Micro Machines (NES)

Micro Machines
Developer: Codemasters Publishers: Camerica (US), Codemasters (EU) Platform: Unlicensed NES Released in US: 1991 Released in EU: 1992 This game has debugging material.

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

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. 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 PAL version, even though they were removed from the game's box, since this company distributed Codemasters games in North America only.

Original	Aladdin, Europe

Original	Aladdin, Europe