click on the picture, for its full size, full quality version [196 K JPEG]

It might look pretty, but the truth is that SEGA RALLY 2 is a terrible game, that plays worse than you imagine.

The game's official release date is December 1999, but I expect the commercial version to have no differences, relative to the tested one.

This means just one thing: avoid it @ all costs!

SEGA RALLY 2 [SR2] stinks!

I had the chance to play SR2 this afternoon, and all I can say is that it plays worse than Nigel Mansell GP on the ZX Spectrum! It really is a very ordinary game, with nothing new to offer and nothing learned from its past. It is incredible how come this game can offer no more than just 2 views and a NOT working controller setup: you can only drive from the inside [but without a dashboard] and from the outside; and if you have a steering wheel, like I do [MS FF], expect a nightmare to make it work exactly as you want.

These are true SR2 problems, but I am sure most people could live with them, if the game's playability was good... which it is NOT.

Your best times will always be achieved via an arcadish driving style, and you'll have to suffer an histeric co-driver, that screams OH! every time you touch a barrier. There is the option to race with a female co-driver, and I advise you to try it, in order to listen to some truly irritating screams.

In wide roads, you can turn almost without actually using the steering wheel... but in narrow stages, you'll live a true gymnastic session.

Your car can, by default, speed up to 140 km/h in 1st gear, but, very strangely, it won't cross the 220 km/h barrier, in 6th and going down... odd...

Other stupid stuff is how night suddenly falls, just to show off the programmer's graphics expertise. Poor feature.

The sole thing that woke me up on SR2, is the detail of people running off the roads, as you approach. Everything else is really poor. SR2 is nothing more than pretty graphics and very, VERY bad gameplay.

I hope things improve a LOT until December 1999, for when the game is promised. However, I must confess that NOTHING in my 2 CD pack tells that I was NOT playing the final release...

click on the picture, to download a [395 ZIP file of a PCX image], as snapshoted by the game.

It is raining but despite that, I have over 900 visitors in the park, paying as little as £0.10 per ride. The management secret for level 2, is to offer very low prices, after the initial visitor boom. If you don't grab visitors by the end of the 1st year, it will be hard for you to accomplish the objectives.

Roller coaster Tycoon, episode 2 completed

As previewed, I managed to complete RCT's level 2 - Dynamite Dunes - with a great score of £1737 [park value] and over 900 visitors, by the end of October / Year 3.

If you find RCT slightly boring, do persevere. I suggest you might leave the game on its own, when you sleep, after placing all the necessary infrastructures. It should be enough for it to reach a profitable status.

If you can't believe my £1737 park value [with one debt payment!], then download my game save [114 K ZIP], corresponding to the end of Dynamite Dunes. You can pick the park from where it is and apply your own management skills :)

In order to play my save, please unzip the file to your "saved games" folder.

You should also download the PCX file that shows you most of the park! It is huge! Check the left column of this table...