The Japanese name for Top Gear, identical in content. Snappy and accessible retro racing, ideal in split screen.
Your verdict
Category
Racing1 player3+
Description
Top-down car racing simulation with world circuits, Japanese version. Published by Kemco, released in Japan in 1992. Japanese version of the first Top Gear on Super Famicom.
Top Racer review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
The Japanese edition of the first instalment keeps the road and the split screen but takes particular care with the selection screens and gauges: well drawn dials, a visible nitro meter, clearly identifiable country flags. That interface work, often neglected elsewhere, makes reading the race more comfortable than you would expect.
Signed by Barry Leitch, the music propels the races with supercharged synth-rock themes of irresistible energy, now emblematic of the series. Each circuit pulses with a rousing groove perfectly in tune with the speed. This striking sonic identity stays etched in the memory of racing game fans.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Charging at full speed on circuits the world over, managing your nitro and fuel while overtaking swarms of rivals: this arcade racer bets on snappiness and clarity. The split-screen and the rousing soundtrack make it an essential two-player. Immediate, fast and bursting with energy, a pure racing pleasure that keeps you beating your time relentlessly.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Doling out the nitro, threading every corner and then climbing back through the pack before you run out of fuel delivers a racing tension that two-player mode multiplies tenfold. Memorizing a course, beating a time or eyeing the next circuit revives the urge to set off again. The challenge is harsh and repetitive, but this arcade racer keeps a nervy hook.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Is Top Racer still worth playing in 2026?
An arcade racer from Gremlin and Kemco, Top Gear offers circuits from around the world in rear view, with fuel management, manual gearbox and a much loved split screen two player mode. The sense of speed, the catchy soundtrack and the snappy pace keep a strong retro pull. The repetitive scenery and a high difficulty make themselves felt. A timeless racer for fans of 16 bit arcade driving games and nostalgics of split screen duels.
