I’m a huge F-Zero fan. I played the original on the SNES and have played every game since into the ground. And though I’ve experienced great joy from the series’ highly polished, high octane racing experience, I’ve also been through the tough times for the series. For instance, I witnessed one of the most polished masterpieces of a futuristic console racing game be overshadowed by a lack of sales in the GameCube’s F-Zero GX (which undoubtedly left a sour taste in developer SEGA’s mouth and probably scared them away from working on the series again for Nintendo in the future). However, I was never more heartbroken than during the times of the Nintendo 64DD (Disk Drive) nonexistence in the States. I had hoped and dreamed that the coveted level editor for F-Zero X would grace our shores as the ability to create those sick, twisted tracks was something I’d always dreamed of.
See, racing and level editors are a match made in gaming heaven. What more fun could a racing fan have than to be able to create tracks inspired by your own inner creativity? I guess it gives gamers the sense of designer/developer (much like the feeling you get from creating your own level in LittleBigPlanet). And though I have yet to have experienced F-Zero X hand in hand with its phantom level editor, I can still hope and dream (as we’ve seen some ports of N64 titles on the DS already and this is my next choice).
Though there are thousands of intriguing ways to use the DS’s multipurpose touch screen, one of the first more obvious ways many of us envisioned from the get go was as a level editor. Games such as Advance Wars and Lock’s Quest have thrived upon the creationist side of touch-screenism but I’m a little surprised, to be honest, that we didn’t see fully fledged level editors in racing titles up until recently. With the recent release of GRID for the DS and now Trackmania DS, DS racing fans can finally put their creative minds to use in the portable racing genre. But is Trackmania DS worth the price of admission or should you just drop this one before reaching the starting line?
Difference in Perspective
Judging by the front cover of Trackmania DS, you should already expect that it is not your usual racing game. The loop on the front is enough to tell you that this isn’t your everyday Ridge Racer. However, if you look at the back of the box (or turn on the game and look at the available game modes), you’ll be convinced of your original hypothesis: what kind of racing game has modes such as Platforming, and Puzzle all paired into one package? These were the initial questions I had and I was actually quite excited to see what these were for myself (though I had to finish enough of the race mode to unlock these special modes).
Trackmania DS separates itself from many racing games with its short races and streamlined gameplay. There is no beating around the bush, no introductions, no storyline, no celebrations after finishing races. You begin the game racing and you’ll finish it racing. Thus, rather than give players options such as single race, grand prix, time trial, etc, Trackmania DS really only has time trials (or modes similar to time trial) and VS. With that being said, it is split into the three abovementioned modes, each of which is quite different.
Also, there are three different types of cars that the player will be controlling throughout their gaming, each with a different feel and different types of abilities. The rally car used in “Stadium” style races is very quick but difficult to turn. It also breaks down much easier if you hit too many walls or if your speed is impeded too much by obstacles. The car in the “Desert” style of races is a sharp turning, slower car that is capable of jumping much higher (but can also fly off the track easier as well). This car is more similar to ATV style of racing. Finally, the car in “Rally” races is quick and can turn fairly well. These races typically have more traditional jumps involved.
Each different style of car is an interesting change to the overall style of racing. However, to be honest, I just wasn’t super impressed with the actual controls/mechanics of the gameplay. The game’s actual racing can feel fairly generic at times and you’ll sometimes experience some annoyingly unforgiving difficulty (this difficulty is definitely welcomed for this type of game but at times it’s the controls that make the game more difficult than the actual skill of the gamer). Still, I think that despite the iniquities of the actual racing, the different modes and cars keep the game fresh throughout and the track design breathes life into the game.
Each mode is split into 5 different difficulties (practice, easy, medium, hard, and extreme). Once you’ve unlocked a mode, you’ll only be allowed to play the tracks in the practice category first and you’ll have to earn your way to the more difficult tracks by winning medals on the current selection of races. There are a total 75 different race tracks in the race mode and 15 in each of the other two modes apiece making a total of 105 tracks. But don’t let this number be too misleading, 105 tracks in any other racing game would be completely unheard of; in Trackmania DS, races can last as long as 17 seconds to finish. And while there are a few races with laps, you’ll usually be playing levels with a clear cut Start and Finish line (which don’t interconnect).
From the start, you are able to play through just one of the three available 1-player modes, which is the classic race mode. This mode is just as you would expect, you attempt to finish levels in the fastest amount of time in pursuit of a qualifying medal (bronze, silver, gold). In order to see your progress through the level, you can choose to race against the ghost of either of the three medal runs or even race against all three. However, there are no other cars to race against in the game as your competitors are none other than these track ghosts. This means that players can’t utilize the typical nasty racing skills that they’re accustomed to (like bumping, cutting off, or drafting).
Intelligent Design
If you finish enough levels in the race mode, you’ll be given the next in the series, platforming. This mode is exactly what you would expect from a platforming game: jumping from platform to platform and attempting to stay on the track at all costs. If you fall off, you can press the X button to be relocated at the last checkpoint but it keeps track of your falls (you can also restart the level by pressing Y). This is where the difference in cars really affects the style of each level. For instance, in the stadium car, you’ll sometimes race on tracks with holes placed throughout, but from time to time you’ll play on the most sadistic tracks featuring some particularly nasty jumps (requiring high speed and utmost precision). Rally races, on the other hand, are based around the controlled jumps and thus true to its name, you’ll be forced to speed through almost the entire level in rally fashion in order to make some of the jumps.
I found this mode particularly interesting as it introduces a bit of strategy to the racing gameplay: you aren’t judged by the amount of time it takes you to finish a level, but rather the amount of times you fall off the edge. So, you can play through the level slowly at times if there are no jumps during the current checkpoint. It’s actually more like platforming than racing as actual racing doesn’t occur.
However, I was also a little disappointed that you were forced to go through every checkpoint before you reach the finish line. I remember on one level in particular, I was able to skip parts of the level and reach the end through some carefully timed jumps but only to find that I had to start the level over since I didn’t make it through each check point. I was kind of hoping that the mode would allow for special shortcuts and skilled jumps to cut off some of the level (kind of a “you find it you can use it” approach). I also found that the progression from practice to extreme was hindered by the upped difficulty of this mode as it was nearly impossible to reach some of the later levels due to brutally difficult early levels (and you’re forced to obtain an increasing number of gold medals to unlock the later difficulties, where gold medals are only awarded for perfect runs where you don’t fall off at all).
The third and final mode of the game was actually my favorite mode of the preexisting 1-player modes. Puzzle is kind of a mix between Pipe Mania and racing. You’ll be given a certain amount of pieces to place along with a few preset pieces already laid down, and you’ll have to bridge a gap from start to finish (going through every checkpoint) and then actually race on the level. However, the trick is designing the level in the best possible fashion, as this mode awards you for your speed. Thus, if you make an inefficient level design, it will be impossible to reach the finish line in the necessary time to achieve a gold medal. I found that this style of gameplay really sparked my creative juices as I was able to create some pretty clever designs in order to finish the level quickly. You’ll have to think about overlapping, reusing, and backtracking to truly create an effective level design.
Though the above modes are all interesting deviations from traditional racing games, the game’s obvious appeal has to come from its level editor. This is where any DS loving gamer can truly use the touch screen’s capabilities intuitively. The level editor is not the most robust editor around but it does feature a whole slew of ramps, curves, obstacles, and loops (many of which must be purchased from the shop using the currency rewarded for each race played). The potential for level design is fairly unlimited with a significantly large space to design the level but there is a limit to the amount of track pieces you’re allowed to place (somewhere around 60). Also, the game allows you to save up to 60 custom tracks on your cartridge so you should have plenty of gaming customization at your disposal except…
Necessary Evolution
The biggest problem with Trackmania DS is its lack of online functionality. In fact, there is none to be spoken of at all, not even an online leader board. Thus, the track editor loses a lot of points precisely because you won’t be able to trade your tracks online (or save downloadable content). Any tracks you make can only be traded locally and this is a huge mistake in my opinion in the part of the developers. It’s also a bit surprising because other modes of the game on different platforms include these exact features. Thus, if you’re looking to buy the game and you don’t mind whether you play it on a handheld or not, you should probably just go with the PC version for its downloadable content.
There is a VS mode in the game as well but this suffers again due to the lack of online multiplayer. You’re in much better shape finding a competitor if you’ve got the ability to find them across the world, than if you’re looking through your own neighborhood. Still, they did make up for the lack of online play in multiplayer by making single-card multiplayer between 4 players almost equally as functional as multi-card play. A final notable feature is its support for the DS rumble pack (though this may be obsolete if you pick up a DSi this April).
Summary
Trackmania DS is most certainly not your average racing game. Sure, its mechanics are quite generic as a whole, but the different modes are what set it apart from other racers (particularly the puzzle mode). More for the perfectionist gamer than the actual racing fan, this game provides some unique takes on the racing genre. It also features a highly functional track editor with over 300 unique blocks and the ability to save up to 60 levels on your cartridge. It’s biggest downfall, however, is its lack of internet functionality. This is truly what separates this game from “good” to “great” status (it adversely affects downloadable content, trading of tracks and multiplayer). Still, at $29.99, this is a game many DS racing fans may want to consider (if you want the internet functionality, though, you may want to go with its PC counterparts).