Software:Top Gear 2

From HandWiki
Short description: 1993 video game
Top Gear 2
European SNES box art
Developer(s)Gremlin Interactive
Publisher(s)Kemco (SNES)
Vic Tokai (Genesis)
Gremlin Interactive (Amiga)
SeriesTop Gear
Platform(s)Super NES, Sega Genesis, Amiga, Amiga CD32
ReleaseSuper NES
  • NA: September 1993[1]
  • JP: December 22, 1993
  • PAL: 1993
Sega Genesis
Amiga, Amiga CD32
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Top Gear 2 (released as Top Racer 2 in Japan) is a racing video game developed and published by Gremlin Interactive. A direct sequel to the 1992 game Top Gear, it was first released by Kemco for the SNES in North America in September 1993, and then the Super Famicom in Japan on December 22. It was later ported to the Amiga and Amiga CD32 in September 1994 by Gremlin Interactive, and to the Sega Genesis in September by Vic Tokai. While more realistic than its predecessor, Top Gear 2 maintained the arcade-style gameplay the series is known for.

Gameplay

Scene from the Munich track

For the sequel, like the original, Gremlin used rehashed graphics and gameplay from the Lotus racing trilogy. However, this game becomes more realistic, with a damage diagram on the left side of the screen, slower cars, and the possibility to upgrade the machine. The cars become more difficult to handle and the opponents are faster and tougher than in the previous game. The addition of weather plays a role, forcing the player to change from dry to wet tyres.

The game takes place in 64 tracks spanning 16 countries, each of which contains four races, starting with Australasia (Australia and New Zealand) and ending at the United States. After each country is beaten, the player is given a password, which can be later used to pick the game back up from that position. Because of agreement to naming rights, the Giza Necropolis in Egypt was renamed to Hugh Sitton, a photographer of Corbis Corporation.

Players need to finish in the top ten positions in each race to qualify for the next one. There is a map that shows the course layout, the position of the players, and the position of the car in first place. The player is given 6 "nitro boosts" at the start which dramatically increase the car's speed for a short period of time. On certain courses, there are pickups along the road ranging from a "$" which is $1,000 cash, a "N" which is an extra "nitro boost", and a "S" which is an automatic nitro administered right when picked up and returns each lap. The other pickups can only be collected once per race. Players must take care to avoid too much damage to any area of the armour. If a section of armour is destroyed and the player takes damage in the area that the destroyed section of the armour used to protect, the car will spin out. Racers will be disqualified if they run out of fuel and coast to a stop before finishing the race. Since there are no pits for cars to refuel in unlike the first game, upgrading the gearbox becomes mandatory in order to get the fuel economy needed to survive the longer races in the later portions of the game. Since the Genesis port of this game does not implement a fuel gauge, fuel economy is not a problem in that port.

Players have the option of either an automatic or manual gearshift, and can configure the controls as they please at the opening menu of the game.

Players can spend money earned in a race to upgrade their cars. Upgrading the engine makes the car accelerate faster, helps the top speed of the car by a small amount, and makes it easier for the car to reach higher gears. Upgrading the nitro makes nitro boosts accelerate more strongly and reach higher top speeds. Upgrading the gearbox mainly improves the car's top speed, improves the car's fuel economy, and can greatly improve the car's acceleration starting with the third out of four gearboxes that are available, but gearbox upgrades require an engine that is strong enough to allow shifting into higher gears in order to be effective. Upgrading the armour allows cars to take more damage before the armour is destroyed in the area that is being upgraded. The paint shop allows the color of the car to be changed. Upgrading the tyres improves their grip and the car's turning performance.

Reception

Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
Edge6/10[4]

Reviewing the Genesis version, GamePro assessed that Top Gear 2 has a good number of tracks and solid controls, but feels outdated compared to contemporary racing games due to the limited options for altering the car's configuration. They concluded that "for simple, straightforward fun, Top Gear 2 still qualifies".[5] Nintendo Power gave the SNES version a score of 3.55 out of 5.[6] Super Gamer gave the SNES version a review score of 83% stating that the game has better graphics and more depth.[7]

IGN ranked the game 95th on their "Top 100 SNES Games of All Time".[8]

See also

  • Lotus

References

  1. ↑ "Super NES Games". Nintendo of America. http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/snes_games.pdf. 
  2. ↑ "TimeLine". Game Players: pp. 8. October 1994. https://retrocdn.net/images/2/26/GamePlayers_US_0710.pdf. "Top Gear 2...SG" 
  3. ↑ Gibson, David (September 2, 1994). "Games with a bit of byte". The Journal: pp. 27. https://www.newspapers.com/image/804694108. "Top Gear 2 is the new super accelerated race game launched later this month at £34.99..Top Gear 2 will be available on the Amiga CD32 at £29.99..." 
  4. ↑ "Top Gear 2". Edge (2): 94. November 1993. 
  5. ↑ Sarah Nade (December 1994). "ProReview: Top Gear 2". GamePro (IDG) (75): 110. 
  6. ↑ "Super NES Sports Scene". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America Inc.) 54: 104. November 1993. 
  7. ↑ "Top Gear 2 Review". Super Gamer (United Kingdom: Paragon Publishing) (2): 123. May 1994. https://archive.org/details/super-gamer-02/page/122/mode/2up. Retrieved March 28, 2021. 
  8. ↑ (in en) Top 100 SNES Games of All Time - IGN.com, https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-snes-games, retrieved 2021-07-28 

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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