It’s always pleasant to see that even when the whole industry is bubbling over with excitement and making a general ado regarding the surfacing of next-generation consoles, there are those who still glance backwards at times past and decide to attempt a snatch at what games used to rely upon in order to guarantee appeal – fun. Micro Machines V4 is a game you’ve already played. You probably played it lots. The reason? It reeks of the aforementioned ‘fun’. It was doing this reeking back in 1991. Now it’s back. Things have changed a little though. Developed by Supersonic – the studio famous for the intolerable state of Mashed – V4 doesn’t quite meet with the oh-so-high expectations that it’s certain to be greeted with – and it’s all a matter of balance.

Simply, the AI is too good to be of any real use. In order to claim victory over anyone virtual, you’ll have to know near every inch of the track you’re racing on – something which is only achievable from extended play of that one track. Once you have ‘the knowledge’, success is actually unavoidable as you can outclass all opponents with simple foresight. Add to this the fact that once you drop out of a race the AI will battle with itself for an unusually lengthy amount of time before claiming one part of itself the winner. This all makes for a fairly poor solo experience.

That’s the gripe. It’s a big one, but there’s no denying that even with this horrific burden the game has worth. The repetitive nature of solo play and the utter annoyance of computercontrolled foes being astoundingly competent is washed away when the multi-player elements are considered. Playing with friends is what the series has always been about and this area has once again been mastered. Racing with four pals manages to spark nostalgia perfectly and it’s in this state that the well-designed courses and the perfectly competitive nature of play is truly realised and the hefty amount of unlockable content – 750 vehicles spread over 25 vehicle types, don’t ya know – soon becomes available and play is expanded further.

While it’s true that Micro Machines V4 is far from perfect and is actually embarrassingly out-classed by itself 15 years ago, there’s still enough glee available to warrant a purchase, as long as you have friends to share glee with.

Rick Porter