Top Gear 3000
Encyclopedia
Top Gear 3000 was a sequel to the 1993 video game Top Gear 2
for the Super NES
. It is a racing game similar to the original in gameplay, but set in the distant future with 47 different tracks on alien planets, and a variety of environments.
.
Car upgrades were more extensive than in Top Gear 2
, and "weapons" were featured for the first time in the series. Upgrades included a nuclear fusion
engine, a cobalt
-titanium
armor kit, and a liquid polymer
gearbox; weapons included a device to jump over cars, a warp device, and a magnet
ic attractor to steal kinetic energy
from other cars.
Due to the capabilities of the new chip
DSP-4 used for this game, it was the first game in the series that was possible to split the track in two different directions with different lengths, sometimes intentionally making one route much faster than the other. Top Gear 3000 was the only game in the history of the Super NES
to use this chip
.
benefactors and funders have created a massive galaxy
-wide racing campaign at the outset of each millennium, and reward the winner with "riches beyond belief."
The year is 2962 (and not 3000 as shown in the title of the video game). Five centuries have passed since World War
XVII
devastated most of the colonized planets of the Milky Way Star System
. The Galactic Conglomerate of Unified Planets, controlling the Bureau of Reasonable Entertainment, has maintained an era of calm and peaceful co-existence through the systematic suppression of any radical thought or action that may "stir up" the teeming masses of citizens populating the twelve Star Systems under their jurisdiction. In other words, anything remotely resembling "fun" has been analyzed
, sterilized
, sanitized
, homogenized, pasteurized
, desensitized
, computerized and commercialized
.
And so are a number of outlaw thrill seekers that have too much money and not enough excitement in their lives to keep them occupied. For these radical elements, there is only one cure for the boredom and complacency of life in the 30th century...The Top Gear 3000 Challenge! Once every millennium, the richest, bravest, most skilled drivers risk it all in the ultimate car race.
Combining the high tech, sci-fi gadgetry of the 30th Century with the white knuckle, raw nerves action of 20th Century automobile racing, these bandit racers have set up an illegal tournament that will take you hurtling through the planets of the Conglomerate.
The game has two distinct modes of gameplay, with Championship being the most expansive. Cars are limited by the range of their fuel, and of the condition of their frame; players gain fuel by driving over the red Recharge strips, and repair their car's structural integrity by driving over the blue Repair strips.
. Players start off with identical cars and may change the color, name, speed units (MPH or km/h), and the button layout. Unlike in previous Top Gear games with a few pre-generated layouts, the players may adjust any function to any button desired.
Each race contains a pack of twenty cars, with eighteen or nineteen named AI opponents. After races are won, players then spend earned credits replacing the engine
, gearbox, tire
s, armor, boost, and adding "weapons" capability. The AI opponents
do not purchase upgrades, but grow steadily faster throughout the championship. Bonuses of various quantities may be placed on the track as spherical icons, or awarded for certain driver activities after the end of each race as secret bonuses.
These bonuses are:
Some races intentionally have less than minimum recharge strips, forcing the player to run out of gas
. As the cars are futuristic, the cars can sustain a great speed even without gas, making it possible to win races without recharging. But if the player hits a tree or another object that makes the car lose too much speed, the car then will run at a very low speed, almost not moving. The only way to make the car gain speed again is by running over a red strip, using the attractor on another car, being hit by a fast car or using a boost
of level 4 or higher. As well, nuclear engines can keep the velocity even when the player doesn't have gas.
The weapons do not influence the other racers at all. You can jump over other cars, warp through other cars and even attract your car towards another, but these weapons only affect your car. The player can cycle between the weapons using the L or R trigger buttons.
This upgrade appears once you change the order of password letters.
In Versus Mode, up to four players can play with the addition of a multitap
. The screen is always split four ways; if there are fewer than four players, AI opponents will form up the remainder. Each race is a stand-alone affair on a single track, with players choosing from four different speed/acceleration/boost combinations (similar to original Top Gear
) before the race begins.
Also:
The passwords in any phase of the game, can be changed. This change will give to you another things: extra money, other engines, gearboxes...
For example: Changing the order of the digits that the password have.
Top Gear 2
Top Gear 2 was the sequel to the 1992 game Top Gear, released on January 1, 1993 for the Super NES, May 24, 1994 for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and in 1994 for Amiga...
for the Super NES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
. It is a racing game similar to the original in gameplay, but set in the distant future with 47 different tracks on alien planets, and a variety of environments.
Comparison to series
Placing this game a thousand years in the future allowed the developers to plausibly include futuristic and improbable technologies, and abandon the relative realism of Top Gear 2Top Gear 2
Top Gear 2 was the sequel to the 1992 game Top Gear, released on January 1, 1993 for the Super NES, May 24, 1994 for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and in 1994 for Amiga...
.
Car upgrades were more extensive than in Top Gear 2
Top Gear 2
Top Gear 2 was the sequel to the 1992 game Top Gear, released on January 1, 1993 for the Super NES, May 24, 1994 for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and in 1994 for Amiga...
, and "weapons" were featured for the first time in the series. Upgrades included a nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy...
engine, a cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
-titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
armor kit, and a liquid polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
gearbox; weapons included a device to jump over cars, a warp device, and a magnet
Magnet
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
ic attractor to steal kinetic energy
Kinetic energy
The kinetic energy of an object is the energy which it possesses due to its motion.It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. Having gained this energy during its acceleration, the body maintains this kinetic energy unless its speed changes...
from other cars.
Due to the capabilities of the new chip
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
DSP-4 used for this game, it was the first game in the series that was possible to split the track in two different directions with different lengths, sometimes intentionally making one route much faster than the other. Top Gear 3000 was the only game in the history of the Super NES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
to use this chip
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
.
Video game introduction screen
The introduction states that anonymousAnonymity
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
benefactors and funders have created a massive galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
-wide racing campaign at the outset of each millennium, and reward the winner with "riches beyond belief."
Instruction manual
However, the instruction manual would point out a more dystopian story that wasn't reflected in the introductory sequence of the video game itself.The year is 2962 (and not 3000 as shown in the title of the video game). Five centuries have passed since World War
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
XVII
17 (number)
17 is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is prime.In spoken English, the numbers 17 and 70 are sometimes confused because they sound similar. When carefully enunciated, they differ in which syllable is stressed: 17 vs 70...
devastated most of the colonized planets of the Milky Way Star System
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
. The Galactic Conglomerate of Unified Planets, controlling the Bureau of Reasonable Entertainment, has maintained an era of calm and peaceful co-existence through the systematic suppression of any radical thought or action that may "stir up" the teeming masses of citizens populating the twelve Star Systems under their jurisdiction. In other words, anything remotely resembling "fun" has been analyzed
Philosophical analysis
Philosophical analysis is a general term for techniques typically used by philosophers in the analytic tradition that involve "breaking down" philosophical issues. Arguably the most prominent of these techniques is the analysis of concepts...
, sterilized
Sterilization (microbiology)
Sterilization is a term referring to any process that eliminates or kills all forms of microbial life, including transmissible agents present on a surface, contained in a fluid, in medication, or in a compound such as biological culture media...
, sanitized
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
, homogenized, pasteurized
Pasteurization
Pasteurization is a process of heating a food, usually liquid, to a specific temperature for a definite length of time, and then cooling it immediately. This process slows microbial growth in food...
, desensitized
Desensitization (psychology)
In psychology, desensitization is a process for mitigating the harmful effects of phobias or other disorders. It also occurs when an emotional response is repeatedly evoked in situations in which the action tendency that is associated with the emotion proves irrelevant or unnecessary...
, computerized and commercialized
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
.
And so are a number of outlaw thrill seekers that have too much money and not enough excitement in their lives to keep them occupied. For these radical elements, there is only one cure for the boredom and complacency of life in the 30th century...The Top Gear 3000 Challenge! Once every millennium, the richest, bravest, most skilled drivers risk it all in the ultimate car race.
Combining the high tech, sci-fi gadgetry of the 30th Century with the white knuckle, raw nerves action of 20th Century automobile racing, these bandit racers have set up an illegal tournament that will take you hurtling through the planets of the Conglomerate.
Tracks
- Track 1: System:Merak Name:Misk Conditions:Clear
- Track 2: System:Merak Name:Measia Conditions:Very Hot
- Track 3: System:Merak Name:Nonet Conditions:Low Oxygen
- Track 4: System:Zosmar Name:Haahe Conditions:Hot
- Track 5: System:Zosmar Name:Terbis Conditions:Hazy
- Track 6: System:Zosmar Name:Kruw Conditions:Bright
- Track 7: System:Zosmar Name:Malstgad Conditions:Night
- Track 8: System:Sarin Name:Ttelo Conditions:Sunny
- Track 9: System:Sarin Name:Yon Conditions:Humid
- Track 10: System:Sarin Name:Khinsm Conditions:Icy
- Track 11: System:Sarin Name:Seima Conditions:Cold
- Track 12: System:Alderam Name:Enton Conditions:Clear
- Track 13: System:Alderam Name:Maltep Conditions:Sunny
- Track 14: System:Alderam Name:Baahem Conditions:Dry
- Track 15: System:Alderam Name:Brites Conditions:Acidic
- Track 16: System:Kajam Name:Wruth Conditions:Very Hot
- Track 17: System:Kajam Name:Glimt Conditions:Humid
- Track 18: System:Kajam Name:Ti Conditions:Gaseous
- Track 19: System:Kajam Name:Jyco Conditions:Hot
- Track 20: System:Kajam Name:Metis Conditions:Very Dry
- Track 21: System:Lesath Name:Thebe Conditions:Foggy
- Track 22: System:Lesath Name:Leda Conditions:Clear
- Track 23: System:Lesath Name:Lysither Conditions:Bright
- Track 24: System:Lesath Name:Elara Conditions:Very Hot
- Track 25: System:Miriam Name:Carme Conditions:Clear
- Track 26: System:Miriam Name:Sinope Conditions:Icy
- Track 27: System:Miriam Name:Tethys Conditions:Night
- Track 28: System:Miriam Name:Dione Conditions:Damp
- Track 29: System:Subrat Name:Rhea Conditions:Night
- Track 30: System:Subrat Name:Catena Conditions:Hazy
- Track 31: System:Subrat Name:Dorsum Conditions:Clear
- Track 32: System:Subrat Name:Fossa Conditions:Cold
- Track 33: System:Toygeta Name:Lacus Conditions:Polluted
- Track 34: System:Toygeta Name:Paludes Conditions:Humid
- Track 35: System:Toygeta Name:Rima Conditions:Polluted
- Track 36: System:Vega 5 Name:Tholus Conditions:Hot
- Track 37: System:Vega 5 Name:Adara Conditions:Clear
- Track 38: System Vega 5 Name:Deneb Conditions:Very Cold
- Track 39: System:Vega 5 Name:Gredhi Conditions:Dry
- Track 40: System:Naosphein Name:Karem Conditions:Dusty
- Track 41: System:Naosphein Name:Arime Conditions:Icy
- Track 42: System:Naosphein Name:Ratanev Conditions:Foggy
- Track 43: System:Kraz Name:Sheliak Conditions:Foggy
- Track 44: System:Kraz Name:Vega Conditions:Dull
- Track 45: System:Kraz Name:Zosma Conditions:Night
- Track 46: System:Kraz Name:Tirion Conditions:Sunny
- Track 47: System:Kraz Name:Mechan Conditions:Night
Gameplay
Championship
In Championship mode, one or two players can play, or one player can play with the screen split between his/her view and that of an AI opponentGame artificial intelligence
Game artificial intelligence refers to techniques used in computer and video games to produce the illusion of intelligence in the behavior of non-player characters . The techniques used typically draw upon existing methods from the field of artificial intelligence...
. Players start off with identical cars and may change the color, name, speed units (MPH or km/h), and the button layout. Unlike in previous Top Gear games with a few pre-generated layouts, the players may adjust any function to any button desired.
Each race contains a pack of twenty cars, with eighteen or nineteen named AI opponents. After races are won, players then spend earned credits replacing the engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
, gearbox, tire
Tire
A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...
s, armor, boost, and adding "weapons" capability. The AI opponents
Game artificial intelligence
Game artificial intelligence refers to techniques used in computer and video games to produce the illusion of intelligence in the behavior of non-player characters . The techniques used typically draw upon existing methods from the field of artificial intelligence...
do not purchase upgrades, but grow steadily faster throughout the championship. Bonuses of various quantities may be placed on the track as spherical icons, or awarded for certain driver activities after the end of each race as secret bonuses.
These bonuses are:
- Secret Bonus A: Finishing the race with an active boost (30000 credits)
- Secret Bonus B: Unknown (50000 credits)
- Secret Bonus C: No collisions with another car during the race (70000 credits)
- Secret Bonus D: No collisions with obstacles on or off the track (40000 credits)
- Secret Bonus E: No driving off-road (20000 credits)
Some races intentionally have less than minimum recharge strips, forcing the player to run out of gas
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
. As the cars are futuristic, the cars can sustain a great speed even without gas, making it possible to win races without recharging. But if the player hits a tree or another object that makes the car lose too much speed, the car then will run at a very low speed, almost not moving. The only way to make the car gain speed again is by running over a red strip, using the attractor on another car, being hit by a fast car or using a boost
Nitromethane
Nitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
of level 4 or higher. As well, nuclear engines can keep the velocity even when the player doesn't have gas.
Upgrades
Not all upgrades are available from the beginning of the championship. As the player progresses through the championship, new engines, gearboxes, tires, armor, boost and weapons become available. The game has three difficulty settings, each making the championship longer, and the AI cars faster. In the easy and medium difficulty settings, not all the level 6 components become available, preventing the player from purchasing all available upgrades.The weapons do not influence the other racers at all. You can jump over other cars, warp through other cars and even attract your car towards another, but these weapons only affect your car. The player can cycle between the weapons using the L or R trigger buttons.
- Jump
- Jump is the only weapon controlled by the player that has no limit of uses. It is used to get bonuses, jump over other cars or even obstacles. It is very useful at the beginning of the race, when the player is far behind and has lots of cars to pass.
- Warp
- The warp weapon makes the car disappear for about 1.5 seconds, travel through the track (doing any turns correctly along the way) and then reappear. The car travels this distance almost instantly, so it can be used to pass cars ahead to avoid a crash. While invisible, the car is immune to any obstacle or car, but can still collect any bonuses along the way. The warp weapon is limited to four uses.
- Attractor
- The attractor weapon places a target on screen, and when there is another car in sight, the target follows the car on screen. If the player begins to use the attractor weapon, his vehicle gains the speed of the targeted vehicle. The other car however, does not lose any momentum. The attractor weapon is limited to a gauge similar to that of the fuel gauge. The attractor can be used constantly for about 10 seconds, but the player may decide on how frequently they use it.
- InfraredInfraredInfrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
- The infraredInfraredInfrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
weapon is the only weapon not controlled by the player. The infraredInfraredInfrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
is turned on in every nighttime race and off in every daytime race. When turned on, the screen is covered with a tone of red and it is much easier to see and avoid obstacles and cars.
- The infrared
- BoostNitromethaneNitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
- The boostNitromethaneNitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
weapon is the only weapon that the player begins the game with, and the only weapon that is upgradeable. The boostNitromethaneNitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
weapon increases the car's speed for a limited time. Upgrading the boostNitromethaneNitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
weapon means the boostNitromethaneNitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
will be stronger and last longer. Beginning from boostNitromethaneNitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
level 4, it is possible to make the car gain speed again from the almost stopped state without fuel. The boostNitromethaneNitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
weapon is limited to four uses, but some bonuses in the race gives extra boostNitromethaneNitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
uses to the player.
- The boost
- Unknown 'P'
- This thing is a really mystery... Never show in the gameplay. The game creators for sure created this additional feature or upgrade for some purpose. The icon, is a white box, with a "P", no one knows what it means and what it do.
This upgrade appears once you change the order of password letters.
Versus
SNES Multitap
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System had several multitaps, the first one being Hudson Soft's Super Multitap which was released in 1993 and featured four controller ports. With one of these devices plugged into the Super Nintendo's controller port #2, the Super Multitap added multiplayer support...
. The screen is always split four ways; if there are fewer than four players, AI opponents will form up the remainder. Each race is a stand-alone affair on a single track, with players choosing from four different speed/acceleration/boost combinations (similar to original Top Gear
Top Gear (video game)
Top Gear , is a 1992 racing video game for the Super NES, published by Kemco and developed by Gremlin Graphics. Not only does it mark first game in the Top Gear racing game franchise, but it is also one of the first racing games to be released on the Super NES...
) before the race begins.
Passwords
Top Gear 3000 employs a password system which allows the player to resume gameplay after switching the console off. It restores all purchased upgrades and championship status. The password system can also be used for cheats, a common one which uses a B for every slot (BBBB BBBB BBBB BBBB BBBB B) to give the player millions of credits which then allows for all upgrades to be eventually purchased as they are developed. The game defaults to medium difficulty, which means that not all upgrades are ever developed. It begins at the second race. Other password cheats do exist.Also:
The passwords in any phase of the game, can be changed. This change will give to you another things: extra money, other engines, gearboxes...
For example: Changing the order of the digits that the password have.