Micro Machines V4 (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

It's fair to say that UK based developer Codemasters are something of an institution and with over 60 number one hits under their belt their games portfolio really does speak for itself. Their greatest strength though has always been the ability to produce original, entertaining titles which have considerable replay value and anyone who's played any of the Codies back catalogue will no doubt have fond memories of any one of the retro platforms. Other than digging those old consoles and 16 Bit computers out of the back of your cupboard there have been few ways in which you can enjoy the likes of Cannon Fodder (which was released for the GameBoy Color) and this: Micro Machines. It's been called 'The Most Playable Game in the World' and anyone who's burnt the night away with a couple of friends will surely agree with this. After some years though, and a major leap in handheld technology it's here on the DS but was it worth the wait?

Gameplay

Possibly Micro Machines' greatest strength was its simplicity and this V4 edition is no exception and your objective is always to get around the track in the quickest and most efficient way. This may be to gain points on a leader board, avoid being eliminated or simply to win a single race. This will unlock yet more vehicles and, of course, more tracks. The tracks themselves are just as inventive as you remember and given that the cars are only inches in size even the most ordinary of landscapes can become a challenge. Take the hairdressers for example, where seemingly harmless implements such as hairdryers and clippers will blow your car off the track or cause serious damage to your wheels as you pass by them. It's not all about simply racing though, some of the tracks demand a little more thought. This is most evident in one of the early kitchen levels when you'll have to slam on the brakes in order to cross a sink full of water on a sponge. To make matters worse your opponents will do everything in their power to push you into the water. One rather unfair aspect of Micro Machines, which has been retained, is the fact that you can lose points by simply lagging behind. This does appear to have been tightened up even more since the last installment too and rather than losing points when you 'fall' off the screen you can be caught out by simply taking a corner too wide or if you momentarily find yourself wedged behind an object.

Outside of all this there are other options but not nearly as many as you'd think. Firstly there's the Practice, which allows you to race with an AI opponent over any of the 'unlocked' tracks currently available. Multiplayer fans are also catered for with a series of races although each player will require their own copy of the game.

Controls

The control is incredibly simple with drivers only really needing to apply gas or brakes and for the majority of tracks this should successfully see you over the finish line. More complicated tracks may require a 'drift' on some of the more awkward corners but again this is no problem to execute. In addition, retained from the Micro Machines series, are the weapons, which are scattered about on every course and while most of these are pretty useless some can dismantle an opponent's car in seconds so they are always worth seeking out.

Graphics

Visually the game hardly pushes the DS's hardware but at a cost as the complicated track designs take their toll on the frame-rate, which is choppy and inconsistent throughout the game. There's also the age old problem of the camera angles and while the developers have done their best in offering a variety of options you are still likely to fly off the edge of an office desk because you didn't have enough visual warning to anticipate the turn. Finally there are the cars themselves, which lack the required amount of animation to give them the much-needed character for a game of this nature and have also been modeled with little care and attention to detail. The result of this is cars that occasionally look like nothing more than painted blocks of wood with little difference between one model and another.

Sound

Musically the game hardly impresses with only a handful of generic tunes all of which only play during the equally dull menus. The sound effects do a better job but you do get the impression that the developers spent so long on designing the tracks they overlooked the game's audio.

Dual screen

Outside of some menu choices the bottom screen is given over to stats, which does seem a wasted opportunity. There is a steering option but given just how difficult this is to use it's hardly worth mentioning.

Final comments

While there's nothing really new about this latest outing for Micro Machines there's no question that it's still a reasonably enjoyable little game. It's also worth bearing in mind that the whole thing remains routed in the arcade mold so if you are used to playing the likes of Gran Turismo then you are unlikely to be satisfied with what's on offer here. It's not without its problems either and while some of the new locations are inventive and well designed there's little in the way of animation and some of the car models are positively bland. There are also some problems with the frame-rate, which is unforgivable given that this is a game, which relies on speed as its hook. Still, there's a generous amount of gameplay to be had here with most Micro Machine enthusiasts compelled to unlock all 750 collectable cars and even once you've accomplished this there's still the multiplayer mode to keep you occupied. Overall this latest installment of the best known of all the miniature racing titles is a bit of a hit and miss affair and while it's not lacking in the quantity of gameplay, it is in the quality.

Pro: Almost Endless Gameplay, Still Great Fun.
Con: Poor Visuals,
Final score: 6.2

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