Now this is more like it!
The point of a game, on any device, is to be entertaining and fun. No matter if it's a 50 hour monster like Modern Warfare Two or a smaller game on a handheld or a smartphone for those odd moments in the day, there's a certain space that a game needs to reach to be a success. Part of this is using the platform it is on to best effect (ahem - the Wii Wheel and Mario Kart); part of it is making sure there's a challenge for new players and experienced gamers; and part of it is that little spark that holds everything together.
MicroRace just about has all those three parts in the right proportions. The only thing missing is something other than kindling to keep the fire from raging from the initial spark. But I can forgive that because everything else is just about right in this title.
What we have here is a top down arcade racer – think of a cross between the classic “Super Sprint” and the aforementioned Mario Kart, with power ups to help you or hinder your opponents in your quest for victory The top down approach keeps all the action clear and fast on screen – although once (just once) in each race I had a stutter for about half a second during lap two. Other than that, the camera is smooth and keeps pace with the cars as they drive around the eight circuits packaged with the game.
What's great about MicroRace is that there is no “elastic physics” in evidence here. Rivals cars aren't given a speed boost to make a harder skill level, nor is your car given a few extra revs to make it easier. The key to catching and getting ahead of your opponents is simple race craft – taking the racing line and the fastest route round each corner to make up the distance is the only way to win.
This is incredibly refreshing, and it's coupled with an incredibly simple control system of just holding the pointer in the direction you want to the car to steer (acceleration is automatic to get you to top speed). It sounds unwieldy, but it takes about half a lap to get acquainted with the controls. Two laps later you're driving like a pro (or what you think a pro should drive like) and, after the first five lap race is over, I was hooked.
MicroRace has the physics and the UI sorted, so that means the few niggles are just that, and easily overlooked. First of all, the only racing option is for a single race (Quick Race). There's no collection of races, no Grand Prix-like progression with scoring on each race, not even a multi player version over Bluetooth - and that means that once you have the controls sorted and a clear idea how to win races, the challenge is suddenly gone – a bit more thought in the overall gameplay and there could be a very long lived game in here.
The second is that the power-ups (guns, turbo boost, oil slicks and the like) are all represented by such tiny icons on the race track that you have to pick up quite a few of them to be able to remember which does which. You carry one at a time and a double tap of the stylus on the screen activates each. It's a smooth implementation that doesn't require you to have another control on the screen or look away from your car, but you do need to remember to use it as there is no visual indicator beyond a tiny box on your car.
Overall MicroRace plays a good, if short, game. At times it does feel more 'proof of concept' than a fully fleshed out racing title. I'd have no doubt in recommending a MicroRace game that had the extra challenges and racing that Arcade Kart games now commonly come with. As it is, the engine is robust and ready for greatness, it just needs a really good structure to make best use of it. Still worth a download, but misses an “AAS Recommended” by a Stig's breath.
-- Ewan Spence, Dec 2009.