Trackmania Stadium Review

By – Omar Khan

At first glance, it’s hard to see why the Trackmania series has such a dedicated following, especially in the MLG circuit.  Sure, the graphics are amazing, with ultra-shiny textures for the cars to give them that desirable look, but the controls are just the arrow keys.  A bit simple for a racing game that boasts such a fan base.  But then you play it.  Then you play it some more.  And then some more.  Soon it’s been an hour and you’re racing the same track for the umpteenth time, trying to beat not just your score, but the scores of player around the world.

That’s where Trackmania Stadium outclasses its competition. Other games may show your friends scores, times, best laps.  Sometimes you can even challenge them for the title amongst those on your friends list.  But Trackmania shoves the times of everyone in your county, state, country right under your nose, and dares you to beat them.

To do so, it’s best to practice the track a few times.  And that’s what you’ll spend most of your time doing.  Memorizing every turn and every jump.  Where to stay inside the track, where to ease off the accelerator and where to tap the break.  IIn many ways, each track is like a level from a puzzle game. To get the perfect score, you have to get the perfect combination.

Once you feel confident in your skills, you can try to challenge the world and get your name on the leaderboards.  Make sure you know what you’re doing though, because if you fail in getting the time you wanted, you’ll have to wait five whole minutes before you’re able to post an official time again.  It’s supremely infuriating getting an amazing time in practice, only to fudge it up time after time when posting an official score.  Despite this, you never take it out on the game, only yourself.

Even though the control scheme is as simple as it is, you feel an immense sense of control over your vehicle (in Trackmania Stadium, you’ll be racing F1 cars). The car responds to your commands as you’d want it to, never veering at a slight press, nor failing to change course. Furthermore, the soundtrack is subtle in its repetition, meaning you’ll never go mad hearing the same thing over and over while playing for hours on end.  The engine noise can get a bit repetitive, but that’s because once you master a track, you should be doing the same thing every time, meaning those sounds are the indicators of you controlling your car the right way.

Is it Worth Your Money?

Overall, the production values on Trackmania are great, and the sheer amount of hours you’ll pump into it make it worth the $9.99 price tag.  However, if you’re not into racing games, or in particular racing titles that don’t have physical cars to drive against, and rely on competitive edges to make the game interesting, this is a title you’ll be less than excited.