known in Europe as ''Top Gear Rally 2'', is a

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...

video game developed by

Kemco Kemco (abbreviated from Kotobuki Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher established in 1984. It is headquartered in Kure, Hiroshima. One of its best known franchises is the ...

and released for the

Game Boy Color The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...

handheld console, released on December 17, 1999 in Japan and in 2000 across other regions. It is a sequel to '' Top Gear Pocket''.

Gameplay

''Top Gear Pocket 2'' is

racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...

where the player drives

rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Sports ...

cars through closed-circuit courses. The player starts in the last position and must overtake a number of opponents controlled by the game's

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...

before crossing the finish line on the last lap. Points are awarded to the player depending o the position they finish a course. These can be used to buy or upgrade cars, which have four attributes: acceleration, top speed, handling, and braking. The game also includes a

multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

mode where two players can race against each other. The

Game Link Cable The Nintendo Game Link Cable is an accessory for the Game Boy line of handheld video game systems, allowing players to connect Game Boys of all types for multiplayer gaming. Depending on the games, a Game Link Cable can be used to link two gam ...

is required for multiplayer.

Development and release

''Top Gear Pocket 2'' was developed by

as a sequel to '' Top Gear Pocket''. The game uses an enhanced version of its predecessor's

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

. Unlike its predecessor, the game cartridge does not feature a built-in rumble feature, but includes a battery which allows players to save their progress. ''Top Gear Pocket 2'' was released on February 1, 2000 in North America. In Europe, the game was released as ''Top Gear Rally 2''.

Reception

''Top Gear Pocket 2'' received generally favorable reviews from video game publications. At the time of its release, ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'' reviewer Craig Harris considered it one of the best racing games on the Game Boy Color, stating that the game had been "tweaked and refined as a quality racing game", and concluding that its increasing difficulty offers a proper challenge as players progress through the game. However, he criticized the multiplayer mode because of its "catch-up" feature, noting that the "only real challenge is trying to keep behind the other person and guess when the final stretch approaches so you can win". ''

AllGame RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...

'' criticized the car attributes for being unbalanced, noting that the top speed is the only one that has a significant impact on the gameplay, but still considered the game enjoyable to play due to its sensation of speed. The British video game magazine ''Planet Game Boy'' highlighted the game's speed and pace, especially as better cars are unlocked, while the Spanish official Nintendo magazine '' Nintendo Acción'' praised the graphic improvements over its predecessor, stating that the cars are more detailed and that sharp curves and elevation changes are better animated.

References

;Notes ;Citation

External links

* {{Top Gear series 1999 video games Game Boy Color games Game Boy Color-only games Kemco games Vatical Entertainment games Off-road racing video games Video game sequels Top Gear (video game series) Video games developed in Japan Multiplayer and single-player video games Vision Works games