Trackmania, a racing simulation that is unlike any ever developed before. Although, TrackMania is technically a racing game it is more of a strategy and construction game. If I judged this game by first impressions it would be been getting a 5/10, but, that is not how I judge game. TrackMania allows you to not only race cars over three different types of terrain it also presents puzzles and challenges for you to complete. Also, you can create you own tracks and race them yourself or against other humans either on a turn-based situation on your one computer or over a LAN/the internet.
Presentation
One of the biggest flaws in TrackMania is the menu system. It is very simple, yet at the same time complex. For example, in the editor there is nothing you can do with your mouse. Everything is done using keyboard keys. This works great and allows for fast editing, but only after you know how it works. It has a bit of a learning curve. The in game controls are very easy. The developer decided not to add a lot of different controls like handbrakes for sliding and stuch. Simple, forward to drive forward. Back to brake or go in reverse, and the arrows go side to side. This simplicity may seem like it would hinder than game, but really it makes it very amusing. After the steep learning curve for editing and getting used to how the menus work this game is really pretty amusing.
Graphics
For such a simple game this game can have some pretty good looking graphics. They’re not spectacular but they are pretty good looking. For example, I ran this game the first time at a resolution of 1600x1200 with all settings set to max and I overheated my laptop (that’s what I get for putting an ATI Radeon 9000 in my laptop). This is not a game problem but a me not giving it proper ventalation. So I tuned down the resolution a bit and the graphics are still well done. The enviroments aren’t anything to really be in awe at. On the other hand, how smooth the gane handles transitions between different types of track is impressive. For example, there are these crazy tubes you can go into. The game had no problem with displaying the outside environment (the tubes are semi-transparent) although my car was flying through them and going upside down at points. The tracks look good and the cars don’t look bad. There is very little to no damage done to cars although I’ve smashed headlong into things. The graphics fit this type of game though.
Although the minimum system requirement is a 16mb 3d Graphics Card, you probably need something a bit more advanced. I tested with a 128mb ATI Radeon 9000 Mobile.
Sound
One word sums up the music, annoying. After about 45minutes I was rather sick of the musical track. I loaded up iTunes (yes, on my PC) and let that be my musical score for this game. The sound effects though aren’t too bad. As track type changes so does the sound. Hitting things creates a smashing sound. Generally speaking, the sound effects aren’t bad, they really don’t help or hinder this game.
Gameplay
As I said in the beginning, this is not a simple racing game.
"This is not a simple racing game."
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This game is a bit of arcade, some simulation, construction, strategy, and puzzle. There are three solo areas. The first is just race. You race on prebuilt tracks for time. Each win gets you either Bronze, Silver, or Gold. You get money (coppers) for each win. These coppers allow you to spend your money to built the tracks. There is actually a "ghost" car that will follow you. Say you had previously raced a track. If you do it again, you will be racing against your ghost from before so you can see if you’re beating it or losing to it.
The second setting is puzzle. In puzzle you take tracks that may or may not be complete and try to figure out the fastest way to get from the start to the finish while passing through each checkpoint. This gametype is amusing because sometimes the fastest way may involve turning around and backtracking while at other times flying off the track can shave a few seconds off. You can also use the editor to create your own challenges that you can then share with your friends. The third gametype is survival. This is where you race against the computer. There is little to no AI. They follow the same path no matter what. Your goal in this gametype is to beat the computer to try and adanve to the next level. Some of the tracks in survival are complicated with tunnles, loops, bridges, jumps, and more.
There are three different environments in TrackMania; the desert, the woodlands, and snowy tundra. Each environment has a different car. For example in the desert you have a racer and in the tundra you get a truck. Each car handles differently so you have to adjust your driving style to compensate. Each environment has its own quirks as well. For example, in the snow you can cruise across ice but you can’t turn, and in the snow you are slowed down a lot and the car bareley handles. Its a good idea to stay on the track. Sometimes though you have no choice because there may be a checkpoint in the middle of the ice, or a jump. In the desert you can really cruise across the landscape but its hard to get back on the track once you get off of it. The woodlands have similar environmental obstacles.
Track types are crazy. There are tubes you can send vehicles into, angled tracks where one mistake make your car fly off the edge. You can tunnel though mountains and place jumps in the middle of ice. There are half pipes and jumps. There are things to make cars speed up and obstacles that players will have to avoid. Using the editor you can create your own tracks using all of these elements. You can have airborne track or underground track. The screenshots at the bottom really demostrate the potential of the tracks. There are loop-de-loops and more. With so many blocks for each different terrain type you can definitely create unique challenges. The only flaw I found was that I was able to actually get my car stuck on the edges of the track and was unable to move.
You can also play against people online. In online/LAN play there are no collisions between vehicles. Nadeo (the developer) did this on purpose to keep with the element of fun so that you’re really just racing with your skills, not with the strategy or trying to knock someone off a track. The map sizes are all very small (the most advanced still being less than 20kb) so even people with dialup can play online. With so many people online you will always be finding new and unique track layouts.
"You can’t really get bored"
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Lasting Appeal
The lasting appeal of this game is pretty high. With the ability to edit and create new tracks you can’t really get bored because you can always try to make it more complicated. The simplicity and sheer amusement this game provides also means that it will be one of those games you will just randomly feel like playing a year from now. You also have to keep trying to earn copper to try and create some very very complex tracks. Although someone could probably beat the game pretty quickly they could never ever create every single possible map.
Conclusion
This game is amusing, that is the best word to describe it. At the time of writing this game has an MSRP on $29.95. Also at the time of writing this game isn’t out in the U.S. yet (soon). This definitely has potential to become one of those classic games. It reminds me of playing with those little matchbox car race tracks (all the same elements). This game is amusing, but if you don’t like the idea of building and constructing, or like realistic racing, don’t get it. Nadeo did a great job of putting a very polished game on the market.
A Note For Parents
This game is perfect for children. It is very kid friendly with no blood, no guts, no cussing. It is amusing and most children should be able to understand how it works and be able to play on the tracks once they are in elementary school. A good, kid friendly game.
