Top Gear Overdrive
| Top Gear OverDrive | |
|---|---|
 North American Nintendo 64 cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Snowblind Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Kemco |
| Series | Top Gear |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64 |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single player Multiplayer |
| Distribution | Cartridge |
Top Gear Overdrive is a racing game released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64 and the sequel to Top Gear Rally. This game had support for high-resolution graphics if used with the Expansion Pak and featured music from a band known as Grindstone.
Gameplay
In the main mode of play, the player races through six seasons, each season containing more races from more tracks, and with faster cars competing.
At the beginning of the race the player would start at the back of the grid, at the start line. Computer players at the front of the grid would often start a third of the way around the first lap. Players started with three charges of nitrous oxide, which were used to give the player a temporary speed boost.
While racing, the player could pick up two power-ups: nitrous oxide and cash. The nitrous oxide could be used straight away, while the cash was added to the winnings at the end of the race and was used for buying upgrades to the player's car.
Shortcuts were available on each track, and often the use of these decided the outcome of the races, particularly in later seasons.
At the end of each race the player would be presented with a screen to allow for various upgrades to their car, such as to acceleration and handling. The player was also able to change their car for a better (or worse) vehicle and could buy extra nitrous oxide to use in the next race.
At the end of the season, if the player had placed fourth or better in all of that season's tracks, they were allowed to progress to the next season.
Tracks
- Frigid Peaks
- Fertile Canyon
- Swampy Depot
- Downtown
- Sandy Beaches
- Space Truckin'
In later seasons all of the above tracks with the exception of Space Truckin' was available mirrored and/or with a variety of weather conditions, such as snowing, thunder and night time. As the player unlocked each track it became available in all the other game modes, except for Space Truckin', which could only be played in the main championship mode.
Cars
None of the cars in Top Gear Overdrive actually had real names, instead having a codename. However, the cars did bear striking resemblances to the following real world cars:
- Volkswagen Beetle
- Mitsubishi Eclipse
- Jeep Wrangler
- Chevrolet Camaro
- Dodge Viper
- Hummer H1
- Porsche 911 Turbo
- Ferrari F40
- Chrysler Jeep Jeepster(Prototype)
- McLaren F1
Further "cars" could be unlocked by beating all six of the seasons in championships mode, including:
- A Nintendo 64 logo
- A hotdog
- A Nintendo Power car
- A Donkey in a glass box
- A Taco
Soundtrack
The majority of tracks were written and performed by Grindstone.
References
External links
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