The Top Gear racing series has a history that stretches all the way back to the Super NES days. It has continued through the years, making appearances on the Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. That's quite a pedigree, but up until now, there hasn't been a Top Gear game for the Nintendo DS. Enter Top Gear: Downforce, a top-down 3D arcade racer that looks to continue the series on Nintendo's dual-screen handheld. We recently had a chance to take the game out for a few laps to see how it differs from the previous entries in the Top Gear series.

　　Another tornado? Where's Bill Paxton when you need him?

　　Downforce features four-car racing, either solo against the AI or against up to four folks in the game's multiplayer mode via the DS's wireless capabilities. The game will be playable with either single or multiple carts, and interestingly, you'll be able to play the full grand prix mode with friends wirelessly with just a single cart.

　　Races in Downforce are viewed from a top-down perspective: the racing action is presented on the top screen, while a map of the course is presented on the lower screen. If you aren't familiar with the course, you'll be constantly flicking your eyes to the lower screen to check out the layout. As a result, the inclusion of onscreen arrows on the top screen that indicate upcoming turns would be a welcome addition to the game's presentation. Still, the top-down perspective lends itself to some fun graphical tricks, such as objects (like buildings or jungle foliage) towering over the cars temporarily occluding your view of the track. On certain circuits, portions of the track will degrade over time, giving you less road to drive on during each successive lap.

　　Driving the cars is as simple as pushing the gas button and steering with the D pad. You can also powerslide around corners by holding down the right button and then letting go at the exit of the corner to earn a boost of speed. Though there aren't weapons in the game, per se, Downforce has a few tricks up its sleeve in the form of environmental obstacles. Before a race begins, you'll be able to place one obstacle in one of three predetermined spots on the track. These obstacles are tied to the overall theme of the track. For example, on the snowy track, you can choose to place either an avalanche or a spot of slick ice.

　　Once the race begins, the obstacles will appear according to where and when each racer placed his or her obstacles. You can choose to lay down an obstacle early to get an early lead or wait until the final lap and hope it slows down any enemies ahead of you. There are a number of different obstacles, each of which will have a slightly different effect on your car. For example, the tornado will toss and spin your car into the air, while the lightning storm will cause you to temporarily lose the ability to move if your car is struck.

　　With 24 tracks (all of which come with a reversed equivalent), Downforce looks to give you plenty of circuits to tackle. The cars, which have a Micro Machines look to them, come in a variety of forms and range from muscle cars to rally racers. As developers explained to us, all the cars in the game have the same characteristics, though you'll be able to unlock new skins for them as you progress through the Grand Prix mode. Here, you'll be earning points for race finishes in an effort to win the series championship. The game will also include single-race and time-attack modes to keep you racing. When you're racing in multiplayer, the game will keep track of your record for anyone you play against wirelessly as well. Top Gear: Downforce is due for release later this year.