How is not including touch steering a bold move? Most racing game on the DS don't use it, it's just not too convenient. Actually pretty much the only game I can think of now that has it is Ridge Racer DS.

Anyway can't wait for the game, shame it doesn't include online track sharing.

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I can see why people might expect Trackmania DS to use the stylus - it's the closest to an analogue controller possible on the system, and Trackmania is a game which requires some very precise and subtle steering to master.

That said, the entirety of the time I've played Trackmania has been using a PC keyboard, and it definitely works well enough.

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I'm actually glad it doesn't use the stylus. Just because the DS has a touchscreem, doesn't mean it needs to be flogged to death by every game.

However I am dissapointed that they missed out on a massive opportunity with the multiplayer. No online play and only 4 players locally? Come on, from memory even Mario Kart DS supported 8, both online and local!

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Touch-screen "free draw" track making? Like the awful "Wish Mode" in Diddy Kong Racing? It's a good thing you can actually go deeper with designing.

Race Driver: Create and Race also had a very nice track-making mode, and even had online play. I can't wait for GRID to come out next month; I'm hoping it will be much better than the first Race Driver.

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Well, I have to say that Trackmania has to be one of my favourite racers, along with Mariokart and the Need for Speed games (apart from ProStreet, that's rubbish)
So whats all this about touch screen controls? Sounds idiotic to me. You can't perform death-defying stunts and outrageous drifts with a pen. You need some old-fashioned buttons, and some quick fingers.
In my opinion, the less realistic racers are, the more fun they are. I mean, what would you rather do: Spend hours perfecting your braking round corners on Project Gotham? Or tear the packaging off Trackmania and start to drive off some rooftops on to suspension bridges?
Or dig out Need for Speed 3 and have a laugh at the awful physics while smashing your way through a roadblock?
The real world is not a very nice place, and the more real games get, the less fun they are.
Anyway, the touch screen is better suited to the editor, where you can pick and place blocks simply by dragging them onto the field (I bet you anything that the D-pad will be for moving the blocks up/down/rotation)
I wonder what classes of car you can choose? Apparently the Nations class is back from the PC version. Will they include any of the types from Sunrise? That's my favourite version at the moment, but with the release of TM DS, I think that might shift a little.
So yea: Detached from reality, ridiculously fast and insanely awesome. That's Trackmania alright.
I heard it's coming out December 31st 2008. Dam.
Another problem is multiplayer. Come on guys, 4 players locally? And no Wi-Fi to speak of yet. They have to fix that.
However, it doesn't matter to me. Multiplayer or not, this is one game I am NOT missing out on.

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