''Sega Rally'' is a series of 3D

racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic raci ...

s published by

Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...

. The first game in the series, '' Sega Rally Championship'', was developed by Sega AM3 and released in arcades in 1994. Later games were developed by Sega and

Sega Racing Studio Sega Racing Studio (abbreviated as SRS; also known as Sega Driving Studio) was a computer and video game developer established in 2005 (based in Solihull, England) for the sole purpose of developing AAA Sega racing titles. The studio had radical ...

Installments

There have been five games released in the ''Sega Rally'' series. Two games were developed by Sega AM3, one was developed by

, and two were developed by

. The original game, designed by

Tetsuya Mizuguchi is a Japanese video game designer, producer, and businessman. Along with ex-Sega developers he is one of the co-founders of the video game development firm Q Entertainment. He formerly worked for Sega as a producer in their Sega AM3 'arcade mach ...

, was released on the Model 2 board and became very popular in the arcades, later receiving a port to the

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it is the successor to the succes ...

. This port was of excellent quality, running in smooth 30

frames per second A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (co ...

(25 fps on European PAL systems) and looking very much like the arcade original. Exceptions included non-transparent windows since the Saturn could not generate

transparencies A transparency, also known variously as a viewfoil or foil (from the French word "feuille" or sheet), or viewgraph, is a thin sheet of transparent flexible material, typically polyester (historically cellulose acetate), onto which figures can be ...

in 3D graphics,

draw distance Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn most commonly refer to: * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Draw (tie), in a competition, where competitors achieve equal outcomes * Drawi ...

shorter than in the arcade game, and lower resolution. A Windows port using on

DirectX Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with "Direct" ...

followed about a year later. The biggest difference between the original and its home versions is the option to drive three laps on each of the four implemented tracks instead of only one lap. Good players could also unlock an extra car: the

Lancia Stratos The Lancia Stratos HF (''Tipo 829''), known as Lancia Stratos, is a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, rear mid-engined sports car designed for rallying, made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. It was highly successful in competition, win ...

. ''Sega Rally Championship 2'' was released on the Model 3 board and was ported to

Dreamcast The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...

in November 1998, making it one of the first Japanese Dreamcast games available. However, the Dreamcast version suffered from an unstable frame rate and wasn't as successful as its predecessor. The arcade original featured only four courses, while the port had between one and three courses for each of the five implemented environments, all wrapped up in a 10-year championship. Again, a PC port followed. ''Sega Rally Championship 2'' on DC and PC featured a lot of tuning options for the cars, including choice of

tires A tire (North American English) or tyre (Commonwealth English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide traction on the surface over w ...

and suspension, which could not be found in the arcades. ''Sega Rally 3'' was released in 2008 and is a condensed version of ''Sega Rally Revo'' for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. This time the port went the other way around. ''Sega Rally 3'' was released as ''Sega Rally Online Arcade'' for Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2011 and came full circle from consoles to arcades and back again. Mobile phone titles were also released: on the N-Gage, and also a

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

version developed by Rockpool Games.

Released titles

The first year for arcade, the second for home console or PC
Released only in Japan and South Korea
Not released in Japan

References

External links

Official website (Japanese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sega Rally Sega video game franchises Rally racing video games Video game franchises introduced in 1994