Micro Machine 64: Turbo
System: Nintendo 64
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Codemasters
Released: 1999
Genre: Racing
Capabilities: Controller & Rumble Pak Compatible

The Game

Race as micro machines boats, cars, tanks and even more wacky miniatures through various wacky tracks such as a dinner table, and an outside garden. This game comes to us from Codemasters, the people responsible for most Micro Machines games, and was just released in 1999.

Graphics

You got a game view which resembles a 3-D like 3/4 overhead perspective, this view looks terrific on screen, but at times when the camera views from in front of the micro machines, you can't see that far in front of you from the track, making you miss most of the turns and this can lead to a lot of frustration in the game. The games opening menu is pretty innovative, which is a micro machine race car racing down and up a road where it highlights some options and is very easy to navigate.

The micro machines, although tiny, are detailed nicely and look great on the N64, you can easily tell all the vehicles apart from each other, and there is usually no confusion making out who's who. The tracks look terrific too, who could've imagined that you can race on a breakfast table or tool table, detailed down to every notch, such as seeing frogs hop while racing in the garden and splashing water while you go.

Sound

All the characters say something when you select him, like this one beach surfer guy says, ''Yo right man!'' Most of the sound effects are pulled off pretty good, such as the squeaking of the tires and the exploding sound of your car when it gets off course. The main theme song of the game sounds kinda sort of kiddie like and that it would better be suited off for some simulation game, rather than a racer, and even though most of the sound effects are well done, most of them are pretty simple.

Game play

There's plenty of various modes to play from such as Single player tournament mode where you can race a certain level of difficulty and choose your turbo level to determine how fast you can go. There's also time trials to see what's your fastest records for tracks. You can create character profiles which can save all you tournament winnings and time trial records. What's really great about the game is the multi player mode! Up to 4 players can go at it for one hell of a time. This type of multi player mode is similar to past Micro Machines games multi player modes where up to 4 machines can race on screen at once, but once one of the cars fall to the end of the screen, it blows up and the last car remaining wins. There is only one screen, no split player screen like in Mario Kart and Diddy Kong Racing, even though this does sound awkward, I managed to have a blast playing this game with friends.

Some of the controls are pretty hard to get down though, such as steering with the tanks, they move so slow and the steering with it is so hard because the steering is so tough to do with the control stick, while some machines may be the exact opposite like the mini Formula 1 machines where they move really fast and steering is really sensitive like where you just tap the control stick to the left, it will make a sharp left! I don’t know if this is suppose to be varying AI between the machines you select or dumbness on the developers part. And I already mentioned the camera problems in the game which makes it even harder for steering, so the control problems definitely bring down the game play value a lot.

Replay Value

Well there are a nice variety of modes such as time trials and tournament and all, and multi player mode is a blast too(trust me, me and my friends were surprisingly stuck to this game for a few weeks due to it’s multi player fun), and single player mode is fun to play for a while, but the camera and steering problems makes the game loose its taste right away, and I say at the most, you'll most likely get bored of this game within a month if you’re lucky and not a die hard micro machine fan.

In Brief

+: Nice detail and variation between the micro machines, the tracks look great as usual, multi player is a blast! There’s a free Micro Machine that comes with the game too!

-: Lots of camera problems in the game, Plenty of steering problems too

The Final Ratings Rundown

Graphics: 7.3
Sound: 6.4
Game play: 6.1
Replay Value: 5.3

Overall: 6.2

Rounded to fit GameFAQs Score: 6

Final Analysis

Still carries on the fun tradition of Micro Machines games, but in 3-D, but some control problems plague this game, and might make the game less fun to play, but if you're looking for some quick multi player fun or if you're collecting the series, you might want to pick up this title, and its definitely worth a rent, but I would only recommend buying this game if you’ve been a fan of the past Micro Machines game, but overall this game just ends up being a tad above mediocre.