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2000 video game From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Micro Maniacs (FoxKids.com Micro Maniacs Racing in North America) is a racing video game developed by Codemasters for PlayStation and Game Boy Color. It is a spin-off to the Micro Machines games, the main difference being that players control tiny characters where a few racetracks feature the use of vehicles. The North American version was sponsored by Fox Kids, and so the game's name was changed there. It was scheduled to be released in June 2000,[2] but was delayed to late September.
| Micro Maniacs | |
|---|---|
| |
| Developer(s) | Codemasters |
| Publisher(s) | Codemasters THQ (GBC) |
| Series | Micro Machines |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, Game Boy Color |
| Release | PlayStation Game Boy Color |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Micro Maniacs is set in a time where the Earth's resources are being depleted and the very planet is at risk. However, a scientist named Dr. Minimizer has an idea: using a device he calls "The Minimizer Ray", he will shrink the planet's population to 1/360 of its original size, and so create a world more suitable to our current status. If this is to be successful, the doctor needs to create a supersoldier: somebody who can prepare the planet for us when we are eventually minimized. In order to do this, the doctor enlists the help of 12 volunteers for an experiment. The experiment consists of racetracks that are considered various dangerous environments as to ascertain the suitable skills for the supersoldier.
As opposed to previous games in the series, players control these small volunteers more than vehicles, the main difference is that the volunteers are able to jump and use individual abilities. The volunteers (or characters) are each slightly different. None are particularly realistic, but their unusual characteristics allow the characters to make use of various power-ups. These are used to attack your opponents in a race, and include things like black holes, atomic blasts, and laser mines.
Similar to the other games in the Micro Machines series, each course is based in a different environment, like a bathroom, a kitchen, a laboratory, a garage, and a bedroom. The goal is to race through the level and be the first to cross the finish line. Each course is marked out with a substance in the environment. These are related to the level in question, and include things like toothpaste, fish food and baked beans. Some courses require the use of vehicles like jet-skis, bees, motor scooters and skateboards.
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 75%[3] |
The PlayStation version received favourable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[3] Other magazines gave the import favourable to average reviews while the U.S. version was still in development.[8][14] In Japan, where the same console version was ported and published by Spike on 2 November 2000 under the name Denkō Sekka Micro Runner: Maniac Hakushi no Hisaku (電光石火ミクロランナー 〜マニアック博士の秘策〜, Denkō Sekka Mikuro Rannā 〜Maniakku Hakushi no Hisaku〜, lit. "Lightspeed Micro Runners: Dr. Maniac's Secret Plan"), Famitsu gave it a score of 25 out of 40.[9]
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