For years, kids who wanted to play with little cars had two major brands to choose from: either Mattel’s Hot Wheels or Tyco’s Matchbox (which, ironically, was purchased by Mattel in 1997). There were other smaller creators, like Johnny Lightning and Maisto, but those were the two everyone knew. So, when Galoob decided to enter the tiny-car market in the late 80s, they needed a hook to differentiate themselves. While most other toy cars were roughly H0-Scale (1:64), Galoob designed their Micro Machine line as could-easily-be-swallowed-by-kids 1:160, or N-Scale. The tiny, detailed vehicles became a hit in the marketplace. Even if you don’t remember the toys, you will surely recall speed-talker John Moschitta, Jr., extolling the virtues of the itty bitty autos during Saturday-morning adverts at 450 words per minute.
Micro Machines NES Title Screen
As with any popular kids’ property, a video game was sure to follow. Galoob partnered with European developer Codemasters to turn the mini micros into a video game racer. They already had a relationship with Codemasters as Galoob was the North American distributor of their popular Game Genie video game enhancement device.
Unlike most European game development of the time, Codemasters created Micro Machines first for the Nintendo Entertainment System, then ported it to various computers and consoles. Due to the ongoing legal battle that Galoob was involved in with Nintendo of America over the Game Genie, it never received Nintendo’s Seal of Approval. Codemasters released a couple of different unofficial carts for the game, including a gold cartridge (similar to the Tengen releases) and smaller black carts.
The game itself actually started life as a racing prototype called California Buggy Boys, programmed by Andrew Graham. It was an overhead racer featuring dune buggies. Codemasters founders David and Richard Darling saw an opportunity to turn the prototype into a licensed Micro Machines title.
The toy line’s small size inspired the environments for each race. Instead of treating the cars as full-sized vehicles in a standard racing game, Codemasters set each race in everyday surroundings, but on a toy-sized scale. One race takes place in a bathtub. Another takes place on a pool table. Yet another takes place at a breakfast table. The surroundings for each track reflected their theme. The bathtub track is outlined with tiny soap bubbles. The pool table track is denoted with cue chalk and pool balls. And the breakfast table track is created with lines of breakfast cereal, with sticky honey hazards along the way.
Micro Machines NES Screenshot
The game incorporates a variety of vehicle types from the Micro Machines line and doesn’t limit itself to cars. While we do get standards like sports cars and four-wheel drive vehicles, there are also speedboats, helicopters, and even tanks. Racing a Formula 1 car around a billiards table, dodging pool cues and skipping in and out of the pockets, is truly a unique experience. Even though the route around the courses is clearly marked, it isn’t a strict barrier. Racers are allowed to race outside the lines, to a certain extent. If you go too far out, you will be returned to the track.
The single-player racing challenge pits the player against three computer opponents. As you progress, the tracks will become increasingly harder. In order to progress to the next track, you must come in either first or second place. If you finish third or fourth, you will need to rerun the race in an attempt to improve your standing. You have a total of three chances to run a track again. Once you use all of your chances, it’s game over.
The game also includes a two-player head-to-head mode. Instead of a split-screen race, the two-player race takes place on a single screen. At the beginning of the race, there are 8 colored lights at the top of the screen. Each player has four lights in their color. During the race, if one player gets a full-screen length ahead of the other, one of the lights will change to their color. This will go back-and-forth until one player has managed to change all 8 lights to their color, thus winning the race.
Micro Machines Amiga Screenshot
As I pointed out at the beginning of this article, unlike most European games at the time, the NES console version was developed before the game was ported to any other consoles or computers. Two years after the initial release, versions for the Sega Game Gear, Sega Mega Drive, and Commodore Amiga were released. While it isn’t the most graphically advanced of the initial 16-bit versions (that would be the Mega Drive version), I have a personal affinity for the Amiga version, as it was the port that introduced me not only to this game but also to Codemasters as a developer.
The next year saw the release of the Sega Master System, MS-DOS, and Super NES versions. One of the most distinctive releases would follow the next year, with a full release of the Philips CD-i system. It is unique among CD-i games as it wasn’t transformed into a multimedia title, which is where the system excelled, and where game development on the system was most focused.
The final two versions released were a monochrome conversion of the original Game Boy in 1995, and then a version for the Game Boy Color in 2000. This version was actually released in a combo cartridge with its sequel, Turbo Tournament.
Codemasters would continue to develop and co-develop new games using the license until Micro Machines World Series in 2017. While sequels like V3 and V4 brought the game to more modern systems (at the time) and were moderately successful, the mobile-focused World Series failed to revive the brand. Additionally, Codemasters’ corporate identity was evolving as it focused on titles such as GRID and the DiRT series. At that point, additional Micro Machines games were no longer developed.
If you’ve never delved into this franchise, give the original Micro Machines a try. It offers a unique perspective and is accessible on almost any platform thanks to modern emulation.
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