Watch your step, for you’ve just entered theGraveyard. Inside, we’ll be digging up games that have long been without a pulse. You’ll see both good and bad souls unearthed every month as we search through the more… forgotten…parts of history.
The Micro Machines license has one of the most-revered lineups in gaming history over the course of several decades. Long before Codemasters was a part of EA, dating back to the Amiga and Genesis, they created outstanding MM-branded titles there and then later on the PS1 as well. The PS1’s Micro Machines V4 was my first exposure to the series, while the Genesis version was something I grabbed later on. There have been other toy-based racers before, but none quite nailed the genre as well for as long as Toybox Turbos did. This game was actually called Micro Machines on mobile devices of the time and the in-game packaging of the vehicles as you unlock them very much evokes classic Micro Machines vehicles. It also nails the unboxing experience long before loot boxes became a big part of gaming.
Toybox Turbos is fortunately not only a good example of an overhead toy-based racing game done right, but also one that blends a modern amount of racing modes with a classic gameplay style. One thing that allowed those games to excel was a super-fast pace and rock-solid framerate with smooth gameplay across the board while also getting across the feeling that you’re viewing these slice of life races. The addition of a plethora of weapons helps keeps the racing action fresh and exciting while the camera view is pretty much a perfect blend of overhead while still allowing you to see ahead of you more than you could in the classic Micro Machines games.
Toybox Turbos benefits from having an expansive vehicle roster that’s playable across every race type. Playing as a monster truck may not work as well for a regular race, but for an elimination race where you can bully others around, it can be a lifesaver. The spirit of the classics is alive and well with a diverse vehicle roster that can be expanded upon with every new series of stages you unlock. That breadcrumb approach to unlocking both new in-game races and vehicles using in-game currency only helps ensure that a play session always accomplishes something – even if you can only fit in half an hour. Having that kind of versatility is nice because if you want to go into a deep dive, you can do so and set out to not only unlock a few new vehicles, but maybe do so alongside a slew of new stages or bettering your prior performances.
Graveyard: X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Logan sliced and diced folks up on consoles and PCs in this better-than-expected licensed gem based on a terrible movie.
Time trials in particular are a kind of mode that I enjoy re-racing here that I don’t normally since it’s easy to make a small mistake and have it trip up a whole run. This makes racing with a blend of precision key because if you don’t, you’ll make bigger mistakes and that can cost you. It’s one thing for a bad corner to take you back a few seconds on a time trials – those take up very little time overall – but for a longer race or even worse, a boss battle, it can be disastrous. The inclusion of things like elimination races is a lot of fun and having weapons to work with to take foes out not only feels good, it’s a key to winning boss battles, which are as rewarding as they should be given how few racing games have them.
The only game that comes to mind with them over the years is Diddy Kong Racing and that did a marvelous job with them, while this makes them feel like a blend of the perfect fusion of skills learned during the combat portion of races alongside mastering corners for time trials. They’re an eight-win series and you have to leave them off-screen or vice-versa to count a fall in your favor. They’re tough but fair and among the races where trying out different vehicles feels more fun than it is annoying to have to do. Regular races come down to preference, but sometimes, you do want to switch up your vehicle in a boss battle to ensure you have a better chance to succeed since victory can be razor-thin and stacking the deck as much as possible in your favor is a good thing.
Toybox Turbos benefits from having an expansive vehicle roster that’s playable across every race type.
Codemasters did players a solid by providing a slew of different camera options to utilize. While the default camera is a nice blend of the original overhead style and something more towards the back of the vehicle to judge depth a bit better, you can also do a full-on overhead view as well to scratch that nostalgic itch. I found the default view to be the best overall way to view the action since it’s still overhead, but offers an impressive view of the track ahead to get an idea of what’s coming up hazard-wise.
Make Rivals Cry Over Spilled Milk
That’s especially needed for boss battles, where a single mistake can lead to restarting the event. There’s a bit of the luck of the draw in those too because of you get the hammer power up, then you can win a round with a single successful hit – making them sometimes wind up easier than a race when everything clicks into place. That’s when you get into a zen-like state and all of the trials and tribulations of the prior and present boss battles melt away because you’re in the zone and nothing can stop you. The best-of-eight format is tough but rewarding to win.
Visually, Toybox Turbos benefitted a lot from having a simple, but well-crafted art style in its time and it’s aged wonderfully graphically as a result. Having a Jurassic Park-colored Jeep to race with is neat and visually freshens up a boss battle more than just having a plainly-colored one. The bright colors on the track help make it easy to see objects and Codemasters did a fantastic job of scaling everything to where depth and distance are easy to see no matter which camera angle you choose to work with.
One area where the game falters is with the audio – at least musically. It’s cheery and fits the light-hearted look and tone, but none of it stands out. The overall sound design is solid, though. Every weapon sounds different and it feels more rewarding to bonk a rival with a hammer than to nail them with a few machine gun bullets that pew pew nicely, but don’t do much to stall a rival’s momentum. Still, for a small title and one that was crafted to be on mobile devices too, it’s impressive to see just what Codemasters did here.
It’s Hammer Time
Toybox Turbos is an impressive title and one that nailed the Micro Machines-style racing game better than most of the classic MM games did – and even better than I remember the newest Micro Machines World Series entry doing. The only game in this sub-genre I would put above Toybox Turbos is Mini Motor Racing X since that nailed creating a game with both normal and reverse tracks alongside gameplay that worked well with or without weapons and had overhead views and a third-person view to make it more like a regular racer, and isn’t old enough for the graveyard just yet. For a digital-only release, Toybox Turbos overachieved and it’s a shame that it’s been delisted from storefronts - but it did go on big sales before, so it’s worth checking your digital libraries and seeing if it’s there to play once again. It’s a gem of a racer with an interesting challenge. Toybox Turbos is one of the finest download-only racers ever released.
Graveyard: Joy Ride Turbo
Joy Ride Turbo was an early XBLA gem for racing game fans that is able to be enjoyed today.
