Kemco Games

Fastenjaw · Guest

There are fast classic driving games and then theres Top Gear! A very VERY fast game based on upgrades and good driving skills. No fancy graphics. No photo quality apearance. No brief drag racing which I feel is rather boring. Just you and the road with about 20 other racers competing for the win. Varying well themed courses. Loads of courses! Responsive controls and great music too!

And what of all of these made the TG so popular? I think the speed and upgrades part is what really did it. Think about it for a second. Most "NEW AND IMPROVED" games which sport fancy graphics often dont have that feel of speed to them. Dont get me wrong. I think its cool and all how the cars on new games simulate the real thing. But it feels like an eternity to accelerate. Every little thing you hit stops you cold with no concept of the car actually HAVING WEIGHT... Or the car will plow through objects as if they were not even there... Even the wobblyness of the shocks of the car often adds difficulty to racing as you could loose your balance and flip over. The "you have to slow down but not too much on a turn" makes things a bit too complex to have the game travel at super high speed. Too much graphics means less split second responsiveness and an overall slower feel to the car and the road. All this dedication to the real thing takes away from what a game should be. Fun. If the game looks good but is a huge amount of fun to play people will know and be thankful too. If the game looks great but plays poor, expect to see this game in the trash in about 3 months. And no one will remember super hydrogen tripple watchamacallit.

The point is how fun is it if you make another installment. When I play Top Gear 2 and Top gear 3000, The rush of traveling at super high speed and the challenge of passing and keeping the car on the road, even flying past other cars and just grazing a baricade or wall adds a sense of satisfaction! The game isnt too fast either. Only when you use nitros on the wrong side of the road or use it at a sharp part of the track does it get a bit too hectic. Even then I still get a thrill from surviving the burst of speed. But I cant stop! My adrenaline is running! The speed is almost insane with nitros. I have to win. Win so my car can go faster! More speed!!! First place!!!! WOOT!!! 10G's to my car

!!!

See what I mean? You dont have to over complexify the game. Players will forgive you if the graphics could be better but is just a straight forward thrill to play. I've played those super realistic games before. They feel like simulators. I am not sure why. Yea they are fun. But not really fun. I'm still thinking about Top gear 2 theme song in my head. The really fast speed. The upgrades and the instant difference it makes when you drive after they are added. Wining adds a real feeling of an accomplishment because your opponents are racing super fast too! Thats why I Feel too much graphics could result in a slower feel. Even ruin the experience with lag.

So what is the real meaning of this post? I guess I'm sorta afraid. Afraid to see a new installment. Worried that the old classic feel will be forgotten and never restored. I know looks sell. But I still hope you'll not soon forget what made Top Gear number 1 in my list of all time driving games. No overly pimped themes or exagerated color schemes that hurt the eyes. No cheesy overly realistic simulator senarios. Just you and the road. And RAW SPEED.....

Fastenjaw · Guest

Sorry. I dont really know the difference between driving game and racing game. I think driving is just driving while racing is racing others?!?! forgive my confusion and my mislabeling. Any one wish to clarify this for me?? Thanks

Zack-EGL · Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 27 Location: Wasilla AK

There really isn't such a thing as a driving game, most games involving cars pr drivable things of some sort are called racing games, or in GTA's case, it's a game with...well....cars in it. Top Gear is a racing game in general terms.
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Adoug · Joined: 31 Oct 2003 Posts: 390 Location: Seatown

What about the Grand Turismo series...the "Real Driving Simulator"? Just thought I would throw that out there! Good posts by the way, good info.

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Zack-EGL · Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 27 Location: Wasilla AK

Adoug · Joined: 31 Oct 2003 Posts: 390 Location: Seatown

How about Hard Driving? Remember that one?! Your right about Gran Turismo though...I just thought I would bring it up, because of the motto for it.

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Zack-EGL · Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 27 Location: Wasilla AK

Nope, I've never heard of Hard Driving. Also, whats with the evil smileys? lol, its like a signature for you I guess eh?
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Adoug · Joined: 31 Oct 2003 Posts: 390 Location: Seatown

Hard Drivin was an arcade game (later turned to console for Sega CD or something...cant remember), that involved just driving really, with the occasional corkscrew etc. You could probably find some pics of it on the web. And yes, the

are my signature.

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Zack-EGL · Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 27 Location: Wasilla AK

Adoug · Joined: 31 Oct 2003 Posts: 390 Location: Seatown

Back then it was cool. It was a First Person driving game too, all 3D, but super blocky looking.

I had fun with it in the arcades.
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DJ WolfDevil · Joined: 23 Dec 2004 Posts: 1

Hi!

New guy here but long time gamer!

I full heartily agree with Fastenjaw. Top Gear 2 is arguably the best 16-bit arcade racer ever made. The Mario Kart series can't hold a stick shift in comparison to the first two Top Gear offerings.

The thing that is getting on my nerves is the fact that while the first two Top Gear games for the GBA (Top Gear GT Championship and Top Gear Rally) are nice to look at, they are only mildly entertaining at best.

What happened to the opportunity of racing against 19 CPU opponents? What happened to those races that span across the globe? And what happened to those catchy tunes that was present in Top Gear and Top Gear 2?!?

Other non-rally GBA games such as the Need For Speed series is fun and all but when you're on the go, nothing but simply pure arcade racing is in order. That is the only reason why I purchased Sega Arcade Gallery for my handheld. Like Top Gear 2, Out Run is a classic!

If Kemco would follow in Nintendo's footsteps and port a revamped version of Top Gear 2 to the GBA, I would definitely scoop up that game in an instant.

Case in point: Recently, I won an auction from eBay for the SNES version of Top Gear 2. The starting bid was at $0.99. After waging in a bidding war for seven agonizing days, I managed to come out on top. But I didn't come out unscathed though. I paid nearly $35 for a game that came out in 1993! Nonetheless, I was very satisfied as I knew I was getting one of the crème a la crème in arcade racing.

To sum it all up: Top Gear 2 is still beloved by many and ALWAYS sells for a premium on eBay!

DJ WolfDevil

Adoug · Joined: 31 Oct 2003 Posts: 390 Location: Seatown

Welcome to the Kemco forums DJ WolfDevil,

I just wanted to welcome you, thank you for the thoughts, and say that your point is heard. Have a happy holiday.

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"We're kinda like 7-11. We're not always doin business, but we're always open." Boondock Saints.