Conclusion
So, what did I think of TM:Sunrise as a game? Is it worth your dosh? Well, that is actually far trickier to answer than you’d expect, as I’ve now got to temper my own personal enthusiasm for the game by comparing it with every other racer out there.
So let’s hold it up to the two biggies of the moment, shall we? Let’s imagine I’ve got Flatout, NFS:U2 and TM:Sunrise in my sweaty hands and I’m trying to decide which to go for. For realistic, physics heavy racing, Flatout wins hands down but can be cruelly punishing when you get nudged off the track and through the windscreen which is something that neither Sunrise or NFS:U2 can be accused of.
NFS:U2, in my opinion, is a better racing experience, with skill playing more of a role in how well you do than either Sunrise or Flatout, both of which demand an element of luck to progress. An example in TM:Sunrise is in trying to follow the gold car in one of the 4x4 races… the AI does a near impossible leap that means you’ll be damn lucky to ever beat it and win the coveted gold medal, and when you need that medal to progress, it can become very frustrating.
Which is another mark against Sunrises overall score, in that the linearity of the game might well be an obstacle for some. On the lowest difficulty level, you’ll find that after a short while you’ll have to move up to be able to unlock more areas and if you can’t do a level or collect that much needed gold medal, that’s you stuck. Trying the same race over and over can become repetitive and boring which sadly will eclipse that vital ‘one more go’ factor that shines through elsewhere in the game… so some balancing of the gameplay would be good, such as ramping down the god-like driving abilities of the lead AI cars.
All in all, TrackMania:Sunrise is what I’d call a ‘coffee table’ game. It’s perfect for a quick blast and its pick up and play attraction with only the direction keys and reset key to worry about meant my 9 year old was zooming about after 30 seconds of tuition. Graphically it’s great with some nice visual effects and the music rocks my boat in a big sonic bow wave. It has a hidden depth in that fine control of each car type is essential in progression, but that’s hindered by the repetitive nature of repeating races over and over in order to get good enough to progress… Nadeo have done pretty much everything right here. They’ve tweaked the original, added something new and freshened up the game to justify it as a proper sequel… It’s just a shame that first place is something the casual gamer will rarely see and because of that they’ll miss out on some of the best bits of the game.
Pros
Easy to pick up, hard to master
Excellent graphics
Superlative music
Arcade racing at its mindless best
Easy peasy map editor
Cons
Very tight times to win gold
AI ramping too brutal
Linear progression tree
Godlike AI driving ability
Overall : The perfect ‘dipping’ game, but frustrating in places. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I've enjoyed playing it for a quick blast after marathon WoW sessions.
HEXUS Right2Reply
Mikey Foley, Public Relations Executive for Digital Jesters, had this to say about the review:I was very pleased with your review as you really seemed to have understood just what the developers were trying to achieve. It’s also patently clear that you spent a lot of time with the game and really tested out each different section. I liked the way each game mode was looked at individually and in detail along with the different components that make up a game (Graphics, progression, PC specs etc) Overall it was an impressively thorough review and where there were criticisms these were backed up with reasoned comment. The best thing about a thorough review like this, where the author has obviously spent a lot of time evaluating the game, is that the views can also be used as a valuable form of feedback.
TrackMania Sunrise was always intended to be much more than just another re-hashed sequel like so many games nowadays. Comments from the TrackMania community about the original TrackMania game were listened to and acted on in order to make TrackMania Sunrise the game that the players wanted it to be. New game modes, in depth editing facilities, incredible speed and an immense graphical overhaul bare testament to this. The TrackMania community has always been at the forefront of the developers minds, hence the ability to create your own tracks and challenges. With fan made creations filling up fan sites TrackMania Sunrise has a longevity way past that of most other games. It’s even said to be one of the only games capable of knocking Counter Strike off PCs at Lan centres.
