Micro Machines v4 review

The Micro Machines series has always been radically different from other racing games. It's not about tweaking your ride or searching for a sweet spot on the track to zip ahead of the pack. Hell, most of the time it's not even about crossing the finish line in first place. For the most part, you're just supposed to beat the other cars to the edge of the screen to win a point. After so many points, you win the match, no laps or checkpoints involved at all.

The issue with this unique racing style is that once you do rocket ahead and score a point, the match stops, has a little car-dancing animation and you're lined back up to continue the race. Sometimes it's hard to keep a sense of momentum and speed with all the sudden halts, but once you get used to it, v4 quickly evolves into a multiplayer dream.

It's all about the unknown - the camera hangs so close to the cars that you really can't tell which way the track is going to go. And as you're screaming through the kitchen counters, pool tables and classrooms, it's entirely likely that all four of you will careen right off the track together.

Sounds annoying, and yeah, being forced to memorize the track layout is harsh, but with such bizarre course designs and power-ups like lasers, machine guns and oversized hammers, the unpredictability of multiplayer turns out to be the best part of the game. It's when you start playing solo that the intrigue starts to vaporize.