Trackmania Turbo: PS4 Review

Trackmania Turbo: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by Ubisoft

Developed by Nadeo and released by Ubisoft, Trackmania Turbo is one hell of a ride.

Reminiscent of the mechanics which made Modnation Racers such a cartoony thrill on the PS3, this racer is as arcade as they come and as much fun as it can get.

Set over 200 tracks and with no pretensions other than to entertain, the game's almost ACME style racing is as pure a blast of fun and games as you'd expect. It begins with you being dropped from a giant height by a helicopter onto a metal racing grid and off you go. Drifting around the relatively quick course and speeding, it's all about getting the best time and being number 1. As you go through the tracks and achieve certain medals, further tracks unlock to you, leading you into different courses, different ways of driving and different challenges.

Colourful and easy to play, Trackmania Turbo has a bite size quality to it that's compellingly easy to get stuck into and yet incredibly difficult to put down. As you race around the tracks - essentially against the ghost cars of higher medal achievements - there's always the feeling that you can just beat that time, if you just do one more thing or take one turn slightly better. As the tracks are short, and have their own tricky moments to deal with, there's really the feeling that anything is possible - leading to an addiction setting in.

But they're not just all roads - sometimes, the game takes you off road too and into either water puddles or onto uneven ground. It's here the game's dynamics kick in more and you have to be a bit savvier about the racing. It's a neat way to keep the racing fresh.

Coupled with the multiplayer elements and the ability to build your own tracks, Trackmania Turbo works well on a responsive front, luring you into mechanics which feel natural and which play out with an ease whatever your level of racing skill is.

The multiplayer's fun too - although it's against 100 other people at the time, being part of the pack is a nervy thrill that forces you to be a little smarter in your own game. Admittedly, the look of the 100 game takes a little getting used to as ghost cars hurtle past you, onto victory and leaving you a tad confused as the colours of your cars are all the same. Equally the games run to a timer, which means that they can just end abruptly when the timer runs out, rather than when the race is done.

These are minor niggles though and the match-making is second to none; there was nary a wait as the game's lined up for you and it's straight into it, with hardly any problems during it. And the added bonus of being ranked either in your country or across the world will drive many to glory.

All in all, Trackmania Turbo is a fine game - it's fun, disposable and enduring as well as endearing. It may not win any awards for depth, but for sheer playability, it's right up there for hours of fun.

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