You’re probably quite aware by now that SEGA Rally has quite a varied selection of cars, so it won’t be much of a surprise to know that we have also included the Audi quattro A2 and the Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 2. 

Both of these cars were pioneers within the Rally scene, the Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 2 was one of the most successful Group B cars to have ever existed, and the Audi quattro A2 brought four wheel drive systems to the world of rallying which paved the way for today’s WRC cars.

Audi were one of the first manufacturers to take advantage of the new rule amendments that meant all-wheel-drive cars could now compete.  So in 1983 the first version of Audi’s new quattro A1 (the engine block was made out of aluminium so the car received the A1 suffix) was used to much success, it was however plagued by engine and ancillary failures so that years manufacturers title eventually went to Lancia with the two wheel drive 037. 

It was the following years that saw the new Audi quattro A2 display it’s truly victorious colours with manufacturer and driver WRC titles.

It was the following years that saw the new Audi quattro A2 display
it’s truly victorious colours with manufacturer and driver WRC titles.

The Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 2 was special for being a great all rounder, it was very difficult to drive but when it was handled right it did great things.  It may look like a normal road going Peugeot 205 but believe me it is nothing like a normal Peugeot 205.

The 1.8 Garrett turbo charged engine (capable of 435-700bhp depending on state of tune) was mounted at the rear of the car, and access was gained by the whole back end body panel hinging from the roof.  The body work was Kevlar/Plastic with the main chassis being fabricated from sheet and tubular steel.

Want some more? Then check out our brand new Canyon sizzle trailer at www.segarally.com

Read
more SEGA Rally blogs - click here

As Europe’s largest videogames event moves towards its closing hours, one of the last things to announce are the results of the show’s official awards.

This year - the fifth time the awards have been held - saw gongs distributed among winners chosen from a roster of 85 nominees in nine categories, for both hardware and software.

One of those categories was ‘Best in GC’ for a Wii game and we’re flattered to giggles to tell you Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games took the top spot on the podium.

The landmark game, which sees Sonic and Mario teaming up for the first ever time, beat off some very stiff competition in the form of Super Mario Galaxy and Wii Fitness to cross the line first.

Here’s what the judges had to say: “Finally consumers will be able to see who’s faster and who can jump higher - Mario or Sonic? A great casual gaming experience for all kinds of gamers.”

Go Mario and Sonic!

Keep an eye on the GC awards page for details on all the awards.

Check out the official Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games website here.

Rally racing means nothing unless you can appreciate how sexy the cars look covered in mud, and Keith Burden appreciates this more than most. That’s why he’s Lead Car Artist on SEGA Rally, which means he’s the man the makes the vehicles a joy to behold…

Q… What are your all-time favourite video games?
Manic Miner, Space Harrier, After Burner, GTA Vice City, GranTurismo2, StarCraft

Q… What games are you playing at the moment?
Dawn of War Dark Crusade and After Burner on the PSP

Q… Are there any real-world experiences you’ve drawn upon to help make SEGA Rally?
I have an unhealthy addiction to shiny painted car surfaces.

Q… Who is the best SEGA Rally player in the office? And the worst?
Jamie Lowes or Mark Mainey probably…I’m possibly the worst but I’ve heard our office manager isn’t that good either LOL!

Q… Who is the best driver in the studio? And the worst?
Well I would say Guy my boss is…but secretly I know I am!  I’d probably say that the people in the studio who don’t drive wouldn’t be that good behind the wheel.

Q… Who is your all-time favourite driver? Why?
Ayrton Senna - the best F1 driver ever, and because he helped develop one of the best sport cars in history.

Q… What car do you drive? Why?
1998 Honda Prelude and a 1969 Riley Elf.  The Elf is old skool, pimpin, badboy goodness (and cheap to run/keep), and the Lude is slowly being turning into Kit from Knight Rider.

Q… What five vehicles would you have sitting in your fantasy garage? Why?
Aston Martin DBR9 - because it’s automotive sex.
Suzuki Hayabusa - because it’s Japanese motorbike madness.
Honda NSX Type R GT - A JGTC car for the road.
1968-69 Karmann Ghia Coupe - sweet, sweet 60’s coolness.
1962 Corvette Mako Shark - The best looking Corvette ever made.

Q… What is the fastest speed you’ve ever travelled in a road vehicle?
137 miles an hour.

Q… Name your favourite movie car chase?
The end of ‘Smokey and the Bandit’…you know the bit with all the trucks and police cars…or maybe the Mustang scene from ‘Gone in Sixty Seconds’ (original version).

Q… What were your favourite TV shows as a kid?
Transformers, Centurions, Thundercats, Star Fleet, and Battle of the Planets.

Q… Which toy could you never seem to put down as a child?
Gobot Cy-Kill, Transformers Ravage, and a ‘74 Stutz BlackHawk Hot Wheels car that I custom sprayed.

Q… If you could listen to one tune while you drive, what would it be?
Soldier - Eminem

Q… You’re stranded on a desert island, which car part would you take with you?
The petrol.

Q… If you weren’t making games, you’d be…?
A car mechanic or body shop bloke.

Keith has also been talking to us in a bit more depth about all the cars featured in SEGA Rally. The blog features some great artwork of each car and is sure to have you salivating with excitement. Check them out now - click here

Otherwise, be sure to check back next Thursday for next week’s interview, where we’ll be Co-Driving with Dave Hosier, programmer on SEGA Rally.

Visit the official website now to watch the brand new environmental sizzle trailers - www.segarally.com

So much visual goodness has arrived recently from inside Leipzig and of course one of SEGA’s most visceral and haunting titles is no exception.

With these new screens it’s clear Condemned 2 is shaping up to be a worthy successor the acclaimed Xbox 360 launch title Condemned.

With a much improved combat system that ramps up the variety in the action gameplay, fans are bound to appreciate where Condemned 2 is taking the series. In addition to these juicy screens, head over to GameSpot for a preview of the title here

A good rally game needs lots of classic rally cars, and as you can imagine SEGA Rally has the very best classic vehicles. The Masters Class contains six classics in total and two of those are the previously mentioned Toyota Celica ST205 and the Lancia Super Delta HF integrale.

The next two classics to go under the microscope are the Ford Escort RS Cosworth and the Lancia Stratos. These are both considered absolute legends in the world of rallying.

Ford have always rallied cars, right back to the 1960’s when the Ford Cortina GT was seen kicking up dust from those raggedy loose back ends (lovely rear lights though).  Ford are still one of the most prominent teams in the WRC with their latest Ford Focus RS WRC06 rally car, but back in the mid-nineties they were running one of the most desirable rally cars of the time, the Ford Escort RS Cosworth.

Just look at that whale tail spoiler and quad-style headlights, that is pure breed, functional motorsport styling. The liveries for this car are quite special as well, as we were able to get really close to correct and existing colourways and decal layouts.  The Mobil 1 themed Livery 2, and Michelin themed Livery 3 are very pretty indeed.

Like Ford, Lancia have been part of the rally scene since the mid-60’s and have had a large part to play in introducing new technology and harvesting top-flight drivers. The Lancia Stratos featured in SEGA Rally 2 and is a popular choice for rally enthusiasts and car collectors around the world. The bodyshell was a steel monocoque incorporating the roll cage and steel tube subframes, the front and rear bodywork was made from glassfibre.

The engine was a V6 borrowed from the Ferrari Dino 246, so you can only imagine what it sounded like on a fully open throttle. Like all classics there were a wealth of livery types this car was famous for, we chose two that are absolute classics and one that is fairly contemporary yet still retains that classic flavour.

Want some more? Then check out our brand new Canyon sizzle trailer at www.segarally.com

Read
more SEGA Rally blogs - click here

Well, we say famed, but actually most of us Europeans haven’t seen much of the cult Japanese anime series over here yet. That’s all about to change.

The TV series is a massive hit in Japan and the USA already, and has begun rolling out across Europe this year. We’re sure it’ll do just as well when it hits the UK, too.

Broadly speaking the series charts the adventures of a young human hero named Ichigo Kurosaki, who has the ability to see ghosts. Among these ghosts are powerful beings called Soul Reapers, whose main role in (after)life is to ensure the passage of souls to a realm known as the Soul Society, as well as protecting humans from dangerous beings known as Hollows. One such Soul Reaper - Rukia Kuchiki - transfers her powers to Ichigo after being wounded in a battle with a Hollow, setting Ichigo off on a fantastical adventure.

Lots of very cool fighting is the order of the day, then, and it’s made even cooler by the fact Soul Reapers do their jobs with stunning supernatural swords.

Already smash hits in Japan, SEGA’s fighting-game counterparts to the TV anime and manga books are now being prepared for a launch in Europe.

BLEACH: Shattered Blade arrives early next year on the Wii. In it you’ll be able to choose from 32 of the show’s leading characters, each with their own unique styles and weapons, or Zanpaku-to’s. All the characters sport their own powerful Bankai super-moves, and are voiced by the actors from the anime series. The game features an exclusive storyline, created specially for the game, as well as a new character created for the game under the supervision of the manga’s author. The best bit, though, will be wielding the Wii Remote as if it were your very own Zanpaku-to.

Releasing at the same time will be BLEACH: The Blade of Fate for Nintendo DS. Featuring 28 characters from the anime series, the action on the DS will have you leaping between two battlelines to chase or evade your opponents - all while attempting to master combos and super-moves taken directly from the series. Seven game modes keep the action coming, and you’ll be able to battle up to three friends via Wi-Fi, or indeed anyone elsewhere in the country. A customisable spirit-card deck is accessible via the stylus as well, which you’ll use to boost things such as health, attack and defence attributes.

See more here.

SEGA Rally has always been synonymous with two cars. They began the SEGA Rally story and they continue the legend, these two cars are absolute rally classics and are legendary within their own right. Which two cars am I talking about? SEGA Rally Masters - the Toyota Celica ST205 and Lancia Super Delta HF integrale.

These two cars started it all off in 1995, the white, red and green liveried Celica against the white, blue and red liveried Delta. So it isn’t even an option to not have these two in the new 2007 SEGA Rally. The liveries are slightly updated but the cars are exactly the same; just a bit higher resolution

The first hurdle when building cars for videogames is finding the reference material required for the build. Some cars are difficult to research as they might be quite rare or generally bespoke. Some cars we can actually go and photograph or find a road version to photograph (Cars like the Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution are easy to find), and some cars have so much reference you just don’t know where to start or what to use.

The Delta and Celica fall into the latter category, the internet is rife with images of the Delta and Celica carving up European rallies in the early 90’s, and many car collectors will have one of either of these in pristine condition under a dust cover somewhere. We were lucky to find a competition spec Delta at a local Historic motorsport event, and the owners were more than happy for us to clamber all over it taking millions of photographs of all of it’s many nooks and crannies!

These two cars form part of our Masters Class which means they have additional unlockable liveries. What I try and maintain across all three of the in-game car classes is that the multiple liveries are sympathetic and correlate with the age and style of the cars. So for example a brand new Peugeot 207 Super 2000 will happily carry a white and bright purple T-Mobile livery as it is a sharp and edgy looking vehicle.

When you livery the classics and older rally cars you have to be sympathetic to the age and shapes of the cars, so the Delta and Celica have been liveried with decals and colours that you would expect to find in that era of motorsport. In most cases I try and use an existing livery design and then maybe change a colour way to match the required sponsor that car is going to wear. As a method I think it works quite well, and it means we always get car liveries that look just right.

Find
out more about SEGA Rally at www.segarally.com

Read
more SEGA Rally blogs - click here

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been Co-Driver to a couple of the guys from the Racing Studio, who are actually developing SEGA Rally.

This week however, the man sitting next to me at the wheel is Al Hatch, PR Guru on SEGA Rally.

Al describes himself as an ‘Elite Gamer’ though many of us in the office prefer the more appropriate nickname of ‘Complete Lamer’ and I think you’ll agree, the photographs speak louder than words ever could!

Q… What are your all-time favourite video games?

There’re too many!  I’ll try and narrow it down to three though:

Crackdown, because it didn’t have much hype and then blew everyone’s expectations away.
Its sheer size and the openness of its gameplay offered a refreshing look at sandbox games and because every time I go back to it I seem to find something new.

Super Mario World because it was so vibrant and so playable - I don’t know how many times I’ve finished/played that game, but it’s way more than any other.

Lastly, but by no means least of all, would probably be Tony Hawks the original because it was the first combo based game that I really got into and lost a lot of hours at University playing it. I’m not so keen on the other Hawks games but the second one was pretty good.

That was really difficult and I can’t believe I’ve not even mentioned Halo, PGR, Gran Turismo or Mario Kart…

Q… What games are you playing at the moment?

Halo 3 beta test - there may only be three levels to test out, but they’re amazingly well designed and it’s been really good fun learning the layouts and battling against friends online.

Condemned - thought I should have a play of this as I’m working on the sequel, but I got hooked within a couple of levels and really want to finish it to find out what the hell is going on!

Worms - can’t beat it for a quick, fun and easy multiplayer game with my flat mates.  Timeless classic.

Q… What’s your role on the development of SEGA Rally?

I work closely with the Brand Manager, our PR Managers across Europe and America, the Producer and Studio Director at the SEGA Racing Studio to devise plans for how we’re going to reveal aspects of the game to the press. I then manage these plans to make sure they stay on track and update our teams if there’re any changes. So, rather than being on the development side of things I’m involved with the promotion and marketing side.

Q… Who is the best SEGA Rally player in the office? And the worst?

We’ve been having an ongoing lap time competition with SEGA Rally ever since we got our first build back in January 2007.  So that’s probably a good way to judge whose hot and who’s not.  Jim Woods, Head of External Development at SEGA Europe, had a very, very good lap time on the first build we received and I’ve not been too far behind him.  It’s probably worth mentioning that SEGA Europe have had quicker lap times than SEGA of America

I wouldn’t like to say who the worst player is, as I know that the more you play the game the better you become, but I’ll stick my neck out and say the slowest driver is Matt Eyre - but only because he hasn’t played it as much as us!! (Sorry Matt)

Q… Who is your all-time favourite driver? Why?

Nigel Mansell. Best ‘tache in sport ever.

Q… What car do you drive? Why?

I don’t have a car and have no plans to get one in the immediate future. I live in London so am very happy using public transport and riding a bike. If I did get one I reckon I’d get a SMART car or an electric one as they’d probably be the most practical for living in a city.  Personally, I can’t see the point in having a large car if you live in a city.

Q… What five vehicles would you have sitting in your fantasy garage? Why?

Bugatti Veyron - for no other reason apart from it being the fastest production road car available.
 
Mitsubishi Evo - not overly fussed which model number, but it would be nice to have the original Japanese import for nostalgia.
 
Koenigsegg CCX - My absolute dream fantasy car.  It looks ridiculous, is stupidly powerful, has doors which open upwards and is essentially everything a supercar should be.  Perfect.

Fiat 500 - A classic for all the wrong reasons makes this an essential for my fantasy garage.  It’s a shame the remake doesn’t look as good.

Imperial Speeder Bike - Hey, it’s a fantasy garage; I’m allowed a fantasy vehicle too surely?!

Q. What is the fastest speed you’ve ever travelled in a road vehicle? Was that on the highway or a racetrack?

On a press trip in Germany once we were driven at around 130mph along the motorway in a modded BMW 3 series.  We weren’t in any particular rush; the owner was simply a speed-freak of sorts.

Name your favourite movie car chase?

I really like the car chase in Borne Identity.  It’s a critical moment in the film when the girl is given the chance to walk away, but instead chooses to stay for what turns out to be the ride of her life.  It has music which fits perfectly to the scene and Bourne drives the mini like a man possessed. Thrilling from start to finish.

What were your favourite TV shows as a kid?

A-Team, Nightrider, Dukes of Hazard.

Which toy could you never seem to put down as a child?

Star Wars figures! I had a few, but not as many as a friend of mine.

If you could listen to one tune while you drive, what would it be?

You know what; I really loved the inclusion of classical music on PGR3 and would often skip to those tunes to drive to in-game.  Not sure why, probably because they were different and not the generic teen rock a lot of driving games pursue.

In real life I suppose it would depend on what type of driving I was doing - if it was a sunny day and I was able to take my time I’d probably go for something like Cypress Hill, but if I was in a rush I’d have some breaks on.

Q… You’re stranded on a desert island, which car part would you take with you, and why?

The headlights, to attract ships to come and rescue me…

Q… Describe SEGA Rally in five words?

Best racing game I’ve played.

Not a bad endorsement from a ‘complete lamer’ I think you’ll agree.

Next time round our focus spins back up to Solihull and the Racing Studio in the form of Lead Car Artist Keith Burden.

Incidentally, Keith is also doing his very own blog right now taking us through all the cars that will feature in SEGA Rally, which includes some lovely imagery and everything.

Check out the latest blog here - click here

To find out more about SEGA Rally, why not visit the official website at www.segarally.com

Two of the first bespoke cars in SEGA Rally are the Peugeot 206 RCC and the Andorra Racer, and both are vehicles with more than their fair share of stories, 

The Peugeot 206 RCC is a racing version of the road-going Peugeot 206 CC; however the RCC versions roof definitely doesn’t fold down.  The RCC takes its name as it is a unique combination of the 206 CC body shell and 206 RC engine. It is a stripped down high performance circuit racer, which competes in the French Coupe 206 RCC race series.  We were keen on getting this car into SEGA Rally because it is quite unusual and actually very pretty.  The large low profile tyres, functional rear wing, solid lightweight fixed hardtop and deep aggressive front bumper all make this car look fast and agile.

This would be a car to use on some of the more tarmac oriented events, getting it sideways in the snow on the Alpine tracks is especially fun though.

The Andorra Racer is very special because I designed it:).  We wanted a Super Group B/Group S type rally car for modern day rally events, so I took the original rear engined/4wd chassis layout (typical Group B setup) and then designed a modern up to date interpretation of a Group B rally car.  Whilst designing the Andorra Racer I was spending a lot of time looking at Pikes Peak Racers and GT style racing cars, so the Andorra Racer ended up with a huge wing!

It’s always a challenge creating a car from scratch for a game because everyone has a different idea about what looks good and bad.  Hopefully we have gotten it right with the Andorra Racer, I mean when is a massive spoiler on a hard core racing car a bad thing? 

The livery was designed by Sam Neale one of the other Car Artists and he went for a loud and proud in your face SEGA themed paintjob, and I have to be honest I think it looks outstanding.  Bright orange paint, big stickers and a huge rear spoiler make the perfect combination and a must have for any racing game surely.

Find
out more about SEGA Rally at www.segarally.com

Read
more SEGA Rally blogs - click here

When we approached SEGA with one of their back catalogue titles, Alien Syndrome, and told them that we wanted to make a totally new game based on that franchise for the PSP and Wii, SEGA was all for it! All the initial pre-production milestones were met and away we went. But it was no easy task. We wanted big meaty levels where players could sink their teeth into the game and play for as long or as short as they wanted. We didn’t want just another RPG game that was too heavy on action and not enough role playing. We wanted to push what the PSP and Wii could do and we think we nailed it.

For the PSP, we designed the game with every intention of making it a full scale action RPG with hundreds of items, weapons, monsters, and tons of action. We created 5 very different classes each with its own weapon advancement tree and specialty proficiencies to spec into. It was a huge challenge to fit this big of a game into the PSP. But we managed to do it and not lose any of the scope of the original design. 

This is something that we’re very proud of. The feature cutting, that’s so prevalent in most game dev cycles, hardly had to happen on Alien Syndrome. We actually had time to implement almost every key feature we spec’d out in pre-production. Which is why, in my opinion, our Wii version came out as great as it did.

On the Wii, we immediately started in on the design for the Wiimote/Nunchuck control system. We were able to polish the game’s infrastructure and core gameplay ideas as well as the math and itemisation curves, in tangent with the PSP. The levels and the length of the game (we’re talking a whopping 30 to 40 hours on just one difficulty level) makes the Wii a solid console for the game.

On the Wii, it was nice that we were able to concentrate on controls and multiplayer. The differences on the Wii are noticeable in the higher-rez textures and models. On the Wii, players will notice the increase in details such as dynamic shadows, lighting, and specularity, as well as a large number of sounds and more details on Aileen and her guns.

And the controls are absolutely the best feeling controls out there. The Wii remote points at a target, like a laser pointer, and the character spins and rotates to follow that pointer. Then the Nunchuck’s joystick moves the character in all directions. The result… the most intuitive aiming and movement system ever designed. I think when players pick up the Wiimote and Nunchuck to play Alien Syndrome, they’re going to be treated to a really smooth and awesome gameplay experience.