Trackmania, the virtual trackset and PC sensation, is on the final lap as it speeds towards its home console debut on the Wii. The first trailer for the game has come out of Focus Home Interactive, showing an engine that looks finely tuned and running on all cylinders.
Firebrand Games, the racing game specialist who handled the DS game, is producing Trackmania with Octane Wii, a new inhouse racing focused engine designed to get the most out of the Wii hardware and deliver shiny models under a solid frame rate. The first footage of the game shows a motor that certainly appears to be packing some real horsepower.
In a genre largely under-represented on the Wii, Trackmania comes to the console with few titles to be compared against, although in all reality, Trackmania is like no other racing game anyway.
The game will bring its track building, time trial gameplay to the console with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support. Players will be able to record times for world ranking and download ghost data for single player tracks as well as race online. Any home made, would be Top Gear circuits, will be able to be shared with friends.
Anyone without online connection or inspiration to build will find a single player game with over 200 tracks to race in 6 suitably clichéd locations, albeit with a relatively small selection of 6 vehicles. Local split-screen multiplayer modes are also present. The engine is getting fired up for a Q2 2010 release.
Comments 42
This is the racing game we have all been waiting for!! I can't wait!
Please let this come to the USA for the love of god! I'm quite literally dieing for this game.
This reminds me of Rumble Racing on the PS2. I already have two racing games for my Wii (Mariokart and Excitebots), but neither of them have a level editor. I'm definitely going to consider this one.
Move over Excitebots!
Wow, looks to be running smoothly. Awesome.
It looks to good to be true.
I didn't even know this existed! The biggest reason I dismissed the DS Trackmania was its inexcusable lack of online features, so I'm eager to know how this model performs on the information super-highway.
i'll be eagerly awaiting reviews. i could use a new racer.
Cool though the last Trackmania I played disappointed me a little. The first one I played for PC was fun.
This looks pretty awesome. I hope it lives up to my now high expectations. The level editor looks like it will be a pretty fantastic feature.
So excited!! Online and track editor is a major plus.
First time I've heard of this. Looks pretty cool.
If that confirmed online play, then it's safe to say it's worth supporting.
holy moly that looks way fun. online and 4p local too. Awesome.
And all that talk around here about poor 3rd party support... we better all buy this one and put our money where our mouth is.
@Ren: i'll buy it. just not for $50. or $40. or $30. i'd love to give more support to these developers, but i don't have the budget for it. and i'm actually representing the majority of Wii owners. we buy the games. just not new, so the companies never see the money. i wish it wasn't that way, but it is. thing is, i know that, so i'm not one complaining.
Nice. I have Trackmaina on my PC so this would be nice on Wii.
@ Bodragons:
I know, I only say that because I'm one of those guilty people too. I'm just too broke to buy new retail games these days too. I basically trade in whatever other stuff I have plus a few bucks each time I get something newer.
Then when a new mario or something comes out, I'll go crazy to try to save up for it and try it new. Why is Nintendo so seductive? I still haven't gotten excitebots, though, so I'll seriously consider this one over that when I comes down to it.
When something like High Voltage Hot Rod Show is the best WiiWare racer we have so far, this looks very promising.
looks awesome
Can't wait for this one. I love the DS version, and this looks a lot better.
Looks fantastic fingers crossed there has to be one good racer. Thats how many bad ones so far?
This could be awesome with the Wii Wheel.
@bro2dragons: Dude, I'd happily pay £50 for this game (nevermind dollars), the amount of fun that can be had with TM is limitless. Not only is it an extremely addictive racer, but the fact you can create and share and race upon unique tracks, will keep us going for months and maybe even years.
in case you hadn't guessed, I'm a big TM fan
This is actually looking like it could be the Wii's best racer imo.
I'm looking forward to seeing the final list of features, it's looking good so far.
My favourite racing series and this is even better local multiplayer fun than Mario Kart. Online is superb too.
this looks hot!
@Machu: i would, too, if it got positive reviews, and i had the money. it looks GREAT, and i LOVE level/character editors of any kind. thing is, i just really don't have the money. i'm a broke college kid ables to spend $20 a month on games if i'm lucky. and there are SO many games out right now i need for my collection (haha... think about starting a games collection on a max of $20 per month!), not to mention all the GC titles i need, and a TON of GREAT stuff coming out in 2010. my budget just can't handle a $50 game.. but if it could, i'd be on this, man.
bro2dragons, get a part time job, buy more games and see yourself without time to play anything. Oh life!
But Trackmania worth it!
Woo, rock on TM Wii. Looking brilliant
@Vilico: exactly. it's one or the other, isn't it?
HTIS IS SO AMAZING!!!!! i loved the one on the PC so this should be awesome! i'm geting it on the first day.
First just want to say hi to all the other Wii fans out there. Just started reading Nintendolife recently, but this looks like a pretty nice place!
As to this game...from the info above and the brief video clip, TM looks like it could be the Wii's answer to ModNation, with the slick track editor. I can't wait to be able to try this out (I know my 7yo girls will love it...they absolutely love level editors like in SSBB). Gotta get my Wii repaired first and some extra money, but I'm going to do so as fast as I can! The Wii is loaded the start of this year with great software rolling out, and it looks to continue through 2010. It makes me feel a little sorry for the 360 crowd, with the Wii and PS3 both getting what look like great racers with slick level editors and level sharing. (Yeah, last comment wasn't necessary, but its true...360 needs something like this to make them all even.)
@Highlar - Welcome. I'm still a NintedoLife noob but I visit now and then after a hard day at work. NL is more sane and less "fanboyish" than other Nintendo-related sites, mainly because many of the members own more than one system, have actual insight into the topics discussed, and the web masters seem to have the site under firm control.
On-topic: I've been VERY addicted to the Trackmania games, mainly because Nadeo has a rare talent of allowing the game to run at a smooth frame rate with gorgeous environments, addictive gameplay and tight controls no matter how crappy your PC hardware setup. The track editor and online play is icing on a very delicious cake. I bought the DS version even though I knew that there would be no online functionality - big mistake. I unlocked all of the tracks and played with the track editor for a little while but it wasn't the same.
Trackmania Wii will definitely make up for the DS version. The best part is that Trackmania games seem to utilize the potential of any hardware that they run on, and the gaming experience is just so addictive. The DS version didn't produce a "sublime" experience, but the frame rate was still smooth and gameplay was still there. But using the remote for the track editor and playing other Wii owners online? Awesome.
Just please, PLEASE no friend codes...
Keep those friend codes coming. What harm will they do, if they are like how they are in Mario Kart?
I still want to know what the other consoles use for friend matches without friend codes. Yes, the same friend code for every game would be nice, and I would love for a lot more online Wii games to use lobbies for matches against random opponents, but what other method is there for registering friends and quickly finding out if they're online in the game with you and then quickly joining the same game?
@Rex As far as I know you set up an online identity that isn't tied to the game/system (or is at least transferable) and you can indicate what games you're available for. You go into a game-specific lobby and apparently can see people who are online and have the game, but from what I understand it also doesn't indicate if you're actually free to play.
Easy for hooking up with friends, but also makes you open to random requests to play games from total strangers that can happen whilst you're doing other things like playing different games. From what a work colleague has experienced of Xbox Live, I honestly don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.
Couldn't get into Trackmania DS though I appreciated its whole premise. I might STILL go for this though.
@Sean Aaron: that's how it works on the Playstation 3 as well, except PSN doesn't allow friend invites if they happen to be playing the same game - that's left to the games themselves. There are pop-ups during gameplay if you receive a message or if one of your friends is online, but for me it sometimes interrupts the experience. I'm kinda glad that the Wii doesn't have that - the blue indicator flashing is good enough as it doesn't interrupt the gameplay experience onscreen.
Having the console flash in my face at 1:50am in my bedroom though...not good.
interesting...not to jinx it but i hope it isnt a flop like TM:sunrise for pc
Trackmania on the Wii sounds good, but I think I'll stick with TM Nations, cuz it's free, the graphics are better (on my PC, at least), and you can host your own server online. But this one has motion control and simultanious multiplayer on the same system (Nations has you take turns on one PC) going for it, so this might be worth checking out.
that looks like a lot of fun. I probably would have loved it as a kid since I loved building lego and other stuff - I would have freaked out if I saw that track designer.
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