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MICRO MACHINES WORLD SERIES (XONE)
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Publisher: Codemasters.
Developer: Codemasters. Released: June 2017. Genre: Racing. Other versions: PS4; PC. Posted 7th June 2022. By Shane Battams © 2022 |
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Once a beloved figurehead of the 16-bit era, Micro Machines would remain dormant in the video gaming sphere for the better part of a decade until 2017. Just Add Water and Codemasters would team up to bring Xbox One owners World Series, a spruced-up version of the classic top-down racer. On the surface, it seemed the ideal revival: cleaned up visuals, the return of classic characters and gameplay that stays true to the classics. Sadly, it’s once you dig deeper that you realise how shallow, exploitative and disappointing this revival is, taking a cherished brand and modernising it in the worst ways.
World Series doesn’t stray too far from previous games in terms of mechanics. The traditional top-down view remains, cars have that skittish handling which takes some getting used to, but feels intuitive eventually. Tracks take you across gardens, through kitchens and across surfaces covered in toys, food and other household stuff. There’s traditional racing, elimination matches which remove opponents if they fall too far behind and free-for-all battles including Capture the Flag, Bomb Runs and King of the Hill. There’s 12 distinct drivers to choose from, each with their own personality. Hank N. Stein drives a hulking 4x4, Dr. Mel Practice can heal in her ambulance and there are even GI Joe characters. Brian Blessed even returns to announce over racing. So far, all seems peachy.
World Series takes Micro Machines down the online route, but is beset by design and structural issues
Unfortunately, some very mercenary decisions harm this one severely. Micro Machines did always have multiplayer appeal, but Just Add Water would go all-in and, essentially, make this online-only. There’s no Grand Prix mode at all and while you can set up AI skirmishes, these don’t include certain modes from the online side. There are huge problems with this approach. Matches, due to the extra internet loops required, take over a minute to begin. Map rotation is incredibly poor, sometimes putting you on the same course repeatedly, which grows nauseating. The odd thing is, even at launch, the thin community would leave you playing against bots in these matches anyway, which makes the multiplayer focus all the more misguided. When you throw in loot box mechanics, absurdly repetitive drops and a tight money system which takes ages to accrue for anything decent, it feels as if this classic has been gutted.
There’s also a lot of obnoxious limitations which leave you scratching your head. The prospect of playing with three others locally seems like a dream, but it’s not without setbacks itself. While you can partake in free-for-all battles and elimination modes, racing is not available, which is baffling. Meanwhile, several of the battle modes (King of the Hill and others of that ilk) can only be played online. AI Match lets you play against bots, while Public Match levels you up towards Season Ranks, the latter only really useful for earning loot boxes from rewards. Special Events did occur at points, but these seem not to have updated in a long time, leaving that function unavailable. Those who gut it out with the AI can look forward to irritations of their own, as the rubber-banding seems to be at an all-time high here and Battle Modes see your friendlies acting like dummies, while opponents are killing, scoring machines.
There’s also a lot of obnoxious limitations which leave you scratching your head. The prospect of playing with three others locally seems like a dream, but it’s not without setbacks itself. While you can partake in free-for-all battles and elimination modes, racing is not available, which is baffling. Meanwhile, several of the battle modes (King of the Hill and others of that ilk) can only be played online. AI Match lets you play against bots, while Public Match levels you up towards Season Ranks, the latter only really useful for earning loot boxes from rewards. Special Events did occur at points, but these seem not to have updated in a long time, leaving that function unavailable. Those who gut it out with the AI can look forward to irritations of their own, as the rubber-banding seems to be at an all-time high here and Battle Modes see your friendlies acting like dummies, while opponents are killing, scoring machines.
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This leaves World Series feeling paltry, even for a budget title. Each race earns you XP, with extra for winning and playing daily. But slow unlocks and the glacial pace of the levelling system leaves you tired before you even reach Level 20, let alone 51 when you can earn Prestige. With 10 tracks, a handful of battle arenas and no worthwhile unlockables beyond that, you’ll struggle to scrape 10 hours from this one. While some of the multiplayer options seem tantalising, the frustrations and limitations will likely see players returning to their copies of Micro Machines 2 instead.
It's a crying shame, because parts of World Series feel like the Micro Machines of old. Tracks look colourful, bear cool details like movable paperclips and pieces of cereal. Whether it’s breezing through a back garden with a lawnmower hazard or avoiding electrical barriers in the lab, the tracks feel well thought out. Cars resemble their toy counterparts well, explosive effects look the part and the game holds pretty steady even under strain. The sound is also solid, with catchy music that blends into the background, little driver quips coming off as charming and pokey sound effects which hit the mark. Brian Blessed makes a return too, though you get the sense he knew what a clunker he was voicing for, as the energy just isn’t there. When these parts come together, there’s only a loose resemblance to the classic top-down racer.
It's a crying shame, because parts of World Series feel like the Micro Machines of old. Tracks look colourful, bear cool details like movable paperclips and pieces of cereal. Whether it’s breezing through a back garden with a lawnmower hazard or avoiding electrical barriers in the lab, the tracks feel well thought out. Cars resemble their toy counterparts well, explosive effects look the part and the game holds pretty steady even under strain. The sound is also solid, with catchy music that blends into the background, little driver quips coming off as charming and pokey sound effects which hit the mark. Brian Blessed makes a return too, though you get the sense he knew what a clunker he was voicing for, as the energy just isn’t there. When these parts come together, there’s only a loose resemblance to the classic top-down racer.
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Unfortunately, Micro Machines: World Series is buried by its baffling design decisions, questionable attempts to follow modern trends and a severe lack of meaningful content. While the racing itself somewhat resembles the series’ heyday and the presentation is pretty cheery, these mask a misguided effort to bring back Codemasters’ classic series, one which feels like a rip-off, even having launched at a discounted rate. If you’re desperate to relive the glory days of Micro Machines 2, you’re better dusting off that old cart and booting it up, while those uninitiated will be left wondering what all the fuss was about.
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VERDICT
"Micro Machines: World Series is buried underneath baffling design decisions, questionable attempts to follow modern trends and a severe lack of meaningful content" OVERALL: 4/10 |
PIXEL SECONDS: MICRO MACHINES WORLD SERIES (PS4)
“Welcome to Micro Machines!” bellows Brian Blessed, but he doesn’t sound convinced. It’s almost as if he’s holding back. Maybe he’s played Toybox Turbos, Codemasters’ enjoyable 2014 foray that, for all money, appears to have been a testing ground for the return of the legendary miniature racing series? Those who have played TT will quickly identify World Series as a drastically stripped back reworking of said title. Most of the single-player content has been removed and in its place a comprehensive reminder of all the worst aspects of modern gaming: loot boxes, lobbies and rubbish rewards fed to the player at a rate so tedious it’s scarcely believable. Add to this useless friendly AI, minute-long waits for even offline races to start and a varied but vapid cast of characters and you have the makings of a sure-fire disappointment. It’s missing two of the series’ fundamental tenets: charm and quick-fire accessibility. MMWS looks reasonable, handles okay and has some interesting play modes. Distinctive character specials result in very different roles and playing experiences, depending on who you choose. However, poor structuring means World Series never gets going and a complete absence of meaningful progression means its shelf life is minimal. [4] – Tom Clare © 2022
“Welcome to Micro Machines!” bellows Brian Blessed, but he doesn’t sound convinced. It’s almost as if he’s holding back. Maybe he’s played Toybox Turbos, Codemasters’ enjoyable 2014 foray that, for all money, appears to have been a testing ground for the return of the legendary miniature racing series? Those who have played TT will quickly identify World Series as a drastically stripped back reworking of said title. Most of the single-player content has been removed and in its place a comprehensive reminder of all the worst aspects of modern gaming: loot boxes, lobbies and rubbish rewards fed to the player at a rate so tedious it’s scarcely believable. Add to this useless friendly AI, minute-long waits for even offline races to start and a varied but vapid cast of characters and you have the makings of a sure-fire disappointment. It’s missing two of the series’ fundamental tenets: charm and quick-fire accessibility. MMWS looks reasonable, handles okay and has some interesting play modes. Distinctive character specials result in very different roles and playing experiences, depending on who you choose. However, poor structuring means World Series never gets going and a complete absence of meaningful progression means its shelf life is minimal. [4] – Tom Clare © 2022
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