In 1991, Codemasters released one of the greatest racing/party games of all time: Micro Machines. Despite a few sequels, it’s all but forgotten these days, Mario Kart casting a very long shadow over that style of game. But hey, good news: Codemasters just released what’s basically a remake!
To very little fanfare, a game called Toybox Turbos was released on Steam today. Developed by Codemasters, it’s Micro Machines in all but name, with the same scale of track (you race tiny cars across giant kitchen tables and bedroom floors), same single-screen chaos and same emphasis on shortcuts and bumping opponents off the track.
Before you ask, yes, it supports four-player local multiplayer. It’s $US15 on Steam.
Comments
31 responses to “An Underrated Classic Gets A Surprise Remake”
There has also been Mashed and Wrecked, I’m pretty sure they were from at least one of the studios that did Micro Machines games.
Hmm not sure how I feel about this. Power-ups go against what I like about the old Micro Machines games, them being purely skill based. I believe there is a demo though so I’ll try it out.
You didn’t think the tanks were the most fun vehicle? I loved them. Except when trying to get through that stupid chess board.
Yeah tanks were fun but everyone had one at the same time and so it was still a game of pure skill. This game looks more like Mario Kart style randomised powerups.
*high fives his prepubescent past self*
4 player co-op only made possible by plugging two controllers into the game cartridge. Kids these days take their bluetooths and their online play for granted far too much
Oh wow, I just had to google that to see what you were talking about. I never knew that was a thing.
You could actually go up to 8 player local multiplayer if you shared your gamepad with someone else 😀
Haha, that doesn’t sound like a recipe for trouble at all.
It kinda blows my mind that all these more-than-two-player games were sitting around in the pre-N64 days and I had no idea about it. The only four player thing I knew of back then was that F1 game on Game Boy that needed the four-way link cable hub. And of course three other friends with a Game Boy and the game, so obviously it never would have happened.
Actually wait, I wonder if Wario Blast works with that thing…
Super Bomberman on the SNES. Best 4 player game ever…well it’s at least up there.
Micro Machines was great fun, might have to check out the demo and see if it holds up.
Yeah, had to pick up one of the Bomberman-shaped multitaps when I saw them in Japan. Yet to get around to using it though 😛
But like… nobody I knew had any idea these things existed when they were current. Only learnt about them all within the last few years or so.
The speed-changing level on SBM2 caused massive rifts in what were otherwise mutually beneficial and healthy friendships.
Is it my fault that my adversaries could never understand that grabbing the power up on that level forced you to go over it? Into the path of my bombs? I think not.
That’s their stupid fault and no-one else’s.
Hey man, what’s your IP address? You sure? Shit, did we not use the cross over cable? No, I used the grey one, not the blue one, the blue one never worked remember? Check that it’s plugged in properly. Maybe it’s the drivers. Where did you put that floppy disk that came with the network card?
Run another ipconfig on your machine and check the IP address, maybe it’s changed. Oh, you messed up and gave me the wrong digits. OK, what is it again? OK, let me try… Wait… it’s doing something.
OMFG WE’RE IN! DUDE, THIS IS SO SWEET. Let the multiplayer mayhem commence. You got some spare change? Just give me a tick, I think the pizza guy is at the door.
Good times.
multi player used to feel special back in those days. I really wish more games had local multi player although these days none of my friends really get together to play games in person. It used to be “hey want to come round and play some doom together” now it’s “hey want to log on and play some doom online”. I remember a friend who’s Dad worked in computers and so he was lucky enough to have 2 pcs in his house, we’d be yelling across the whole house to each other while playing or taking over the kitchen table for multiplayer.
As I’ve gotten older, fewer of my friends want to leave their own living room and I can’t blame them 😀 it takes some serious organisation to get a game night going 🙁
I miss the social aspects of those things. Now it’s all online. Granted you can hear your friends, but it’s just not the same experience.
I only really had experience with LAN multiplayer around my mate’s place at lunch during school, me not having a PC of my own until I went to uni. I can imagine the torment of trying to organise multiplayer back in the day though. Glad I stuck it out with my Megadrive and the Playstation for good old couch-based multiplayer. There’s still a few games that’re not exactly friendly towards network games. Football Manager is one that springs to mind. Even with all the correct details (you still need your mate’s ip address), it won’t load up a new game if it doesn’t like the look of you
The pizza situation is still apt btw 😉
It was a bitch to set up, but LAN parties were really fun times.
IP address? Back in my day it was “what’s your modem number?” Dial-up multiplayer.
This! I had forgotten that crossover cables were even a thing, they were like a holy relic for us back then. I remember setting up in my friends shed to play CS 1.6 and it was so hot that we had to take the sides off our PC’s and stick desk fans up against them to try and stop them from over-heating. Those were the days. My friends and I still lanned near every weekend up until a couple of years ago, now it’s once or twice a year if we’re lucky 🙁
Haha I love how PCs that had a fraction of the power of modern mobile phones required desk fans to cool. How times have changed. 😛
I remember coming across a multitap in a cartridge for the first time – Micro Machines 2, on Megadrive. It was in 2007. I was like, “that’s so awesome!” Pointed it out to a friend – completely non-plussed. Pointed it out to another friend – a gaming nerd, just like me – and HE was like, “that’s so awesome!”
I love it when you get the exact reaction you were expecting when you’ve got something legitimately cool to point out to someone who hadn’t seen it before.
Thanks for bringing up good memories! Such good times!
Mashed has been filling the Micro Machines void for me for quite a while now, but I’m going to have to check this out. Love playing this style of game local co-op.
Friggen loved Mashed. Used to play that on my friend’s Xbox so much.
Not to be picky here, but Micro Machines V3 was *not* underrated at all. That game was very highly appreciated and respected on the ps1. People loved it. There was nothing underappreciated about it.
I’m not sure any of them really count as underrated. They’re always very fondly remembered. Probably the best received bootleg games I know. Codemasters brought a little class to the shady video game grey markets.
Personally, I adored it. My friends not so much – but that’s what happens when you consistently get your arse handed to you.
Oh the memories. Oh the trash talk. This was a fave for years in one particular share house i lived in. This and Rollcage. Damn now i wanna play em.
Yes, yes, yes, yes aaaannnd yes. Maybe a little bit of no. But mostly yes
I wonder what the chances are of a PS4 release. Local co op on PC sounds kinda awkward.
I loved these games so much!
Local co-op PC + Steam Big Picture + 4x x-box 360 controllers = Fun Times
Oh man! I absolutely loved Micro Machines as a kid!
If this has a track editor I’ll definitely get this.