SEGA Rally - First Look Preview

One of the iconic names in '90s arcade titles, SEGA Rally is currently undergoing an overhaul. The debut title from SEGA's UK-based Racing Studio, SEGA Rally will be power-sliding across mud and grit on Xbox 360, PlayStation3, and PC during the currently vague 'Winter 2007' period. But before that, TVG was invited along to SEGA's European HQ to get a sneak preview of what we can expect in a few months time.

Despite being over a decade old, SEGA Rally remains a profitable arcade title for the publisher; in fact, the arcade racer is the most profitable arcade title SEGA has ever had, outstripping Daytona USA (which is surely Racing Studio's next target?) After ports to SEGA's last bastions of console hardware, the Saturn and Dreamcast, the brand has been laying dormant - except for a Japanese-only release on PlayStation2 in 2006.

Bringing the franchise into the 21st Century for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC whilst retaining its heritage is a difficult thing to balance, but it's evident that SEGA Racing Studio has both hands on the wheel of the project. Over thirty cars will be featured in the game, including the Subaru Impreza and Ford Focus RS, with all the different car classes you'd expect: 4WD, 2WD, Classic, and even a bunch of bonus cars.

A range of eight environments and locations will also be bundled in the game across Championship and Online modes, though for the demonstration, SEGA took us to a jungle-lined track with a build described as '80% Complete'. Bright and vivid with the sort of over-saturated colours reminiscent of the 1990s original, it's clear that Racing Studio is doing all it can to remain faithful to the series, all the while dragging SEGA Rally onto the next-generation platforms. Back in the days of playing the game in arcades, clutching a fistful of 50p pieces, the then cutting-edge visuals were jaw-dropping - and from SEGA's presentation of the 2007 edition, the upcoming iteration is set to do the same thing all over again.

It may have been the resounding feature of PlayStation3's Motorstorm earlier in the spring, but SEGA Rally is also being built from the ground up to include surface deformation of the track. Coupled with advanced car physics and handling, the addition of surface deformation looks set to evolve the gameplay in every race, as racing lines change with the condition of the course. For instance in the track used for the demonstration, the hard dirt surface laid through the jungle-village (surely sort of human rights violation?) was barely scratched by the tread of the tyres aside from the thin layer of grit. Softer wet mud dotted throughout other parts of the course might have been looking quite smooth at the start, but by the end of the race, they were looking like someone experiencing a significant fit had furrowed them. Demonstrating that the deformation was physical, one SEGA representative even rolled the now muddied Subaru down a furrowed brow on the track, the souped-up car's suspension adjusting independently with every dip. And if that level of detail doesn't suffice, water hazards were also present on the course, filing up some of the channels cut into the mud surrounding the ford - adding to the visual feast being crafted by the Solihull studio. As the mud churns across the track, handling is affected (as you'd expect), but this doesn't seem to be holding back Racing Studio from creating a gameplay experience tethered faithfully to the mid-90s power-sliding original. There are some elements that remain to be fully polished, as SEGA explained that both particle and water effects will be enhanced further between now and release - though where we were seating (which was quite close to the action) there didn't seem to be too much wrong with either, aside from the lack of a water splash.

Of course, SEGA Rally remains an arcade racer, leaving Mr McRae to his simulated experience in DIRT, so that whilst damage to the cars will be added to the final game (it wasn't featured in the build demonstrated at the event) it'll be purely visual, and won't impact the actual performance of the vehicle. A level of environmental damage will also be added to the game, so that barrels and planks of wood can dot the track and have a physical impact on the race too. Besides the visual look of SEGA Rally, Racing Studio is also hard at work tuning the AI of the competitors, which is being designed to simulate the aggressive driving of human players of the game. Last second braking into corners, and cutting in on another player's position to get the best out of the racing line, is all being implemented into the game - though with up to six players in a race, there'll be plenty of multiplayer gaming going on.

It remains early days, but it does seem that Racing Studio's debut title is heading to cross the finishing line in first place, bringing the classic SEGA IP back into the minds (and consoles) of gamers. The strategy of introducing an incredible level of visual detail, coupled with strong gameplay and aggressive AI, will no doubt make SEGA Rally a very solid title when it finally gets its release towards the end of the year. One question though SEGA, can we have a go now?