Top Racer Collection
- March 6, 2024
- QUByte Interactive
The Top Racer Collection is a fun racing collection if you enjoy racing games from the ‘90s. The game is vibrant and crisp, and with a banging soundtrack, you will love it!
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Top Racer Collection" is a Steam game that compiles the complete Top Racer series, including Top Racer, Top Racer 2, Top Racer 3000, and Top Racer Crossroads. With over 140 tracks and exclusive new cars, players can experience arcade-style racing and manage time, nitro, and fuel. The game supports up to 4 players in split-screen mode and online play for challenging racers worldwide.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The Top Racer Collection is a nostalgic and well-crafted compilation of classic racing games, offering modern enhancements like online multiplayer and leaderboards.
- The gameplay remains true to the original SNES titles, providing a fun and challenging experience for both veterans and newcomers to the series.
- The collection includes a significant amount of content, with almost 150 racing tracks and various game modes, making it a worthwhile addition for fans of retro racing games.
- The performance issues, including frame rate drops and audio glitches, detract from the overall experience compared to the original SNES versions.
- Some key features from the original games are missing, such as the ability to use passwords for upgrades and cheats, which may disappoint long-time fans.
- The user interface is clunky and requires too many clicks to start a race, and the new 'Crossroads' game feels like a rushed reskin rather than a true new installment.
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay of these arcade racing titles is engaging and addictive, requiring players to grasp in-depth mechanics for success, despite their simplistic nature. While the graphics may feel dated and the gameplay can be challenging for newcomers, the smooth emulation and upgrade mechanics enhance the overall experience, making it a must-play, especially in multiplayer mode. Overall, the combination of solid mechanics and nostalgic themes contributes to a rewarding racing experience.
“Sure you can pick up and play for a great arcade racing experience; however, to succeed, you'll need to understand the in-depth mechanics that encompass each title.”
“Great gameplay, soundtrack, and with online mode, a must-play with your friends!”
“What sets it apart is the great gameplay; the emulation runs perfectly on every game without frame drops, bugs, crashes, or any issues.”
“Sure, you can pick up and play for a great arcade racing experience; however, to succeed, you'll need to understand the in-depth mechanics that encompass each title.”
“Yes, the graphics are dated and the gameplay can be tedious to newcomers, but the game is very addictive and takes more than just trying to avoid bumping into your opponents.”
“Cheats also don’t provide unlimited gadgets, which is the core mechanic of the game.”
- music11 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with praise for the depth and quality of the main soundtrack during gameplay, but significant criticism for the generic menu music and audio issues, such as skipping notes. While some players appreciate the inclusion of a sound test for the original tracks, the overall user experience is marred by the poor choice of UI music and connectivity problems in multiplayer mode.
“With great music and almost 150 racing tracks throughout, what makes the top racer titles stand out is the amount of depth found in each title.”
“Great gameplay, soundtrack, and with online mode, a must-play with your friends!”
“It's very simple and backed up by their soundtrack to enjoy throughout each race.”
“The music in the UI is terrible; they should have just used the main game themes.”
“Decent enough port, but I experienced some audio issues (music tracks sometimes would skip notes).”
“Replacing the original menu music with this generic guitar music is also criminal.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics in this collection evoke nostalgia, successfully capturing the essence of the original games, though they exhibit some graphical glitches and frame rate drops. While the visuals are enhanced with filters and high-quality scans, they lack the clarity of the original releases, making them feel somewhat dated. Overall, the graphics serve as a reminder of the past, appealing primarily to long-time fans.
“This includes high quality scans of the original Japanese box art and manuals for each game, a wide variety of arcade and online modes, improved in-game visuals with various filters, screen types, and background images.”
“The graphics are all there, the nuances, the little glitches, even the old pit strategies were all there... it hadn't changed one iota from what I remembered.”
“Original 'Top Gear/Top Racer' is one of my favorite racing games ever and while this PC collection overall runs fine, I have noticed some graphical glitches and drops in frame rate from time to time, and the visuals overall aren't as clear as they were compared to the original releases.”
“Yes, the graphics are dated and the gameplay can be tedious to newcomers, but the game is very addictive and takes more than just trying to avoid bumping into your opponents.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game collection runs adequately but is marred by occasional graphical glitches and frame rate drops, leading to visuals that lack the clarity of the original releases. Overall, while it maintains the nostalgic elements, stability issues detract from the experience.
“The graphics are all there, the nuances, the little glitches, even the old pit strategies were all there... it hadn't changed one iota from what I remembered.”
“Original 'Top Gear/Top Racer' is one of my favorite racing games ever and while this PC collection overall runs fine, I have noticed some graphical glitches and drops in frame rate from time to time, and the visuals overall aren't as clear as they were compared to the original releases.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game faces significant performance issues, and several key features, particularly in Top Gear 2 and Top Gear 3000, are notably absent, impacting overall optimization.
“The game suffers in terms of performance, and key features, especially for Top Gear 2 and Top Gear 3000, are missing.”
- story1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The story in the third title is described as simple, but it is complemented by numerous upgrades, fuel and repair mechanics, and the inclusion of weapons, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
“The third title adds a simple story, a lot more upgrades, lines on the track to refill fuel and repair damage, and weapons.”
“The third title adds a simple story, but it feels underdeveloped and lacks depth.”
“The narrative is weak and fails to engage the player, making it hard to care about the characters.”
“While there are many upgrades and features, the story feels like an afterthought and doesn't contribute to the overall experience.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
While the game features dated graphics and can feel tedious for newcomers, players find it addictive and engaging, requiring more than just basic avoidance of opponents to succeed.
“The grinding in this game feels endless and often becomes a chore rather than an enjoyable experience.”
“I found myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which made the game feel more like a job than a fun pastime.”
“The amount of grinding required to progress is overwhelming and detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
Critic Reviews
Top Racer Collection Review
Top Racer Collection is a solid compilation for fans of the Top Gear trilogy on SNES, but the originals' lower frame rate can really affect the action at high speeds. Nostalgics will find that everything is as it should be, and there's still plenty of fun to be had, but those without emotional ties to the series will want to go for the newer, better model instead and buy Horizon Chase Turbo.
70%Top Racer Collection Review
The Top Racer Collection is a fun racing collection if you enjoy racing games from the ‘90s. The game is vibrant and crisp, and with a banging soundtrack, you will love it!
80%Top Racer Collection Review – Just as you remember it?
Top Racer Collection does what it says on the box, it contains the three SNES games from the series, pretty much unchanged. The collection provides the bare-bones quality-of-life options that are usually expected including changing screen size and playing with filters. Some new gameplay options such as online play are present as well. Unfortunately, given the number of better alternatives in this genre, both past and modern, this collection is a bit of a hard sell. However, I acknowledge that the series does have a huge following in some parts of the world, and for those that simply want to play Top Racer again, in their original form and on modern consoles, then this collection will sort them out.
50%
