Sega Rally 2


Sega Rally 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. 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, 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. The Dreamcast version ported using Windows CE, had a frame rate half that of the arcade version.
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.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Sega Rally 2 on their April 15, 1998 issue as being the most-successful dedicated arcade game of the year.
Jeff Lundrigan reviewed the Dreamcast version of the game for Next Generation, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "This is a mountain, a test of will. Don't confuse it with a game. It was never meant to be a game."
Upon release of the Dreamcast version, Famitsu magazine scored the game a 36 out of 40. IGN scored the game 9 out of 10, praising both the gameplay and graphics while noting issues with the mutliplayer. 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.
Jim Preston reviewed the PC version of the game as Sega Rally 2 Championship for Next Generation, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "A fun and pretty arcade rally game that redirects the blood from your brain to your foot."