Top Gear 2

"Best Pre MarioKart Racer out there."

Top Gear 2, this is one very classic game for the Super Nintendo. Any racer fan knows and loves this game like a their own child. I will rate this game on its Gameplay, Control, Audio, and Replay Value.

Gameplay: 9
This is the category that this game shines in. Your car is bare bones at the beginning of the game and you must win races to advance in the league, and winning races earns you money. The money you can use to upgrade your car. Inturn making your car faster and better able to compete with a continuously more and more challenging computer. There are 5 area's of upgrades, each with 4 stages of upgrading. At the time this game was created (Pre-Mario Kart), this feature was brand new, and gave gamers a new aspect to racing. Unfortunatley, there is no story, but in a racing game is it really necessary?

Control: 10
I have to give this game a 10 for the simple fact that this game is really idiot proof. You hit A for Accelerate, and B for brake. The control pad to turn and finally the boost. This is the slightly tricky part, up on the control pad. If you don't like this configuration don't worry the game has 4 different control styles available just in case.

Audio: 7
For the SNES this game was pretty average. The tunes didn't get repetitive because they change with every country you enter. So hearing a new tune every 4 races isn't enough time to get tired of the same song all day long. The sound effects are pretty well done also. Each engine has its own sound and wrecks sound somewhat realistic. Not perfect but a lot better than the other racing games out there at this time.

Replay: 8
The replay value on this game is fairly high in my opinion. If you are a dedicated racer and in need of a break this is just the game, and you will find yourself coming back to it often. The game is 2 player which is pretty neat because it will almost always be you vs. your friend at the end of a race. The only draw back to this game is that out of the 40+ races there isn't a time trial mode.

Final Argument:
This game is a must for any racer fan. The game was by far ''best of the last''. I say the last because once Mario Kart came out this style of racing game faded away. The linear rear chase style is long gone and was replaced by the more forward looking styles common to today, but give this game a chance and you won't be let down by how addicting an old game can be.

Total Score 35/40 = 8.75

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/07/03, Updated 05/07/03