Brendan Doms

Occasionally good things do happen in this world. Sometimes a fun game just comes into your life and asks nothing in return except your time. Lots of your time.

Recently, rather than doing work of any kind, I've been playing Trackmania Nations - a free, very pretty, and fun racing game. Thankfully the physics are not realistic at all, which allows for some fun and crazy stunts. (All I want out of this game is a stunt mode a la San Francisco Rush.) The challenges are difficult but addictive. I've found myself playing for hours without ever intending to. Despite a lack of any real races against computer opponents, the game is simply fun.

And then there's the multiplayer. Get your friends to come online and have team competitions, or give yourself a window of 5 minutes to see who can complete a short course the fastest. When you're all in the same room it can get seriously intense.

Finally, as if that weren't enough, there is the pinnacle of foresight included with this package: a built in custom track editor. It's already been used by Sean to make a hugely ridiculous map for us to play on. I wish more games would do this sort of thing with a simple system. Developers, take a hint from Nadeo and include an easy to use map editor. (If you want the best example I can think of then go back to Lode Runner 2. My friends and I spent many a day making custom maps and using that engine in ways the developers never dreamed of.)

My gripes? Well, there is no real "racing," per se. There aren't really circuits or that sort of thing. And if you fall off of a long track - you're screwed. It would be nice to be able to collide with other players (making the game much more difficult, but also a lot more fun). And the medals you get on each race (the usual Bronze, Silver, Gold) don't really do anything. Still, for the price of $0, this game is definitely worth your money.

(If you want another really good free game, but one that's an FPS, then check out Hidden and Dangerous: Deluxe. I think it and its sequel are the best tactical FPS's out there.)