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 collection faithfully re-releases the classic Top Racer (Top Gear) games, providing nostalgia for fans of the original SNES titles.
- The vibrant graphics and fantastic soundtrack enhance the overall experience, making it enjoyable for both nostalgic players and newcomers.
- The inclusion of online play and quality-of-life improvements, such as adjustable screen size and save states, adds modern convenience to the classic gameplay.
- The performance issues, including low frame rates and graphical glitches, detract from the gameplay experience, especially at high speeds.
- The new installment, Top Gear Crossroads, is criticized as a disappointing ROM hack with minimal changes, failing to meet expectations for new content.
- The collection lacks significant enhancements or remastering, making it a hard sell compared to better alternatives in the racing genre.
- music20 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users criticizing the replacement of the original menu music with generic tracks and noting audio issues such as skipping notes. However, the in-game soundtrack is praised for its quality and ability to enhance the gameplay experience, making it enjoyable during races. Overall, while the UI music is seen as a significant drawback, the original soundtrack remains a highlight for players.
“At least there's a sound test with the actual original soundtrack.”
“Great gameplay, soundtrack, and with online mode a must play with your friends!”
“The game is vibrant and crisp, and with a banging soundtrack, you will love it!”
“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.”
“The music in the UI is terrible; they should have just used the main game themes.”
- gameplay17 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the racing games is characterized by its simplistic yet addictive mechanics, offering a nostalgic experience that still holds up well despite dated graphics. Players appreciate the upgrade system that rewards performance, and the addition of online multiplayer enhances the fun, making it a great choice for playing with friends. While newcomers may find the gameplay tedious at times, the overall fluidity and engaging soundtrack contribute to a compelling racing experience.
“Great gameplay, soundtrack, and with online mode, a must-play with your friends!”
“Tr 2 and 3000 have upgrade mechanics; the better you finish, the better you're paid to upgrade your car and keep up with the competition.”
“Summing up all top racer games, they're arcade racers with very simplistic gameplay and functionality, and even for very old games, they still hold up well in fluid gameplay.”
“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.”
“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.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics in this collection evoke nostalgia, capturing the original nuances and glitches of classic titles like "Top Gear/Top Racer." However, players have noted that the visuals are dated, with occasional graphical glitches and frame rate drops, resulting in a less clear presentation compared to the original releases. Overall, while the graphics may not meet modern standards, they successfully revive the essence of the games.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game runs adequately, but players have reported experiencing occasional graphical glitches and frame rate drops, which detract from the overall visual clarity compared to the original releases.
“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.”
“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.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, especially for newcomers, yet many describe it as addictive, suggesting that it requires more skill than simply avoiding opponents.
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game faces significant performance issues and lacks key features, particularly in the Top Gear 2 and Top Gear 3000 modes, leading to a subpar optimization experience.
“The game suffers in terms of performance, and key features, especially for Top Gear 2 and Top Gear 3000, are missing.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game resonates strongly with nostalgic players who appreciate its familiar elements, while those lacking a personal connection may prefer more modern alternatives like Horizon Chase Turbo for a more engaging experience.
“Nostalgics will find that everything is as it should be, and there's still plenty of fun to be had.”
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%
