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TrackMania 2 Canyon
Trackmania 2 hopes to build on the success
of the original series of racing games with Canyon, essentially an
update that introduces a new terrain and beautiful graphics that are on
par with the top simulation racers on the market.
If
you're familiar with the Trackmania series, you know what to expect
here. There are no real surprises in store; you’ll use simple, intuitive
controls to fly at high speeds along intense, sometimes surreal tracks
that push the limit of what's possible to navigate with human reflexes.
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be so proud of yourself when you
finally ace that high-difficulty track that you'll run off and go talk
somebody's ear off about it even though you know they don't care. That's
what Trackmania does to you - it makes you obsessive about improving
your score to achieve the best that you possibly can. Having your score
automatically sorted into your rank among every Trackmania racer in the
world exacerbates that impulse, too.
And
this is just part of what makes the multiplayer aspect of Trackmania so
addicting and competitive. Nobody in a Trackmania race can complain that
somebody else kept hitting them, preventing them from achieving their
potential. Fellow racers fly along ghost-like beside you, never
colliding. With every lap and every attempt, your ranking in that "room"
fluctuates. It's a constant race to achieve the best time by mere
milliseconds, and frankly, it's a blast.
If you
just want to race alone, that's fine too. In fact, you don't have to
feel restricted by the already impressive line-up of premade tracks -
you can make your own with Trackmania 2's intuitive track editor. Too
lazy? Just look around online. The community for this game is huge, and
offers some of the wildest, most entertaining tracks around. Maybe
creating your own tracks isn't enough - and that's fine, there's a car
painting feature as well. Designing your car's custom paint job is easy
and allows for as much customization as you could want.
Nadeo's update to what is now a modern classic boasts revamped visuals
combined with everything we know and love about Trackmania. Canyon
serves as an excellent continuation of the series, and if you loved it
before you won't be disappointed. The price is half that of the latest
simulation racers and the content grows constantly, thanks to a
thriving, cult-like community. If you aren't familiar with the
Trackmania series, now's the perfect time for a crash course.
- Josh Waters |
