It was one of the defining racing games of the 1990’s. Micro Machines was one of the game series that amassed huge popularity back in the day, due to its character and charm. Speeding around a breakfast bowl was unheard of before, and thus a legend was born. Various sequels were made, including a ‘Military’ and ‘Turbo Tournaments’ game. As a child of the '90s, this was one of the many things that easily excited this reviewer. Even ‘MM’ toy cars were sold in shops for people such as muggins here to collect and lose under the sofa.
Unfortunately, the end of the Megadrive meant the downfall of the Micro Machines franchise. With PS1 and Nintendo 64 versions being slightly absurd – quaint and full of character (driving around in a little garage for menu screens) - playing the game was beastly, as the isometric view meant objects were in your way as you passed behind them. “How did I crash?”
So after a long hiatus, Codemasters is giving it another go with Micro Machines V4. We have to admit; we have to hold our heads up to stop the rush of nostalgic excitement escaping through our nostrils. In place of the top-down 2D sprites we have 3D graphics that give you a real sense of scope. Compare the presentation to another racing game and you may scoff, but Micro Machines was always about the racing rather than the intricate textures of a leaf. They do the job well, in regard to understanding how huge the world around you is – racing on the classic huge pool tables is a simple pleasure we have since missed.
There’s none of that dodgy isometric camera either – the action is centred on you, and the position of the camera changes dynamically as you turn a corner or need to see a vital section of the track. It’s rather disorientating at first, but after a few plays, it works really well, perhaps even better than the top-down view that served so well in the 2D games, if we may be so bold.
The classic sound effects return, and tradition has been kept by including no music in the stages. The bugbear of this is that the main sound that you will hear is, quite naturally, the car. These cars sound like bees, and it’s a constant noise that exerts from their exhaust that is sure to annoy the hell out of you unless you can trance yourself away from the audio. Or turn the speakers off. That might work better. Aside from the chugging, the power up sounds and the little classic checkpoint ‘bleep’ are all present and correct.
There's enough playing options here to knock a moose out cold. If menus in a video game were actually physical bricks, you understand...(er, not really! - Ed). The classic modes include a straight three-lap race with power items; the always-amusing Battle mode, where the player who makes it furthest ahead and edges their opponents off the same screen wins points; and league tables for various conditions. MMV4 also adds a few new challenges, including a checkpoint mode where you have to drive to each flagged section in a track before your time runs out. There are 76 challenges to take part in, and they range from Learner Division to Legend Division: unlocking these challenges earns you cars that you can collect and trade with other players online.
