The relative dearth of traditional first person perspective racing games beyond Real Racing 3 (Free) and what’s left of the Asphalt series has been a blessing in disguise for fans of the top down driving genre. From classics such as Reckless Racing 3 ($2.99) to recent offerings like Pixel Machines ($0.99), there certainly is a lot of choice – and even an official Micro Machines title from Codemasters which has unfortunately not escaped its initial soft launch period yet. For any fervent fans, Battle Cars (Free) by developers Dracoders has launched today, and will seemingly satiate any one looking to fill the void until the Micro Machines official iTunes release with some classic arcade action.

While at first glance Battle Cars may appear to be a familiar and merely iterative experience, it appears to offer its own unique charm, with some lively courses featuring a circuitboard, a casino and a beach with a giant enemy crab that must be navigated or face destruction of your miniature vehicle. Decent customisation options are also present, and coupled with a career mode, real time online multiplayer and four wacky weapons means Battle Cars seems to be a substantial experience for fans and those who haven’t had the misfortune to create family rifts through the twitch arcade action of Micro Machines type games. While the graphics look somewhat rough, and the jury is still out on the controls which are vital for a racing game (especially without MFI support), let us know your views on Battle Cars on our forums, and whether it’s top of the podium or drives you up the wall.