TrackMania

"A great game for those willing to step away from the mainstream."

Trackmania is a game that is overlooked by many, and through some observation, appreciated by few. This is a great, fun, and especially challenging racing game for anyone who wants to step aside from the mainstream to try this superb game.

Gameplay
This is where the game shines, not surprisingly, seeing as how gameplay is where most good games shine. Anyway, back on topic. This games main focus is racing around tracks to get the bronze, silver, and gold medals. The times can, many times, be very challenging to achieve, and you will need to develop some good knowledge of this games driving engine to obtain some of the medals. The game has 3 different "races", race A, B, and C, and each of them are set in different areas, such as an desert, "dukes-of-hazard"-esque levels. Overall, the gameplay here sounds very simple, but it gets very addicting fast, and if you can get past the initial learning curve, you will be playing this for quite a while trying to get all the best times, and even beat your own high scores.
Gameplay Score: 9/10

Audio
This game has decent audio, both in the menu's, music on the different tracks, and the sound effects in the game. The music is different through the 3 different environments, and sounds fitting for each of them. It would have been nice to have a bit more variation in the music department, however. The sound effects when you are driving are believable, and fit each car very well. Overall, the audio is pretty good for this game, but had potential to be a lot better.
Audio Score: 7/10

Graphics
The graphics, while simple at a glance, can get quite detailed. If you took the time to notice, all the textures are of great variation, even on the same objects. The car's you drive are very detailed, and while there is no car damage similar to, say, burnout, you will get the occasional doors and the hood of the cars swinging open. The environments are pretty realistic, as well as the sky renders. The tracks you race on are all detailed accordingly, but I would have liked to see some more variation in the different track designs. Overall, the graphics in this game are superb, however are in need of a bit more variation in certain areas.
Graphics Score: 9/10

Story
Well, there is no story, or at least none that I've found.
Story Score: 0/10 (There is no story)

Replayability
This game will have you replaying certain levels countless times, and most of the time, you'll be enjoying every moment of it. Well, except for the cases where you keep failing so close to the finish line, which happens a lot. But for the most part, you will enjoy replaying the levels. You can always try to improve on your best score, and this can also get very addicting as time passes, through the many different areas you race the clock in. There is a track editor mode, which allows you to create your own areas, and this as well can take up a lot of your time. The online play is there, though I have not yet tried it, and am unable to comment on it. Overall, this game is superb in the replayability department.
Replayability Score: 10/10

All in all, this game is very enjoyable for people who will take the time to, as said before, step away from the mainstream. Through the many different tracks, modes, track editors, and the superb graphics, you will find yourself getting more and more addicted to this game as time passes.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/17/06