Previews

Hands on with Sega Rally PSP

Tetsuya Mizuguchi would approve

Hands on with Sega Rally PSP
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PSP
| Sega Rally

We have to admit we've been looking forward to this one. True, racing games isn't something the PSP lacks but few of those already available can claim to possess the same pedigree as Sega Rally.

Released in 1995 for the arcades by Sega's AM5 internal development studio (under the guidance of Tetsuya Mizuguchi), Sega Rally Championship effectively powerslid rally video gaming out of its niche and into the widest playing circle the subgenre had ever enjoyed through a mix of jaw-dropping visuals and accessible, yet thoroughly engrossing handling.

It's fair to say that when it emerged, it was something of a small revolution.

Clearly we're not expecting Sega Rally on PSP to do the same – it couldn't possibly the kind of impact its ancestor enjoyed – but the reason we've been keen to get our hands on it is down to our hope that the essence of the original Sega Rally has been successfully distilled.

In short, we hope it proves to be a ridiculous amount of fun.

Well, on first impressions it looks as though we're not going to be disappointed. Skipping past the Quick Race option, we sped towards the Championship mode (we were asked not to engage in infrastructure multiplay with this preview build, so alas can't comment on that exciting aspect of the game). Each of the championships – three are shown and unlocked progressively – consists of four leagues made up of a varying number of races each.

Events are lap based, set across the various environment themes (Safari, Alpine, Tropical, Arctic, Canyon) and feature six contestants. The AI of this build is still being tweaked and we found the first set of leagues a little on the lifeless side as a result of the lack of competition but things certainly picked up by the time we entered the second championship. Clearly it's unfair to criticise it too harshly at this unfinished stage, and we were nevertheless encouraged to see competitors occasionally making mistakes by overcooking a powerslide around a hairpin.

They weren't the only ones, though. The handling, for the most part, is actually very satisfying, with a great sense of weight and control being fed through the D-pad (analogue control is also offered but we found it a little trickier to deal with, although it's obviously a personal thing) and affected by the varying road surface – one of three tyre choices must be chosen at the beginning of a league, thereby injecting a welcome strategic element.

If we have a criticism at this stage is that we found maintaining slides without losing excessive speed difficult, particularly with short wheelbased cars which have a tendency to snap oversteer (although, in fairness, that's what they do in real-life). Again, this is an area the developer is still tweaking so expect some improvements to what is already most accomplished effort.

Other aspects of the game are equally well realised. Technically, it's a sumptuous affair, with vibrant and impressively detailed settings flying past at convincing speed, regardless of which of the four camera positions you favour (two chase and two bonnet options are offered). The same level of attention has also been lavished on the cars, which are split into Premier (Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, Citroën Xsara, Peugeot 206, etc), Modified (Skoda Octavia Kit Car, VW Golf MKV GTI, Citroën C2 Super 1600…), and Masters (Toyota Celica, Lancia Delta HF Integrale, Ford Escrot RS Cosworth…).

And then, there's the courses themselves, which have clearly been thoughtfully designed and provide the kind of flow you find from the best circuits once you get into the swing of things. It's hugely satisfying to power from one corner to the next while visually gaining on the car in front, and this is only occasionally marred by the speed-sapping powersliding issue mentioned previously. But slow corners aside, the overall driving affair is thoroughly engaging.

And, crucially, it's a lot of fun – we found ourselves playing the game for enjoyment rather than just duty, which certainly isn't a common occurrence. Granted, the developer will want to tweak the opponent AI and touch up the handling in order to fully refine the Sega Rally PSP experience, but then, when you're dealing with heritage that is this important, you really don't want to get it wrong.

Thankfully, from what we've seen so far, Bugbear Entertainment seems very unlikely to suddenly slide off course.

Joao Diniz Sanches
Joao Diniz Sanches
With three boys under the age of 10, former Edge editor Joao has given up his dream of making it to F1 and instead spends his time being shot at with Nerf darts. When in work mode, he looks after editorial projects associated with the Pocket Gamer and Steel Media brands.