Micro Machi…. Tiny Cars on usual tracks
From the get-go Table Top Racing: World Tour – Nitro Edition brings back old memories having great times playing micro machines games. This is due to the fact, that this literally could be an entry in the long-running franchise if it had the license. But does it beat the old games to the finish line or does it fall off of the table?
Its got the look
Graphically I cannot really complain. The cars and tracks look great and race smoothly across the Switch and TV screen. The only negative design decision is the look of the power-up symbols. They could really do with a more distinct look that evokes a feeling of anticipation of happiness and mystery.
Fire away
The old “Which item will I get to launch at the competition” feeling is sadly missing. None of the weapons seem to matter or make much of a difference. I only used the boost to get even more ahead and the bombs to get a bit of extra coin to upgrade my cars, once a competitor drove into it. The rocket and ice weapon are too hard to aim and the EMP-weapon never felt necessary to use to slow the other drivers.
Racing ahead of the pack
That the weapons are more or less forgettable does not weigh too heavy, because I outclassed the pack on most tracks. They fall so far behind, even within the first lap, that they never pose much danger. The difficulty is way too low if it exists at all. For some reason, the competition suddenly learns to drive in the elimination mode, where the last placed driver each round is eliminated. The time trial and hot lap modes are fun if you like them, but once you have the track figured out the set records crumble with loads of time to spare.
Table Top Racing with others
At the time of my review, the online mode did not work and I did not have a second player available to try split-screen, so I was unable to test the feature.
Vroom, Vroom
The sound of Table Top Racing: World Tour – Nitro Edition is fine. The cars sound like the toy version of what they are inspired by. The background music is fitting but forgettable. I won’t be walking down the street and suddenly start humming the songs, as I did due to F-Zero for example. The worst things are the rumbling sounds. In theory, it should probably not be in this sub-heading, but OMG WHO WAVED THIS ANNOYING BRRRRRRRRR THROUGH? It is so loud that you cannot hear the sound of the Switch speakers. I turned it off, because of fear it would break my switch or joy-cons. The feedback of this feature also never seems to match the action o the screen properly.
Fall of the edge
Table Top Racing: World Tour – Nitro Edition is a 3-tier arcade, fun racer which does have the potential to be fun, but does fall off the table into the void mediocracy. If you have nothing else to play, then you could play this or pop in Mario Kart for the millionth time and have a much better experience.
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