The Trackmania series of racing titles isn't the most popular or well-known gaming franchise out there. In fact, you'd be forgiven if you had never even heard about it. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's not a good franchise, because generally the games in the series are solid and enjoyable enough to just get the job done. They have a relatively good level of customization and fairly decent racing mechanics to make them worthy racing titles.

With Trackmania DS for the Nintendo DS, we get all of the good aspects of previous Trackmania titles, as well as a very impressive presentation and one of the best looking 3D races on the DS.

The controls in Trackmania DS are going to impress you the most though, as developer Firebrand have taken advantage of the DS controls and size of the handheld to provide a deeply enjoyable racing experience. However, it's not through a use of the stylus that the controls excel here, but rather the simplicity of the gameplay. It's a simple press of one button to break, another to accelerate and the D-pad to control the car. Because of the smooth and easy controls, the gameplay is highly responsive, accessibly and the handling is perfect.

Probably the only noteworthy downfall is that this DS version doesn't take all of the cars and tracks from the PC version, but instead only three cars and three game modes. Thankfully these will keep you occupied for a while, but it would have been nice to have included all of the modes from the great PC version of the series. You have Race mode, which is pretty self explanatory, Platform levels where the goal is to simply finish the course, and Puzzle mode, which has you place pieces of track and create the wackiest and most insane track out there.

A very impressive inclusion to this title, which is probably one of the most noteworthy additions to the PC version, is the ability to go back to a previous check-point during a match at the simple tap of a button. With the PC version it was simultaneous and, quite impressively, it's the same with the DS version. As soon as you tap the required button to go back to a previous checkpoint and re-do the past few meters, you're instantly brought back before your finger even leaves the button. It's a great addition that adds that little bit extra to the gameplay.

The Final Verdict

While Trackmania DS may lack multiplayer, it provides a relatively enjoyable experience for the handheld. It's not the greatest game out there, but its faults are small and its positives large. Check this out if you're after a solid 3D racer for the DS.

Gameplay

7.5/10

Only three cars and three modes, but it seems like the perfect amount. The car handling is perfect. Online would have been nice.

Presentation

6.5/10

It's not the worst looking title, but it just gets the job done.

Sound

6.5/10

Generic soundtrack and sound effects.

Value

7.5/10

You'll play it for a while because the challenge is there and the handling is so great.

Overall

7.5/10

Submitted by Gaetano 19/01/2009 15 Views

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More Info:

Trackmania

Other Reviews:

• Gaetano Review 7.5/10 by Gaetano
• Tomas Review 9/10 by Tomas

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