Software:Top Gear Pocket
| Top Gear Pocket | |
|---|---|
 North American box art | |
| Developer(s) | Vision Works |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Series | Top Gear |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Color |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Top Gear Pocket,[lower-alpha 1] known in Europe as Top Gear Rally, is a racing video game developed by Kemco and released for the Game Boy Color handheld console in 1999. A sequel, Top Gear Pocket 2, was released in 2000.
Gameplay
Top Gear Pocket is a racing video game where the player drives rally cars through a series of tracks. As the player wins races, new cars and tracks are unlocked.[2] The game features a total of 14 cars and eight tracks.[3] Races can take place in cities, savannas, grasslands, and snowy trails.[3] Both two-wheeled and four-wheeled cars are featured in the game and the handling of each car varies significantly.[3] The game cartridge features a built-in rumble feature that vibrates when the player crashes into other cars or slides on the track,[2] but does not feature a battery to save the game progress, so passwords must be used to restore the game to a specific state.[3] The game also includes a multiplayer mode where two players can race against each other.[3] The Game Link Cable is required for multiplayer.[4]
Release and reception
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Top Gear Pocket was the first Game Boy Color game to introduce a rumble feature in North America.[4] In Europe, the game was released as Top Gear Rally.[9][10] Critical reception for the game was generally mixed.[5] N64 Magazine criticized it for its lack of challenge and variety, stating that tracks are "either a mixture of looooong straights or fairly simple curves", but highlighted its graphics and sense of speed.[9] In contrast, Computer and Video Games felt that the game was very challenging, stating that players might get both frustration and joy in equal measure.[6] IGN remarked that the graphics are sharp and clear and that the game "creates a very realistic feeling of movement".[3]
The French video game magazine Consoles + praised the game's rumble feature, stating that it enhances the gameplay experience significantly.[10] The Spanish official Nintendo magazine Nintendo Acción agreed, but criticized the car handling and their small size.[11]
References
- Notes
- Citation
- ↑ "GameBoy Station - Archives | March 1999". March 29, 1999. http://gbstation.com/archives/mar99.html.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Woods, Nick. "Top Gear Pocket - Review". Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141116092431/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=17959&tab=review. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Jones, Tim (June 11, 1999). "Top Gear Pocket". Archived from the original on December 12, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161212101912/http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/06/12/top-gear-pocket. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Top Gear Pocket". Nintendo Power (120): 129. May 1999.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Top Gear Pocket". Archived from the original on January 28, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190128135730/https://www.gamerankings.com/gbc/199068-top-gear-pocket/index.html. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Top Gear Rally". Computer and Video Games (EMAP) (212): 41. July 1999.
- ↑ "Top Gear Pocket". Game Informer (73). May 1999.
- ↑ Davis, Cameron (January 28, 2000). "Top Gear Pocket Review". Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190630191023/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/top-gear-pocket-review/1900-2536213/. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Top Gear Rally". N64 Magazine (30): 39. July 1999.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Top Gear Rally" (in French). Consoles + (M.E.R.7) (89): 140. June 1999.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Top Gear Rally" (in Spanish). Nintendo Acción (Hobby Press) (81): 59. August 1999.
External links
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