Micro Machines: World Series

Codemasters' Micro Machines: World Series aims to get the nostalgia going on PC, PS4, and Xbox One when it releases in June, bringing back the action first seen all the way back in 1991 (and introduced to subsequent generations through versions on the Mega Drive, PS2, and more), reintroducing it yet again to a new console generation.

The thing with nostalgia is that there's always a fine balance between what you do and don't keep from the original, but Micro Machines: World Series keeps the essence more or less the same: you race in small cars across a variety of modes, and the backdrop for these races are normal household environments such as tabletops and gardens. This setup includes classic game modes like Elimination and Battles, these two being the only ones we played during our time with the game.

To start with Elimination, this sees four racers take to the track with the objective being the stay on the screen, which keeps up with the player who's in first place. A number of items either can be used to hinder your opponents, such as droppable bombs and a giant hammer, and there are also environmental challenges to avoid, such as lit stoves and an active whisk, making the whole thing even more chaotic than it already is. After each round finishes, there's a screen where each player has a line that represents their progress. The better you perform the further forward your line moves (you can, of course, move back if you don't do very well), until an overall winner is declared after a certain number of victories is achieved.

When we played Battle, we played different game modes online against a number of other players, mixed in with AI. One of these required us to capture a control point which moved around the arena at regular intervals, another was a simple capture the flag, and the last we tried saw us attempt to take a bomb to the other team's base. The principle is still the same in terms of gameplay, as in you drive your cars around, but everyone has weapons in Battle mode, depending on the vehicle, and even special abilities (such as setting up walls or stunning enemies).

It was the visual side of things that most impressed us with Micro Machines: World Series. Like we said, it's clear that it's still Micro Machines, largely thanks to the perspective and the household setting, but the extra polish and detail added here is impressive, such as the texture of the felt on the pool table and the tiny splinterings of wood in the workshop. Even on the cars the minutest of details are considered, so it truly does bring Micro Machines into the modern age.

To talk about the cars specifically a little bit more, there is a dozen to choose from, and each has their advantages and disadvantages. We found a favourite in the fire truck, which seemed to balance everything nicely and was easy to control, but the tank is slower and can bash people about more, and the hovercraft is faster but slides around on surfaces more. The vehicles aren't as nuanced as the cars you might find in a more traditional racing game, but there are noticeable differences (especially when they're kitted out with weapons and abilities in Battle mode), so there's something for everyone, and some might suit different tracks better too.

There's not much to say in terms of gameplay other than if you know Micro Machines (or top-down racers for that matter), then you know this game. You have an accelerator, and you turn left and right with left and right on the analog sticks, and there's a button to drop items - that's pretty much it. The cars responded naturally when we were using them, and everything seemed to run smoothly as well.

A testament to the quality of Micro Machines: World Series is that someone who has never played a game in the series before, can pick it up instantly and start having fun with it in just a matter of minutes. It's one of those games where the appeal is so simple that you can't help but get drawn into it, and the action is chaotic enough to get people who barely know each other shouting at the screen and each other. It's also got that 'just one more game' hook to it, and even though matches can be so short, there are still that go right down to the wire.

In short, Micro Machines: World Series doesn't mess with the Micro Machines formula hugely, but that's a good thing. It brings a winning idea into the modern age with shiny new visuals and stages packed with detail, giving top-down racing fans a reason to be excited for the end of June when they can pick this one up. It's easy, accessible fun, and with the added joy of Brian Blessed's voice.