Sega Rally (2007, Game, 360) – 7/10

Studio Director Sega Racing Studio: Guy Wilday Head Of Technology: Chris Southall Lead Designer: Mark Mainey Lead Programmer: Eneko Bilbao

Sega Rally (2007) Race against five opponents on tracks from around the world on multiple surfaces that are molded by the wheels of you and your competitors. 7/10 Sega Rally has a feeling of unfairness and is spirit-crushingly hard but is also a handsome and technologically impressive off-road racing game which delivers boast-worthy satisfaction when beaten. This is a great rally game hidden behind a somewhat broken racing game; and they forgot to put a recognisable rally game in. Every advantage is given to the AI (you always start last, they cannot be in any way put off their racing line, they pull away from you when their brake lights are on, every collision is tipped in favour of the AI cars, they get a speed boost if you rub their fenders, AI cannot face the wrong way, ie., they cannot be spun or spin themselves). Late on I learned the biggest tip is to use manual gears and, rather pleasingly, completed the game. Achievements on 360 helped me stick with it, on PS3 I may not have bothered. While challenging, Sega Rally is endlessly wonderful to look at and thrilling to play.