TrackMania has never been famous for its realism. The creators seem to acknowledge that that segment of the market has been cornered by other titles. Instead, the series has carved out its own niche, focusing on the speed of the cars and also on, as the title of the series suggests, the tracks. The chance of these tracks giving you the ability to perform some really off-the-planet things is what lured many to the game. Those that loved the originals will find more of the same insane fun in TrackMania United. If you missed the earlier games in the series and are a PC gamer from the old school you'll undoubtedly remember Stunts, and knowingly or not, TrackMania is extremely reminiscent of this title with its fantastical vision of car racing.
Again it appears that the series has managed to provide us with a game that will satisfy our lust for speed and insane track design. Those pining for the days when they were of acceptable age to be sitting down with a car racing set that had a loop the loop section for some crazy afternoon play, will undoubtedly be pleased with what TrackMania United has on offer. There will be 189 tracks for the solo game that should allow for a great deal of variety in play and challenge. As in the previous games cars don't collide, the developers obviously feel this would just get in the way of racing. This may annoy some people but it does allow for a greater emphasis to be placed on the over the top track design of some levels.
These cars have the vertical leap of Michael Jordan in his prime.
It seems that the new must have feature in a game is online functionality and United places great emphasis on this. As in the last TrackMania, you can share your tracks with others, allowing for almost endless hours of fun both trying to get the best time on each track and creating more and more crazy courses to challenge your friends. Users are also given the option of piecing together their own custom tracks. This allows for new fun to be had and challenges to be made and could prove to be United's most appealing aspect especially considering the ability to share these online with other players. All up there are said to be over 1000 different blocks that DIY'ers can fit together to bring their own race setting masterpiece into being.
There are three main modes in the game simple race, puzzle and platform. Simple race mode is just that, a get to the line as fast as possible affair. In puzzle mode you are provided with certain blocks to piece together in order to make it to the finish as fast as possible. And in platform mode you'll need to maintain your speed as you race against time to launch your car upwards towards the finish line.
With tracks like these you'll be speeding out of control in no time.
Coppers were a feature of the previous TrackMania's however they are more integral to the experience in United. These virtual coins allow you to carry out numerous things whilst online including downloading tracks, other player's replays and also allowing you to compete in the Official mode where you'll race for top spot over the net. Coppers can be obtained by beating the clock in Official mode and by sharing tracks you have created with others.
This game is not for those of you who crave realism in their racing sims. You most definitely won't find that here. Instead, you'll be provided with the ability to speed your away through numerous levels, piece together some great stunt tracks, and get together online with some friends to create new and interesting ways to experience the game. What the Trackmania series is all about is fun, and United extends this fun even further with a more complete online experience. With so much of the gaming world focusing on realism these days it is refreshing to see a developer attempt to shift its gaze towards virtual worlds where you can do things that would never be possible in the real world. Time will tell if Trackmania United can pull off its goal of linking players together in this online world of speed and stunt cars but if it's received similarly to the previous games in the series, success is a definite possibility. Stay tuned for our upcoming review of the full game.
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