The popular online racing game finally arrives on the Nintendo DS and does it with style.
TrackMania has been around since 2003, but this is the first time that it has appeared on the Nintendo DS. The simple, but fun racing game is extremely popular and even has dedicated fan sites that compete and share racetracks with each other for the PC version of the game.
Fast, Furious, Fun
TrackMania is all about speed. It usually takes no longer than a handful of seconds to travel from start to finish on any of the game’s racetracks. In most racing games, knowing the course is half the battle and these short tracks make it very easy and enjoyable to master individual races.TrackMania is also about fun. There are plenty of new courses and game modes to unlock. The puzzle and platform game modes offer a different challenge, one for building and racing on custom racetracks and another for mastering your driving skills. These options make the game interesting and keeps boredom away.
Simple…for Better or Worse
The visuals in TrackMania are nice and clean. There will be very little distracting you from the race. As well, there is no silly story line to worry about. The game is like playing with Hot Wheels: just focus on speed and winning the race.
At the same time, however, things can be a bit too simple. The controls for the game are not as responsive as one might like. Part of this has to do with the fact that there is no analog stick on the DS.
Sharing is Caring
A big part of the game is making your own awesome racetracks with huge jumps and double loops. However, you will have to convince your friends to get the game as well if you want to share your awesome map with them. TrackMania DS does not have online connectivity, so you cannot share maps or race online, which is a crying shame.
At the End of the Race
If you love racing games, this is beyond perfect for you. TrackMania is great for people who love to master individual courses and practice until they have the best time possible. The game is also great for people who have only minutes of free time randomly throughout the day. Just pull out TrackMania and you can run a couple of races and put the game away again without hassle. Some racetracks and some minor things can be frustrating, but overall, this is a recommended title.
Rating:
Price: $29.99
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
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