Games Database
PC
Racing: Car
| Viewed: | 3D First-person / Third-person | Genre: | Racing: Car Add-on pack |
| Media: | CD | Arcade origin: | No |
| Developer: | Nadeo | Soft. Co.: | Nadeo |
| Publishers: | Digital Jesters
(GB) |
Released: | 21 May 2004
(GB) |
| Ratings: | PEGI 3+ | ||
| Accessories: | Control Pad, Steering Wheel | ||
Summary
We all remember Scalectrix fondly – a staple component of every twenty-something’s childhood that brought us endless fun as we built our own tracks and then raced around them with our mates. Well this concept seems to be the inspiration behind TrackMania – the game is not just a generic racing game, as the emphasis is clearly on the designing of your own tracks, as well as the sociable element of sharing and racing on them with other players. This latest addition to the series, Power Up, is more of an update than an expansion pack in the true sense, as it offers a series of new elements and improvements but also includes the original TrackMania as well.
The single-player aspect of TrackMania offers a series of challenges that you need to undertake in order to build up vital race experience and to also unlock other aspects of the game. These comprise a wide range of individual trials designed to test all areas of your repertoire, from simple tests of speed to more challenging tasks such as death-defying leaps over varying distances. There’s also a series of puzzle-based challenges, which make use of the game’s track designer and basically serve to get you accustomed to its operation. The Power Up expansion now allows you to use tunnels for underground construction, as well as introducing over 40 new building blocks which can be unlocked throughout the game.
The main focus throughout TrackMania however is on the multiplayer side of things. Obviously, creating endless wild and crazy tracks is the order of the day, but this is no fun if you can’t share them with others. Thankfully, the game allows you to do this both online and via e-mail (advanced compression means that the attachment sizes are next to nothing) as well as take part in a wide variety of competition modes. As an extra bonus, the online network has been designed to reliably support connections as low as 56k dial-up, so everyone can take advantage of the game’s multiplayer aspect.
As well as the aforementioned construction additions, the Power Up expansion also introduces a new solo mode called Survival, the ability to manage your own avatar and use customisable pictures, and also benefits from both graphical and online optimisation. If you’ve yet to experience this fun and light-hearted approach to the racing game then, at under 20 quid, this is an ideal opportunity.
The single-player aspect of TrackMania offers a series of challenges that you need to undertake in order to build up vital race experience and to also unlock other aspects of the game. These comprise a wide range of individual trials designed to test all areas of your repertoire, from simple tests of speed to more challenging tasks such as death-defying leaps over varying distances. There’s also a series of puzzle-based challenges, which make use of the game’s track designer and basically serve to get you accustomed to its operation. The Power Up expansion now allows you to use tunnels for underground construction, as well as introducing over 40 new building blocks which can be unlocked throughout the game.
The main focus throughout TrackMania however is on the multiplayer side of things. Obviously, creating endless wild and crazy tracks is the order of the day, but this is no fun if you can’t share them with others. Thankfully, the game allows you to do this both online and via e-mail (advanced compression means that the attachment sizes are next to nothing) as well as take part in a wide variety of competition modes. As an extra bonus, the online network has been designed to reliably support connections as low as 56k dial-up, so everyone can take advantage of the game’s multiplayer aspect.
As well as the aforementioned construction additions, the Power Up expansion also introduces a new solo mode called Survival, the ability to manage your own avatar and use customisable pictures, and also benefits from both graphical and online optimisation. If you’ve yet to experience this fun and light-hearted approach to the racing game then, at under 20 quid, this is an ideal opportunity.
Artwork
