''Top Gear'' is a

racing game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a motor racing, racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more re ...

for the

Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...

, published by

Kemco , from Kotobuki Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Ltd., is a Japanese video game developer and publisher established in 1984. It is headquartered in Kure, Hiroshima. Its best known franchises are the '' Kid Klown'' and ''Top Gear'' series, the ...

and developed by

Gremlin Graphics Gremlin Graphics Software Limited, later Gremlin Interactive Limited and ultimately Infogrames Studios Limited, was a British software house based in Sheffield, working mostly in the home computer market. Like many software houses established i ...

in 1992. The objective of the game is to become the fastest driver in the world by racing other drivers across several nations. It marks the first game in the ''Top Gear'' racing game franchise, and it is one of the first racing games to be released on the Super NES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System). This game and its next two sequels were created by the same developers as the similar ''

Lotus Lotus or LOTUS may refer to: Plants * List of plants known as lotus, a list of various botanical taxa commonly known as lotus, particularly: **''Nelumbonaceae'', a single-genus family of aquatic flowering plants, consisting of just two species; ...

'' series of games was released earlier on the

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...

and

Mega Drive The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...

Gameplay

When players first start the game, they are given several options to choose from, including entering their name, a choice of four different controller layouts, a choice between automatic or manual transmission, and their choice of four unique cars. During the race, the player will have to steer and shift gears (if they chose a manual transmission). The player is also given control over three "nitros", which allow the player to increase their speed for a short period of time. The game features a

password save A saved game (also called a game save, savegame, savefile, save point, or simply save) is a piece of digitally stored information about the progress of a player in a video game. From the earliest games in the 1970s onward, game platform hardw ...

system, made up of automotive terms such as "gear box" and "oilcloth". Each password grants access to another country to race in. During the race, there are pits in which players must stop in order to refuel. If their car runs out of fuel and coasts to a stop before the race is finished, the player will be disqualified.

Development and release

The music in ''Top Gear'' mostly consists of remixed tracks from the '' Lotus series'' of racing games on the

produced by

Barry Leitch Barry Leitch (born 27 April 1970 in Strathaven, Scotland) is a Scottish video game music composer. His work includes the '' Lotus Turbo Challenge'', '' TFX'', '' Gauntlet Legends'', '' Gauntlet Dark Legacy'', ''Top Gear'', and '' Rush'' video ga ...

. For example, the title music of ''Top Gear'' is taken from the ending of ''Lotus Turbo Challenge 2'', and the third race of each country uses a remixed version of the ''Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge'' title theme. The game (under the title ''Top Racer''), along with several other retro titles, was released by

Piko Interactive Piko Interactive LLC is an American video game publisher based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in early 2013 by Eli Galindo, the company focuses on physical re-releases of games from older video game consoles and digitally released ports to newer ...

on a multi-cart for the

Evercade The Evercade is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by British company Blaze Entertainment. It focuses on retrogaming with ROM cartridges that each contain a number of emulated games. The Evercade was released on 22 May 2020, and ...

handheld gaming system in 2020. Developer QUByte Interactive released the game for modern systems under the name ''Top Racer Collection'' on March 7, 2024.

Reception

''Top Gear'' was met with positive reception from critics and reviewers alike since its release.

Legacy

The game became very popular in Latin America, especially in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It inspired Brazilian company Aquiris Game Studio to create the arcade racing game '' Horizon Chase - World Tour'', which features an original soundtrack scored by ''Top Gear'' composer

, who also contributes an unlockable remix of the ''Top Gear'' main title theme.

Notes

References

External links

''Top Gear''
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