So, it is 2022 and we are nearly two months in to the year. So, news of a classic retro game being remade was a welcome addition. Motor Roader MC may not be well known as it was released on the PC Engine / TurboGrafx family and was not a mainstream console. I never played it back in the day so to be able to get some game time now on a modern system is good news in my book.

Publisher: Ratalaika Games
Release Date: 25 February 2022

Thanks to the publisher for the review code.

Back in the 16-bit era 2D racing games were very popular. You had the classic Micro Machines from Codemasters and when loading Motor Roader MC for the first time you get transported back to this great era of racing. Within a few minutes of playing, I started to feel the 90’s vibes coming back to me. The controls on a top-down racer might be difficult to get used to at first for new gamers that never got to experience this style, but you should be ok once you get some game time under your belt.

The game has a single player option and this is a fun mode to play and will give quick pick-up and play experience. The real fun comes from the local multiplayer mode, but sadly an online equivalent was not put into the game so you don’t get to experience the thrill of other gamers trying to be the one left to win. The courses have variety and they offer simple courses that are like oval to more challenging twists and turns to navigate.

The games have no issues as the controls feel very nice and the cars are responsive with no lag or slowdowns. One thing I found useful was to change the controller layout as the default one is ok, but not very useful. The graphics are what you would expect from a 90’s 2d game and it looks very nice on modern hardware being very colourful. The sounds are fine and again sounds as they would if you played it back in the 90’s.

Final Thoughts

Motor Roader MC is a fun, retro racer with fast and furious game play. Grab a few friends and the game comes alive and makes for a great party game. There are a few minor issues and one is the cars cross over each other and this makes it hard to see your car, but you soon get use to this. If you loved 2D, top-down racers like Micro Machines then this is the game for you.