MicroCircuit by Viex
Games,
$7.95
Reviewed May 2005 by Korey Marciniak
MicroCircuit's gameplay is alien at first.
You watch as a car leaves its station and begins to drive down
the angular roads set before it. You then watch as the car
comes to a stop, and another car leaves a few seconds behind
it. A moment of clarity hits and you tap the roadblock letting
the first car through. The concept seems simplistic, but MicroCircuit
is gaming in the purest sense. There is nothing in MicroCircuit
to confuse you, no overcomplicated control schemes, and not
a weapon upgrade in sight. Gameplay like this is often overlooked
nowadays, and MicroCircuit proves that simpler is always better.
Viex Games has kept the simplicity with the controls perfectly.
You use the stylus to control everything. Although I wouldn't
have minded being able to use the hard keys, you can't really
fault the system MicroCircuit uses. The designers had the forethought
to let you start on any level you've completed, and you can
pause and resume at any point during play.
Graphics in the game are just like the rest of the game:
simple. The cars look like a throwback to games like Spyhunter,
and the tracks look like roads without too much to them. I
almost wish it were more detailed, but it would most likely
get in the way. MicroCircuit doesn't raise the bar in this
department, but if you're looking for a PDA game to tickle
your sensory perceptions then you best look somewhere else.
That being said, the game looks clean. The game is easy to
view, and although not stunning it does look good.
Viex Games continues the theme to the sound, but here is
where it is a bit of a failing. The sound effects are not incredibly
pleasing, and there is no music to speak of. The sound effects
are all appropriate to the subject matter, but they are best
left muted with your MP3 player on in the background.
Overall I would say the game is good. For $7.95 you get a
puzzle game to rival some of the bigger names. There is a track
maker on the site, and Viex Games already has a level pack
available for download. It's a fantastic value for the money,
and it really can't be beat. I will warn any possible buyers
that the original game levels are very difficult after about
level three. The free add-on pack provides a much smoother
difficulty curve, and I recommend trying that first.
Playing Hint and Tips
There is nothing to the game really.
Try to pace yourself, and keeping a few cars moving through
at once will get you farther than trying to move one at a
time.
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