Micro Machines V3

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Micro Machines V3
System(s): Sega Saturn
Developer: Codemasters
Planned release date(s): 1996-11-29[1], 1996-12[2][3], 1997-05-16[4]
Genre: Racing
Number of players: 1-8

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Micro Machines V3 is the sequel to Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament, and was released for the PlayStation and PC and in 1997 and 1998 respectively (with a watered-down Game Boy Color version in 2000). It was also once set for release on the Sega Saturn, but this version was cancelled.

Shortly before E3 1996, Codemasters reportedly signed a deal with Sega to bring some of their games to the Saturn, with Micro Machines V3 and Sampras Extreme Tennis being the two main candidates for porting at the time. Neither were released due to complications with the hardware, with Codemasters' only Saturn game being Jonah Lomu Rugby, released in 1997.

Micro Machines V3 on the Saturn was developed in parallel with the PlayStation version, though the differing hardware meant that vast chunks of the rendering code had to be re-written. A number of programming tricks were employed to boost the rendering power of the Saturn - the Motorola 68EC000, used to drive sound on the Saturn was made to convert the 3D models into sprites in real time, in an attempt to get over the "quirky" 3D hardware. Even the SH-1 disc controller was hacked to provide extra help with rendering. The team claim to have had huge problems rendering the 3D world along with all eight cars, though the main game logic, written in C, remained largely unchanged between the Saturn and PlayStation.

The release date of the PlayStation version of Micro Machines V3 slipped from Autumn of 1996 to Spring of 1997, with the Saturn port expected to arrive around the same period. This did not materialise, with the Saturn version being largely unfinished before the axe.

Magazine articles

Main article: Micro Machines V3/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

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Print advert in Player One (FR) #68: "Octobre 1996" (1996-xx-xx)
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References

  1. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "December 1996" (UK; 1996-11-xx), page 49
  2. ↑ Mega Force, "Novembre/Décembre 1996" (FR; 1996-1x-xx), page 22
  3. ↑ Sega Magazin, "November 1996" (DE; 1996-10-09), page 27
  4. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "June 1997" (UK; 1997-05-11), page 48



Micro Machines games for Sega systems
Micro Machines (1993) | Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament (1994) | Micro Machines: Turbo Tournament '96 (1995) | Micro Machines: Military (1996) | Micro Machines V3 (unreleased)
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