Game #1122: Top Gear Rally

 There's 3-D and then there's 3-D on the friggin' Gameboy Advance.

 Looking to expand on my racing game repertoire, I figured I might enjoy Rally games since they tend to be of the 'Drive from point A to B' variety. Top Gear Rally on the Gameboy Advance was next in line, a game I'll freely admit I got because I wanted to try some of the 3-D Advance games, and, by golly, was I surprised.

 As previously stated, the goal of every race is to reach the end in first place. The game features 10 different challenges, with 3 tracks each, and available in three different difficulty settings. The game is fairly easy to grasp, A to accelerate and B to hit the breaks, and since this is a rally game, how you tackle every curve matters. Before each curve you'll receive a green, orange or red curve sign, indicating its shape and how sharp it will be, and it's up to you to deal with it in the appropriate manner.

 The game features a surprising amount of vistas and settings, from cities, to snowy mountains, to beaches and even hills you can fall down from! There are many different surfaces, for which you'll need to swap tires to perform your best, as well as different weather conditions. The controls are super responsive, and every time I messed up a curve it felt like it was my fault. Playing the game is very simple and getting the hang of everything is very easy, making the game very enjoyable.

 On graphics alone this is the most impressive GBA game I've ever played, looking akin to a PS1 game. The 3-D cars look amazing, the environments are very sharp, well defined and good looking too, it truly is a visual treat.

 I think this might be one of my favorite GBA games. Gameplay is smooth and easy to grasp, the game is well designed and it's a total looker. I haven't played enough racers on the system to call it one of the best, but damn, if it didn't win me over.

 9.0