Once your track is built it is time for you to race. The goal is to get from the
starting line to the finish line within the required time. If you make it then
the level is cleared and you can move on to the next track or stick around to
try and improve on your time. You can finish the race in bronze, silver, or gold
time, and the higher your finishing level the greater the reward in coins (more
on coins later). If you fail then you can try again as many times as you would
like, or go back to the drawing board and redesign you track.
Once you complete all of the levels in the game, you can either redesign and
race them again or design your own puzzles.
Controlling your car is pretty simple. You view your car from a third-person
chase cam and control it with the arrow keys. The racing style is strictly
arcade and will make you feel like you are controlling an RC car more than
actually driving one yourself. This feeling is reinforced by the game’s bounce
and tumble physics model that makes it seem like your car only weighs a pound or
two. It has its enjoyable moments, but the racing is pretty basic. Trackmania is
definitely focused far more on good track design than it is on racing skills.
As you progress through the game you’ll reach levels that provide you with far
fewer sections of track than are necessary to connect all of the points. This is
where the coins come in. Before designing a track you can visit the game’s shop
and exchange your coins for additional sections of track. The first time you
stop by the store you’ll be amazed at the variety of tracks available. Ramps,
banked turns, and loops are all available for purchase and will give you plenty of options
when designing your tracks.
Trackmania also has a couple multiplayer games. The first has players
compete in a series of races awarding points based on finish. The first
player to reach a predetermined point total wins. This mode can also be
played in teams, with players earning points for their team. There is also
a mode known as Time Attack in which players compete to obtain the fastest time
for a track. Trackmania is really about track design more than racing, so
the multiplayer games won't be able to hold your interest for too long.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
68%. The racing is pretty basic, so Trackmania is best suited to those
who enjoy puzzle games and track design.
« Page 1 of 2
