The game that made me want a DS was a racing game: Mario Kart DS. While it is a fun cart and while I do consider it the best of that series, its many quirks, power-ups, and moments of computer players cheating prevent it from being a solid racecar game. Despite its fun factor, there’s no denying that its goofiness overrides any sort of realism the game has.

Enter developer Firebrand’s Trackmania DS. No, this game doesn’t strive for realism either, but it does have a lot to offer racing game enthusiasts that Mario Kart did not. For one, the other cars you race against won’t be trying to run you off the road – and even if they get close to you, don’t worry – they’re just ghosts. Trackmania DS places an absurd amount of emphasis on speed. When you fail a race, it’s because you failed to make qualifying time due to your own mistakes and not some computer player running you off the road. The other racers, when playing the single-player mode, signify the Bronze, Silver, and Gold qualifying times for the course, making them a good way of judging how well you’re doing mid-race. Trailing too far behind the Bronze car? Yeah, you might want to restart the race.

Trackmania titles are known for having insanely fast cars and outrageous stunts — via ramps, speed boosts, and even loops. Don’t let its PC origins fool you: its debut on the DS is no exception. While the game wasn’t playable to the general public at PAX, we were able to finagle our way into getting some hands-on time with the upcoming title. My first impressions plus screenshots aplenty follow…

Four things came to mind immediately after seeing the game in action:

1) “Wow. This is a DS game?”
2) “Really?”
3) “I can’t believe how fast this is!”
4) (girly giggles as I’m handed the DS)

To say the game runs smoothly is a grave understatement. Trackmania DS uses relatively simple yet nicely built polygon models for its vehicles (I only played the F1 car in the Stadium environment) and the in-action result is nothing short of astounding. Yes, the screenshots make the game look decent, but seeing it in action is really where the game impresses. The race takes place on the top screen while stats like current time, best time, and track name are found on the bottom screen.

Trackmania titles for the PC have several environments to choose from. Due to the memory limitations of the DS, these environments have been scaled down to three of the more popular ones: the aforementioned Stadium plus two others: Desert and Rally. Additionally, there’s an extensive and intuitive track editor which lets you drag and drop different track pieces onto a grid to create your own challenges. More track pieces are unlocked by playing the game, but at the offset there’s enough variety to create some pretty interesting tracks, to say the least (my first one was a straightaway with a wall in front of it, but that’s only because I placed a ramp piece backwards).

The track editor also allows you to test out your creations before saving them, and the whole process of that is awesome in itself. Rather than load up a test race scenario, the track editor’s camera zooms in (very fluidly) to the start of the track, where you can see a little tiny car. The zoom continues till the car’s close up, ready to test out the new asphalt. It’s not a huge deal, but it really adds to the feel of the game. These tracks you create can also be shared with friends via local multiplayer (the game supports four players). Having a track editor as part of the retail package is a cool extra in an age of consumers getting nickel and dimed by downloadable content, and in a way it means the game has the potential for unlimited replayability.

My hands-on time with Trackmania DS was all too limited considering the craziness that is PAX, but from the short time I spent with the game I was instantly drawn into it – and that’s not an easy thing to accomplish at a show where hundreds of games are on display. Trackmania DS will be published by Focus Home Interactive and will hit retail shelves in the UK this October. No word yet on a US release, but if anything’s import-worthy, this is.