DS gamers wondering what
Trackmania DS represents to the gaming community need only check out the main website to get a feel for the huge community backing the
Trackmania brand. This is like some kind of gaming royalty, selling over a million copies since its release in 2003, and breaking the Guinness Book record with over 250 online players racing simultaneously. The reason some players stateside may not immediately recognize
Trackmania is that the game reached its original zenith in France, home of almost no American pastimes, except perhaps that American Werewolf business... Transitioning an online, PC-only series to the DS over any other console may seem a strange choice, but there are some things going for Nintendo's mighty handheld that make it ideal for introducing
Trackmania to a larger audience.
Knowing the limitations on graphics, it's reasonable to wonder about Trackmania DS from a presentation standpoint. The good news is that the game has a solid interface, with good, crisp visuals, interesting cars, and well-defined backgrounds around each track. The perspective can shift to accommodate different viewing preferences, and the editor feature that is a staple of Trackmania appears intact. We've seen racing games with full featured editors before, as recently as last year with GRID and Race Driver: Create & Race. The meaningful difference for DS gamers, if there is one, must come from gameplay and features. There doesn't appear to be enough to make Trackmania DS really stand out from the crowd.