Say the words
Test Drive, and most hardcore racers will raise
an eyebrow in indifference. Going back to the PS1, the
DC, and now on PS2 and Xbox, the Test Drive series has
offered a full range of games. Some were awful (TD6 on
DC), some great (TD Le Mans on DC), but most are
mediocre. So where does Test Drive for the PS2 fit in?
GAME INFO
1-2 Players
Memory Card – 87kb
Analog Control
Vibration Function
Pressure Sensitive
Rated- Teen (Mild Lyrics)
Sound Max SPX surround
GAME MODES
Here is a brief synopsis of the variety of modes
available
Quick Race. Very simple, pick from a handful of
pre-selected cars and race. This is a good place for the
new purchaser to scope out the control and style of the
game.
Single Race. Although it appears to be similar to
quick race in the beginning, much more is available
here. First off, as you go along and unlock cars, you
will be able to use them in any of the races in this
section, unlike the Quick Race which offers a handful of
pre-selected cars. A-B Linear races are longer
tracks, which have a start point and end point, with
numerous check points throughout. Circuit races
are shorter tracks that utilize actual laps (typically
3-5). The Navigation Challenge is a long linear
track, as you race through you’ll get arrow prompts as
to specifically where to go. It basically tests the
hand/eye coordination, so be quick with the brakes! The Cop
Chase is a longtime TD option that makes its return.
Here, you are the cop, and you have speeders to bust!
There will be 6 cars to “arrest”. Each car has an
arrow over it. Each arrow is depleted after three bumps
from your Police Car and then the subject is
“arrested”. Simply chase ‘em down and knock ‘em
around till they’re all “busted”! Drag Races
are self-explanatory, and not much of a challenge.
Underground. This is the meat of the gameplay,
there for I’ve dedicated and entire section to it
below.
Beyond that, the game offers your standard Two Player
racing mode, nothing new here. You can also go into the Extras
section and view statistics on the cars, track records,
and the game’s Credits.
UNDERGROUND
As stated above, this is the main attraction to this
game. Instead of the standard “just go and race”
mentality, they tried to add a bit of a storyline to the
game. While it succeeds in giving the series a fresh
approach, in the end it ends up being very much the
same, meaning progressing through a series of races to
unlock more tracks and cars.
Donald Clark is a prominent Test Driver who was
recently injured in a race. Having a lot of money tied
up in future events and unable to race, he hires Dennis
Black (you) to take his place. Each car is equipped
with linked up video monitors, which allows Black,
Clark, and the variety of other racers to talk, taunt,
and challenge each other before and after each race.
This is also how Clark provides you with the background
to the storyline and gives you your instructions for the
variety of races you’ll be competing in.
Most races require that you finish in the Top 3 to
progress, though by finishing first you’ll be able to
pick up some new cars much quicker. These races also use
both Linear and Circuit races, which vary in length and
difficulty. The Drag Races obviously require you
to win them. You’ll typically have 3-5 rounds against
other drivers. These are quite easy to win, if you get a
good start. As the game progresses you’ll have a
variety of new challenges, which go hand in hand with
the storyline. Occasionally, you’ll get challenged
straight up by another driver in a race for “pink
slips”. This is one of the ways you’ll acquire some
new hardware.
There are four cities: San Francisco, Tokyo, London, and
Monte Carlo. All are supposed to be accurate renderings
of each, as far as street layout goes. You’ll have
about 10 races in each city. They progress in difficulty
in the order listed, and all of the Tokyo races are a
night. The police are also involved in all tracks. You
have a radar meter in the top left of the screen, which
alerts you to their presence. In addition you have four
blocks, each time a pursuing cop car makes contact a
block is filled. When all four are filled, you are
pulled over and lose time. In Tokyo you are warned that
the cops are very strict. If your four blocks get filled
in these races, the race is over, so avoid ‘em!
In the later stages of the races, there will be some
twists and turns to the storyline, which I won’t ruin
here, but things definitely intensify from a difficulty
standpoint!
SAVING/LOADING
You are given the option to Save after each race, and I
recommend doing so. If you win several races and don’t
save, then lose a race, you’ll lose everything up to
the last save point, so use this option!
They did something really cool to offset the long load
times for the races. The loading screen is in fact Pong!
When the screen appears, you can play Pong against the
computer. When it’s done loading, you get a prompt to
hit the start button, but your game of Pong continues
for as long as you wish. Score is kept, and I don’t
know how many times I’ve found myself playing it
despite the fact my race is ready to roll. A great
little feature that makes you actually look forward to
the loads between races!
THE CARS
There is an excellent variety of domestic and foreign
rides, from a variety of model years. The top car in the
game is the Viper Concept GTS-R. It does
everything the best, and you’ll only acquire it if you
can finish the Underground challenge. My other favorites
are the Jaguar XJ220, Lotus Esprit V8, Viper GTS, and
Cobra 427. All of these are very well rounded,
meaning they accelerate, handle, and have high top
speeds. Others include vintage Camaro’s, Mustangs,
Chevelles, GTO’s, and a GT40. Some more modern
rides are the Corvette Z06, Mustang Cobra R SVT,
Jaguar XKR, Lotus Elise, Subaru Impreza, Nissan Skyline,
and many more. Generally an excellent selection!
GRAPHICS (8)
The graphics are very impressive. The car modeling
actually gives Gran Turismo 3 a run for the money. The
backgrounds are also nice, though not as detailed and
realistic as GT3. Reflections in the cars are
outstanding, and all of the colors are very vibrant.
Suspension effects are impressive, and little details
like the rotation of the wheels at acceleration and
puffs of smoke are all well represented. The sun effects
are about the best I’ve seen in any game, though they
are only encountered briefly on a few tracks. Aliasing
is minimal, which is nice to see on the PS2. Very nice!
SOUND (9)
The sound is great! The engine sounds are not only
accurate for each car, but they really portray a real
sense of power, especially in the V8 cars! The SPX
surround really shines through, as the sound is very
crisp and bright. Sound effects are strong throughout,
though nothing cutting edge. I choose to enjoy the
sounds of the race without music, but for those who
enjoy some tunes, there is an impressive lineup. The
tracklisting is a strong mix of Rock, Rap, and Techno,
featuring many top artists (Moby, Saliva, Ja Rule, DMX,
and more).
CONTROL/GAMEPLAY (6)
Looking for chinks in the armor? Here it is. The
actually control is quite good, basically arcade
oriented, with your standard controller layout (steer
with the stick, X for gas, Square for brake). The Gameplay
is where the trouble starts. First thing I noticed was
virtually every time you wipe out, you’ll find
yourself pointed right at a wall. Rarely can you spin
and save yourself and get right back into the flow.
Competitor cars are brutal, and at times it seems that a
couple cars are determined to take you out, while the
others drive away. On the plus side, the other traffic
doesn’t go out of its way to get you as in other
versions of the series. If a car is going straight it
will continue to do so, no kicking into your lane at the
last second to throw your car askew. Rubberband AI is
significant, however it tends to help you more than
hurt. With the brutality of your competitors, you would
have no chance at winning a lot of races if not for
this.
My biggest complaint? Slowdown! It’s very
intrusive and is littered throughout the game, in almost
every track. Some tracks are worse than others, and it
seems anything can induce it. Obviously if several cars
are racing onscreen together it’s a given, but it will
even pop up when you’re alone for reasons not apparent
to me. It almost ruins this game!
OVERALL (7)
If not for the slowdown, this would be a great, highly
recommended game. Looks good and sounds great, but in a
racing game to have the sensation of speed constantly
interrupted is very damaging. I recommend it for avid
racers, but otherwise rent it. I played the Xbox
version, which looks a bit better and has no slowdown
issues and it ROCKS! That’s what this game could have
been.
7.1
