Sega Rally 2

Sega Rally 2
Developer(s)	Sega AM5
Publisher(s)	Sega
Designer(s)	Tetsuya Mizuguchi
Composer(s)	Arcade: Tatsuhiko Fuyuno Susumu Isa Tetsuya Yamamoto Jun Senoue Kenji Eno Sega Dreamcast: Hideki Naganuma Tomonori Sawada
Series	Sega Rally
Platform(s)	Arcade, Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows
Release	Arcade NA: February 28, 1998 EU: 1998 Dreamcast JP: January 28, 1999 EU: October 14, 1999 NA: October 31, 1999 Microsoft Windows JP: June 25, 1999 EU: November 26, 1999 NA: January 3, 2000
Genre(s)	Racing game
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Cabinet	Sit-down
Arcade system	Sega Model 3
Display	Raster, standard resolution horizontal orientation

Sega Rally 2 (セガラリー2) is an arcade racing game developed by Sega AM5 for the Model 3 arcade hardware. It is the sequel to 1994's Sega Rally Championship. Sega Rally 2 was first released in arcades in February 1998, and was later ported by Smilebit to the Sega Dreamcast, becoming one of the console's earliest titles when it was released in Japan on January 28, 1999. The Sega Dreamcast version was released in Europe as a launch title on October 14, 1999, and then in North America on November 27, 1999.^[1] A PC version was released that same year.

Gameplay

As with the predecessor, Sega Rally Championship, the object of the game is to successfully drive along a track while reaching checkpoints and thus be rewarded with more time to enable the player to reach the goal. Sega Rally 2 added new vehicles, new environment settings for the circuits (including snowy tracks and a course set on an island), as well as including multiple circuits in each environment type. An updated version of the original game's Desert track was also included.

The Dreamcast and PC versions of the game also included a "10-year championship" mode.^[2] The Dreamcast version ported using Windows CE, had a frame rate half that of the arcade version.^[3]

The Toyota Celica GT-Four ST-205, Lancia Delta HF Integrale and the unlockable Lancia Stratos HF returned from the original game as selectable cars, along with newer Toyota and Lancia cars, as well as cars from Mitsubishi, Subaru, Fiat, Peugeot, Renault, and Ford (which is not available in the European and North American copies of the Dreamcast game).

Reception

Upon release of the Dreamcast version, Famitsu magazine scored the game a 36 out of 40.^[5] IGN scored the game 9 out of 10, praising both the gameplay and graphics while noting issues with the mutliplayer.^[6] GameSpot gave the game 8.8 out of 10, favourably citing the game's replayability but disliking the issues surrounding the sudden changes in framerate and its negative effect on the gameplay.^[7]

References