Maybe thats the next one. Toybox turbos in place of Micro machines.
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A video game spiritual successor to a line of toys? That’s an interesting idea.
Did you like that game? I have it thanks to PS+ and it was ok, but not great. At least I don’t recall being overly impressed by it.
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The other thing is that gen, espexially the ps2 has an absolute ridiculous number of titles, in that genre alone even, so there are a ton of people that ive talked to and have had fully complete different experiences with owning a ps2. Like i had games on ps2 people havent even heard of and vice versa. Gamecube i suppose was pretty predictable in what people had, but the og xbox even was a bit weird library wise. I had one but i missed some great games on it until like 5 or 6 years ago.
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I loved it. But i also loved micro machines games.
Is this another thing you didnt know existed? They started all the way back on the Nes and gameboy. Europe even got regional exclusives. Codemasters was behind the series, which always makes me smile cause i still play their games and stand by their racing games especially. My favorite was Micro Machines 64 (v3 on playstation) and it was probably the last good one. They made a V4 on ps2 but it felt like the magic was gone, it was very generic. The license was gone by the time they made toybox turbos but codemasters openly stated it was their own new version of micro machines in all but name. Its solid, not as good as v3 but it stands pretty well compared to most of the series.
They did pick up the license again for an xbox one/ps4 game, Micro Machines World League (i think, something like that) and it was an absolute garbage trash fire. I dont remember if codemasters was involved but it was a micro transaction filled mess that had totally lost the joy of the series.
I have a soft spot for these. Its still the first game i try on anything i can emulate it on.
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This is true. There were a lot of titles. I stuck to a lot of JRPGs and some other tentpole series like Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Vice City, etc. I think I played more games on GameCube to be honest. I did a lot of PC gaming in that era. LucasArts games, everything from point and click to things like X-Wing and Tie Fighter games. I played the Wind Commander games, Counter Strike, Battlefield, StarCraft, WarCraft 3. I also quit gaming during that gen and missed out on the end of that era and the first four years of the next gen. Too busy working and then going back to Univeraity after switching careers.
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I vaguely remember a NES Micro Machines game, but it wasn’t one I owned. I had the original toys as a kid but didn’t really keep up with it after that.
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This is one of the big reasons for why i love gaming. We all have such different experiences and theres never end all be all titles that everyone loves.
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I fully acknowledge that without childhood nostalgia, the quality of these games would be lacking. I remember Tak and the Power of JuJu being glitchy on the Gamecube. I do believe Ty had a decent marketing push around the time of release because I can remember commercials for it.
Also, the intro theme to Micro Machines on the Sega Genesis is the song that began my love for video game music. It brings back a lot of memories, and I remember trying to sit on the menu screen for large chunks of time just to listen to it (I was also freaked out by falling off the map at that age, so the game wasn’t fun for me until later)
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I’m voting for Ty the Tasmanian Tiger to learn more about my new country, AM2R for the fuck you to Nintendo, and Odin Sphere because I’ve always wanted to play a Vanillaware game.
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Also I should have my hearing checked, I hear “Tau and the power of Fidgi” instead of Tak and the power of Juju?
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You should read Joey pajamas Ty review, its among my favorite on all of grouvee.
AM2R is fantastic, a really awsome fan remake. I was hugely impressed when i played it. And Vanillaware is…probably one of my favorite all time devs now that i think aboht it. I behind, i need to play 13 sentinels and unicorns overlord but eveeything else has been amazing
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AM2R is not only a fuck-you to Nintendo, it’s a really great remake of Metroid II and one I think is significantly better than Nintendo’s own remake (especially since AM2R isn’t made by a studio known for fucking over its devs).
If you are interested, here is a great video from Mark Brown that looks at the two different approaches to remaking the original:
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I went to put Ty The Tasmanian Tiger on my Steam wish list just in case it wins, and I realized that it was already on my ignore list 
Must have put it there when it showed up on my Discovery Queue I blame Banjo-Kazooie for tainting my expectations about collectathons/platformers of that era.
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I definitely can hear that too!
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Great review, definitely not an endorsement though
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It may not be a huge endorsment but I find it to be a fair review. I expect for most people it would live in that 2-3 star range when not wearing nostalgia glasses. But damn if i didnt laugh my ass off reading that review.
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Agreed, I just thought it was funny that in the end he didn’t love it. But I’d give it a shot if it wins out.
[Logs into sock puppet account and votes for AM2R, Black Mesa and Live A Live]
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If y’all end up playing Black Mesa, I’m excited to hear your thoughts! The opinion seems to be divided; some say the OG is superior, and others (including myself) believe the remake to be the superior version.
I just really disliked Xen in HL1, but it became an enjoyable experience in BM. Visuals and gunplay are obviously better. Atmosphere and charm is debatable between the two though.
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Doesn’t it really expand on certain areas? Even if we don’t play it now, I’d like to at some point.
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I would say it eases many of the pain points of the original. It reintreprets the design throughout, but I found especially so in parts like On a Rail or Xen. I don’t know if “expand” is the right word for how it operates, though the role of the Vortigaunts is changed to make their presence in Half-Life 2 feel less like a retcon.
I do prefer the original in its atmosphere and especially sound design, but I found Black Mesa is much more playable from start to finish.
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