Sometimes games don’t want you to follow a story or follow a particular path to a particular goal. Sometimes games just want you to have fun. It’s everybody’s favorite past time. Like arcade games of old. Some didn’t have stories and they didn’t care. They just wanted you, the player, to enjoy yourself whether it be shooting up bad guys or reaching the end of a stage.
The TrackMania series has had this in mind since its hey day on the Nintendo Wii, although it’s often overlooked. That’s because the games weren’t up there among the best, but its track building feature that it’s best known for keeps its head above water. The driving was mediocre at best. Handling was sluggish and the motion controls which launched the Wii to fame really made it hard to play. And so, TrackMania was ever lost in the bargain bin of doom.
Skip ahead though and we are gifted with a revitalization of this ambitious series with TrackMania Turbo, brought to us by Ubisoft. Bringing a not-so-famous franchise back from the dead and onto our current generation of consoles is nothing short of a big task. Let’s be honest, Ubisoft are used to big tasks and they are also used to creating some brilliant games.
TrackMania Turbo is that beacon of fun I was talking about at the start. It doesn’t have a story or plot. Your main goal is to reach the end of each of its 200+ tracks which span over four locations. Think of its campaign mode as a Trials HD with cars. Now that game was fun, it was successful too, and TrackMania Turbo is no different. Once you’ve nailed the solo campaign tracks, you can drive on tracks created by other players online or create your own to have people compete on using the superb track builder.
It’s fine if you don’t have the patience to scroll through the many types of road or tarmac, deciding which direction to go in, and whether or not to put a body of water in. The new track builder has a function which has the game build you a track right in front of your very eyes. If you’re not happy with what is presented to you, you can just have it build another. A very cool and mesmerizing experience.
Speaking of mesmerizing experiences, the campaign tracks are nothing short of wild. If starting suspended above a ramped starting line and dangling from a helicopter winch isn’t enough, then the ridiculous loops, vertical magnetic roads, and stomach turning jumps will surely be. The tracks start off mellow. Fast still but mellow. Then as you progress, so too do the track designs, each one evolving in some way. Each of the four locations all accommodate the four car classes to choose from. The only difference between them is handling as each one is quicker than Usain Bolt on a pre-workout rush. The locations only offer different terrain types. Canyon Grand Drift is more rocky and dirt orientated, whereas International Stadium is nothing more than an oversized pinball machine. Each track is like getting on a different roller coaster. That doesn’t mean you just get on and ride it, you have to commandeer your vehicle correctly to get to your goal for the gold medal. Thankfully, the handling of each car is on point. It’s hard not to compare it to the fantastic and never forgotten Burnout series (bring it back!). By that I mean all that is needed is to keep your finger on the accelerator and tap the break to drift around the tight turns. That is it. There is no realism focus on the handling, this is an arcade game after all, which is evident from the title screen which says “insert coin”.
The tracks also have special sections which do different things to your car whilst in motion. The turbo parts activate your car’s nitrous and gives you a gut wrenching burst of speed. These are great when they are strategically placed right before a big jump. Then there are the engine cut off parts which do what it says on the tin. They cut the engine, making you rely on momentum to get through a section of track. You need to keep your cunning about you and be aware as no track has a map or any form of navigation assistance. This just adds to the thrill.
There’s a big focus on multiplayer in TrackMania Turbo. Players can team up and race on the tracks together via split screen which is a first for current generation consoles. Not only that, but TrackMania Turbo accommodates for up to four players, which is impressive and makes for some exciting races and tonnes of laughs as you witness your buddy careering off the track in spectacular fashion as you zoom off into the distance.
Then we have the Double Driver mode. This really puts your two minds together as you work cooperatively to drive a single car. Sounds complicated but it’s not. You and your buddy have to turn the car in whichever direction simultaneously, and the direction of each player is displayed on the onscreen indicator. Although it works okay, it led to more than enough frustrations as the car doesn’t handle as well as it does if I was controlling the car myself.
The only real mark of achievement in TrackMania Turbo is the many unlockable paint jobs and decals for your cars. Getting so many gold medals or so many silvers grants you with new stuff in your garage to spruce up your cars. This is where TrackMania Turbo falls short. After tackling the masterfully created tracks and fighting hard to get gold medals, the last thing I wanted is to change my number on my car from “00” to “34” with a smiley face. I wanted more. It left me feeling cheated, like it’s all hard work with no reward. It definitely left a sour taste in my mouth.
My eyes were a different matter. Ubisoft have done great with TrackMania Turbo‘s visuals. Grass and dirt look sharp, and the tracks look as wild as they play. TrackMania Turbo wants the player to experience the more extraordinary sections of each track like loops first hand, so the game smartly whips into the first-person viewpoint before resetting back once that section is over. A great feature. The environments in the distance are nice too. An impressive draw distance makes way for some beautiful rocky mountains and tropics, it’s just a shame you won’t notice it as you whizz up a ramp at high speed hoping you will land on all fours.