The idea of tiny cars racing around a real world environment isn’t a new one. Micro Machines was probably one of the first way back in 1991.  Table Top Racing World Tour puts us right back into the action with an added sense of nostalgia, after all, it doesn’t seem that long ago since I was racing toy cars around the ketchup at the dinner table.

Table Top Racing World Tour has been around for a while, but on other platforms. I’m not sure why there was a delay on an Xbox release but it I’m glad it finally has been put out there for us to enjoy. There was a small amount of hype for Table Top Racing World Tour because one of the developers was responsible for the high octane futuristic racer WipEout. With that being said, this game does not come anywhere near what WipEout was, not by any stretch of the imagination.

Table Top Racing World Tour

You know the score, you race you collect weapons and you take out the opponents, simple, however, Table Top Racing World Tour offers just a little more than that with various modes such as knockout and best lap challenges. The racing environments are good at best but you don’t really take much notice, do you, when you’ve got a clock to beat. Do you? In total there are 8 themed locations 1 of which is a Yo! Sushi restaurant which apparently is somewhere the developers liked to eat. There are a total of 32 circuits to blast around, so it doesn’t feel like you’re plodding around the same track over and over again.

Table Top Racing World Tour

The cars, in my opinion, are brilliant, as there are various types of vehicles and come in all shapes and sizes. The large wheels and cartoon style is quite quirky and you have the added option of buying different rims and paint designs as part of your upgrades. That upgrade system is simple enough and each vehicle’s main attributes can be upgraded at a cost although to be honest it isn’t that hard to get your car up to top spec. Be warned, however, the other cars also upgrade with yours making it quite frustrating at times.

Table Top Racing World Tour

The weapons you collect around each course are quite common. You get ones that slow your opponent down and the ones that…well, slow your opponent down. There aren’t many different types of weapons and one disappointment came when I shot a rocket for the first time expecting a huge explosion and the target to be thrown into a spin never to reach the podium, however, that did not happen at all. The car simply slowed down slightly and kept going making for a photo finish.

Table Top Racing World Tour

There are the obvious short cuts around the tracks and more often than not there is a coin placed on the shortcut that will give you bonus rewards at the end. These offer a nice touch, but more often than not you’re fighting for first place and don’t really have time for trial and error. Each track has a 3-star system so it will probably benefit you to obtain the 3 stars then go back into each course and gather the collectibles, if you can be bothered that it is.

Table Top Racing World Tour

Table Top Racing World Tour is a slow game overall and doesn’t offer the high octane experience you might expect. The cars handle nicely and it can be said that it is quite an easy game to finish. Sometimes though, the opponents do like to give you a little nudge and that can send you slightly off course but this still doesn’t offer much of a challenge. The soundtrack is pretty good and the music suits the game. It would be fair to say that TTR:WT hasn’t left its mobile roots behind as this game is better enjoyed in short sharp bursts, but doesn’t really offer any longevity. The multiplayer aspect would be better enjoyed with friends and could potentially offer some funny moments, but with games like Rocket League out there then TTR:WT doesn’t stand a chance in the multiplayer universe.

Thanks to Playrise Digital and Xbox for supporting TiX