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Micro Machines V4

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Micro Machines V4
Developer(s)Supersonic Software
Publisher(s)Codemasters
Composer(s)Dan Selby
SeriesMicro Machines
EngineRenderWare
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 2 & PlayStation Portable
Nintendo DS
  • EU: 1 December 2006
  • NA: 6 February 2007
  • AU: 9 February 2007
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Micro Machines V4 is a racing video game developed by Supersonic Software and published by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS.

Gameplay

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The player controls a toy Micro Machines vehicle and drives it through a course.[4] As in most games, the objective is to beat the other racers to the finish line. However, as in other games in the Micro Machines video game series, there is an alternate way to victory as well; in racing, the "screen" is shared amongst all racers (opposed to split screen), and if a player can drive far enough ahead of the other racer(s) so that they fall off out of the viewing area, they receive a point.[5] If enough points are received or lost, the player will win or lose.[5] Upon winning races, new vehicles to race as are earned, with a total of 750 to be collected.[6][7] As the game entails driving toy cars, the race course settings typically reflect that, with courses being set up on pool tables, around the edge of bathtubs, on furniture, or other household type settings.[5]

Along the track, players may pick up orbs containing different power-ups that can be used to heal yourself, or attack other players. These orbs could contain items including; Hammers, Health Pills, Tesla Chess Pieces, Plasma Cannons, Machine Guns, Peashooters and Mines among others. Weapons vary in damage but all roughly dealing one section of health each attack (apart from the pill which heals the player a full five bars of health). Once a player falls below five bars, they will lose a wheel, causing them to drive slower and have less grip. This keeps on occurring until 20 bars are lost. From that point, no more damage can be inflicted onto the racer. A pill is not able to gain wheels back after they are lost. Once a round is over, all players will be set to max health and all lost wheels will be returned.

Apart from power-up orbs, a variety of other pick-ups can be found along the track. These include speed boost tiles, health tiles and equaliser tiles. Speed boost tiles speed the player up for roughly a second before going back to their original speed. Health tiles will often be present in rows of four or five. Each health tile the player runs over will regain them one bar of health. The equaliser tile changes all racers health to that of the racer who activated it. However, even though the health is the same, players will not lose any wheels right away. Once a tile is activated, that tile may not be activated until the following round.

Reception

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Micro Machines V4 received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic[8][9][10][11] Several review outlets noted that the game was competent, but that its poor graphics and shallow, unremarkable gameplay hindered the experience.

IGN gave the game a 7/10, stating that "Micro Machines V4 is definitely the strongest version to come along since the franchise debuted on the NES almost 20 years ago. A solidly-designed title aimed at young children and inexperienced gamers, V4 is a nice, entry-level piece of software that offers just enough challenge and variety for juveniles without the inevitable frustrations and complications found in most of today's racers".[4] GameSpot gave the game a 5.5/10, while they praised the game to its number of cars to collect, they largely criticized the generic nature of the cars, the trial and error-based gameplay and poor camera view.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Bramwell, Tom (23 June 2006). "Micro Machines V4 demo". Eurogamer. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  2. ^ Hatfield, Daemon (27 June 2006). "Micro Machines v4 Ships". IGN. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Micro Machines V4 available in stores now!". Atari Australia. Archived from the original on 9 September 2006. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Dunham, Jeremy (26 June 2006). "Micro Machines V4 Review". IGN. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d Villoria, Gerald (29 June 2006). "GameSpy: Micro Machines V4 Review". Ps2.gamespy.com. Archived from the original on 20 July 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Micro Machines V4 - Review - play.tm". Archived from the original on 28 September 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  7. ^ a b c Mueller, Greg (27 June 2006). "Micro Machines V4 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Micro Machines V4 for Nintendo DS Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Micro Machines V4 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  10. ^ a b "Micro Machines V4 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Micro Machines V4 for PlayStation Portable Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  12. ^ Bramwell, Tom (4 February 2007). "Micro Machines V4". Eurogamer. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  13. ^ Reed, Kristan (30 June 2006). "Micro Machines V4". Eurogamer. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  14. ^ jkdmedia, GameZone. "Micro Machines v4 - PC - review". GameZone. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  15. ^ jkdmedia, GameZone. "Micro Machines v4 - NDS - review". GameZone. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  16. ^ Elston, Brett (28 June 2006). "Micro Machines v4 review". GamesRadar. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  17. ^ Antista, Chris (19 January 2007). "Micro Machines v4 review". GamesRadar. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  18. ^ Byron, Jeremy (5 July 2006). "Micro Machines V4". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  19. ^ Cook, Mike (1 February 2007). "Micro Machines V4". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  20. ^ Orry, Tom (28 June 2006). "Micro Machines v4 Review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
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