Sega Rally PC

Well folks its been a while since I posted anything of relevence here at the SJY. Recently the good ship has been steered and captained by the ever wonderful Teutonic Wunderkind, our most wonderful contributor, the mighty elend!

Well hopefully I'll contribute more as I'm blessed with a fabulous six weeks off work! Yes, the job of teaching has it's blessings. After a year of attempting to educate my charges and even more importantly, bestow some social skills upon them, I've got the chance to chill out, drink, watch movies and more importantly blog and play games!! Hurrah!!!

So, on to gaming and more importantly, onto Saturn gaming!!! Firstly I'd like to share with you the wonders of Sega Rally PC. As I've often documented on these hallowed pages, Sega Rally 1995 is one of my favourite and oft played games on any console. As the title that was bundled with my first Saturn, it holds a special place in my heart.

As you wander round supermarkets in the UK, you'll often find a bargain bin with Sega titles from it's former consoles, ported for PC gamers. They're released under the "Grab it!" franchise and usually retail for £1. So far I've had House Of The Dead 2, Sonic R, Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter Evolution, all for the princely sum of a mere quid.

This summer, or more accurately this week, I've been loving Sega Rally PC. A direct port of the Saturn original (it's graphically and in terms of playability the exact same game) but for some reason, sitting in my living room, surrounded by the Krishna family with a lap top on my knee, playing the game is an absolute joy!

Bizzarely enough, for some reason it's actually easier to complete the Championship stages on the PC than it is on the Saturn. I'm using the arrow keys and for some reason I'm cornering better and finishing with ease! Stiil no sign of the elusive Lakeside stage as of yet, but I live in hope...

What is a tad disappointing is the Link Play feature, which alludes to (but doesn't promise) the chance of playing rivals over the internet. This of course was one of the features that only a very select group of Saturn owners were privy to, via the Saturn's revolutionary online 'Netlink' internet peripheral.

So far my attempts at connecting to the internet on the PC version have been unsuccessful.
There's precious little on the back of the box to guide you... I quote:

'LINK GAME MODE... Race rivals near and far. Full screen action allows you maximum enjoyment in this PC original.'

Hmmm! Am I the only one who finds this limited description somewhat vague?



But it's not only PC ports that have entered Krishna Towers! Why no! I purchased my latest Saturn software just yesterday for three English pounds! Why it's Saturn PAL original Titan Wars!

If I'm absolutely honest I bought it for the shallowest of reasons:

1.) I didn't have it in my collection...
2.)The blurb on the back...

"Over 40 minutes of full motion video starring Claudia Christian. Switch between chase plane and cockpit views. Dominate 30 levels across nine worlds. Your wingman will watch your six (?) and feed you tactical data."

I've yet to play it but I'm looking forward to that rendered video! I'm setting aside a few days for Saturn only gaming this holiday. I'll report back as soon as I've given the Saturn the love it deserves! Until then, adieu! Here's some video to wet your appetite..