Sega Rally Revo Xbox 360 Review

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January 14th, 2008 Rich Reed Leave a comment Go to comments

Rally racing games are not as common on the Xbox 360. Perhaps it’s due to the way the sport is or maybe they are just harder to create. My favorite Rally game was Ralli Sport Challenge 2, but as we all know the series was cancelled when Xbox decided to sell their sports games.

I enjoy the Dirt series, but I wanted to find something new. Sega has brought out a few decent racing games and, while they tend to be more on the arcade side, they are fun. So when Sega Rally Revo hit the Xbox 360, I really was interested in trying it out. I wanted to get away from the street racing games for a bit and spend some time in the dirt and snow. Read the full Sega Rally Revo Review and find out what I thought of the game.

Gameplay

I was a little surprised that while the game is a next-gen title, it still had the look and feel of the Dreamcast Sega Rally game of the late 90’s. I know Sega always has the arcade look, but I really thought the game would be a little more updated. They say first impressions are usually right, but I wanted to see what Sega Revo Rally had to offer. The single-player mode is broken up into quick race, time trial and championship, which is the main mode.

The championship mode offers a real challenge and you need to score as many points by winning or placing in the top spots in all the races in each section. The timed trials runs can be entered at any time. You race an event then upload your time and ghost and try and better your time. I liked the variety of the locations, but I have to be honest and say the AI is not just tough but at times very frustrating. Anyone who has played a rally-themed game knows each course has hazards and tight hairpin turns that require precise timing. You will go flying or over-steer a turn and the AI never slips up. It also manages to catch up a bit too quickly. I know other racing games have the same problem but it just stuck out.

You will find out right away that each course gets torn down with tire wear and this makes each lap a new challenge, which is a good thing. I need to touch on this here and then later in the controls, but the game is not easy to get the hang of. The cars tend to over-adjust and it is almost like being on roller skates. I think Sega wanted to add a realistic angle to the game but overdid it. Once you take the time to learn just how to steer and make the right adjustments without sailing though a turn or spinning out, it is more fun to play.

As you move up in the leagues, more cars are unlocked and the game starts showing some depth to it. It is not an easy game and while fun it can be frustrating. You have a difficult AI that gets away with everything and controls that are way too loose. If you have the patience to learn how to deal with both issues, the game is enjoyable. It still has an arcade look and feel to it but offers some great challenges. Overall the game has some nice features but also suffers from a few flaws and a feeling of an older title and gaming experience.

Control

The control set-up is pretty standard and easy to learn. The real issue is within the coding of the game itself. You will need to practice to learn how to steer into a turn without sliding out. While power sliding is an important part of Rally racing, it’s not the main focus point. I mentioned that it’s like the car you’re in control of is on roller skates and this was not an exaggeration.

I really thought it was just the way I was driving and I tried to change my style to the way the game wanted me to. After a while the racing got easier, but on certain courses nothing really seemed to help this issue. I think this is the main issue that will hurt the game. While racing fans love a challenge, if they can’t control their car, they will soon just find another game.

Xbox Live

For those without Xbox Live, they added a split screen mode which may also be handy when a friend comes over and you just want to race one on one. The main Xbox Online mode offers ranked and unranked races for up to six players. The options are very basic but easy to create or find a race. The interface is simple and the races didn’t seem to suffer from lag issues. I would have liked to see more options added. It looked like Sega was trying out the game for the Xbox 360 and kept things pretty basic. Not a bad online experience but it would have benefited if it offered gamers more.

Graphics

Sega Rally Revo Screenshot

I already touched on the fact the game looks familiar and, while they added some nice touches, it really never stands out as a next-gen racer. The courses look good and the effects of the mud, water and snow are good.

Sega Rally Revo Screenshot

Overall given that Sega went with an arcade angle, it looks fine but just isn’t one of the games that shows the full potential of the Xbox 360.

Sega Rally Revo Screenshot

Audio

The music fits and the sound effects are good, but again seem more of the arcade angle. The engines sound good and the announcer does a good job, yet nothing we haven’t seen before but it fits the game.

Replay Value

If you can get past the constant need to always power slide and learn the way the game handles, it offers a lot of fun. I think with all the new racing games to have been released and the competition, the game is a bit behind and this will hurt it. Most gamers who are fans of the Sega brand will play it more than others. Even then it’s the type of game you will play for a while then move on. There is replay value but only die-hard fans will get the most out of this one.

Bottom Line

Overall Score: 6.2/10.0

Additional Comments

Sega Rally Revo just seemed to be behind the times before it was released and with better games out there, this is the main problem. It is enjoyable but in short sessions. I still don’t understand the issues with the games controls. I know rally racing is different and maybe they tried to reinforce that angle by the controls? There are better games out there especially at this time of year. Sega needs to adjust a few things and I think they are onto something. They just didn’t bring enough to this title to fully compete. Most racing fans will have fun with this for a few days making it a game I can only really recommend as a rental.

XBox Solution