"Vrrroooom, Vrrooom! Oops, sorry..."

Introduction

Micro Machines. Ahhh, it brings back childhood memories. Rolling the tiny cars and trucks along the floor at top speed...sometimes I would even throw in a police cruiser to pull them over. But now, there's a video game that lets you race the little vehicles from the comfort of your favorite chair.

Gameplay (9 / 10)

For a Gameboy game, there's a surprising variety of things to do. First you choose whether you want to play 1 player or 2 player modes. I've always played 1 player, so I'll talk about that. You can enter into a tournament mode, where you have to get higher than last place, I believe, to move onto the next race, and you have a certain number of continues if you fail. The other option is to engage in a head-to-head race with one other computer racer. Every time you reach the end of the Gameboy screen with your vehicle, you get a point. If the computer beats you to the end of the screen, they get a point. There's also a neat little bar on the side of the screen that shows how many points you have.

Before each race, you select your driver, and there are quite a few. They range from a leather-jacketed cool guy named Spider, to a fat snob named Walter, to an uber-blonde girl, whose name escapes me. Each driver has a neat little "let's go!" animation after you pick them.

There's a wide variety of vehicles you can race with, including 4x4's, Warrior cars, Sports cars, helicopters, speedboats, and even tanks (you can even fire the cannon to blow away the opponent!). There might be a few more but they escape me right now. So basically, the point of the game is to win as many races as you can against computer opponents. It's very fun and will keep you playing for awhile, trying to master each vehicle. But after awhile of the same kind of gameplay, you will get bored. The wide variety of vehicles helps fend off boredom for a good while, but this isn't a game you will play for months at a time.

Graphics (10 / 10)

I think the graphic level in this game surpasses most other Gameboy racing games. The tracks have tons of detail put into them, and is very crisp, clear, and pleasing to the eye. Little details like nuts and bolts spread across the track on a workbench to crumbs and bits of waffle strewn about a breakfast table course really add to the game. But it's not too distracting, and you will easily be able to concentrate on the race. Overall, the graphics are very good for the system and the time period that the game was made in, which was the 90's.

Sound (7 / 10)

As far as sound effects in the game go, you'll be very pleased. They might sound a little tinny through the Gameboy's speakers, but I think they are very well done. There are sounds for everything, from revving your vehicle's engine to the squeal of tires when you brake. There's a weird little "zipp" noise when you crash or fall off the course and get reset, which I think we could have gone without.

But what really brings down the sound score is a lack of music in the game. The game's logo screen has a cool little tune to it, and some suspenseful music while you pick your modes, but there is no music while you are racing. To me this is a huge missing part of the game that should not have been overlooked. Sometimes the races will seem isolated and lonely without any music, only the sounds of the engines.

Controls (10 / 10)

The controls for this game are very simple, steer your vehicle with the d-pad, accelerate with A, and brake with B. There really isn't anything else that's needed in the game and with such simple controls you can really focus on developing your racing skills. They are also very responsive, as is expected in a racing game. Your car will even drift through sharp turns if you are going too fast and you will have to brake to avoid falling off the course. Well done for the controls.

Replayability (3 / 10)

It's very cool when you beat tournament mode, as you receive a trophy and everything, but there isn't much to bring you back to the game. You might feel like picking it up again for a quick race or two but don't expect to spend too much time poring over the game, there isn't anything to unlock or any side objectives. You just play to win the races.

Pros:
-Fun gameplay (for awhile)
-Tons of vehicles
-High, detailed graphic level
-Nice sound effects
-Smooth Controls

Cons:
-No music while you race
-Awful replayability

Final Score: 8 / 10

Rent or Buy?
You can't rent Gameboy games anymore to my knowledge, so if you come by this game ever, I would recommend picking it up, as long as it's below $7 or so. It's worth owning one of the best racers I've played for the original Gameboy.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/26/05