The TrackMania series has left a mark in gaming history with multiple awards in The Guinness World Records. It's most prominent records include Largest Content Base for a Racing Game, Biggest Online Racing and Most Popular Online Racing, as well as a few others. The games have been hailed for their online gaming addictiveness, spectacular graphics, and relative originality. Unlike other racing games, players can opt to race however they wish. Restarting many times by respawning is a viable option if one is faced with difficulty. This recent installment, issued solely for the Nintendo DS, adds even more laurels to the name and honor of the series. It was launched in Europe on November 14, 2008 by Focus Home Interactive and is currently waiting to be released by Atlus in the United States, sometime in March of 2009.

It may sound weird for the average TrackMania fan to hear that this new installment has been developed by another video game company other than Nadeo, but Firebrand Games is more than capable of the task, mainly because of their experience with developing other hit racing games for the Nintendo DS. Also, Firebrand Games has trademark software called Octane Engine, used in the TrackMania DS game, which they would naturally hesitate to let another company use. Nadeo certainly doesn’t seem to mind anyway.

At the start of the game, choice of the player to pick the Solo option on the Menu reveals five levels of difficulty; Practice, Easy, Medium, Hard, and Extreme. The latter options are locked and the only way to select them is to beat the earlier levels. After selecting a difficulty, the player is again presented with three settings for the tracks; Stadium, Desert, and Rally, unlike the PC versions that had additional choices such as Island, Coast, Bay, or Snow. After selecting the settings (let’s say you choose Stadium), the player is again invited to choose around 4 stadiums that one can race in (there’s actually a fifth but you have to buy that in the game).

Yes, there is currency within the game, and it’s useful for shopping great stuff (which is in the game too) like skins for cars and blocks for building your own custom tracks (Yes, yes, you can do that too, if you don’t happen to follow the series). One finally begins to see why this game can be massively addictive.

Before the start of the race, the game gives the player the option to choose the opponent’s difficulty level. Then the fun begins. Unlike most other racing games, which, in their laborious attempts to make it seem realistic, fail completely, TrackMania completely does the opposite. The ridiculous tracks and ghost cars you compete with are so much fun to do over and over. There’s a sense of familiarity as you imagine that this must have been what the driver of your childhood toy race cars felt like when you led them through the slopes, jumps and windings of the toy tracks.

Each track in the game lasts about 20 to 30 seconds. You say; WHAT?! Now, don’t get agitated. Keep in mind, playing the Nintendo DS is not like the PC, wherein the player commits hours and hours, basically spending one’s life in front of the monitor. No, this is about quick fun. One realizes that you can still have a social life while injecting yourself with a TrackMania fix as you wait at the bus stop. Seriously, starting a game and then stopping after one race gives the gamer enough sense of achievement to socialize (parents, take note), unless one gets addicted with the customizations option, that is. The game offers Puzzles by way of editing, where the player can customize the tracks and then beat it.

All in all, TrackMania DS breathes new life to a genre that is wearing thin due to the absurd realism factors that more and more developers are obsessively focused on improving. The fun factor of racing sims is almost being neglected (emphasis on almost) by other video game companies. TrackMania DS goes back to the roots of racing games and braves the storm. It is smooth and fast (graphics wise) and the adrenaline rush is just as it should be. It is probably one of the best racing games for the DS and is heralded for carrying on the torch of the previous original quality of the TrackMania series.