Make haste for the Maniacs (Micro Maniacs (PS))

Member Name: adidadi_young

Product:	Micro Maniacs (PS)
Date:	18/09/01 (234 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's original, that sums it up.

Disadvantages: Uh... I really can't think of any.

What can I say? It’s a racing game. Now as I say it’s a racing game, you would think of such a game as Gran Turismo 3, or something similar, which is somehow better. Now that is a mistake. Racing games can be so varied, so innovative and so original that you don’t even need vehicles. Now, some games have attempted at this (take Psybadek for example) and very, very miserably failed. And this is a reason we should all be very gratefully thanking Codemasters for this game. Hah. It’s a racing game. Codemasters were the people behind the previous Micro Machines, Micro Machines 2, Micro Machines ’96 (or something) and Micro Machines Military for the most recent past-gen consoles, SNES and Mega Drive (Genesis). Now there’s not to forget Micro Machines V3, which hit on the PlayStation a few years back. When this game had first been released, it was something totally new. However, this credit was only partially headed towards gameplay. The fact that it had such a good camera angle, and good graphics, all jumbled up with new levels, with racing cars going through everyday homes and the weapons to go with it. Codemasters did, then, consider doing another sequel that was based on the same old thing (racing cars and so on). Micro Machines V4 was the most appropriate title for this. But they thought that they needed something new. Something outstanding from other racing games.

And what a good job they did.

I purchased this game from Woolworths for £6.99. As I played the demo of this game, I really wanted to buy it; for the £29.99 it was released at. I had other things to buy at the time though, just like I have my mind set on Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Later on, I obviously saw the game for that price and bought it, thinking why would Woolworths go that much out of the way just to reduce the price for me. I picked it up and bought it like it was the usual bread + milk I briefly go to a shop for. After I brought it home I exper
ienced one of the most innovative racing games I have ever played.

As I said, it is a lot different from the racing game you think of; it has many differences. The main point is that the basic method of transport on this game is running. This may not sound like much, but the way they developed it it’s something you will feel somewhat satisfied to play. When you load up the game, a brief memory card check will appear. After that the main menu will appear. The first option is Challenge. This is the 1 player mode, and is the main ‘game’ of the game. You choose from 1 of 8 characters (4 of which can be then unlocked as you get on in this mode). You are pitted against 4 other computer players, who have a seemingly increasing AI as you get to the upper levels (When I say upper I mean I will talk about it later). You must clear, in easy terms, 8 races. But there is another nice ‘new’ feature to racing games: and this is the table thing, and I’ll explain it now, despite the fact that I said I’d talk about it later:

It’s a table. Okay, you knew. It’s 8 ‘dots’ up and 4 ‘dots’ across. A cuboid. The first level is training; the track shape is a rectangle and is easy to win. THEN you go onto your table. You are standing at the bottom of the table, and can choose one of 4 tracks for the first round. You beat the 1st round, and then you go onto the 2nd round. It carries on until the 8 races are won. And no it’s not easy; it’s a very hard game. You won’t beat challenge without cheating for at least a good 3 or more weeks. If you do cheat, it would probably not take long at all, depending on what cheat/s you use. Don’t worry; further satisfaction can be gained by unlocking cheats a certain way or another. If you manage to get a horizontal line of 4 dots, then you can skip that round, as you have proved to be too good for it. Beating a whole vertical line can also u
nlock cheats. So you can unlock 4 on challenge. And unlocking a horizontal line, going swiftly back, also unlocks extra tracks and the 4 extra characters. So enjoy.

On your way through the Challenge, you might just be good enough to get though 3 rounds without dying. This gives you a bonus round. You must go around a mouse maze sort of thing, and step on switches to open doors, and collect 30 floating white things. Do this and get yourself a life. You earned it.

Is this clear enough? If not, comment and I’ll try to make it clearer. Okay, you know what the first mode is, now it’s time to move on to the second (and probably least popular) mode in this game. Time Trial is the mode everyone knows to be (what I think is) in every racing game for a long time. I still think that Time Attack (I’m pretty sure this name was first on “Pod”) is a better name, but you know I’m not going to do anything. So, it’s just you. All alone. The only thing you have to accompany you is the clock. Now, TT has 4 different modes, all in sub-categories. There is free play; this is simply trying to get record times. This can be used to earn codes and input them in to the Micro Maniacs website. Any character you have can be used, and the good old ghosts come back in to the game, too. It’s some competition. Thing is, it’s just so damn freaky to race against yourself in a different time.

3 more TT modes to go. The next most important one is TT Multi-player, which is the mode for people who haven’t yet bought a controller but still have lots of friends. You don’t race each other, you just race each other. In different times. Okay, player 1 chooses a character and does a track on his own. The next person plays the same track, and is against the ghost from the last match. Say if it were a 3-player game, then the best time one of the 3 had got would be the winner. It’s a good way to find out the best of
the 3 people without blaming the controller or the character being stupid. Up to 8 people can play. TT Tournament is like the free play, but there are some mixed tracks put in a certain order for you. Say, Wet n’ Wild (sorry) is all the tracks featuring water, and Obstacle Courses is all the you-know-what (wink wink, nudge nudge) courses put together. And so on.

Then it’s the TT challenge. It’s more of the real 1-player TT mode. Like Challenge, you much get up the grid in the same fashion as the mode of the latter. Its challenge to you is to do a lap (you are given 3 laps, but only 1 is required to beat the goal) before the best time. A ghost is given for you to race to give a better idea of what you are up against, and this does help. It won’t help for me to say, however, that this is hard. Okay, the first round is so-so, but it really gets progressively harder and the courses do get more complex as you go up. I would also like to add that getting a vertical line unlocks a cheat for you.

What a Time Trial mode, eh?

So, you think that the purchase of the multi-tap wasn’t worth it, eh? Micro Maniacs is probably one of the most addictive multiplayer games I have ever played. 2 mates come round, one brings a multi-tap and a controller. We get hooked. I won every time, I think, but was still so damn good. Its original gameplay is what makes it so special, at least that’s my theory. And if anyone has had the “Bust-A-Move Addictiveness Syndrome” then you will like this. A lot. Oh, oops. I forgot this is the Vs. mode. Okay, it’s multiplayer. You can only play the courses you have unlocked after level 5, so get busy when you are on your own. Now, the real-time battles on this are old, yet still just as original as it’s predecessors. Make sure that you try this out. How does it work? No, it’s not really the fastest wins, neither is it split screen. Everyone is on the same screen, an
d say on 2-player mode, you are given 8 dots on the screen. 4 of the left ones are red (player 1) and the right 4 are blue (player 2). The 2 players start racing, and as you race, the person who gets in front is winning. If this person reaches the end, then that means that the other player is at the back. This gives eg. Player 1 an extra point (that’s 5 red). You must get 8 of the same colour. Then you win. Carry on. Play again. And again. Etc.

Single Player Vs. – This one is good. You are pitted against however many (1 – 7) opponents you want to face, and you race them all, doing what I said above. Only against computers. Yet another hard task. You go up the table, “As seen on the other modes” style. Nice. Again, vertical lines indicate some more secret options. It’s a good mode if you are on your own and are too bored to do anything either. Or if you have done everything else.

Vs. Tournament: 1 + 1 = 2.

This should come in Vs. in the main menu, but is actually a separate mode. Vs. Teams; it’s the normal Vs. game, but with, um… teams. You can be of 4 teams, as 16 people may actually play in this game. Micro Machines has also been famous for controller sharing. So that’s 8 controllers times 2. 16. Hehe, I didn’t need to explain that at all. Anyway, it’s up to 4 teams and 4 players can be on each team. You must do the Vs. game, but try to rid of the opponents and not your own team. So it’s more or less Vs. Multiplayer with Teams. See now?

That’s more or less what it’s about. After owning this game for months, I still have not done anything, so I can’t be sure of any unlockable modes. Wow, I can’t believe how many sentences word wants me to fragment. So I’d say that it’s lifespan would go on for a pretty long time, you will not want to stop until you have done that DAMN LAST ROUND! Okay, make sure you buy a multi-tap if your m
ates are interested, I bought a Game Boy Advance link cable, £9.99 it was. Still, no such luck. Well, I hope someday to play Mario Kart: Super Circuit 4-player. I really do, after I buy the game. It’s a long game, Micro Maniacs. And take that as a bit of advice from me. It’s just… worth buying.

The graphics this game gives you are more than bog-standard, but wouldn’t reach the quality of Vagrant Story or Final Fantasy VIII. It’s not bad, though and above the average quality of the game. It’s about 9/10. Also, note that when you finish a race, a sow fly-through comes in. This brings up a nice motion blur, which is given in Rollcage Stage II. Look out for it in the secret options, too.

For the gameplay, I would just go on too long, so I’ll shorten it into less paragraphs. There are 12 characters, 8 of which I will mention as not to ruin the game. The main character is V4, of whom originates from the introduction paragraph. He is a person with a black full-wrestler costume, with red stripes. He has motorbike parts on him. Attack 1 is a cool punch thing, which will take the opponents out for a but. A2 is the energy trail, which is something he leaves behind to stop opponents. Maw Maw – Voracious genetic hybrid creature created be Minimiser to guard his lab. A1: A tongue grab. A2: The Fireball Fart. I know. Mesme, a Mute orphan processing immense psychic abilities. A1: Nightmare Projection. Ghost chase opponents. A2: Psychic grab: puts opponents out of control. Waldo: Megalomaniac rival of Dr. Minimiser. A1: Laser Cannon. A2: Laser Mines. Tripwire activated mines.

Well, there’s not much point doing the other 4; you get the point.

So, I’d say that for the price this was I’d drop anything I would plan to get, really. And I did. It’s a really good game, and adds another essential 5-star product. It gives a feeling of satisfaction of that running kind of thing: it̵
7;s god a good sound. But wait: there are vehicles. Only some of the round do this, but there are no cars. There are skateboards (you travel through a gutter), scooters and even bees. The bee riding level is very good for a look. I don’t need to say much more, except for how entertaining it is:

Micro Maniacs is very, very entertaining. Indeedy.

Ooh, I’ll give you something extra to round off: What kind of plot does this game have?

The Journal of Dr. Minimiser:

To whom it may concern:
The world as we know it is on the verge of crisis – oil and food shortages abound. Economic chaos looms over the horizon, bringing with it war. However, I have a vision, a vision to save humanity for certain collapse. I will minimize the population of Earth to 1/360th of their original size and thus creating a world of plenty for all.

In order to realize this dream, I must first create a super soldier that can colonize and cultivate the land in readiness for it’s future inhabitants. To end this I have enlisted the services of 8 special individuals to take part in an experiment. They will undergo a series of endurance tests so that I may ascertain the best abilities with which to equip my super soldiers.

Some may call me mad, perhaps even evil, but I hereby swear that I am motivated by the noble urges that prompted Prometheus to risk damnation in an attempt to extend the sphere of human knowledge.

Yours,
Dr. Minimiser.
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Enjoy!

Summary: