Micro Machines V4 Review...
A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by the woman I did the Spartan: Total Warrior review for several months back, asking me if I'd be interested in reviewing Micro Machines V4, a racing game. Now, while racing games aren't really my thing, I figured what the heck? Free game, plus the opportunity to ramble about something, which is an opportunity that I never pass up. Hehe. So anyway, got the PS2 version of the game in the mail a couple of weeks back, and proceeded to play it. And now, without further ado, here is my take on Micro Machines V4.
Racing games have always been a very popular genre in video games. They're not usually my thing, but from time to time, I do enjoy putting the digital pedal to the metal and checking out a racer. There are all kinds of racing games out there these days, ranging in quality from a lot of fun to really not fun at all. Sadly, Micro Machines V4 leans towards the latter end of the spectrum. While it is interesting and cool at first to race around in tiny cars on racetracks in strange household locations such as pool tables, model train tracks and kitchens, that only holds your intererest for a short while, and after that novelty wears off, you're left with a racing game that really isn't all that enjoyable.
Graphics
The first thing I noticed about MMV4 was the game's tracks. The tracks are in a variety of locations such as a kitchen, on top of a pool table, out in the back yard. The tracks look cool, and there are some neat things going on. Pool cues coming at you, model trains moving to block you, fans to blow your tiny car around, etc. The backgrounds also have some good detail to them. Unfortunately, this graphical detail isn't really extended to the cars that you actually drive in the game. They all look fairly low tech, and none of the various types of cars that you drive in the game really stand out from each other.
Sound
The sound in the game was handled fairly well, sounds of weapons going off and background noises are done well. However, one of the main sounds you're going to hear in any racing game is the sound of the car's engine,and in this game, that engine sound was pretty high pitched and annoying and really started to get on my nerves after awhile. Also, the background music to the game really isn't all that spectacular. I only noticed it really as white noise in the background,if at all.
Gameplay
This is the area in which Micro Machines V4 is at its most frustrating. In most racing games I've played, the way to win is to figure out how each car works, what the advantages and drawbacks to different models are, and to figure out how best to tackle each track you race on. With this game, no matter what kind of race it was, Battle Mode, Straight ahead race, time trial, the only strategy you can use is pretty much the same. Hold down on the accelerator button, memorize each track's obstacles and hazards, and pray that you don't make a mistake. The biggest frustration I had with this game is that most of the time, there is absolutely no margin for error. If you make one mistake, whether it be getting blown up by an opponent, falling off the track, or getting stuck at an obstacle, you might as well start the race over, because you're probably going to lose.
Also, an additional headache is the fact that the controls in the game are very loose and not very responsive. As I said before, the only real way to win at most challenges is to hold down the accelerator, but at the same time, that can send you flying right off the edge of the track, dooming you to a loss. Even if you let up and use the breaks, there are still going to be many times where your car will just go sailing right off into space. I understand that the game is meant to be a little more fanciful than most racers, but this type of thing just got really old, really quickly. It got to the point where I just got extremely tired of stopping and restarting.
There are several modes within the game that are pretty much business as usual for a racer. There's a time trial mode where you have to zip from one checkpoint to another within a certain time, straight ahead racing where the goal is to be in the lead after three laps, and the mode that had the most potential, Battle mode. In battle mode, as you and a friend or computer-controlled opponents drive around the track, you can pick up various types of weapons to damage the other cars you're racing with. These weapons range from machine guns and rockets to an actually pretty amusing hammer that suddenly sprouts out of the top of your car which you can use to smack down other racers. Unfortunately, this mode suffers from the same problem that the other modes do. Make a mistake or two, and you're more than likely going to lose.
Also, the only real rewards for progressing in the game are the ability to use new tracks and to "collect" various Micro Machines cars, however, just like the original ones, the novelty of the new tracks quickly wears off, and the new cars that you can collect are largely just repaints of cars you have access to from the beginning of the game.
Playing the game with a friend can be a little more entertaining than playing by yoursef against computer controlled opponents, but not much. The bottom line is that Micro Machines V4 just isn't really all that enjoyable of a game.
Overall
Apart from a few graphical improvements here and there, Micro Machines V4 isn't all that different from previous Micro Machines games. If you've played earlier versions, there's not much here to hold your interest. If you've never played a Micro Machines game before and really want to, I can only recommend renting this one from your local video store, playing it for a day or two, and then taking it back.
As much as I can respect Codemasters for trying to put out a less-expensive racer that would appeal to a larger crowd than usual, the execution is less than stellar here. Something new needs to be done with the Micro Machines franchise if its going to compete against the other racers that are out there these days. For example, maybe abandon the overhead, top down view and go for one that's much closer in, making you feel like you're actually driving one of these toy cars through strange household environments. Another thing that should be done is to take advantgage of the graphical capabilities of the new generation of game consoles and home computers. The Micro Machines franchise could be made to be unique and interesting again, but this current offering in the series just doesn't cut it.
I give Micro Machines V4 a 2 out of 5(Rent it if you must, then forget about it.)
Some screenshots...
Racing games have always been a very popular genre in video games. They're not usually my thing, but from time to time, I do enjoy putting the digital pedal to the metal and checking out a racer. There are all kinds of racing games out there these days, ranging in quality from a lot of fun to really not fun at all. Sadly, Micro Machines V4 leans towards the latter end of the spectrum. While it is interesting and cool at first to race around in tiny cars on racetracks in strange household locations such as pool tables, model train tracks and kitchens, that only holds your intererest for a short while, and after that novelty wears off, you're left with a racing game that really isn't all that enjoyable.
Graphics
The first thing I noticed about MMV4 was the game's tracks. The tracks are in a variety of locations such as a kitchen, on top of a pool table, out in the back yard. The tracks look cool, and there are some neat things going on. Pool cues coming at you, model trains moving to block you, fans to blow your tiny car around, etc. The backgrounds also have some good detail to them. Unfortunately, this graphical detail isn't really extended to the cars that you actually drive in the game. They all look fairly low tech, and none of the various types of cars that you drive in the game really stand out from each other.
Sound
The sound in the game was handled fairly well, sounds of weapons going off and background noises are done well. However, one of the main sounds you're going to hear in any racing game is the sound of the car's engine,and in this game, that engine sound was pretty high pitched and annoying and really started to get on my nerves after awhile. Also, the background music to the game really isn't all that spectacular. I only noticed it really as white noise in the background,if at all.
Gameplay
This is the area in which Micro Machines V4 is at its most frustrating. In most racing games I've played, the way to win is to figure out how each car works, what the advantages and drawbacks to different models are, and to figure out how best to tackle each track you race on. With this game, no matter what kind of race it was, Battle Mode, Straight ahead race, time trial, the only strategy you can use is pretty much the same. Hold down on the accelerator button, memorize each track's obstacles and hazards, and pray that you don't make a mistake. The biggest frustration I had with this game is that most of the time, there is absolutely no margin for error. If you make one mistake, whether it be getting blown up by an opponent, falling off the track, or getting stuck at an obstacle, you might as well start the race over, because you're probably going to lose.
Also, an additional headache is the fact that the controls in the game are very loose and not very responsive. As I said before, the only real way to win at most challenges is to hold down the accelerator, but at the same time, that can send you flying right off the edge of the track, dooming you to a loss. Even if you let up and use the breaks, there are still going to be many times where your car will just go sailing right off into space. I understand that the game is meant to be a little more fanciful than most racers, but this type of thing just got really old, really quickly. It got to the point where I just got extremely tired of stopping and restarting.
There are several modes within the game that are pretty much business as usual for a racer. There's a time trial mode where you have to zip from one checkpoint to another within a certain time, straight ahead racing where the goal is to be in the lead after three laps, and the mode that had the most potential, Battle mode. In battle mode, as you and a friend or computer-controlled opponents drive around the track, you can pick up various types of weapons to damage the other cars you're racing with. These weapons range from machine guns and rockets to an actually pretty amusing hammer that suddenly sprouts out of the top of your car which you can use to smack down other racers. Unfortunately, this mode suffers from the same problem that the other modes do. Make a mistake or two, and you're more than likely going to lose.
Also, the only real rewards for progressing in the game are the ability to use new tracks and to "collect" various Micro Machines cars, however, just like the original ones, the novelty of the new tracks quickly wears off, and the new cars that you can collect are largely just repaints of cars you have access to from the beginning of the game.
Playing the game with a friend can be a little more entertaining than playing by yoursef against computer controlled opponents, but not much. The bottom line is that Micro Machines V4 just isn't really all that enjoyable of a game.
Overall
Apart from a few graphical improvements here and there, Micro Machines V4 isn't all that different from previous Micro Machines games. If you've played earlier versions, there's not much here to hold your interest. If you've never played a Micro Machines game before and really want to, I can only recommend renting this one from your local video store, playing it for a day or two, and then taking it back.
As much as I can respect Codemasters for trying to put out a less-expensive racer that would appeal to a larger crowd than usual, the execution is less than stellar here. Something new needs to be done with the Micro Machines franchise if its going to compete against the other racers that are out there these days. For example, maybe abandon the overhead, top down view and go for one that's much closer in, making you feel like you're actually driving one of these toy cars through strange household environments. Another thing that should be done is to take advantgage of the graphical capabilities of the new generation of game consoles and home computers. The Micro Machines franchise could be made to be unique and interesting again, but this current offering in the series just doesn't cut it.
I give Micro Machines V4 a 2 out of 5(Rent it if you must, then forget about it.)
Some screenshots...