TrackMania is one of my most beloved racing franchises, not so much that it can or even attempts to compete with the major players like Forza and Need for Speed, but because it caters to a very specific type of racer – the kind of person who wants to build tracks as much (if not more) than race on them.
I grew up in a house with a full-basement that was pretty much my own playground for a dozen years and I was a huge fan of slot racers. I would collect multiple kits and assemble some gigantically complex tracks that would span more than 100 square-feet. I would even map my creations out on graph paper and save them in a binder so I could recreate them at a later date.
TrackMania has always offered up one of the best track editors in the genre and TrackMania² is no exception. First up was TrackMania²: Canyon with its coyote vs. roadrunner style setting, and then there was TrackMania²: Stadium that took the racing and stunt action into an arena style environment where paved and dirt tracks offered up an even greater challenge, and now we have TrackMania²: Valley; perhaps the most beautiful installment in the franchise to date when it comes to scenery, but beauty comes its own set of problems.
TrackMania²: Valley adopts the rally style racing events with many courses blending paved and dirt sections of track that wind through narrow wooded areas. While this is a much needed and appreciated treat for the eyes, the car handling on these dirt sections is deplorable. I can usually get a gold medal in 2-4 tries on any track, but anything with a dirt section was taking me 10-20 restarts, and it was all directly related to the sudden twitchy and overly-responsive steering of the cars whenever they were driving on dirt. I’m not sure what happened. The dirt tracks in TrackMania²: Stadium performed flawlessly with just the right amount of traction (or lack thereof) you would expect on loose dirt and gravel, but in Valley, the slightest tweak of the analog stick and your car would veer off at a sharp angle, usually ending up crashing into a tree or neatly stacked pile of lumber. Driving on dirt should not be more fidgety than driving on pavement, but it was and these “super-sticky tires” ruined a major portion of the game for me.
The other odd glitch I encountered – and this too was a first in the series – was the car engine audio would mysteriously drop out about every fifth or sixth restart and all you would hear was the music, and the whooshing of air and hum of tires – it sounded like you were coasting in a soapbox derby car. Admittedly, it did sound kind of cool, but I base a lot of my driving on engine sound so silent driving doesn’t work for me. Plus, bottom line; it’s a glitch that needs to be fixed. Not sure why it’s happening all of the sudden in Valley, which I assume is using the same core engine as Canyon and Stadium; neither of which had sound dropouts. If you restart the race enough times the engine sound will eventually return.
So, aside from poor handling on dirt sections and frequent sound dropouts, TrackMania²: Valley still offers the same core race experience as its predecessors. The game features new and improved 3D object creation and scripting tools that allow you to assemble the tracks of your dreams. TrackMania has a huge focus on community, not only with is vast network of creative designers and shared tracks, but also in a seriously competitive online experience that tracks your rankings on global, national, and even state-wide leaderboards. Serious racers can check out the eSports elements of TrackMania² with new Team and Competition management tools, and there is even embedded support to livestream your races, as well as a feature-rich video studio that lets you edit and record your own race highlights.
But even if you don’t have the itch to create your own tracks there are more than 65 courses already included in the vast solo campaign that you can work your way through while earning various medals for top performance. And nothing compares to the sheer addictiveness of this game. Many races last less than a minute, and with instantaneous restarts at the tap of a button you’ll find yourself running the same 30-second sprint over and over again for 20 minutes trying to earn the gold medal that is just a fraction of a second from your grasp. The very nature of the menu system, medals, and fast-paced game design is totally suited for mobile gaming, but works equally well on the PC when you just want some casual racing action.
But track design is only a fraction of what budding creators can do when the join ManiaPlanet. There are tools to create your own videos, re-skin cars, or even create your own custom game modes. TrackMania²: Stadium offers up the ultimate racing sandbox and the possibilities and fun you can have are only limited by your time and imagination. The game offers up limited support for a gamepad, which is great for actual racing but you’ll definitely want to use a mouse and keyboard for the track editor. They really need to let gamers customize their gamepad controls, as using LB and RB for brake and gas is not nearly as functional as LT and RT, which offer more analog range and more precise speed control.
At $20, Valley is a bit pricier than Stadium, but you are getting a lot more visual assets in your growing collection of sandbox tools plus Steam is offering up 3 and 5-pack bundles so you can bring your friends along for the ride and save some cash. The visual backdrops with new objects like trees and buildings and those energy windmills add tremendously to the visual immersion in this game that is equally on par with any other AAA racer. And whatever issues the game does have with control and sound glitches can easily be fixed with a future patch. If you loved what Canyon and Stadium brought to the table then prepare to expand and enrich your creative design and racing potential withTrackMania²: Valley.
