Sega Rally Online Arcade comes from a whole different era, a time when places like “Tropical” and “Alpine” were perfectly valid locations for a racing title, or when unnatural racing physics were applied to real-world cars. Sega Rally Online Arcade embodies this slightly off-kilter version of racing, and it seems that it could even exceed the standards of its predecessors.
Announced last month, Sega Rally Online Arcade borrows elements from previous Sega Rally titles—such as Sega Rally 3 and Sega Rally Revo—updates the cars somewhat, and takes them online. Players will jump back into the seats of the Ford Focus and Mitsubishi Evos and drift through very familiar tracks, now with online support. We were only shown three levels, and with only 13 cars to choose from, the offerings are not as varied as they were in the past.
Fans of Sega’s Rally franchise will find plenty to like. Returning tracks from previous games bring a bit of the familiar, and the active road degradation will greatly impact road control. Levels shift from dirt, snow, sand, and tarmac, and vehicles control differently depending on type. Overall, Sega Rally Online Arcade is the rally racing experience players have known since 1995.
Multiplayer is the big focus of the game, with six-player online providing a key component of the experience. Single-player will unlock more courses and cars, but online multiplayer is the main draw.
That’s really all there is to it. Sega Rally Online Arcade is an online version of a recognizable brand, a sort of “best of” for the franchise. It’ll be out later this year for PSN and XBLA.
