Micro Machines (video game series)

Micro Machines
Developers	Codemasters, Big Red Software, Merit Studios, Mindscape, Supersonic Software, Infogrames Sheffield House
Publishers	Codemasters, Camerica, Ocean Software, Midway, THQ, Infogrames, Chillingo
First release	Micro Machines 1991
Latest release	Micro Machines (iOS) 14th July 2016

Micro Machines V3
North American PlayStation cover art
Developer(s)	Codemasters Novalicious (GBC)
Publisher(s)	PlayStation, Microsoft Windows & Nintendo 64 EU: Codemasters NA: Midway Games (exc. PC) JP: Namco (exc. PC & N64) Game Boy Color THQ
Platform(s)	PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color
Release date(s)	PlayStation EU: March 1997 NA: 30 November 1997 JP: 1 January 1998 Microsoft Windows EU: 1998 Nintendo 64 NA: 24 March 1999 EU: 30 April 1999 Game Boy Color NA: 13 November 2000 EU: 24 November 2000

Micro Machines is a series of computer and video games featuring toy cars, developed by Codemasters and published on several platforms (including MS-DOS, Nintendo Entertainment System, Amiga, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, PlayStation 2, Nintendo 64, Xbox, Sega Game Gear and iOS devices). The series is based on the Micro Machines toy line of miniature vehicles.

Micro Machines games feature tracks based on household settings: for example, kitchen tables and desktops. The tracks also contain obstacles in the form of household items; often the possibility of falling off the track is a hazard in itself.

Micro Machines is the first game in the series laid the foundation of the gameplay: a top-down racing game with miniature vehicles. The race tracks are unconventionally themed. For example, some races take place on a billiard table while others occur in a garden. The cartridge itself was sold in several versions. There was a gold (black in PAL regions) cartridge with a switch at the bottom in order to be compatible with the American and European hardware. In Europe there also was a version where the cartridge was in the form of a plug through cartridge, a cartridge you plugged on another, normal NES cartridge and then inserted it in the machine. It was also released as an add-on to the Aladdin Deck Enhancer created by Codemasters.

A remake of this game was later released in 2002. This version features advanced graphics as well as drivers having unique vehicles.

Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament was released in 1994 and featured vehicles which required different handling techniques for each course, including hovercraft and helicopters. There are different playing modes including "head-to-head", in which each player earns points by driving a full screen ahead of the opponent. TV presenter Violet Berlin features as a playable driver. The MS-DOS version featured a track editor which allowed players to create their own custom vehicles, backgrounds and obstacles and export and import tracks.