The only traits it has retained are the invisible walls at the track's edge which mean you never hit a tree and come to a standstill, and the Sega Rally-synonymous Toyota Celica and Lancia Delta WRC cars (alongside many more, naturally). But even these are different in that you can now damage them. It won't affect your performance though. Sega wants players to feel they can always catch up once they fall behind, so you won't find any race-ending collisions here. It's a nice inclusion and it's good to know the team is aiming to make a new Sega Rally game rather than simply slapping the name on the latest simulation.
Above: Trackside turf can be ripped up with a well-placed skid
We know you have to keep moving and we can accept the series has to progress to stay relevant. However, we came away slightly concerned about how the game is shaping up. The track we saw lacked character. The original's tracks were varied and memorable. All we saw here were some wide-open corners, a water jump and lots of samey-looking trees. The corridor-like, auto-generated trackside detail from V-Rally 2 sprung to mind. Hopefully it's just co-incidence and other tracks will be more exciting.
A 29-year-old PC racing game going cyberpunk anime with Troy Baker, Initial D drifting, and cutscenes from the Metroid: Other M studio sure wasn't on my Game Awards bingo card
A speedrunner just beat Need for Speed: Most Wanted's world record by 90 minutes - by using Half-Life's Gordon Freeman instead of a car
