Sega Rally Championship - GBA

The huge and highly competitive rally sim genre was more or less defined by the release of the original Sega Rally arcade. The subsequent Saturn port successfully brought the game's authentic racing and accessible gameplay to the home, in what was to be one of the greatest moments for the console. Well almost eight years later we are presented with a new version, this time in portable format and courtesy of Nintendo's Game Boy Advance.

Sega Rally Championship features six brand new courses packed with all the usual power slides, hairpins and off-road obstacles of the super-powered motor sport. The premise is simple: race around the globe in an all-out blitz for the Championship Cup. Like the arcade version, the game sees players covering such territories as snow-covered mountains and serpentine country roads as they tear around the courses against the clock.

The main single player Championship mode offers eight fully licensed cars to choose from, including vehicles from Subaru, Ford, Toyota, Lancia, Peugeot, and Mitsubishi. As you race around the globe on your quest to the top, you score points which can then be used to purchase multiple mini-games, new courses, new cars, and open a Sega Rally History and Art Gallery. As you would expect, there's also the option of a Time Attack mode, which allows you to strive for your best lap against the clock.

Thankfully Sega haven't sold us short in terms of multiplayer support - Sega Rally allows up to four players to link their machines and go head-to-head. And considering this was one of the highlights of the original, it's certainly a well-received addition to this latest GBA release.
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