Software:TrackMania (2003 video game)

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Short description: 2003 racing video game
TrackMania
Developer(s)Ubisoft Nadeo
Publisher(s)Digital Jesters (United Kingdom ), Focus (France ), Enlight (United States ), Buka (CIS)
Composer(s)Henri-Pierre Pellegrin
SeriesTrackMania
Platform(s)Windows
Release
  • FRA: November 21, 2003
  • UK: November 28, 2003
  • NA: June 24, 2004[1]
Genre(s)Racing, puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

TrackMania is a racing video game developed by Ubisoft Nadeo and published by Focus Home Interactive. It is the first game in the TrackMania series.

Gameplay

TrackMania includes some pre-constructed tracks that players can race on to unlock "coppers", the in-game currency. These can be used to buy different building blocks, usually called "blocks", for their track, including regular roads, checkpoints, long bends, loop-the-loops, and jumps, which all snap to a grid automatically. Regular roads can be dragged to create straight sections as well as 90 degree corners. Most other blocks are automatically connected by placing them next to each other. There are three environments to choose from: Rally (Countryside), Snow (Alpine), and Desert (Speed), each of which offers a unique car and handling characteristics. There are also three modes: Race, Puzzle, and Survival, each of which features an equal number of tracks for each environment. The "Survival" mode does not appear in the later games, though Platform bears some slight similarities in map styles.

TrackMania has three styles of cars, rally super minis (similar to a Renault 5 Turbo), alpine 4x4s (similar to a Suzuki Jimny), and speed muscle cars (similar to a Ford Escort). Each has numerous skins making a total of 87 different looking cars available. Using the built-in car painter or an external graphics editor, players can create their own skins, or modify the originals.

The game features a multiplayer option, which allows players to compete via hotseat or a LAN, and over the Internet while players may upload their created tracks or skins to the game's website for use by other players.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic74/100[2]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGMStarStarStarStar[3]
CGWStarStarHalf star[4]
Edge7/10[5]
Eurogamer8/10[6]
GameSpot8/10[7]
GameSpyStarStarStar[8]
GameZone7.9/10[9]
IGN5.9/10[10]
PC Format81%[11]
PC Gamer (US)72%[12]

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2] Alex Navarro of GameSpot called the game "completely worth it if you have any interest in PC driving games or ever liked miniature cars as a kid." Saying that "the driving mechanics aren't perfect, and it isn't much to look at," he nevertheless called it "a great game with plenty of depth and lasting appeal."[7] Scott Osborne of GameSpy called the races "fast-paced and reasonably fun," but also said that "they're often too easy and always much too short," criticizing the brevity of the game's single-player and puzzle mode.[8] Tom McNamara of IGN said that "the game looks pretty good," but that it was "not fun to play so much as being fun to play around with," ultimately calling it "a temporary diversion" that "just can't compete with the big boys."[10]

GameSpot described the game as the best computer game of July 2004.[13] The game was also a runner-up for the site's "Most Surprisingly Good Game" award, which went to The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.[14]

TrackMania Original

TrackMania Original is an October 12, 2005 re-release of TrackMania that runs on the TrackMania Sunrise graphics engine. It features over 10 new block types, from PowerUp! and SpeedUp! (unreleased) patches, as well as some functionality from Sunrise such as ad-panels and MediaTracker effects. This version also allows the player to import 3D models for the cars, which can also be skinned. It was released free of charge for owners of TrackMania, in the form of a patch/expansion pack, and made available in store as a cheap collector's edition containing bonus features.

References

  1. ↑ Castro, Juan (June 24, 2004). "TrackMania Ships". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/06/24/trackmania-ships. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "TrackMania (2003) for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/trackmania-2003/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  3. ↑ "Review: TrackMania". Computer Games Magazine (theGlobe.com) (167): 83. October 2004. 
  4. ↑ Scott, Ryan (October 2004). "TrackMania". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (243): 81. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_243.pdf. Retrieved January 12, 2021. 
  5. ↑ Edge staff (February 2004). "TrackMania". Edge (Future Publishing) (133): 110. https://archive.org/details/edgeuk133/page/n95/mode/2up. Retrieved January 12, 2021. 
  6. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (November 19, 2003). "TrackMania". Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_trackmania_pc. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Navarro, Alex (July 2, 2004). "TrackMania Review [date mislabeled as "August 10, 2004""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/trackmania-review/1900-6101887/. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Osborne, Scott (July 13, 2004). "GameSpy: TrackMania". IGN Entertainment. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/trackmania/530025p1.html. 
  9. ↑ Aecinet (July 13, 2004). "TrackMania - PC - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/trackmania_pc_review/. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 McNamara, Tom (July 2, 2004). "TrackMania Review". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/07/02/trackmania-review. Retrieved January 12, 2021. 
  11. ↑ McGregor, Andy (January 2004). "Trackmania [sic"]. PC Format (Future Publishing) (157). http://www.pcformat.co.uk/reviews/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=28514&subsectionid=680. Retrieved January 12, 2021. 
  12. ↑ "TrackMania". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 11 (9): 70. September 2004. 
  13. ↑ GameSpot staff (August 10, 2004). "GameSpot's Month in Review for July 2004". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamespots-month-in-review-for-july-2004/1100-6104571/. 
  14. ↑ GameSpot staff (January 5, 2005). "Best and Worst of 2004 (Most Surprisingly Good Game Nominees)". CNET. http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/bestof2004/day2f_3.html. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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