Anyone remember Micro Machines V3 for the Playstation? If you’ve ever played it you almost certainly will. The top down graphics, the funny characters and THAT level with the lily pad.
However what made Micro Machines V3 a truly memorable game was its multiplayer mode. After all, the one player mode was actually pretty rubbish. With games like Toca Touring Car Championship and Gran Turismo coming out in the same year, Micro Machines V3 was never going to be a the cutting edge of racing games.
But that wasn’t really the point. The real innovation of Micro Machines V3 was the multiplayer mode. Instead of splitting the screen like a conventional racer, everyone featured in the same window with cars eliminated as they fell off the pace. Gradually all the cars would be removed until only one player remained and they would then be declared to winner with the race starting again from the place at which it had previously finished.
The first player to amount a certain number of points (I think it was eight, with two for each win) would take the race overall. It sounds a bit complicated written down here, but it made for some pretty cool racing back in the day.
I used to play this game round a mate’s virtually every day before heading off to school in about 1998. The beauty of it was that it was so simple that anyone could make a decent go of it and all the races were nice and quick.
Personal favourite levels included ‘Tanks A Lot’ (the dining table level with tanks) and ‘Love Triangle’ (which was, of course, a snooker table level). I have played these particular tracks so many times I could probably draw a little maps of them straight off the top of my head. No, really. I am just that cool.
Micro Machines V3
Released: 1997
Format: Playstation and PC
Style: Racing
Producer: Codemasters
Reviews: 94% PlayStation Plus, 9/10 Official PlayStation Magazine, 9/10 PlayStation Pro, 9/10 PlayStation Power
Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Tags: codemasters, micro machines v3, playstation
I actually agree, Micromachines was a great multiplayer game.
So was PointBlank on the PS1, although it didnt allow as many players.
Both should definately be brought back to the next gen consoles.
I actually loved MarioKart SNES to, defensively that game rocked, the newer versions are good, but the old version was great in those closed tracks where you could skid around corners and hop like a nutter to avoid shells.
Other good multiplayers are fighting and sport games although those are dime a dozen.