Micro Machines (NES) - Let's Play 1001 Games - Episode 885
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I'm Gaming Jay: Youtube gamer, let's player, fan of retro games, and determined optimist... Join me in this series while I try out EACH of the video games in the book 1001 VIDEO GAMES YOU MUST PLAY BEFORE YOU DIE, before I die. The game review for each game will focus on the question of whether you MUST play this game before you die. But to be honest, the game review parts are just for fun, and are not meant to be definitive, in depth reviews; this series is more about the YouTube gamer journey itself. From Mario games to the Halo series, from arcade games to Commodore 64, PC games to the NES and Sega Genesis, Playstation to the Xbox, let's play those classic retro games that we grew up with, have fond memories of, or heard of but never got a chance to try! And with that said, the game review for today is...
Micro Machines
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_Machines_(video_game)
Micro Machines is a racing game developed by Codemasters and originally published by Camerica for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. Themed around Galoob's Micro Machines toys, players race in miniaturised toy vehicles around various environments. The game is the first installment in the Micro Machines video game series.
Micro Machines was developed because Galoob wanted Codemasters to develop a game based on their toy brand, although Galoob and Codemasters encountered legal issues with Nintendo over the game being unlicensed. Micro Machines was ported to several systems, and received reboots for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube in 2002. A sequel, Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament, was released in 1994, and the series was revived in 2016 with the release of a title for iOS and Android. Micro Machines received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising the originality and two-player mode, although some criticised the sprites on some versions. Retrospectively, it has been considered one of the greatest video games of all time.
In 1990, the founders of Codemasters, David and Richard Darling, were at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and were impressed with the popularity of the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US.[5] They wanted to develop games for the system, but did not have a licence from Nintendo. In October 1989, programmer Andrew Graham developed a prototype, California Buggy Boys, a racing game with a top-down view on a scrolling dune-based race track. Its two player mode, based on the 1983 Adventure International game Rally Speedway, does not employ split screen, a technique that is hard to achieve on NES hardware. Instead, two players race on a single screen, hugging the screen edges as the distance between them grows. Once the distance is large enough, the winning player gains a point โ a difference from Rally Speedway, in which the losing player gains a time penalty instead.[6]
The prototype was showcased with multiple consoles networked. It featured buggies similar to those in Power Drift, targeting the United States market. Codemasters then obtained a licensing deal with Galoob, wanting a game based on its Micro Machines toys. California Buggy Boys was used as a base, and Galoob sent a good selection of toys to Codemasters.[1][5][7]
The development team did not have access to official Nintendo documents, and their knowledge of the NES's hardware came from reverse engineering.[7] They chose recognisable household environments such as tables, although the NES's limited graphics capabilities necessitates repetition. Artist Paul Perrot converted the California Buggy Boys graphics using Deluxe Paint and a cross compiler. According to Graham, the team tried to keep the tracks short, as they were considered more enjoyable.[1][5] Graham stated that the artificial intelligence (AI) is basic by modern standards, and that it was difficult to replicate the multiplayer experience in single-player mode. The AI consisted of invisible arrows, which directed computer-controlled vehicles.[1] Graham stated that split screen was not viable on the NES, and that the single-screen system was something that he was eager to try. He further stated that he was "very happy" with the multiplayer mode, saying it is the best part of the game and made the single player mode "boring" in comparison. He was very pleased when Richard Darling stated that Micro Machines is the best game they had ever made. Another multiplayer mode was shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, but was discontinued due to requiring a network.