Micro Machines (video game)

This article is about the original 1991 video game. For the video game series, see Micro Machines (video game series). For toy brand, see Micro Machines.

Micro Machines
Mega Drive cover art
Developer(s)
Codemasters
Publisher(s)Camerica (NES)
Codemasters
Ocean Software (SNES & GB)
Composer(s)Patrick Phelan
Matt Gray (NES)
Lyndon Sharp (GB)
SeriesMicro Machines
Platform(s)NES, Amiga, Game Gear, Master System, Mega Drive, MS-DOS, CD-i, SNES, Game Boy
Release
1991
  • NES
    • WW: 1991
    Sega Mega Drive
    • WW: July 1993
    Amiga
    • EU: September 1993
    Game Gear
    • WW: March 1994[1]
    Master System
    DOS
    CD-i
    • WW: 1 June 1994
    SNES
    • EU: 1994
    • NA: December 1994
    Game Boy
    • EU: 1995
    • NA: January 1995
    PlayStation 2 & Xbox
    • EU: 8 November 2002
    • NA: 19 March 2003 (PS2 only)
    • AU: 2005 (PS2 only)
    GameCube
    • EU: 17 January 2003
    Game Boy Advance
    • EU: 21 February 2003
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Micro Machines is a racing game developed by Codemasters and originally published by Camerica for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. Themed around Galoob's Micro Machines toys, players race in miniaturised toy vehicles around various environments. The game is the first installment in the Micro Machines video game series.

Micro Machines was developed because Galoob wanted Codemasters to develop a game based on their toy brand, although Galoob and Codemasters encountered legal issues with Nintendo over the game being unlicensed. Micro Machines was ported to several systems, and received reboots for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube in 2002. A sequel, Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament, was released in 1994, and the series was revived in 2016 with the release of a title for iOS and Android. Micro Machines received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising the originality and two-player mode, although some criticised the sprites on some versions. Retrospectively, it has been considered one of the greatest video games of all time.

  1. ^ a b "Master System Review - Micro Machines". Official Sega Magazine. No. 3. EMAP. March 1994. p. 108.