PSP World

Micro Machines V4

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 (due on the PSP next year) 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 PSP but was it worth the wait?

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 yo! ur 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, and from only one copy of the game too, which isn't happening nearly as much as Sony initially indicated.

Visually the game is hardly pushing the PSP's hardware and while some of the environments have been very well designed there's little in the way of animation. 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. One aspect which does need a great deal of attention though is the incredibly sloppy menu systems which are overly complicated to navigate although given the simplicity of the game, this is a bit of a mystery really.

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.

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.

While there's nothing really new about this latest outing for Micro Machines there's no question that it's still a very enjoyable little game. It's also worth bearing in mind that the whole thing remains routed in the arcade mold and 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 though and while some of the new locations are inventive and well designed there's little in the way of animation. 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 not only the multiplayer but also the PS2 connectivity to keep you occupied. Overall this latest installment of the best known of all the miniature racing titles delivers where it matters most, with enough gameplay to keep the majority of hardcore games satisfied whilst still managing to raise a smi! le as you race around the kitchen tops narrowly avoiding the sink.

By Andrew Blanchard