Software:Top Gear Rally 2

From HandWiki
Short description: 1999 video game
Top Gear Rally 2
North American box art
Developer(s)Saffire
Publisher(s)Kemco
SeriesTop Gear
Platform(s)Nintendo 64
Release
  • NA: December 3, 1999[1]
  • EU: February 28, 2000
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Top Gear Rally 2 is a racing video game developed by Saffire and released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999. It is a sequel to Top Gear Rally.

Gameplay

Top Gear Rally 2 is a racing game where players drive rally cars through a series of tracks. The game features a random and dynamic weather system.

Development

Unlike the original Top Gear Rally, which was developed by Boss Game Studios, Top Gear Rally 2 was developed by Saffire.[2] The company conceived Top Gear Rally 2 as a more realistic game than its predecessor, with more simulation-like elements such as real-time car damage and weather effects. The physics engine was completely rewritten.[2] All the vehicles in the game are licensed versions of real rally cars such as the Ford Focus and the Renault Alpine.[3] During the final stages of the development cycle, developers had to work between 16 and 18 hours a day to complete the game.[2] The game supports the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak, which allows the game to be played at a resolution of 480x480 pixels.[2]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings73%[4]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStarHalf star[5]
EGM4.625/10[6][lower-alpha 1]
Famitsu24/40[7]
Game Informer6.75/10[8]
GameFan(L.B.) 72%[9]
69%[10][lower-alpha 2]
GameSpot7.6/10[11]
Hyper60%[12]
IGN8.2/10[13]
N64 Magazine90%[14]
Next GenerationStarStarStarStar[15]
Nintendo Power7.5/10[16]

Top Gear Rally 2 received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[4] GameFan and GameSpot gave it favorable reviews while it was still in development.[9][11] N64 Magazine considered it the best rally game for the Nintendo 64, but not as rewarding as World Driver Championship.[14] Mike Wolf of NextGen praised the selection of 15 cars to choose from, realistic weather conditions that affect car handling, a paint shop customization, shortcuts to find and exploit, and multiplayer support for four players.[15] In Japan, however, where the game was ported for release on February 3, 2000, Famitsu gave it a score of 24 out of 40.[7]

The Freshman of GamePro was generally positive to its gameplay, the race tracks and the selection of the cars, but considered that there were better racing games on Nintendo 64.[17][lower-alpha 3] In another GamePro review, The Bamboo Carabao said that the game was a welcome change of pace for those who want more of a simulation than Beetle Adventure Racing, but less complex and demanding than World Driver Championship.[18][lower-alpha 4]

Notes

  1. ↑ Two critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game each a score of 5.5/10, one gave it 4/10, and the other gave it 3.5/10.
  2. ↑ In GameFan's viewpoint of the game, one critic gave it 68, and the other 69.
  3. ↑ GamePro gave the game two 3.5/5 scores for graphics and fun factor, and two 4/5 scores for sound and control in one review.
  4. ↑ GamePro gave the game two 4/5 scores for graphics and control, and two 3/5 scores for sound and fun factor in another review.

References

  1. ↑ IGN staff (December 1, 1999). "N64 Games of December". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/12/02/n64-games-of-december-2. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 IGN staff (October 4, 1999). "Saffire Interview: Top Gear Rally 2". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/10/05/saffire-interview-top-gear-rally-2. 
  3. ↑ "Top Gear Rally 2: Race/Off". N64 Magazine (Future Publishing) (31): 10–11. August 1999. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Top Gear Rally 2 for Nintendo 64". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/n64/199070-top-gear-rally-2/index.html. 
  5. ↑ McCall, Scott. "Top Gear Rally 2 - Review". AllGame. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=19931&tab=review. 
  6. ↑ Hager, Dean; Davison, John; Chou, Che; Johnston, Chris (February 2000). "Top Gear Rally 2". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (127): 180. https://retrocdn.net/images/3/37/EGM_US_127.pdf. Retrieved October 15, 2023. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "トップギア・ラリー2" (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=5164&redirect=no. Retrieved October 15, 2023. 
  8. ↑ Reppen, Erik (December 1999). "Top Gear Rally 2". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (80). http://gameinformer.com/reviews/review_detail.cfm?ITEM_ID=4678. Retrieved May 27, 2017. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Buchanan, Levi "Angus" (November 10, 1999). "REVIEW for Top Gear Rally 2". GameFan (Shinno Media). http://gamefan.com/repre.asp?g=1414%26t=r. Retrieved May 27, 2017. 
  10. ↑ Higgins, Geoff "El Nino"; Rodriguez, Tyrone "Cerberus" (January 2000). "Top Gear Rally 2". GameFan (Shinno Media) 8 (1): 89. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_8_Issue_01/page/n89/mode/2up. Retrieved October 15, 2023. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Stahl, Ben (October 29, 1999). "Top Gear Rally 2 Review". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/top-gear-rally-2-review/1900-2545298/. 
  12. ↑ DMC (January 2000). "Top Gear Rally 2". Hyper (Next Media Pty Ltd) (75): 66. https://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-705-66.jpg. Retrieved May 12, 2023. 
  13. ↑ Schneider, Peer (December 6, 1999). "Top Gear Rally 2". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/12/07/top-gear-rally-2-2. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Bickham, Jes (February 2000). "Top Gear Rally 2". N64 Magazine (Future Publishing) (38): 60–63. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Wolf, Mike (February 2000). "Top Gear Rally 2". NextGen (Imagine Media) (62): 94. https://archive.org/details/NextGen62Feb2000/page/n95/mode/2up. Retrieved October 15, 2023. 
  16. ↑ "Top Gear Rally 2". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) 127: 158. December 1999. https://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-369-158.jpg. Retrieved October 15, 2023. 
  17. ↑ The Freshman (December 7, 1999). "Top Gear Rally 2 Review for N64 on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG). http://gamepro.com/nintendo/n64/games/reviews/3498.shtml. Retrieved October 15, 2023. 
  18. ↑ The Bamboo Carabao (December 1999). "Top Gear Rally 2". GamePro (IDG) (135): 186. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_135_December_1999_U/page/n179/mode/2up. Retrieved October 15, 2023. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

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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