The early to mid nineties were a great time for arcade going racing fans! Thanks to new and greatly improved 3D technology, a series of now classic racing games began to emerge. Sega were at the forefront of this with 1992's Virtua Racer, which was a great leap forwards from previous attempts at realistic 3D by games such as Hard Drivin'. Then in the mid nineties games like Ridge Racer, and Daytona USA wowed gamers with their brightly coloured visuals! Sega Rally was amongst this classic group of games that could be found in amusement arcades and parks everywhere!

Sega Rally Online Arcade is based upon the recent Sega Rally 3 arcade machine. Here we have a pure arcade driving experience. Realism is thrown right out of the window in favour of high speed racing action. The big and colourful graphics draw you in instantly, and the game is so easy to pick up and play. This is the gaming equivalent of slipping into a warm bath after a five hour trek through a blustery winter downpour. You'll be blasting round the track in no time.



As i've mentioned, this is basically an arcade machine for your Xbox. The game's physics lean totally towards the arcade experience. You can slide round most of the game's corners with ease, you'll bounce off other cars and roadside obstacles and continue along your way. You can even adjust the car slightly in mid-air! It's really quite hard to crash! That's not to say the game is a breeze because it's not. Sega Rally games can be notoriously hard on higher difficulties, and in order to beat the AI and perform well on the leaderboards, you will have to learn each track, drift well, employ a good racing line and avoid puddles. Another tactic is provided by the deformable terrain. It's sometimes better to drive in an existing tyre track for more grip than to perhaps follow the ideal line, although this feature is not particularly prominent in this version compared to the full retail release of Sega Rally. All the cars are fairly similar to drive too. There are slight differences, and some will be more useful than others on different tracks, but they are all easy to pick up and drive. Rubber banding is also present in this game, love it or hate it!! This is where the game alters the AI progress depending on how you are doing, ensuring you always have a chance to catch up.




Graphics:
The visuals are bright and appealing as i've already mentioned, but don't expect too much detail compared to modern retail releases. They are very acceptable for an arcade title. There are some nice mud effects as the cars become caked in the stuff as they negotiate certain tracks. There are quite a lot of track-side features too. I suspect the frame rate is a little low. My research suggests 30fps, but it seems pretty adequate overall. There are no vehicle damage effects.

Sound:
Nothing too impressive. Typically forgettable rock tracks that you might expect in this type of game. I turned them down in the audio menu straight away. The engine noises are non too great either.

Features:
This is the game's downside. I've already mentioned that this is an arcade game for your Xbox, and here you get little more content than you would from an arcade machine. Thirteen cars in total doesn't seem too bad, but only five tracks to choose from is quite sparse.

The single player Championship mode is a four track series against the AI. Then there is "Quick race", which allows you to quickly practice any track with one of eleven cars. Some cars need to be unlocked through play which adds a touch of longevity. There is also the usual "Time Attack" mode. Finally there's "Classic mode". Here you choose from one of two classic rally cars, and race a single AI opponent on a classic Sega Rally course.

Multi-player is catered for with a head to head local mode, or a simple online lobby system where you race one track at a time and then return to the lobby to select the conditions for the next race. There are no levelling up systems or statistics.

The Leaderboards are the game's main draw. Competing with your friends' times, or the best drivers in the world is what this game is all about.

The achievements provide quite a challenge, but it is a very achieveable 200.

And basically that is it. Not too much content at all. Having said that however, the game is only 800msp, so it's not all that bad.




Summary:

Overall, i'd say this is a great little game. It provides great arcade action and the Leaderboards provide a level of addiction. If you love Sega Rally, you'll enjoy this game. Other driving fans may be put off by the simple physics. I know driving fans can be very fussy about which types of driving games they will play.

This is by no means an essential purchase. There is nothing new here and not a great deal of content. The graphics aren't overly amazing, but you will still enjoy looking at it, and, as an Arcade title for 800msp it provides plenty of fun for your money. You could do a lot worse.

Overall score: 8 out of 10.