the window into the game, like a HUD in a fighter cockpit.
Tracks: Four courses to race (Desert, Mountain, Forest and bonus Lakeside Course). Specialized physics model makes road conditions reactive (Rally is one of the only racing games to take advantage of actual surface structure-asphalt, sand, mud, etc.). Once the track is selected, you can specify the number of laps.
Cars you drive: Tunable cars are optional, depending on the player's preference. Cars can be selected and customized forr tires, transmission (CELICA and DELTA cars only), handling, suspension, and blow off valve.
Modes: The game plays in arcade championship, arcade practice, time attack, and 2 player battle modes. Arcade is just like the arcade version with fourteen (14) computer controlled opponents. In the practice mode you can improve your skills while in th championship mode you proceed right on to the next race after winning. Time Attack allows you to race against yourself again and again until you get a part of a track down pat. See multi-player below for a description of the two player modes.
Graphics: Backgrounds actually "render-on-the-fly." Selectable modes (full screen and window) and color depths mean the user can tune the game to their computer and make graphics come alive. The resolution is 640x480 pixels and 320x240 pixels with 16-bit color or 8 bit color in full screen or windowed screen.
Animation:
Voice actors: The voice of your co-driver warns you of road conditions, approaching signs, and other track conditions.
Music score:
Sound effects:
Utilities:
Multi-player: TCP/IP, IPX, and Modem Link play allow for two people to go head-to-head against each other on a screen that is split into two parts with one player at the top of the screen and the other at th bottom. Controls for the split screen are on the keyboard or controller pads.
Future:
Press:
References:
Final code of the game is available for review by the press. Also available is along with more "free stuff" from the Sega Entertainment website. (Please note that...we wanted to keep the size managable.)