Genre: Racing
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega

As each race begins, the camera drifts from a high-shoulder view down to the car. This simple motion is so Crisco-smooth as to be almost surreal, and it's that perfect framerate which characterizes Sega Rally. The art direction is also stellar, with each of the four tracks having highly appetizing choices of colors and layouts. In a video game first, road surfaces change within a given track, and the transition texture work in particular stands out as being exceptionally tasteful.

Sega Rally's music might not be as off-the-wall crazy as that in predecessor "Daytona USA", but it's still bizarre enough to lend the game oodles of character. Interestingly, some of the songs even foreshadow Dreamcast-era Sega, as if they were plucked straight from "Virtua Tennis." Engine and tire chirp noises aren't nearly as realistic as those in, let's say, the 3DO's "The Need for Speed", but the game's focus is arcade, not simulation.

That said, for a game which is the spiritual follow-up to "Virtua Racing" and "Daytona USA", Sega Rally's car handling dynamics almost have a simulation-like feel: the way the rotation of the car and the bite of the tires can be modulated mid-drift with all three of the steering, brakes, and throttle feels exceptional, and fantastically satisfying. The tracks are superbly designed, and feel iconic almost immediately.

Sega Rally is the complete video game: it has wonderful aesthetic sensibilities, from its zany soundtrack and replay narrator ("where did you... did you... where did you learn to drive?") to its beautiful tracks; it has nuanced and "they just feel good" gameplay mechanics; and its superb track design help to bring those mechanics to the fore. As long of a history as Sega has making outstanding arcade racers, dating back to the halcyon days of "OutRun", Sega Rally is the best of them all.