Trackmania 2: Stadium Review

I've been vaguely aware of the Trackmania series since it's introduction ten plus years ago. However for some reason I've never actually owned any of the games, often dismissing them as being just a touch too arcadey or simply choosing to spend my money on something I wanted just a tiny bit more. This time though, the latest game is only ten dollars. I figured I'd give it a try and if I liked what I saw, I'd pick up other games in the series at a later date.

After spending a day playing Trackmania 2: Stadium I still don't know weather or not I like it enough to recommend it and to continue with the series. It's honestly one of the simplest games i've played in recent memory, putting a huge emphasis on the fundamentals. And while those fundamentals are reasonably sound, I just don't know if there's enough complexity to keep me entertained in the long run.

While i've never played a Trackmania game, I'm not entirely new to the car platforming genre. I played Hard Drivin and Race Drivin as a kid and eventually spent many hours playing San Fransico Rush. I even have Jet Car Stunts on my phone (it's great, check it out.) Trackmania: Stadium is a solid update to those titles which is good, but it manages to add surprisingly little to the genre which is much less good.

As the title would suggest, Trackmania is about tracks, not about cars. There is only one car, it handles how it handles and is capable and fast enough to complete any track set forth by the game. This keeps things simple, it makes track editing and creation much easier and makes the game incredibly fair and balanced with regards to multiplayer. However, it also makes the game infinitely more boring to a car fanatic like myself.

Such a blatant disregard for the automobile really bugs me. I originally played this game with a wheel and pedals, but found that it controlled much better with an xbox 360 controller. I do not doubt that some of the best Trackmania players out there simply use a keyboard to control their cars. This is awesome for all of those who view the car a means to an end. Much less so for those of us who view the car as an end in its self.

The handling model in particular, is boring enough that I have trouble playing the game for long periods of time. It works flawlessly, but there is little to no joy to be found in the actual movement and physics of the car on the road. The challenge comes from picking the correct line, not from making the car actually stick to its line at the highest possible speed.

The tradeoff of course, is that there's really very little for me to complain about with regards to the tracks. They are awesome. And while I wish they weren't constrained by the stadium setting, the ten dollar price of admission and the fact that there are other Trackmanian games without such constraints leaves this argument without a leg to stand on. The variety within the stadium environment is staggering and the environment its self is actually plenty big enough to keep things interesting. The track editor is fantastic, easy to use and allows for endless possibilities.

As a budget game, Trackmania is light on single player content. There aren't a whole ton of predefined levels, and the difficulty curve leaves plenty to be desired. Unlocking new tracks goes from "incredibly easy" to "nearly impossible" in an extremely short amount of time. I could also have dealt with a bit less of an emphasis on time when it comes to unlocking levels. Some of the harder levels are challenging enough to simply complete, having to do them extremely quickly as well, just makes for repetition ad nauseum. I appreciate wanting to master a level, but some people simply want to explore.

Multiplayer on the other hand, is pretty brilliant. If you hate waiting in lobbies, Trackmania might just be the multiplayer game for you. Generally, about fifty cars are out on the track at one time. There is a time limit to finish the race and whoever gets the best time on one single pass through the course, wins. There is no clipping between players, so everyone else is essentially a harmless ghost. The beauty of it is twofold: one, it allows for immediate restarts if you mess up and two, it gives you a ton of other players to follow if you get lost. Multiplayer also makes use of user created levels, which can often be even more fun than what comes with the game.

Overall, Trackmania 2: Stadium is a solid little title for ten dollars. Many of my complaints are a function of genre, rather than the game its self. It is light on bells and whistles, but it never pretends to be anything it isn't. Trackmania 2: Stadium is a perfectly serviceable little driving platformer with loads of replay value and a great multilayer experience.

Trackmania 2: Stadium can be found on steam here.