Topspeed 300 is a reasonably all-encompassing but mundane freeware release from the late nineties and the century mark. It is a sports game that falls into the racing category. It was published by Andreas Pollack and never was sold commercially, being only available as a freeware title.
Topspeed 300 is a very simple game that is easy to learn. It has many aspects of other racing games built into it, so gamers that are familiar with the genre or fans of it should have no problem learning the control system, or the nuances of the game.
While it is a type of hybrid, featuring qualities of many racing games, it is still very standard. Yet, it receives high user reviews based on its ease of play and gaming factors.
As mentioned above, Topspeed 300 is a very standard racing game. The race car pilot will have a choice of three different cars, which he will navigate around four basic track designs. There only seems to be one opponent in each race that the user has to defeat. This particular option is called “opponent duel” and is the most challenging and fun way to play the game. The only other option available is the “time trial” mode, which is essentially a game of beat the clock, with the user trying to post
fast times better than his own previous records. The look of the game is also very standard. The graphics are adequate, not blocky or geometrical like very early racing games, but certainly not filled with flash and fire like modern race games. The crashes are unspectactular, but the first person perspective view through the windshield from the cockpit adds a nice touch of flavor to the game. The bottom of the screen, which looks like the inside dash of the car, shows the gauges, and the top also displays valuable information, such as the car’s speed. The rest of the screen consists of some very basic backgrounds and a view of the rest of the track. The opposition is also in view, if he is in front of the gamer’s car.
Overall, this is not a bad game, but is maybe more of a download for collectors of racing games. Its graphics are somewhat reflective of its time, but given the fact that the final freeware version of Topspeed 300 was released in 2000, the look definitely could have been better. Still, as freeware titles are concerned, it certainly has more merit than many and it will offer a nice challenge to the racing fan.
