Monday 3 March 2008

Sega Rally Revo - final verdict

So, folks, I finally did it, I've acquired the final retail version of Sega Rally Revo (just Sega Rally in Europe, actually), hoping that it would be different (aka, more playable) than the demo I tried some time ago. Guess what, it isn't. It plays exactly the same, which can either be good or hellish, depending on the player. For me it was the later. After putting the game in I tried the first championship and guess what, after barely winning the first race, I lost the second. The second! OMG, I was barely starting the game and I was already losing, not because of my inability when it comes to virtual rally (I'm an ace in Colin McRae Rally) but because I couldn't control the fucking car properly!

I got so pissed off that I immediately turned off the console and smoked a cigarette, trying to calm down (yup, I smoke. With me it's a disappointment after another, isn't it? At least that's what my mom says...). With smoke in my lungs and heavy metal in my ears, I eventually got relaxed enough to try again. This time I tried to mess with the options, but no good, there's no options when it comes to the handling of the cars. Then I had an idea, what about the d-pad? We all know the 360's controller's d-pad sucks ass (the only complaint I have with an, otherwise, almost perfect gamepad), but hey, what the heck, let's try it out. Guess what, it worked! It's incredible how the game got so more playable! I was finally able to control the car properly, and although I still don't quite like the gameplay of this new game, I was at least able to win the first championship.

Not bad, but so far Sega Rally Revo is still probably my worst acquisition when it comes to Xbox 360 games, which makes me sad, being a Sega fan, and it's quite a mystery since, judging from the respective demos, I love the latest Virtua Tennis and Virtua Fighter games. Talking of those, I think I'm going to grab me some Virtua Tennis 3...

6 comments:

fatherkrishna said...

Now this makes me sad... partly because I want everyone to love this game as much as me, partly because maybe my enthusiasm for the game might have caused nebacha to purchase a dud (for him).

Every game that he has reccomended from Steep Slope Sliders onwards, I have liked.

And I feel like I've let him down...

I always use the D Pad for driving games...Stick with it Nebacha and restore my faith in myself! LOL!

ArugulaZ said...

Yeah, I wasn't too jazzed about Sega Rally Revo either. Sure, it looked beautiful, but we've come to EXPECT that from the Xbox 360. It just doesn't play as well as the Saturn original.

elend said...

I once heard about a "Sega Rally 2006" for the PS2, which is said to be a tad lame, BUT there is a Special Edition of it available, which comes with the original Sega Rally Arcadeversion?! Ever heard about that? I thought it looked pretty great. Looks like I finally have to buy a PS2.

NebachadnezzaR said...

Oh, Father, don't be sad, I'd be lying if I said that your enthusiasm wasn't an influence, but I had played the game already, so I pretty much knew what I was getting myself into.

Besides, I'm slowly getting into it. Already won the 2nd rally and I think I'm going to try the 3rd today.

As for the d-pad, I never thought of it before because I got so used to the analog when it comes to driving games, specially because you have more control over exactly how much you turn (depending on how hard you press it). The PGR series, for example, are an excellent example of how the analog can be greatly implemented in a driving game (you should check those games out, they're the successors of Metropolis Street Racer after all...).

ArugulaZ, indeed it looks beautiful, but as you say that's pretty much an essential feature for an Xbox 360 game.

Elend, let me tell you that, despite what the critics say, I love Sega Rally 2006 for the PS2 (that one I can play perfectly with the analog), and yes, the special edition indeed comes with the original Sega Rally 95, complete with a greatly increased resolution and smoother textures, but with the overall look intact. What was already great got even better!

ArugulaZ said...

Was Sega Rally 2006 released in the United States or was that exclusive to Japan? The thought of a high-res version of Sega Rally Championship sounds pretty darned tempting...

NebachadnezzaR said...

No, ArugulaZ, unfortunately it was a Japanese-only release. You can find it on play-asia: http://tinyurl.com/33jj92

Here's a video I found of the game in action. Despite youtube's crappy quality I think we can still see some differences: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGBF7tJhHMU