November 29, 2000 - Micro Machines rocks. Micro Machines has kicked butt ever since its introduction on the Nintendo Entertainment System more than a decade ago, and there hasn't been a bad incarnation of the racing series created yet. That goes for the handheld market, too ¿ THQ revived the series last year in an color-only compilation of the first two games in the series, aptly titled Micro Machines 1 & 2. And the quality continues this year, as THQ returns to the series in an outstanding 2D port of the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 edition, Micro Machines V3.

Features

• 15 vehicles
• 40 tracks
• One and two player challenges
• Eight player tournament modes
• Password save
• Only for Game Boy Color

In the popular racing series, you're given the ability to race miniscule vehicles in real-world situations, and in this case the competition is against four computer opponents, or in a one-on-one race. Challenges range from jeeps on the breakfast table, to big-rigs on school desks, to hoverboats in a pond, to Formula-One cars on a snooker table ¿ 15 different vehicles are in the game, each offering a slightly different feel to accommodate each vehicle's construction. For example, the F1 cars corner like a dream around the felt of the billiard table, but you'll have to let up on the speedboat's accelerator in the ponds if you want to take turns correctly. It's this variety in feel that gives the Micro Machines series much of its charm, and the same can be said for Micro Machines V3 -- control still rules all here.

And while the console versions utilized the polygonal environments to alter the terrain in a single race, the developers did a great job emulating that design aspect here as well. You might remember on the PSX and N64 editions some tracks cutting across the kitchen table, then dropping off to the floor -- only returning to the table via an ironing board or a shot out of a toaster. In a polygonal engine it was a bit easier to keep track of this altitude and environment, but that didn't stop the GBC developers ¿ this track design is still implemented via clever cuts from the floor to the table and back again. You'll never notice the transition since it never causes a hitch in the quick-paced gameplay. And you should keep your eye out for a clever 3D trick used in MicroMachines V3 -- items that tower over the playfield will tilt in perspective as you drive past them. It's totally unnecessary but a cool technique nontheless.

The game continues the portable Micro Machines tradition of including "shared system" multiplayer, where two gamers view and control the action on the same system. It's a cool feature, since the controls are just as intuitive and fair ¿ one player uses the control pad and select, the other utilizes A, B, and Start for clockwise, counterclockwise, and braking control. In the one-on-one match, it's all about leaving the other person behind, making the screen scroll beyond his location on the track. This mode is both fun and annoying ¿ it's fun since it's highly competitive, but annoying since the action continuously stops to respot the cars after one person loses a point. I want and need to mention that Micro Machines begs for link-cable support, and I'm disappointed that the effort wasn't offered in the latest rendition.

I'm not a fan of some of the artwork of the game, since in some places it's really difficult to see where the track's headed. Some tracks are perfectly fine, where others really screw up the eyes. Take, for example, the breakfast table. The cloth has a repeating "corn" texture that's nearly the same color as the cereal that lines the track -- when the screen scrolls as fast as this game does, the corn texture begins to blend in with the track, making it really hard to follow the proper route. And another slap to the wrist for THQ's refusal to include a battery in this title ¿ random alphanumeric passwords are such a sloppy way of recording progress, and it's worse in this game since the password only saves your place in a competition. It doesn't record lap times in the time-trial mode, so every time you return to compete in time-trials, the record time is reset to the default. The competitive edge is lost since you can't save your best laps to cartridge.

Closing Comments
Novalicious' version of the Micro Machines series is the best yet on the handheld, offering a ton of tracks, cars, and many of the same track designs of the console renditions. The team has made sure the game retains the overall feel that makes the game such a blast to play, while bringing tracks and situations that were intended only in a 3D designed version. Micro Machines remains one of the best top-down racing games ever conceived, and this version doesn't and will not disappoint fans of the franchise.

Rating	Description
out of 10	click here for ratings guide
9.0 Outstanding	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)