Sega Rally PSP Review

Many PSP releases of multi-format titles have ended up in severe disappointment in the past. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas was a particularly shocking example of a game that was great on the next-gen machines but had a PSP interpretation that was shockingly bad. Thankfully, that's definitely not the case with Sega Rally on the PSP. Bugbear, the developers responsible for translating Sega Racing Studio's masterpiece to the PSP, have built the handheld title from the ground up, interpreting SRS's work on the next-gens/PC for those on the go. Not only is it faithfully translated, but it even has some nifty features that aren't on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC releases.

While you have the same range of vehicles at your disposal (from the Subaru Impreza, to the Lancia Delta and unique Sega Rally vehicles such as the H3 Hummer), the tracks are significantly different from their next-gen counterparts. The types of track are the same - Safari, Alpine, Canyon, Tropical and Arctic - but the tracks themselves are completely different in terms of shape and design etc. Don't expect any features such as low flying jets, hot air balloons and birds on the track, but Bugbear has succeeded in retaining the same general feel for the track designs as the next-gen versions.

Of course, there's no surface deformation to the tracks surface and the various terrains lack the same complexity that we've seen on the next-gen games, but it would be ridiculous to expect Bugbear to achieve such a feat on the humble PSP. Instead, they have stretched the hardware at their disposal considerably to deliver the best interpretation of the unique next-gen features possible. There may well be no surface deformation, but the cars will leave marks on the road's surface from lap to lap so, if you spin off into a wall, the skidmarks from your perilous journey will remain there on the next lap. The different terrains do vary in consistency, with a snow covered surface providing a lot less grip than tarmac, although obviously not to the same detailed level as is present on the next-gens. Bugbear has also added a couple of nifty little touches to bring more life to the tracks, with debris such as cones and oil drums that scatter across the road's surface when a passing car gives them a good clout, as well as rocks that build up on the circuit throughout a race's duration.

The handling of the cars on the PSP feels very different from the Xbox 360/PS3. For one, the vehicles simply aren't as quick (as you'd expect); secondly, the drifting has an entirely different feel to it. Instead of the incredibly hard to master Burnout style drift present on the table-top consoles, the PSP version offers a much more conventional type of cornering. Instead of having your foot firmly on the throttle as you drive through a corner, the key to success on the PSP is finding a breaking point for a turn, correcting your oversteer and tentatively dabbing the throttle through the bend before accelerating out of it. Sure, it's a fairly basic driving style, but it still makes for some engaging and addictive gameplay nonetheless.

One area that PSP games often fall down on is challenging and convincing AI. No such problem with Sega Rally as the AI vehicles, while not quite as dauntingly fast as their next-gen counterparts, are very aggressive and will fight for their position like a Siberian tigress defending her cubs. This really perks up the gameplay and makes a race much more than just driving fast enough to speed past the lifeless frontrunners.

As far as the game modes are concerned, there's much the same on offer as the Xbox 360/PS3/PC games. In the single player game, gamers can enjoy three different championships: 'Premier' (which features contemporary rally cars), 'Modified' (modified contemporary vehicles) and 'Masters' (classic rally cars from days gone by, such as the iconic Toyota Celica). Each championship is then split into three leagues ('Amateur', 'Professional' and 'Expert') of three or four races each and a championship final which is unlocked once enough points are accrued from the league events. There's definitely enough content to keep even the most insomnia afflicted gamer busy for quite some time, and the various unlockables (cars, liveries and tracks) provide enough of a reward to keep you beavering away. While the difficulty level and learning curve aren't quite as steep as the main Sega Rally games from SRS, it's still not easy by any stretch of the imagination and, let's face it, playing a rock hard game on your PSP while your being jogged about on public transport is far from enjoyable.

One thing we would like to mention at this point is the inspired tyre selection feature at the beginning of each race/championship. You're shown the terrain breakdown for each circuit in the championship and an overall average, which tells you what proportion of the track is road, loose surfaces or slippery terrain. You are then prompted to choose one of three tyre types that correspond to the three surfaces. Make the wrong tyre choice and you'll find yourself in the middle of the pack. It really does add a nice sprinkling of strategy to what is quite an arcadey racer. All the next-gen games could muster is two tyre choices prior to a championship and no terrain breakdown whatsoever - Godspeed to the PSP, then.

Another nice touch that the PSP has in the single player championship - that the other versions once again don't boast - is the ability to save a championship when you're halfway through it. On the next-gens, quitting in the middle of an event leads to you loosing your progress, which is a tad frustrating. It's probably been added to the PSP because Bugbear have wisely noted that handheld gaming sessions are often on the short side compared to the home systems.

But, getting back to the game modes, 'Quick Race' is self-explanatory and much the same experience as the next-gen systems. 'Time Attack', on the other hand, has seen significant changes as there won't be the same amount of online features available via the PSP. On the next-gen machines, 'Time Attack' provides downloadable ghosts from Xbox Live/PSN as well as leaderboards. Conversely, this mode on the PSP doesn't have any online features and instead focuses on an old-skool Sega Rally format where you have to restore time on a countdown timer by passing through checkpoints. The further you get before time runs out, the higher your score. You can also race against ghosts of yourself and, while more uploadable online features would've been nice, it's an enjoyable little bit of nostalgia for what it's worth.

There are some considerable online features on the PSP in the 'Multiplayer' mode though. Gamers can compete in four player infrastructure and ad-hoc modes but, perhaps most significantly, the game sharing feature is quite extensive. Not only does it also support up to four players, but you can select from three tracks to race on. If only all PSP games were like this then it might inspire us to actually go up to strangers brandishing a PSP and offer a game, rather than suffer the inevitably awkward 'Have you got this game, or that game?' conversation.

Visually, it's impressive for the PSP. The cars are the highlight of these nice visuals with smooth models and, while the textures of the tracks/backgrounds look slightly jagged in a typically PSP manner, they're still nice looking for the system's capabilities.

Sound wise, the beautiful trademark sounds of a Sega arcade game are everywhere from the prompt sound when you press start on the menu screen, to the cheesy in-game soundtrack. There's not quite the same amount of auditory detail present on the next-gens (again, understandably given that it's a PSP game) but you certainly won't be reaching for the mute button (if the PSP had one, that is).