TOCA Touring Car Championship - Game Boy Color

After the exhaustion of the racing genre, particularly on PlayStation, there was a distinct line between which racing games were good and which were bad. Firmly entrenched in the genre's mythical Book of Goodness is Codemaster’s TOCA Touring Championship. The PlayStation success of this game soon led Codemasters to develop an equally great game on Game Boy Color. While it may not have the same level of presentation that TOCA on PlayStation had, that’s not to say the Game Boy version is any less fun.

When beginning a game, you must first choose from a variety of cars that range from Audis to Fords. If you then decide to take part in either a single race or a championship, you will be forced to tackle the game’s qualifying sessions. These are solo challenges that will decide your starting position in the main race. Unusually, an isometric point of view has been adopted here that reduces track visibility considerably, making it very similar in some respects to Micro Machines. However, the game controls and mechanics are surprisingly accurate. Each car handles noticeably differently, and this is what will separate TOCA from any other racing game on the platform. There are a variety of tracks, all of which are genuine, including Silverstone and Brands Hatch. Also, there is the inclusion of a multi-player mode, and while you are not able to link the Game Boys together, you can take turns in a rally-style event where the player with the fastest time wins the race.

For a Game Boy title, TOCA Touring Championship is amazingly comprehensive. Tracks are surprisingly detailed, and car mechanics are equally accurate. It’s a great game for the handheld, and has a level of longevity that will see your head bowed and shoulders hunched for a long time.
more