97. Top Gear (Gremlin Graphics, Super Nintendo, 1992)

I only became aware of Top Gear after playing 2016's spiritual successor, Horizon Chase Turbo, and wow, it turns out it wasn't so much a spiritual successor as it was a direct copy. That said, I had a great time with Horizon Chase Turbo, and the same simple racing fun is present in both titles.

Top Gear has you racing on a variety of tracks against 20 other cars in short races that range from 3-5 laps. The only buttons are gas, brake and nitro (plus gear shifting if you choose manual), so it's not a terribly complicated game. You have access to a map that shows your position, and generally road signs will signal if a turn is coming up, so the main challenge is avoiding the other cars and saving your nitro for opportune moments. The fun of the game is in the controls and relative ease: it's very generous with turns, so it's hard to completely miss a turn, and bumping into rivals at most slows you down a small amount. The turning feels great with the SNES d-pad, though I will say I miss the analog stick turning of Horizon Chase.

The game is always played in a split screen mode, so if you are only playing single player, the bottom screen is taken by a rival car, who is slightly faster and more devious than the other cars, which lends a fun gameplay element on top of a tight control scheme. Top Gear is famous in Brazil, especially for its soundtrack. While the first level theme is a certified 16-bit jam, the rest of the tracks are not that interesting, and there are only about 4 or 5 songs in the game. The visuals are pretty basic, as it was an early Super Nintendo game.

4/5, definitely the best racing game I've played on the Super Nintendo (sorry Uniracers)