I can’t believe it! Managed to clear the arcade version of Sega Rally Championship 1995 after a lot of careful driving practice. Thanks again to director Sasaki Kenji for his work on this and Ridge Racer - two landmark games that will always entertain me.
Finishing the arcade version is something I never came close to at the arcades. Driving up the finishing stretch on the mountain course with just milliseconds on the clock was a heart-in-mouth experience.
It is still one of the best racers out there, thanks to its testing and memorable course and visual design to convincing and nuanced handling.
It’s amazing how much innovation there was in the genre in the mid to late 90s, from this to Ridge Racer to Wave Race 64 to Steep Slope Sliders to 1080 Snowboarding and Thrill Drive. It’s even more impressive how these games nailed the handling and mechanics on their first go - again going against the popular opinion that early 3D games are primitive and have aged badly.
If you’ve previously been playing the Saturn version for your home fix this version is essential. The arcade game looks and plays like a dream (with well programmed analogue stick controls) while also being better balanced for challenge compared with the excellent Saturn port. I noticed you get penalised more for drifting on arcade - encouraging you to think more when cornering. It’s easier to score better times with sloppier driving on Saturn.