The Trackmania series has always been the antithesis of the modern racing genre. It’s focus on community based content, and non contact precision driving provides a unique experience which caters to a loyal demographic. There’s no denying it’s popularity as an e-sport, but the question remains if the game is accessible and enjoyable to beginners without previous Trackmania experience.
Unfortunately, the initial impression is exceptionally poor due to a cumbersome and confusing user interface. Once loaded, you are greeted with the choice to play Trackmania 2 Canyon or install the Trackmania 2 Stadium Beta. At no stage is there any documentation outlining if these modes are included within the game or are a future paid DLC option. In fact, there’s no manual or tutorial to assist in learning any core aspects of the gameplay. Subsequently, in more complex areas such as the replay editor, it’s easy to become lost and does it’s best to alienate new players. Nadeo has created an atmosphere where a steep learning curve and lack of accessibility has become a major oversight.
In theory, you would assume that the single player aspect which consists of various time trials to be quite mundane. Nothing could be further from the truth, as the art of perfecting a course and attaining the immaculate time is highly addictive. Each set of challenges is divided into 5 difficulty categories: white, green, blue, red and black which quickly becomes staggeringly hard. You can aim for the gold, silver or bronze time which spawns a ghost to compete with. This is a superb addition as it allows the player to observe the racing line and learn how to tackle the corners whilst playing. In addition to this, you can view the best lap times set on either global or regional leaderboards which provides an added incentive to improve on your best efforts. There are small touches littered throughout the game which encourage you to master a wide range of layouts. This varies from proclaiming your personal best times to outlining competitiveness in your local region. The solo mode is so engaging that I often spent my time perfecting early courses i had already attained the gold medal on rather than progressing to the later tracks.
One of the biggest developments from it’s predecessor is the new physics engine. The handling feels tight and responsive which I adjusted to quickly within 2-3 trial runs. Cars tend to drift and powerslide round corners if the brake is applied. What I found fascinating is the strategy element in determining the best approach for certain bends. Before each corner, you need to choose between lifting off the accelerator early and gradually accelerating into the corner, or breaking late and gliding around them. The playability with a keyboard is simply fantastic allowing an insane level of precision. In contrast to this, the 360 pad felt a little strange and floaty. After completing a test run with both control methods I was on average 4 seconds faster with the keyboard. Trackmania 2 does allow you to adjust steering sensitivities but I couldn’t find any sort of setting which matched the keyboard’s effectiveness.
The multiplayer mode really does exemplify how the online element should be implemented in racing games. A lack of collision detection is so refreshing as it ensures the most skilled and deserving drivers come out on top. Far too often in various titles have I been leading a race and lost due to a player failing to slow down properly and ramming into the side of my vehicle. Unfortunately a lot of games are plagued by a bad community who vindictively go out of their way to ruin your next race if you are better than them.
Trackmania 2 is all about ability, each car is of the same specification and this removes any grievances about foul play or luck. The car damage is only cosmetic, which I feel is a missed opportunity to punish players who go all out for a perfect lap at the start. There is a wide scope of online game modes, but 99% of the time the only populated servers will be time trials. These are a lot of fun, especially if they are short tracks and the sector gaps are minimal. Often the difference between 1st and 50th is the reaction time re-applying the accelerator. The only problem i encountered was the large proportion of players obscuring my field of view on a tight circuit. Despite being transparent their movement can be erratic and it became difficult not to follow the path of the car in front. These criticisms are outweighed by the potential of hard fought and intensely competitive races with a thriving multiplayer scene.
Trackmania 2 has been given a complete graphics overhaul with enhanced textures and a higher degree of graphical fidelity. The canyon setting and backdrops look stunning whilst the vehicles are very pleasing to the eye, especially with custom skins from the modding scene. I really took great pleasure from seeing the accumulation of dirt on the rear bumper and tyres. The game is well optimized and ran on maximum settings well above 60fps. I did notice that out of the 3 driving views, the exterior camera was the only one i became accustomed to. On the more advanced tracks, you need to prepare for what’s ahead and using the onboard camera would be highly disorientating.
Conclusion – Is It Worth Your Money?
What’s on offer is a unique and very addictive experience, albeit quite rough round the edges in terms of telling the player what is available. The single player is surprisingly engaging and encourages you to keep trying and improve on your best effort, even if you think it cannot be accomplished. If you want to get the most of this community driven title, it is advised to become immersed in the competitive multiplayer competitions. With huge potential for custom made tracks, skins and colour designs, there is a lot of content here for your $19.99 providing you are willing to master the tracks and play to a high standard online. Trackmania 2 is a purist’s racing game, a tour-de-force of precision racing which bucks the trend of infuriating and unfair online play.
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