Micro Machines v4

21 Apr 2008 at 18:31:42 by Paul Younger
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courses in each category and anticipate how the rest of course will pan out even though they have never driven on it before. Because of this factor (coupled with the substandard track editor mentioned below) the replay value takes a severe hit as a result.

The newest version of Micro Machines includes the option of a track editor so that you can supposedly create your own obstacle-laden, death trap of a course to challenge your friends against. I say ‘supposedly’ as you are given far less freedom to choose what you want to include then you would like. For starters, the tracks you get to edit are already constructed; you only have the choice of whether or not you want a track split to go left or right at a junction. Both choices still mean that you end up back on the main path regardless and take all the fun out of devising your own courses. Still, at least you get to place the weapons on the course, right? Sort of...

Yes, you can place a selection of power ups and weapons on an edited track; but only on designated points on the course! How can a course be strategic when anyone who has played a track a few times can tell where all the spawn points will be? A very disappointing ‘feature’, the track editor should have been scrapped altogether and the extra disc space used for more multi player tracks or cars – at least then they would have been mildly more entertaining.

One of the somewhat limited saving graces of the game is the option to trade cars with your friends (Play for Keeps mode). By plugging in your friend’s memory card into the second slot you can chose to swap your beach buggy for a coveted F1 car. Of course, if your friend is unwilling to part with a beloved car you can always challenge them to a ‘keepsies’ race where the winner gets the losers Micro Machine whether the loser likes it or not!

Graphically Micro Machines V4 will not win any prizes for looks or innovation, but they do their job well. The tracks themselves are well detailed and capture the feel of their surrounding environments, which in themselves are chock full of detail. Unfortunately the only time you get to stop and admire the developers for the amount of thought must have put into item placement and arrangement is when you are careering off a track at full pelt. Ironically, the visuals that you get to look at throughout the race, the cars themselves, don’t seem to have had the same amount of time lavished on them as the environments did.

Read my lips: there is no track music in Micro Machines V4. That’s right people, for whatever reason you are limited to sound effects and background ambience for the duration of all races. There’s a little of what you might call ‘filler’ music on the title screen and between races, but it is non-existent where any action takes place. This may be because the game wants to stay true to the series (as the other titles didn’t have track music either), yet you can’t help but feel as though any kind of accompanying race music would have livened proceedings up a little. Well at least they’ve got an ample amount of varied sound effects to keep us happy though, right? Right? Well you’ve got your basic engine sounds, tyre screeches and weapon effects, yet that’s about it. Seriously, it is.

As has already been mentioned, there are several crucial factors that severely limit the number of times you want to come back and play the game. In the past, the main strength of the series has been its ability to draw you and your mates back in order to play ‘just one more game’. That one game ended up turning into a five-hour gaming session and before you knew it the whole night had gone by. This newest addition to the franchise has lost nearly all of the pulling power its predecessors had and you no longer find yourself wanting to go back to it after prolonged periods of time. This is a d** shame.

The latest installment of the Micro Machines franchise has lost a lot of the sparkle and appeal that previous efforts had in spades. The disappointing single player mode coupled with the somewhat limited multiplayer tracks together produce a game that fell well short of my (admittedly high) expectations. Sure, the multiplayer modes are just as fun and frantic as ever, but how often do you get to sit down and play games with three of your mates on a regular basis?

This is definitely one of those games that sit on your shelf for most of its life only to be called upon every now and again when someone ‘is up for a quick multiplayer game’. Faithful followers will purchase this regardless as it’s a Micro Machines title, but for gamers like me who remember the series’ heyday a single rental is all that is needed to experience everything the title has to offer. If it wasn’t for the sheer fact that the game can be great fun in multiplayer mode, the final score would be even lower than the just above average rating I think it deserves.

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