MICRO MACHINES RETURNS TO VIDEO GAMING AS CODEMASTERS CONFIRMS PLANS FOR MICRO MACHINES v4

Revival of classic racing series confirmed for PlayStation2, PSP, PC and Nintendo DS
– first game details and screenshots revealed

Thursday 16th March 2006 – Atari, one of Australia’s leading sources of interactive entertainment, is delighted to announce the party game of choice for a gaming generation is set to return to game screens as Codemasters today reveals the revival of its classic Micro Machines series.

A smash-hit series through the 1990s, Codemasters, has once again secured the rights to the miniature vehicles for an all-new video game that promises a real return to the Micro Machines game’s much loved, all-out fun, racing gameplay. The property is under license from the Hasbro Properties Group, the intellectual property development arm of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS).

Micro Machines v4, titled as a sequel to the last Micro Machines game from Codemasters, is now in development for PlayStation2, PC, PSP and Nintendo DS. Scheduled for a winter 2006 release, development is back with the team at Supersonic Software, creators of some of the most acclaimed Micro Machines games and more recently Mashed and Mashed: Fully Loaded.

Mixing miniature mayhem with maximum multiplayer racing, Micro Machines v4 will arrive packed with knockabout, breakneck racing in the fastest scale miniatures, complete with explosive weapon power-ups. Letting you loose with hundreds of vehicles, each with distinctive performance abilities, you’ll be racing your inch-long miniature motors on the wildest tracks where everyday household objects appear immense in size and can become lethal hazards.

Sport cars, street racers, stock cars, 4x4s, beach buggies, lowriders and muscle cars are just some of the Micro Machines models you’ll be taking out on the improvised tracks around the Micro Machines house, garden and – for the first time – beyond!

Fans of classic Micro Machines games will rejoice in the return of some of the series’ most popular racing arenas. Spin out around the breakfast table littered with cereal spills, tear through the kitchen, turbo boost around the pool table (while avoiding the treacherous pockets), or hit the gas as you drive around the rim of the bath, carefully negotiating the ferocious waters pouring over the edge of the bath.

As well as the familiar feel-good environments, Micro Machines v4 game sees your racing world expand further than any previous Micro Machines game. Go beyond the house and garden tracks and discover what it’s like to race across house roofs, in the sewers, through supermarkets, museums and even down to the farm, with its danger-packed chicken coop!


Of course, it wouldn’t be Micro Machines without an arsenal of power-ups and weapons to collect and use on your opponents while you’re racing. Micro Machines v4 brings all the favourites back, including the car-mounted giant hammer!

With much more unique game content yet to be revealed, the Micro Machines v4 is set to capture the dynamic, fast, fun gameplay of its classic predecessors when it launches in winter 2006 for PlayStation2, PSP, PC and Nintendo DS. Sign up for miniaturisation at www.atari.com.au