Sega Rally Revo first impressions: off road arcade action for your console

If you’ve been having a serious case of road rage lately, then have no fear. Sega just might have the proper cure to help curb those impulsive driving habits. Sega introduces the latest in the long line of off-road racing sims for you to take out your driving frustrations on with Sega Rally Revo.

The team at QJ.NET is proud to drive alongside racing fans as we walk everyone through the demo of the game we downloaded from the PlayStation Network for the PS3. For those of you who are still unsure whether Sega Rally Revo is worth the US$ 60, we’re here to give the lowdown on both the good and the bad of this arcade racing sim.

Get our full impressions of the demo after the jump!

If you’ve been having a serious case of road rage lately, then have no fear. Sega just might have the proper cure to help curb those impulsive driving habits. Sega introduces the latest in the long line of off-road racing sims for you to take out your driving frustrations on with Sega Rally Revo.

The team at QJ.NET is proud to drive alongside racing fans as we walk everyone through the demo of the game we downloaded from the PlayStation Network for the PS3. For those of you who are still unsure whether Sega Rally Revo is worth the US$ 60, we’re here to give the lowdown on both the good and the bad of this arcade racing sim.

Super Off-Road Challenge

Let me start off by saying: trust me, your car will get dirty. Following the same vein as its previous iterations, Sega Rally Revo takes players through a wild ride of both off-road and on-road challenges designed to test your driving prowess to the limit.

To say that this isn’t a game for Sunday drivers is an understatement. Because the game takes its roots from the arcade, players can expect this racer to be as fast-paced and adrenalin-rushed as its arcade counterpart.

It’s not to say that this racing sim isn’t realistic, however. The developers from SEGA Racing Studio took a lot of painstaking detail in creating the realistic modelling effects of the terrain and how it can affect your car’s performance.

The demo features two courses, the Canyon and the Tropical course, and both contain unique terrain effects which can drastically change the way you handle your vehicle. After plowing through the Tropical course with mud sticking to your car’s tires, you’ll definitely feel the effects as the race goes on.

Also, I was pleasantly surprised to find out just how flexible the damage collision feature on the scenery was actually accurate. After missing a sharp turn on the same Tropical course earlier, I was able to plow through an entire wooden fence on the off-side of the track and crossed the finished line with planks of wood still sticking to the hood of my car.

  

Drift Control Made Easy

Because the game was designed for an arcade player’s mindset, the controls themselves may seem a little too sensitive for the novice racing gamer. Making sharp hairpin turns can be made with relative ease with a simple push of the directional pad; too much, however, can send your car careening into a ditch.

For players who are used to the relatively slower and environmentally stable racing sims, don’t expect this game to be a cakewalk. Asides from picking the car that you want to drive and the type of tires it will be sporting (off road or on road), there’s no way to customize your vehicle to match the course – it’s pure skill from there on.

The demo for the PS3 features two playable racing vehicles, the Subaru Impreza WRX STi Spec C Type RA and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX F6340. For an arcade racer, the developers were both able to get a pretty accurate feel between the two vehicles and the little quirks they usually have.

The Subaru Impreza works very well in terms of control, but can’t exactly match up to the Lan Evo when it comes to speed and power. However, as fast as the Lan Evo is, don’t expect it to make all the sharp ninety degree and hairpin curves the playable courses have.

  

Road Rage Resolved

The only major gripe I have about the demo would probably be the annoying co-driver mechanically calling out every “long left turn” or “sharp hairpin turn”. Because of this, I was very thankful that the demo races only lasted 3 laps. However, there were times I just wanted to drive my car into the canyon if my co-driver warned me one more time that I should use “caution” when making a turn.

For those of you who enjoy fast, arcade-type racing games, Sega definitely has your number. The game itself follows through in the Sega Rally series tradition of off-road racing action. If you’re interested in the game, Sega Rally Revo is also available on the PC, Xbox 360, and the PSP platforms. Now if you’ll all excuse me, I’m off to drive up my Lan Evo’s mileage up a little more.

Now if there was only some way to keep my car clean all through out the race.