Alas, things start badly. When you first begin, you can't help but be disappointed by the lack of gameplay options, with the staple options of singleplayer or multiplayer your only choices. If you select singleplayer, then you choose a race and work your way through all of the races to win vehicles. There are three main race modes. 'Battle' is the most common of these, and tasks you with racing head to head against another player and trying to get far enough ahead of your opponant so they leave the side of the screen. There's also lap races and checkpoint races. You don't just have to race around a track though - there are items scattered around that make things a little more complicated. These weapons include giant hammers, bombs and missiles. Each of your opponents has a health bar, so rather than outdrive them, you can choose to launch attacks on them.
Generic weapons.
There's up to 750 vehicles to collect in the game, divided up into 25 classes. Whilst such numbers may make for good reading on the back of the box, this huge range has meant that the attention paid to the appearance of the cars has been sacrificed. There simply isn't that much detail, which means the vehicles come off looking rather generic. We'd rather have had one hundred cars if it meant they looked better. Each car does handle differently, but no matter what car you choose, you won't be at a disadvantage. If you're into trading you can also link up to the PSP to trade vehicles. It's worth mentioning also that this game only includes cars; there are no boats this time around, as in the older games.
The game includes over forty-five courses, and all of the tracks are spread across novel backdrops, such as a pool table, bathroom or on top of a desk. There's some imaginative courses here, and Supersonic have done a grand job of making everyday objects seem quite perilous during a race. Some of the tracks are repeated from previous Micro Machines games (like the pool table for instance) which, whilst a tad disappointing, doesn't stop the course design from being impressive. The game also includes a track editor, but you can't just create a track from nothing; you need to select a part and put it somewhere on a pre-made track, which certainly didn't keep us amused for long. There also aren't many pre-made tracks, so you're not likely to be spending a vast amount of time with the track editor.
Average graphics.
Ultimately though, it's the gameplay variation that really lets this game down. All you'll ever need to really do to win is accelerate and break though the pack, occasionally drifting as you go. It's easier to outdrive your opponent rather than use the weapons (effectively making the weapons redundant) and every race feels very similar. The top down camera also means it can be tricky to see ahead of you. In the battles where you need to escape the field of view of your opponant if you're close to beating them then you basically can't see ahead of you - because the camera is so stretched, if you crash your opponent may quickly overtake you and get a cheap victory. It's also essential to try and get used to the courses as soon as possible, because the game is very unforgiving and if you make one mistake you can easily lose immediately.
Visually, the game looks pretty average. There's nothing obviously wrong with the visuals, it's just that nothing really stands out at all. The cars look acceptable, but as we mentioned they're far too generic, though this at least guarantees a steady frame rate, even during the busiest races. The sound is also extremely basic as well, so all you'll be hearing is a few environmental sounds and the cars driving around. Stick with the game through to the end, and it's sure to take an incredible amount of time to complete. There are plenty of vehicles, multiplayer modes and the track editor if you have patience. If you're a Micro Machines fan then there's plenty to keep you occupied, but the multiplayer is going to be where the main appeal of the game lies once you get bored of the singleplayer.
Not the Micro Machines of old.
Micro Machines v4 isn't the game we were hoping for, and succeeds in being average in every sense of the word. The gameplay is repetitive and not nearly as fun as we remember it being, and there's a sense that Supersonic have taken the safest route possible and merely added more vehicles and more tracks, rather than trying to develop the gameplay. Children will get more enjoyment out of this game than adults, and if they like to collect things there's a wealth of vehicles in the game. Unfortunately, Micro Machines v4 just isn't notably enjoyable, and if you prefer top-down racing, then Mashed is a superior alternative.
Loading...
