My only criticism of the presentation was the music. The standout here though was the camera angles – the cinematic one a mixture of Supercars from the classic 16-bit era fused with the GTA series. I really was quite surprised about the graphics as they’re both sharp and highly polished throughout. Races are pretty brief, but there’s an excellent selection on display, and of the available tracks, almost all of them are enjoyable. Micro motor is a variant of the main game, only your vehicles are smaller, and you have the option to increase the speed of the race, which can be pretty chaotic! As for the online mode, it was quick to find other players, create a private room and have no apparent lag. With bumper ball you play a team game of football which plays out like an episode of a classic Top Gear episode – either with friends locally, online or AI. Mini Motor Racing X is already an arcade game so with the arcade mode it’s a series of mini-games such as time trials, bumper ball, mirco motor and custom. There is a co-op career and four-player quick race that can be played with single cameras or split-screen, a quick solo race where you can compete in time trials on tracks you’ve already unlocked in career mode, and finally an arcade mode. There are plenty of modes in the game, including the career mode which is split into two variations (a Type X mode that features weapons like rockets and tornados). Switching to the hot rod, I was able to progress through the career mode without too much trouble. It took me a few races to get settled on a car – there’s a school bus that has great top speed but is the Donkey Kong of racing, and the small windy roads meant finishing last quite frequently. They’re all pretty self-explanatory, and in the early stages, you can play to the strengths of your preferred vehicle, upgrading gradually with your winnings (based on your finishing position as well as the money scattered around the tracks). Each vehicle has a set amount of stats such as handling, nitro, acceleration and top speed. There’s an excellent selection of cars to choose from at the beginning without needing to unlock them, with a decent range of liveries too. The main mode isn’t a Mario Kart-like title, but if you switch to Type X mode, you unlock weapons for the game. As long as you steadily upgrade your car, you’ll be ok, but some tracks get very scrappy, and it’s next to impossible to get past the little moshpit of racers desperate to get ahead. However, that’s not the same for the AI vehicles as they nitro into your rear and fly past. The collisions with the track are absolutely fine, and aside from the odd moment where you get trapped behind a barricade and need to use nitro to get out of the mess, the environments won’t cause you too much hassle. That said, it’s a refreshing approach to just throwing your car around the corner without fear of totalling it or overegging your speed. Bear in mind that this is arcade through and through, so though the cars handle so well, it’s a much different experience to games such as Project CARS or Gran Turismo. As for the actual racing, the cars handle like a dream there’s no understeer, no lag and it’s so responsive when going around the numerous bends. Money is used to unlock the various upgrades which are essential for making progress in the game. Loading times are relatively quick, and after a quick fly-by of the track, the game begins, and you dash around aiming for first place for the most money. However, the standalone game has such great viewing angles, that it’s much better playing in non-VR, but a nice option to have. Whether you prefer a first-person perspective, third-person or cinematic setup, Mini Motor Racing X has them all and even includes a VR mode (if you have the equipment) which is equally great. Pressing triangle gives a variety of angles you can play the game with, which quite honestly are some of the best I’ve seen in any game and I spent most levels rapidly pressing the button to view in an alternative mode. The controls are the same as any other racing game R2 to accelerate, L2 to brake and the X button for nitrous. First impressions of Mini Motor Racing X were a tribute title with a few quirks, but pretty run-of-the-mill gameplay that would soon be forgotten. Micro Machines and Super Off-Road Racer were two of the better 16-bit racers that featured minuscule vehicles to play with, and a focus on arcade-like controls with physics that don’t always replicate real-life.
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