JayVe
10-16-2008, 06:29 AM
Exerpts from a preview of the upcoming Nintendo DS version of Trackmania (http://www.edge-online.com/magazine/trackmania-rebirth-ds-racer), the first portable version of the famous PC racing and creation title.
Firebrand’s DS interpretation of Nadeo’s sublime TrackMania series is so speedy and smooth that it leaves previous DS racing games looking like relics from a bygone era – even Mario Kart DS seems sluggish by comparison.
TrackMania DS, in replicating its PC source material so meticulously, is something of a technical feat. Locked at a steady 60 frames per second, it’s also the fastest racer on DS. The instant restart feature, so integral to the ‘one more go’ appeal of TrackMania, is present and correct – a tap of the X button is all that’s needed to return to the starting line.
The track editor – for some, the most important part – allows up to 60 custom courses to be stored, which can then be shared with other users locally. Wifi link-up is an aim, Firebrand admits, for any sequels. Building on the interface used with such success in Race Driver: Create & Race, the track builder allows you to drop into a course in progress at any point to test for inconsistencies and bugs. Only tracks that have been successfully completed by their creators can be shared; similarly, medal targets are staggered by the best times attained by the creator during testing.
…it’s hard to see how Firebrand could improve upon a game that doesn’t so much touch the sides of the technical capabilities of Nintendo’s machine as it does smash into them.
http://www.edge-online.com/files/imagecache/article_content_360x270/TrackManiaDS-01.jpg
Firebrand’s DS interpretation of Nadeo’s sublime TrackMania series is so speedy and smooth that it leaves previous DS racing games looking like relics from a bygone era – even Mario Kart DS seems sluggish by comparison.
TrackMania DS, in replicating its PC source material so meticulously, is something of a technical feat. Locked at a steady 60 frames per second, it’s also the fastest racer on DS. The instant restart feature, so integral to the ‘one more go’ appeal of TrackMania, is present and correct – a tap of the X button is all that’s needed to return to the starting line.
The track editor – for some, the most important part – allows up to 60 custom courses to be stored, which can then be shared with other users locally. Wifi link-up is an aim, Firebrand admits, for any sequels. Building on the interface used with such success in Race Driver: Create & Race, the track builder allows you to drop into a course in progress at any point to test for inconsistencies and bugs. Only tracks that have been successfully completed by their creators can be shared; similarly, medal targets are staggered by the best times attained by the creator during testing.
…it’s hard to see how Firebrand could improve upon a game that doesn’t so much touch the sides of the technical capabilities of Nintendo’s machine as it does smash into them.
http://www.edge-online.com/files/imagecache/article_content_360x270/TrackManiaDS-01.jpg