The game delivers the standard game modes that gamers have come to expect in a racing title; career, quick race, time trial, and multiplayer. The deepest of the modes is obviously 'career', which still feels lacking. Racers perform in one of three leagues to conquer, with three to four rally series within each. With no cash awarded at the end of the races, gamers instead win points, which unlock new cars, series, and leagues. Each league, series, and car requires a certain amount of championship points acquired to unlock it. When a gamer wants to go back and improve their score in a race, they must restart the entire series, not just one race, unlike Forza 2. This unforgiving annoyance is the cherry on top of frustrating hitches with the game.
The somewhat confusing time trial mode works decently, but leaves gamers scratching their head as to what time to beat on the track. When you first start the race, it gives you a target time to reach. As you begin the race, another random time pops up with an equally random gamertag attached. This time is the current leader on the Xbox Live leader boards, and has nothing to do with the time you are trying to reach to beat the track. The game's multiplayer races over Live are smooth, but gamers must remember to pick their car wisely, as all gamers have the car selection wide-open to them. Pick a poor car and you are likely to be smoked.
The game does a solid job of making you feel as though you are actually in an arcade playing the game, minus the sticky floor and need to pump quarters. The game graphically looks like most arcade you will find at your nearby arcade, meaning colorful and flashy without being anywhere near photorealistic. There is a constant cheesy arcade announcer voice that reminds you of what direction to turn, and how sharply, over stock racing electro-rock theme music.
The game has good news for those who truly like the look of the game - it never changes. It has the same amount of tracks you are likely to find at your local quarter-eating arcade game does. Though the turns and layout of the course changes slightly from one series to the next, you will spend your entire game driving in the same four environments. If the other issues do not bore you to the point of giving up on the game, the repetitive tracks will.
Sega Rally Revo is a racing game developed for the gamer who does not want to be bothered by the nuts and bolts of a typical driving game, or realism. The game succeeds in being a good time for casual gaming fans who will not mind how shallow and simple it really is.
