Game Review: Top Gear Rally

Game: Top Gear Rally
Console: Nintendo 64
Developer: Boss Game Studios
Release Date: 1997

Top Gear Rally is a simple but enjoyable rally game for the Nintendo 64. There are two main game modes, Arcade and Championship as well as Time Trial and Practice modes. In Arcade mode players compete against a single AI opponent through checkpoints for three laps on any unlocked circuit. In Championship mode players race through seasons and attempt to gain a set amount of points overall to progress and unlock new cars and circuits.

There are three types of handling in game; A, B and C. A is the loosest handling, with which the player's car will turn and slide very easily. Handling type C is the tightest handling, requiring more input to turn and hardly ever breaking into a slide. Personally type B seems to be the best since its inbetween these two extremes and as such allows players to slide when needed, but avoid doing so unnecessarily and potentially spinning the car around or into barriers. There seems to be no way of reversing, meaning that one mistake can spell the end of a race.

The selection of cars is limited by a lack of licensing; all cars are given a two letter moniker. Their stats vary but there's little else to go on in terms of choosing a car, and there are real differences in handling. Edited car decals can be made and saved, but the default ones are bearable too. There could definitely be more variety in the types of cars featured; nearly all of them look like the same type of box-shaped racer.

The circuits are interesting and fairly varied; a coast and jungle circuit are unlocked initially and both of these offer different racing experiences. The jungle circuit reminded me a little of Sega Rally Championship 2 with its wide turns and open plains. The only downside here is that the courses aren't in a point-to-point format, as with many later rally titles. Arcade mode also features another racing pet peeve of mine which is competitive checkpoint racing; it's not enough that you're beating the AI; you have to race against time as well. Checkpoints could have been perfect for the time trail mode instead.

Graphically the game holds up pretty well for the era, but is obviously dated with a view to modern graphics. There's a lot of fog covering up a lack of horizon detail and draw distance, but the tracks themselves disguise these issues well. The soundtrack to the game features looped music which is a little short at times, but it's to be expected from cartridge based games, when compared to disc based PS1 titles of the time.

Overall Top Gear Rally scores big in the important sector of actual gameplay; Championship Mode is fun and competitive, and features a variety of circuits to race. Arcade mode can be difficult with its added time limits, but once a few faster cars have been unlocked it doesn't pose as much of a problem. It'd be nice to have seen a little more progression in the game, with only car and circuit unlocks driving players to complete Championship Mode, but it's worth a few hours to enjoy.

Rating: 66/100
Grade: C