Sega Rally Championship is a racing game created and released by Sega in 1995. It was first made for arcade machines using the Sega Model 2 system. Later versions were released for the Sega Saturn in 1995 and for Microsoft Windows in 1997. The game allows players to drive on different types of surfaces, such as dirt and asphalt, which affect how the car moves. This feature, which changed how cars handled based on the surface, was new for racing games at the time and helped make Sega Rally Championship an important step in the development of racing games. However, it is still seen as an arcade-style game with some realism, not a fully realistic simulation of rally racing. The game includes both teamwork and competition between players. An improved version was released for the Sega Saturn in 1998, which added support for analog controls using the Saturn 3D Pad and online play through the Sega Net Link.
Sega Rally Championship was highly praised by critics for its gameplay and controls, and it is often listed as one of the greatest video games ever made. The version for the Sega Saturn was especially noted for being very similar to the original arcade game, while later versions were not as well received. The game started the Sega Rally series and was followed by many other versions and sequels on different platforms.
Gameplay
In Sega Rally Championship, players can join a "World Championship" mode that includes three stages: desert, forest, and mountain. The position you finish in one stage is where you start the next stage. In this mode, it is not possible to win first place after the first stage. Therefore, players must try to pass as many opponent cars as possible on each track (while staying within the time limit) and gain the lead over several tracks. If a player is in first place after the third stage, they will advance to an extra fourth stage called "Lakeside." On the Saturn version, this course can later be played in time attack and split-screen multiplayer modes.
Three cars are included in the game: Didier Auriol’s third-generation Toyota Celica GT-Four and Juha Kankkunen’s Lancia Delta HF Integrale, which are available from the start. Sandro Munari’s Lancia Stratos HF can be unlocked by finishing the Lakeside stage in first place on the Saturn version or by using an easter egg in the arcade version. Players can drive each car using either manual or automatic transmission.
The arcade version of the game allows up to four players using cabinets connected together. The Saturn version supports two-player split-screen multiplayer.
Development
Sega Rally Championship was directed by Kenji Sasaki, a former Namco employee who worked on Ridge Racer (1993). Sasaki wanted to create a racing game that was different from popular arcade games like Ridge Racer and Daytona USA (1994). He chose rally racing, a style he believed was not widely used in Japan: "We wanted something popular in motorsports and focused on engine sounds, cool cars, and exciting experiences. Rally racing was the best choice." The game included three cars: the Toyota Celica GT-Four, the Lancia Delta Group A, and a hidden Lancia Stratos. It was known for its unique driving feel and some tuning options. Team manager Hiroto Kikuchi explained that the team used real rally cars that were well-known and looked good. Senior programmer Riyuchi Hattori said the team originally considered another Toyota car but decided against it because it would not be fun to use. They also listened to player feedback, which suggested adding the Stratos. Game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi said the team had no experience driving the cars, but Toyota and Fiat provided help for testing. Fiat allowed the use of official logos in the game without a formal sponsorship deal. Mizuguchi’s car was used to record the Lancia Delta’s engine sound.
During development, the team spent three weeks driving from the West Coast of the United States to Mexico, taking photos for the game’s visuals. Sasaki once worried about the game’s success and questioned why driving was fun. He later said, "I drove into the mountains and had a great time. This inspired the third mountain track in the game." Originally, the game was inspired by the movie The Cannonball Run, and the forest stage was based on Redwood National Park. However, after the release of Cruis'n USA (1994) by Midway Games, the team changed the design, making the forest stage based on Yosemite National Park to avoid similarities.
The Sega Saturn version of the game required almost complete redevelopment, using only the arcade version’s graphics as a reference. Mizuguchi said the team studied the arcade version, drew pictures, and captured its atmosphere. They discussed their work for two weeks and consulted experts, including Yoshio Fujimoto, a Toyota Castrol race car winner. The team also visited the Asian Pacific Indonesian Rally to study cars. Unlike other successful arcade conversions for the Saturn, such as Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtua Cop, Sega Rally Championship was not made using the Sega Graphics Library operating system, which was not yet completed. Because of this, the game used a split screen for multiplayer instead of the Saturn link cable. The developers wanted all Saturn owners to play multiplayer, not just those with the link cable. The arcade version used a steering wheel, but the Saturn version struggled to simulate its drifting techniques with the Saturn’s controller. The Saturn version supported the Saturn Steering Wheel, but it did not have the same touch feedback as the arcade version.
The arcade game’s music was composed by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi. The Saturn version’s soundtrack combined new music by Naofumi Hataya and arrangements of the original arcade music by Takayuki Hijikata, who previously released the music on the album Sega Rally Championship Ignition.
The Sega Saturn version was released quickly in North America to take advantage of the Christmas shopping season. By the time it was released in Japan and Europe, the team had added new graphics, fixed bugs, and improved the game’s menu options. A version that allowed online play through the Sega Net Link was also released.
Release
In Japan, the Sega Saturn version of the game had the same full name as the original arcade version, Sega Rally Championship 1995, because it was released on December 29, 1995. The North American and European versions did not include the year in their titles. The European release was planned for December 1995, during the important Christmas shopping time, but it was not available until the end of January the following year.
Reception and legacy
Upon its release, the game sold 12,000 arcade units. In Japan, Game Machine ranked Sega Rally Championship as the second most successful dedicated arcade game in March 1995. It became the second highest-grossing dedicated arcade game of 1995 in Japan. In the United States, it was among the top six best-selling arcade games of 1995 and received a Platinum Award from the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA). Although it was not as popular as Daytona USA in the United States, it was more popular in Europe.
The arcade game received positive reviews from critics. Next Generation reviewed the arcade version, noting that "Rally's downside is the car's indestructibility: no matter how much you slam into either opponents or banks, your racer […] receives not a scratch, nor can you flip or leave the road […] And some might say the control is a fault, too; our response? Keep practicing, buddy".
The Sega Saturn version sold 1.2 million copies. In Japan, Sega Rally Championship reached number 1 on the charts during Week 52 in 1995. It helped sell many Sega Saturn systems in the United Kingdom, becoming the fastest-selling CD game at the time.
The Saturn version received almost universally positive reviews. Next Generation praised the Saturn version's "down-and-dirty feel", "truly phenomenal high-speed visuals", and "quick, responsive control". The magazine called the game's physics and handling "nothing short of remarkable". Game Informer's Reiner and Andy gave the game scores of 8/10 and 8.5/10, noting technical improvements over the Saturn version of Daytona USA, though Andy believed Daytona USA was still better. Game Informer's Paul gave the Saturn version a 9.25/10, praising its "far better racing feel" and superior graphics. Sega Saturn Magazine highlighted the difficulty of unlocking secret features and noted that the game felt realistic without requiring real driving knowledge. Later, Sega Saturn Magazine ranked the game as the second best on the platform, calling it "the best racer on a console bar none".
Both sports reviewers for Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Saturn version an 8.5 out of 10, stating it "has all of the action and adventure of its arcade cousin. If you were disappointed with Daytona, you won't be with Sega Rally". Bruised Lee of GamePro praised the Saturn version's added features and technical improvements over Daytona USA but criticized its unexciting sound compared to other racing games. He noted that the power-slide technique could be frustrating at first but became "effective and fun" once mastered. Maximum praised the Saturn version as "every bit as good as anyone could have ever hoped", noting it was nearly identical to the arcade version except for a reduced frame rate. They also complimented the two-player mode, numerous options, and secret modes.
The Windows version received less positive feedback. Critics noted that the gameplay remained fun but that the version lacked features common to PC racing games and had lower frame rates, except in low-resolution mode, which reduced detail and caused more pixelation compared to the Saturn version. Mark Clarkson of Computer Gaming World said the biggest issue was that, as a port of an arcade game, it lacked the long-term playability expected of a PC game. Next Generation concluded that the Windows version was sufficient for those who wanted to play the game on PC but noted better PC racing games were available. GameSpot's Stephen Poole said the content was "just not enough".
In 1996, Next Generation ranked it number 57 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time", citing its "heavier", more realistic car feel and controls. In 1996, GamesMaster ranked it number 1 on their "The GamesMaster Saturn Top 10" list and number 24 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time" list. In 1999, Next Generation listed Sega Rally as number 19 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time", calling it "one of the best Model 2 games" and "some of the best fun you can have in a car without having to pretend that you've run out of gas". Sega Rally Championship was named the best racing game of all time by Retro Gamer magazine, which ranked it first on its "Top 25 Racing Games Ever" list. In Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2009, the Saturn version reached 44th position on the Top 50 Console Games list due to its "distinct handling style and superb track design". IGN staff writer Levi Buchanan ranked Sega Rally Championship 6th in his list of the top 10 Sega Saturn games, stating that "this Saturn arcade port was one of the top reasons to stick by SEGA as it flailed through the 32-bit days". Some publications and fan-voted lists, including Next Generation (1996), Electronic Gaming Monthly (1997), Computer and Video Games (2000), Edge (2007), and NowGamer (2010), considered it one of the best games of all time. In 2024, The Guardian ranked Sega Rally Championship as the 3rd best Sega arcade game.
The game led to the creation of the Sega Rally series and inspired Initial D Arcade Stage, a later game from the same company based on the Initial D comics and featuring rally cars.
In 2010, Codemasters said Sega Rally Championship influenced their first Colin McRae Rally game (1998). Guy Wilday, producer of the first four Colin McRae Rally games, stated that the game's car handling "remains excellent to this day" and that he still enjoys playing it on an arcade machine.