In a later review, the game was described as "utterly wonderful", and the addictiveness of the head-to-head mode was praised. Nevertheless, he thought the game was "destined to become a classic". The reviewer from Mega magazine eulogised the playability, but criticised the lack of a save function.
In 1994, Micro Machines was listed as their best Mega Drive driving game. Both described Micro Machines as one of the better racing games on the Mega Drive. Reviewing the Mega Drive version, Computer and Video Games's Steve Keen lauded the vehicle movement and sound effects, and Paul Rand praised the multiplayer mode. The multiplayer mode in particular was well received, and some reviewers complimented the graphics and addictiveness. Micro Machines received critical acclaim. Once the distance is large enough, the winning player gains a point - a difference from Rally Speedway, in which the losing player gains a time penalty instead. Instead, it features two players racing on a single screen, and hugging the screen edges as the distance between them grows. Its two player mode, based on the 1983 Adventure International game Rally Speedway, does not employ split screen, a technique that is hard to achieve on NES hardware.
In October 1989, programmer Andrew Graham developed a prototype, California Buggy Boys, a racing game with a top-down view on a scrolling dune-based race track. They wanted to develop games for the system, but did not have a licence from Nintendo. In 1990, the founders of Codemasters, David and Richard Darling, were at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and were impressed with the popularity of the Nintendo Entertainment System in the USA. Various different races involving small toy cars were provided, including speedboat and car racing.