My house is like a warzone to walk through at the moment. This is resultant of the affair between our cat and her boyfriend, leading to several mini-cats zooming about like lunatics trying to reduce the house to rubble. Their seemingly boundless energy, fantastic speed, and remarkably robust design is comparative to the unbridled madness of what Trackmania has to offer.
Think of what Serious Sam did for the FPS genre. It ripped out the story, realism and logic, leaving a refined example of raw, undiluted, polished action. Trackmania laughs in the face of simmers who set their own tyre pressure and suspension height, and kicks any vague attempt at realism cleanly out the window. The consequential game is a heady mix of arcade bliss.
A scalectrix-inspired heaven of giant swirling loops, impossible bends, death-defying leaps of faith, and other track trickery. To judge it by improvement upon its predecessor, Sunrise is bigger, badder and better, and sports a nifty new haircut. There are more modes to choose from, more ways to play through each of those modes, and loads more of those fantastic barmy tracks in each mode.
‘Race’ is standard racing against AI ghost cars, where you simply have to get to the finish line as quickly as possible. ‘Platform’ is less frenetic, but equally challenging as it throws you into a series of madcap jumps and scrapes, and you have to complete the track with as few restarts as possible. ‘Puzzle’ is the classic mode that made the original Trackmania so unique, where you have to complete the set objectives by building your own track. This mode is absolutely ingenious, and demands incredible cerebral deliberation rather than simply laying blocks. ‘Crazy’ is psychotic scramble around small tracks with 16 other cars, and with its own unique twist. A multiplayer option for LAN, hotseat and online play extends lifespan somewhat, as does the included editor that allows the creation of your own towering masterpieces. With an enormous amount of user-generated content already on the net, this game will last well beyond its intended lifespan.
Scenery is vastly improved, with the lovely new graphics rendering intricate city streets, sun-scorched desert islands, and gorgeous water effects. There are loads more cars to choose from too, each with individual handling and personality quirks. The music tracks are acceptable for the first hundred times or so you listen to them, but do quickly start to irritate as the same few tracks keep looping perpetually.
TM Sunrise boasts that annoyingly addictive ‘one last try’ pull. No matter how long you spend on a track, you always know you can swing a finer line on that corner, brake more optimally on that slope, and jump that hill more accurately. Plus with perpetual rewards for faster times and an oh-so convenient restart button, the draw is even stronger.
With such instant appeal, Trackmania is playable and enjoyable for either a few minutes or a few hours. Overdosing for too long does lead to slight boredom owing to the comparatively shallow nature of the game, but that does not detract from its overall appeal. With such simple and refined gameplay, it is also enjoyable to everyone, not just racers.
Manic, mad, frantic, yet loveable, Trackmania Sunrise still manages to hold a special place in my heart. Succumb to your instincts and give it a home.
Adam Shirley
