When the first TrackMania game was released four years ago, it made a welcome change from the plethora of driving games already on the market. Instead of trying to model motor racing in a realistic fashion, it opted for Micro Machines-style arcade action, including ludicrous make-believe tracks, and over-the-top jumps and crashes. It was a winning combination that generated a group of die-hard fans and spawned three subsequent releases, including the free TrackMania Nations, which was used to promote the Electronic Sports World Cup, and received over six million downloads.
Strictly speaking, TrackMania United isn't a new game. In fact, it's an amalgam of all the previous TrackMania games with a lush graphical makeover. Online play is a welcome new feature, though, as it allows you to compete against players from all over the world. As your time on each track improves, you rise further up the leaderboard, eventually becoming the fastest competitor for your town, region or nation.
There's also the addition of an online currency. When you win races, you accumulate 'coppers', which, in previous versions of the game, were used to buy track to create new races; however, the currency is now used as an entrance fee for the official timed races online. Beat the clock and your bank balance improves; miss the target, and you miss out on opportunities to compete.
Gameplay is extremely simple, and fans of more realistic racing games will find it rather unfulfilling. The tracks are great, though, with crazy, gravity-defying loops and massive, banked corners. Graphically, it looks good, if not spectacular, but this helps to keep the hardware requirements reasonably low (and the frame rates high).
There's also a track editor, car modifier and a ton of user-generated maps that you can download and play, which helps to extend the life of the game. These have been features of previous Track Mania games too, although the fact that you can now play online against other people (either in real-time 'hotseat' mode or in time trials) adds another dimension.
TrackMania United is an extremely simple game, but it's also a lot of fun, especially as you can now play online. It isn't for people who enjoy realistic racing simulators, and the made-up tracks and cars mean that it probably won't tempt Need for Speed fans away from their pimped-up rides either.
However, if you just want to switch off your brain and have some fun then it's a great way to spend a few hours.
Author: David Emery
TrackMania United