Trackmania 2

[Karstein]

Nadeo’s excitable racing-game sequel, Trackmania 2, will arrive next month, Ubisoft have announced. Pre-ordering types will be able to get their hands on it before then, however, because the beta – which is accessed via pre-ordering – will start on August 17th. Pre-orders cost $24.99 or £19.99.

It’s been too long, Trackmania. I can’t wait to go hurtling around your impossible racetracks.

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Been waiting for this one for quite some time - definitely putting in my pre-order next week. Anyone else?

 

[SonicIce]

yesyesyesyesyesyes

 

[zokudu]

Psyched hope its as fun as the old versions. Best $20 I ever spent.

 

[Karstein]

Picked it up when I got back from work (managed to get through the payment issues they're having right now) and it's good fun so far. Kinda feels like Stadium with more emphasis on drifting, and there's also the element of your car being able to tip over if you take a rising corner too quickly.

I'm not quite sure if I like the Canyon tileset as much as Stadium and it annoys me that you seemingly can't turn the (purely cosmetic) damage model off. But it's definitely still Trackmania (once you turn all the damn motion blur and bloom off).

One thing that strikes me as a bit lazy is, essentially, all of the UI is the same. Even the sounds are the same. I know it's fairly insignificant but it makes it feel more like TM1.5 than a whole new game.

So, did anyone else pick it up yet?

 

[SonicIce]

good writeup. there is no free demo?

 

[Karstein]

Not yet anyway - the game is still only in beta, which you can only access if you pre-order.

 

[kylebisme]

Does it have the same backwards surround sound crap as Nations/United?

 

[abaez]

I just bought this last night. It's awesome!!

 

[Dankk]

I just bought this last night. It's awesome!!

What are your thoughts? I'm extremely tempted to buy this, only because I played the hell out of Trackmania Nations Forever (never played United though).

Do you prefer playing with a keyboard, or do you use a gamepad? I usually use an Xbox 360 controller for my racing games, however TNF was an odd exception because of the button mapping (no analog speed control, used "A" for gas.) I guess it's a rare case where the racing was optimized for keyboard use and not gamepad use (correct me if I'm wrong). After all it's a PC game.

Granted, a lot of the tracks I played required pretty much full gas, full throttle, all the time, to get the best times. So there'd be no point in having analog control.

Also, it has one of the best trailers for a racing game I've ever seen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77r-ghIOQso

 

[jhansman]

This game has a look that reminds me of Pod, my favorite racing game of all time (mid/late 90s). From what I can get from the reviews, it sounds like it plays like as well, so I'm gonna roll the dice on it. I hope it supports a joystick, as I am all thumbs with a controller or keyboard in racing games.

 

[Punter]

Really enjoying this.

I am still learning to drift properly resulting in many spectacular crashes. As is mentioned in the IGN review; the game can be frustrating, not in a way that makes me throw controllers at a wall, but in a way that makes me want to try one-more-time. Driving is easy, the controls are simple, driving well and posting a good time is challenging.

 

[Mutilator]

Really enjoying this.

I am still learning to drift properly resulting in many spectacular crashes. As is mentioned in the IGN review; the game can be frustrating, not in a way that makes me throw controllers at a wall, but in a way that makes me want to try one-more-time. Driving is easy, the controls are simple, driving well and posting a good time is challenging.

Bingo. To say I'm a bit rusty since the last time I last played a Trackmania game would be an understatement. I'm trying to relearn how to take corners the fastest way possible because if you're drifting you're usually slowing down, but you can't go hard on the brakes either.

To give you an idea the other night I ended up in 24th position at the end of the track... 1.00 second behind 1st place. Thats some tight competition.

And I swear German's must eat, sleep, and drink Trackmania because they're almost always on the podium. Must be because of the Autobahn huh?

 

[jhansman]

I'd love to play it, but apparently they are still having payment issues, as I have not been able to purchase it after a dozen attempts. Very frustrating, and their tech support just can't seem to figure out what's the matter.

 

[Capt Hungry]

I played the heck out of Trackmania in all it's incarnations. I used a steering wheel most of the time. Great game, but Stadium was my least favorite environment. Bay and Island were better. Just got TM2 and while the graphics are lovely, the canyon enviroment is a little boring. Just haven't spent enough time with it yet though. And I hate that the damage modeling cannot be disabled.

 

[jhansman]

I used a steering wheel most of the time.

So, it plays well with a wheel? I can use my stick on Nations Forever, and it's not too bad. If I ever succeed in actually buying TM2, I may invest in a wheel, so I'm interested in your opinion. Thanks.

 

[Dankk]

I decided to pick this game up today.

Totaly worth it. :thumbsup:

 

[Homerboy]

I really wish this game (series) would hit 360. I'm a PC gamer at heart, but games like this scream to be on a console I think.

 

[Stringjam]

I really wish this game (series) would hit 360. I'm a PC gamer at heart, but games like this scream to be on a console I think.

Why? I'm not being facetious, but I've heard this before and I've never quite understood why.

A console is hardware, just like a PC......only with a PC I can pick my controllers, mods, video quality, etc. They're both hooked up to the same display so that isn't the issue.

 

[Homerboy]

cuz I can sit on my couch and play with my kids.