Though future free game offerings from PlayStation Plus may never live up to March’s Bloodborne and Ratchet and Clank, there are some decent titles coming in April. Sony has announced that Avalanche Studios’ Max Max and Ubisoft’s Trackmania Turbo will be free for PlayStation 4 owners.

As an open world action title, Mad Max allows players to travel the post-apocalyptic landscape, salvaging parts and upgrading their vehicle. Max can also wage vehicular warfare against caravans, take down outposts and complete side quests. Trackmania Turbo, on the other hand, is an arcade racer with over 200 tracks focusing on speed and stunts. There’s also a track editor which can be used to randomly generate new tracks.

Other free offerings for April include In Space We Brawl and Toy Home for PlayStation 3 with 99 Vidas coming to PlayStation Vita. Q*Bert Rebooted will also be available for Vita with cross-buy support enabling access on PS3 and PS4 as well.

Ubisoft revealed release dates for a number of its VR titles at Gamescom 2016.

Eagle Flight, which sees the player donning the role of an eagle and flying through the skies, will be releasing on October 18th for Oculus Rift. It will be out on PlayStation VR and HTC Vive on December 20th.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew, on the other hand, is releasing simultaneously for all devices on November 29th. This is the game that allows you and your friends to take on different roles aboard the USS Enterprise and combat threats together.

Another VR title Werewolves Within will be out on December 6th. TrackMania Turbo will also be receiving a patch on PS4 in the interim to allow for PlayStation VR support. That arrives on November 8th.

Which Ubisoft VR title has you most intrigued? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more information for these games in the coming months.

Ubisoft just released Trackmania Turbo, the newest entry in their long running Trackmania franchise, to rave acclaim. The game is being lapped up by fans of racing games, by fans of Trackmania, and by newcomers too- it’s just a wonderfully designed racer that instantly appeals to the player.

Unfortunately, what with this being a Ubisoft game and all, it does have some issues that can easily get in the way of the player’s enjoyment of the game. If you happen to be one of those people, you’ve come to the right place, because in this guide, we’ll help you deal with some of the most commonly reported errors with Trackmania Turbo.

First, the minimum requirements needed to run the game:

MINIMUM

• OS: Windows Vista or Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 or Windows 10
• Processor: Dual core from Intel or AMD at 2 GHz or better
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: Video card must be 512 MB or more and should be a DirectX 10 – compatible or DirectX 11 – compatible
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 5 GB available space
• Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card with latest drivers

Please be advised that the following methods are to be used at the sole discretion of the platform owner. GamingBolt or its staff members take no responsibility for problems that may arise or issues that may occur from trying the below. Always remember that official support is always the best support. 

Game Crashes:

Unfortunately, Trackmania Turbo could be crashing due to any number of reasons. We suggest the following fixes- hopefully they can resolve the issue for you somewhat:

• If you are playing the game on a laptop, make sure the game is running on the discrete, dedicated GPU, rather than the integrated one;
• Ensure all your video card drivers are updated;
• If you are playing the Steam version of the game, Verify Steam Cache for the game- this may diagnose and repair whatever problem it is that you are having.

Game Controller Not Working Properly

If you want to be able to play the game with the controller, you need to be able to remap the game’s controller. This was not something that was known at launch- however, thankfully, now that we do know how to do it, it seems to be a remarkably simple process:

• Hover your mouse to the edge of the screen in game so the red box that outlines the screen shows up. Click beyond the box.
• A dropdown menu will show up. Click the Gear icon.
• Go to Input, and rebind keys as and how you want- you can also define the input devices you are using, and select your controller, so that the game knows to recognize it.

Game Doesn’t Start

If you can’t get Trackmania Turbo to run, follow these steps:

• Right click on the game icon
• Click on Properties and go to the Compatibility tab.
• Click ‘Run As Administrator.’ Apply and close.

The game should start up just fine now.

Note: Given that the wide range of PC hardware out there, the fixes mentioned here may or may not work for you. But it’s worth giving them a shot since these have worked for players who own the PC version of Trackmania Turbo.

Before jump into analyzing the details, we wanted to talk a bit about the file size. Compared to other racing games, Trackmania Turbo is an incredibly well compressed game. All the versions are below 5GB and it’s surprising to see so much content packed in such a small size. Granted the game isn’t a visually stunning one like Project CARS or DriveClub but in no way does it look bad. Now only if other studios could take heed.

As usual, let us take a look at the PC version first. As expected Trackmania Turbo will not really push any modern gaming PCs to their absolute limits. Heck, even if you have a gaming PC hardware that is a couple of years old, you won’t face any issues running the game at 60  frames per second. We tested the game on an AMD FX 8350 CPU and Radeon R9 290 4GB GPU along with 16 GB of memory and as mentioned above, we faced no performance issues. However screen tearing was witnessed at times. This issue is also present on the console versions and we are not sure what the reason could be. It’s even more baffling on the PC build since this isn’t a technically demanding game. Fortunately, this isn’t a deal breaker as the engine corrects the screen tearing in a few moments. The PC version does not come along with a load of graphical settings. You can change the filtering quality, the amount of frames that can be processed at a time, shader quality, reflections and shadow quality. The game also provides three presets with Very Fast representing the lowest setting and Very Nice representing the highest graphical setting (dumb names to be honest). In the end if you have a decent gaming rig which isn’t over three years old, you would be easily able to max out the game.

This brings us to the console platforms. As we have previously revealed, the beta versions of the PS4 and Xbox One builds were running at 1080p and 900p respectively. The final build also renders the game at the same resolution on both consoles. This immediately gives the PS4 the advantage of better image quality. Both versions use post processing anti-aliasing solution (which closely resembles FXAA) but due to the lower operating resolution of the Xbox One build, jaggies are more relevant. Performance wise, both versions employ a 60 frames per second cap. The good news is that both versions run at that standard with minimum hiccups in between. Frames are dropped, yes, but we are most looking at a smooth performance for both versions.

Other than the resolution parameter, both versions’ core assets are like to like. Draw distance, texture quality, shadow quality and water effects are all similar across both versions. Both versions also employ the standard depth of field and motion blur, the latter is specially implemented quite well given that the game is extremely fast paced. The physics could be laughable at times…high speed crashes against track rails results in unrealistic reactions. The cars sometimes feel like the popular Hot Wheels in video games, with no realistic adherence to the laws of physics. But this is what makes Trackmania Turbo a unique game and part of the reason why it could be a lot of fun.

In the end, the PC version is clearly the winner here due to the fact that this is not a demanding game and most rigs will be able to play at its optimum performance. Furthermore, the PC version has better anisotropic filtering along with slightly better shadow and core assets quality. Between the PS4 and Xbox One versions, it’s the PS4 version that has a better image quality but really that is the only difference between the two. Opt for the PS4 version if you can but note that the Xbox One version isn’t necessarily an inferior one.

Fans of the TrackMania series are probably already familiar with this feeling- the bulk of your time playing Turbo will be spent going back to older courses, or restarting the same course over and over again, all in an effort to shave off just a few more seconds or points in a race. The slightest of drifts, the softest of turns, the smallest of jumps are integral to how well you perform in a race, and the ultra-responsive controls of TrackMania Turbo make sure that you have complete control over every inch of your vehicle’s movement.

"The slightest of drifts, the softest of turns, the smallest of jumps are integral to how well you perform in a race, and the ultra-responsive controls of TrackMania Turbo make sure that you have complete control over every inch of your vehicle’s movement."

So while it’s a boon for you as a player in that you have absolute control over your car and can rely completely on your skill, it’s also a bane, because if you get timing of a tiny drift wrong, or if you’re unable to align a jump properly, it’ll spell failure for you. And it’ll be time for you to restart the course and try again.

There are 200 levels in total in TrackMania Turbo, with the tracks being divided in groups of colours in accordance with their difficulty levels- White, Green, Blue, Red, and Black, with White being the easiest and Black being the toughest. There are four different environments- the desert-like Canyon Grand, which puts all the focus on drifting; the mountainous Valley Down and Dirty, which sees you jumping off ramps a lot; Lagoon Rollercoaster, which is all about precise handling in extreme tracks; and International Stadium, which is like your regular F1 track. All environments demand a different kind of driving style, with things like drifts, handling and jumps being affected by each of them.

There’s a wealth of content here, even if you only restrict yourself to playing just the tracks by yourself (though there’s much more to do even outside of that), and it makes for great variety when you have to alter your driving style to suit the needs of the tracks. It also helps that the track design is generally top notch (my favourites mostly feature in the Lagoon Rollercoaster environments). But this plethora of options becomes somewhat restricted due to the way the game is structured.

"There’s a wealth of content here, even if you only restrict yourself to playing just the tracks by yourself"

In previous TrackMania games, you could not tackle the Black level tracks unless you had a Gold medal in all previous tracks (which is easier said than done). Turbo takes that one step further- when you start off, you can only play the White tracks, and cannot move on to Green unless until you beat all levels in the area, and this carries forward to all the successive areas, and each of them demands better scores (medals) for further unlocks. It’s a little disappointing that you don’t get the freedom of choice to play through all the levels from the get go. To be fair, though, the game does make concessions in that if you beat a level with lower medals a number of times, you’re allowed to move forward, but it feels like a forced curb nonetheless.

Outside of the 200 levels, there’s a lot more here to keep your attention. First off, there’s the track editor, which is one of my favourite features. It’s nothing new, of course, but the flexibility in terms of how accessible it is is great. You can make anything from the simplest of levels to maddening death traps, and it can all be done with great ease. If you’re feeling too lazy and want to try a completely new track, you can tell the game to make one by itself and then test your driving skills in it. It’s probably not going to be a feature that you spend hours and hours on, but it’s a great distraction if you ever become a little exhausted with the driving side of the game.

"The real star is a mode called Double Driver, which is as insane as it is surprisingly fun."

On the local multiplayer side, developers Nadeo have included several modes, including your regular one-on-one split-screen races, but the real star is a mode called Double Driver, which is as insane as it is surprisingly fun. It puts two drivers in the same car, with each of them having exactly the same amount of control over it. So, say, if you decide to go left and your friend decides to go right, the car goes straight. It’s insane, it’s chaotic, and it’ll make you work in perfect synchronization with your co-op buddy if you want to succeed.

All of which is to say that if you’re looking for a ton of content in a well-made game, you’re not going to be disappointed with TrackMania Turbo. Its difficulty levels can be maddening at times, but they’re what make the game what it is. Incredible track design, responsive controls and a great deal of stuff to do both on the track and off it make Turbo an engaging experience, one that fans of the arcade racing genre shouldn’t miss out on.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

Yesterday, Ubisoft launched the open beta of Trackmania Turbo on the PS4 and Xbox One. This has given us a chance to take an early look at how the console versions are shaping up. Coincidentally, we also received our review codes for the game today so this article will briefly mention the technical parameters of the console versions instead of a full blown analysis like we usually do. Check back early next week for our head to head analysis between the PS4, Xbox One and PC versions.

First of all, the PS4 and Xbox One versions operate at 60 frames per second cap. Most of the times the performance is solid on both versions with minimal drops on the Xbox One versions. Furthermore our analysis on the Xbox One and PS4 versions suggests that the former is running at 900p. Sony’s console, however renders the game at a native 1080p resolution.

The situation is similar to Trials Fusion which also had the same parameters on the console versions. Coincidentally, both games target better frame rate instead of rendering more pixels in the case of Xbox One version

As usual it must be noted that this is the beta build and things can always change at launch. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for the full technical analysis of Trackmania Turbo on PS4, Xbox One and PC soon.

Ubisoft have released a new video for Trackmania Turbo showing the  multiplayer mode for the upcoming racing game. The video is geared towards showing people the things that set this time trial racing game apart from so many other driving games that are currently on the market. This title has a much bigger social aspect to its gameplay and that was made evident with the features shown off this week.

One of the biggest things that lets Trackmania Turbo stand out from the rest is that the game isn’t based on some sort of pre-existing racing league. Instead, this game seems to have a little bit of Super Mario Maker in it, considering you can actually create your own tracks and then challenge your friends to see how well they do on them. There’s also a collaborative racing mode that might be the most interesting of all the features. This mode is the one that allows two drivers for one car. This feature is supposed to have players teaming up in order to get the best lap score possible.

While the game was announced for the PC, PS4 and Xbox One way back in June of last year, fans of the title are about to have their wait end. The game is set to launch on those three platforms on March 25, 2016.

Ubisoft has announced a new Trackmania title at its recent media briefing with Trackmania Turbo, which will release on December 1st for Xbox One, PC and PS4. The game features a large campaign mode with 200 tracks spread across four environments and will encourage an “easy to learn, hard to master” style of gameplay.

Some of these tracks defy the laws of gravity as seen in Lagoon Rollercoaster which uses magnets to keep your car on a track spiraling out of control. Trackmania Turbo will also mark the introduce of co-op with Double Driver as two players work to control the same car using two controllers. A systemic music feature has also been added with the game’s music varying depending on how you play.

There will also be a Trackbuilder which allows players to create their own tracks and share them among the community. Interestingly, there will be a virtual reality version available at a later date. How will that pan out? Time will tell but meanwhile, let us know what you think of Trackmania Turbo in the comments.