Micro Machines (NES)

Micro Machines
Developer: Codemasters Publishers: Camerica (US), Codemasters (EU) Platforms: Unlicensed NES, Aladdin Deck Enhancer Released in US: 1991 Released in EU: 1992 This game has hidden developer credits. This game has debugging material. This game has regional differences. This game has revisional differences.

This page is rather stubbly and could use some expansion. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue this article?

Micro Machines is a Codemasters racing game that's considered to be one of the best unlicensed NES games. It also saw a re-release for the infamous Aladdin Deck Enhancer.

ROM/RAM Test

All NES games developed by Codemasters are based on the same stub library. As a result, all of these games, including those on multicarts, include a "smiley test" that verifies the integrity of the PRG ROM and CHR RAM chips.

To activate the PRG ROM test, hold Up + Down + Left + Right + A + Select + Start and press Reset. To activate the CHR RAM test, hold Up + Down + Left + Right + B + Select + Start and press Reset. (These tests can also be run simultaneously by holding both A and B, and the results will be ORed together in RAM.) If the PRG ROM checksum matches with the internal value or the CHR RAM chip has no bad cells, the program will display a happy green face; otherwise, it will display a sad red face. The code also attempts to write the test results to an unknown device at $4400, possibly an automated cartridge tester.

Note that the tests cannot be performed with an unmodified controller, as the design of the directional pad prevents more than two directions from being pressed at once.

Passed	Failed

Revisional Differences

To do: Check all of the available ROMs thoroughly for any changes.

Three revisions of this game are known to exist:

• Original US version (standard cartridge)
• Aladdin Deck Enhancer cartridge
• European/PAL release (standard cartridge and plug-thru)

The first release has an earlier copyright date (1991 instead of 1992) and a slightly different Codemasters intro screen, and it suffers from a timing error when run on a PAL NES that prevents it from progressing beyond the title screen.

Original	Aladdin, Europe

Original	Aladdin, Europe

The second version simplifies a secret cheat code: Now the player must only hold Up + B + Select on controller 1 while finishing the qualifying race in any place, while the first version's cheat also requires holding Right + A + Select on controller 2 and only works if the player takes 3rd or 4th place. Activating this cheat grants you three more extra lives (six total), and shows a hidden credits screen.

(Source: CaH4e3's Unpublished Cheats Database)

The third version replaces the unsafe "blacker than black" color $0D with $0E on everything except the gameplay sprites. Other than that, all builds seem to have no notable differences. The Camerica logos are left intact in the PAL version, even though they were removed from the game's box, since this company distributed Codemasters games in North America only.

Unused playable 2 players mode tracks

To do: Investigate for more unused 2 players tracks and quirks of the bonus race track in 2 players mode

Functional 2 player mode of otherwise inaccessible PRO tracks may be selected by writing the value 1 on address $0307 in the single track selection screen

Also, one may play at a bonus race track, by setting the value of 9 to address $0089 in addition to setting the value 1 to address $0307: The graphics of a car may glitch out, and the points counter is invisible, instead, there is a time counter that displays 55:0