Racing games have always been a favorite of mine. And the Super Nintendo had loads of them to offer. But one that caught my eye when I was a kid was a game called Top Gear. I saw the back of the box and was blown away completely. I showed my brother and he also loved what he saw. We rented the game and fell in love with it instantly. The graphics were great and the whole racing action was top notch.

This game works like a normal racing simulator, games that were extremely popular for the Super Nintendo. You race across eight countries: United States, Latin American, Japan, Germany, Scandinavia, France, Italy, and United Kingdom. Each country has four races that you compete in, giving you a total of 32 races. The races are based on real life cities from around the world, and they are captured beautifully (for the SNES’s time anyway). Most races are contested during the day, but you also have a few night races (complete with headlights on your car), and races which transition from night to day (but no day to night transitions, awkwardly). Each race has a set number of laps, anywhere from three to eight.

There is a point system like in any other racing simulator. The better you place in a track, the more points you gain. And you will need to place high in order to advance to more tracks, and ultimately more countries. Failing to do so means you have to go back and try again.

You only have four cars to choose from in the game, but they are well balanced and have their strengths and weaknesses. The red car has the highest fuel consumption and the lowest tire grip, but it is the fastest car in the game with a max speed of 147 mph. The white car is the slowest car in the game (131 mph) but it has the best tire grip and the lowest fuel consumption. The purple car and the blue car are nearly identical, with the same top speed (137 mph) and midrange fuel consumption. Only difference is that the purple car has a lower tire grip than the blue car, but a higher tire grip than the red car.

During the race, you will have to watch your fuel. If it runs out, you won’t be able to move your car and just hope that your car gets a boost from one of the other drivers on the road. In the races with five or more laps, there are pit stops you will need to stop by to fill up the tank. Though it will cost you a few positions, you can’t race without gas. Also, you have three nitro boosts to work with on your car, giving you a temporary speed boost. Use them wisely, especially in the high lap races.

The music is some of the best I have heard, though it isn’t much. Excluding the title screen and the menu screen, you have four music tracks that play in each of the four races in each country. The music that plays in every third track (New York for example) is among my best in video game music. The sound effects are your usual tire screeching, car crashing style sounds.

This is a great pickup and play racing game. The music is funky and the gameplay will keep you hooked. The nitros will also get you into the game because you’re just tempted to use them. I love this game, and this should definitely be in your arsenal.