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Micro Machines Review
Chris Leyton
11/11/2002
The popular racing series from the 90\'s makes a comeback from entirely new developers.
Micro Machines are back! Older gamers will fondly remember having two players huddled around one NES controller for unknown at the time four-player action, or hooking up two controllers in the innovative J-Cartridge for the MegaDrive version.
Despite all of the technical innovations, Micro Machines stood out because it put the foot firmly in fun. Simplistic aesthetics overlaid a wonderfully competitive and addictive multiplayer experience, which has rarely been beat even to this day. The trick was keeping everything simple; simple controls and simple track designs created a game that everyone could play and more importantly one that everyone wanted to play. For those that never got to check out the various versions of Micro Machines ā“ shame on you it came out on virtually every format including Philipās ill-fated CD-i ā“ the game used an overhead perspective, placing players in miniature machines amidst oversized locations and challenged players to get one screen ahead of the competition, those left behind were blown up, whilst the eventual leader scored a point, collecting a certain amount of these won the race; simple yet oh so effective!
Various sequels and a disastrous foray into uncharted territories with Micro Maniacs on the PSOne saw the once illustrious franchise disintegrate into nothing. However with Infogrames taking up the challenge and moving back to the old formula, can Micro Machines be the game that it once used to be.
On initial inspection everything looks remarkably familiar, your first race will roll back the years and itās almost as nothing has happened. A variety of different tournament and race modes are available, ranging from traditional races to the trademark āone-screen aheadā mode. Each of these modes can be raced in either single races, time trials or tournaments; like its predecessors the races range from those that are so easy you could finish them half asleep to those that are infuriatingly difficult. A selection of weapons make a comeback and prove vital in the harder stages, youāll have fun using the comical boxing glove on a spring, whilst a good hammer attack is as satisfying as it used to be.
The controls are kept simple; using the A button to accelerate, B button to jump, X button to brake and the shoulder buttons are used to powerslide and activate your weapons. Those who are new to the series will likely take some used to the controls being based around the overhead perspective, however it quickly becomes intuitive and youāll find yourself whizzing around the courses.
Unfortunately a number of the courses stray from the proven formula of keeping it simple; to be good at Micro Machines you need to memorise every corner and weapon placement in each level, too many of the levels are too complex and end up being frustrating affairs. Another area that hinders the overall game is the next-generation visual update. The developers should be given credit for bringing the series up-to-date, however a number of courses feature too many objects, which often block your vision and ultimately your chances of success. Whereas the previous versions always featured driverless vehicles, Micro Machines now features a bunch of stereotypical characters all brought to life in the humorous cut-scenes.
Visually the game is packed full of little details that youāll find hard to notice at first; the water effects look nice on the few boat races but on the whole this isnāt a title to best show off the Xbox powerful visual capabilities, however we werenāt expecting anything to amaze us.
New to the fold is the multi-player mode, Bombing Run, which sees you having to tag your opponents with a bomb to destroy them. We were surprised to find out how well this new mode is in-keeping with those from the original, and certainly provides some welcome distraction from the traditional racing action.
Unfortunately thereās just not enough to the game, whilst thereās a considerable amount of courses and modes, the end result is under-whelming. It would have been nice to see the original courses brought up to date, and perhaps some unlockable content that takes a looks at one of the most popular videogame franchises of the 90ās.
