Top Gear Pocket
North American box art
Developer(s)Vision Works
Publisher(s)
SeriesTop Gear
Platform(s)Game Boy Color
Release
  • NA: March 30, 1999[1]
  • JP: April 23, 1999
  • EU: 1999
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

The player races against a computer-controlled opponent. The player's position and best time are shown at the top of the screen.

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

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
  1. ↑ Japanese: トップギア・ポケット, Hepburn: Toppu Gia poketto
Citation
  1. ↑ "GameBoy Station - Archives | March 1999". Game Boy Station. March 29, 1999. Archived from the original on June 5, 2002. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Woods, Nick. "Top Gear Pocket - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jones, Tim (June 11, 1999). "Top Gear Pocket". IGN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Top Gear Pocket". Nintendo Power. No. 120. May 1999. p. 129.
  5. 1 2 "Top Gear Pocket". GameRankings. Archived from the original on January 28, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Top Gear Rally". Computer and Video Games. No. 212. EMAP. July 1999. p. 41.
  7. ↑ "Top Gear Pocket". Game Informer. No. 73. May 1999.
  8. ↑ Davis, Cameron (January 28, 2000). "Top Gear Pocket Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 "Top Gear Rally". N64 Magazine. No. 30. July 1999. p. 39.
  10. 1 2 3 "Top Gear Rally". Consoles + (in French). No. 89. M.E.R.7. June 1999. p. 140.
  11. 1 2 "Top Gear Rally". Nintendo Acción (in Spanish). No. 81. Hobby Press. August 1999. p. 59.
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