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Specs Release Dates Codes Now Available Reviews Snapshots

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Sega Rally - Sega (AM3)

Lowdown:

Saturn critics will no longer be able to say how poorly the Saturn does 3d. The Saturns 3d prowess is shown everywhere in this game. The only noticable difference between this and the arcade version is the slightly lower resolution graphics. The silky smooth frame rate puts Daytona for the Saturn to shame. Sega Rally is a must buy unless you really hate racing games.

When Daytona USA for the Saturn...people thought that it would never be able to match the 3d graphic quality of the Playstation they were wrong. If you've seen the arcade version of SR, then you have seen the Saturn version, the two versions are almost identical. There is very little of the nasty thing that plagued Daytona USA called pop-up. So, how was this jump in graphics quality possible? Was it AM2's new 3d libraries? Not only does this game NOT use the new and improved graphics libraries, but it also had a lot more development time. Daytona: 4 months versus Sega Rally's 7 month long development. Who know's what AM3 could do with the new libraries?

Remember that god aweful music in Daytona? Well don't worry cause there's no more singer, or happy music, instead they've given Rally an apropriate soundtrack. The sound effects are also what you'd expect from any racing game, and the programmers at AM3 have taken advantage of the left and right audio channels. This gives you a 3-d feel if the sound is going through a stereo system. The best example of the stereo effects are in 2-player mode, in which at the begining of the race the engine sounds come from the appropriate channel depending on the car's location.

Sega Rally ranks among the best driving games currently available. The gameplay in the Saturn version is top-notch. AM3 was not satisfied with just and arcade clone, so they went on to include an extremely playable 2 player split-screen mode. Which considerably lengthens SR's lifespan. Loads of options are also included in SR. Beyond the standard difficulty and steering adjustment you can change the music for each track, create and save up to 4 custom cars, and race against a 'ghost' car of your best time (you have to run 1 race first OR have a memory cart to save the actual best time run). Also included is the Lakeside track which you gain access to after finishing first in 'Championship Mode', and an extra car called the Stratos (see cheats section). The Stratos goes about 10 MPH faster than the other cars...upon using it your times will improve even on a mediocre race.

Graphics: 10

• + Ultra smooth frame rate.
• + Very little pop up.
• + There's nothing bad to say about the graphics.

• + The music is great!
• +/- The sound f/x are realistic in every way but nothing special.
• - There's still a little Daytona-ish sound (ie Game Over, Replay)

• + AM3 went beyond the arcade version.
• +/- The control takes a little while to get used to. Not as good as Daytona but still excellent.
• + This game is even better with the arcade racer.

• + 2 player mode leeps you coming back.
• + So many options.
• - When will these games have more than 3-4 tracks?