Game: Test Drive II: The Duel
Console: Sega Mega Drive
Developer: Distinctive Software
Release Date: 1992
The concept of Test Drive games, at least at this point in gaming history was fairly unique; players choose from 3 cars which differ slightly in top speed and acceleration, and then race either another car or the clock through 3 sets of 5 stages set throughout America, whilst avoiding crashes which lose them a life. The cars have semi realistic handling, similar to that of Hard Drivin' and other early first person driving games, but overall the feel is far more enjoyable than that of other contemporary simulation style titles.
The three cars players can choose from are a Porsche 959, a Ferrari F40 and a Lamborghini Diablo. While there's not a noticeable handling difference between the three cars, their interiors are lovingly modelled for players to observe whilst driving. On their way through stages players will encounter the police, who can be slowed down for to avoid pursuit and possible arrest or players can chance their luck with outrunning them. For the most part the police aren't too much of a problem, but if players happen to accidentally overshoot or miss the gas station at the end of each stage, there's a 20 second penalty and it's far easier than it sounds to be penalised with one of these.
Graphically the game looks pretty good for its time of release, especially the car interiors. The terrain and tracks are generally good although there's times when it's a little difficult to tell what's the edge of a cliff and what isn't. Soundwise there's a choice of three tracks to accompany gameplay, as well as the engine sounds and other sound effects, and these are fairly entertaining on the whole.
Overall Test Drive II: The Duel is an interesting driving game for the Mega Drive in that it isn't in the style out Outrun, and it doesn't utilize a top down view, instead going for the first person almost simulation feel. While the challenge level and driving aren't perfect (often players are presented with impossible overtaking challenges as both lanes are blocked whilst attempting a pass), there's some enjoyment to be had with the game, and it's just a shame there's no 2 player option.
Rating: 64/100
Grade: C
Game: Test Drive 4
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: Pitbull Syndicate
Release Date: 30th September 1997
Moving away from the forumla of Test Drive II a little, Test Drive 4 featured a more simcade handling style, with a choice of 10 cars and 4 cups to compete in against 5 AI opponents. Police are still a factor in the game, though they are rarely able to catch up to players, unless there's already been a crash up ahead. Petrol stations no longer feature in the series as players are allowed to continue to the end of races without filling up.
The biggest difference between the games is the handling of the cars; in Test Drive II, cars stuck to the road ahead and it was possible to weave in and out of oncoming cars, but in Test Drive 4 players are given the choice of either controlling acceleration with the X and Square buttons (my preference) and turning with the d-pad, or controlling acceleration with the right analog stick and turning with the left analog stick (my preference). There's no option to use the X and Square buttons in conjunction with the left analog stick, and this is a major factor in the game's poor handling.
Steering with the d-pad gives an on/off approach to turning; holding down any longer than a second or two will cause the player to spin out and crash, requiring players to pepper the d-pad around turns. Steering with the left analog stick is better, as players can input smaller turning instructions and adjust their direction in a more minute fashion, but accelerating with the right analog stick is very frustrating as it's harder to switch between braking and acceleration, which can lead to crashes and spinning out from going too fast around corners. Whichever control style you pick, you have a disadvantage.
The racing action is interesting as each car has its own strengths; picking a car with high top speed on a long and straight track will give a huge advantage, but on a later track with many turns, it can be a nightmare. With many different tracks in each cup, there's no way to pick something that'll excel in all areas. Unfortunately though there's no real variety in terms of the gameplay modes as there's only the 4 cups, drag racing and a single race option available.
Graphically the game looks blocky and undetailed; the cars and environments all seem to lack attention to detail and even though this is common in original Playstation racing games, there's no excuse when you're offering just 10 cars to choose from. Musically the soundtrack is fairly boring electronic stuff that never really gets going or fits the racing.
Overall Test Drive 4 is a bit of a disappointment as by 1997 there were already 3 Ridge Racer games for the arcade crowd, and Gran Turismo for those into Simulation. Even as an inbetween this is pretty disappointing and there were many other Playstation titles that were better in that field of racing.
Rating: 44/100
Grade: E
Game: Test Drive
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: Pitbull Syndicate
Release Date: 31st October 1999
After such a poor effort with Test Drive 4, I'm assuming that Pitbull Syndicate really pulled it together in the following years as Test Drive 6 manages to impress from the start. There's an opening video featuring Gary Numan, after which players can begin a proper career mode, choosing a car to buy from a plentiful selection and then racing it in tournaments against the AI to earn cash and move up a performance class, buy another car and do it all again.
The driving is far more arcade style than in previous games, with cars sticking to the road for the most part and the brakes only needing to be used around the tightest of corners. This makes the racing far more action packed, and takes the focus off driving perfectly. There's a mixture of track circuits and road circuits with traffic on, both of which are done nicely, especially the road circuits for London and Paris.
In addition to the career mode there are time trial challenges for 6 of the city circuits, and a police mode where players must catch up to and stop other racers in order to earn money. Overall these modes come together nicely to form an exciting arcade racing experience. While the AI can be tough to beat due to rubber banding, they provide close finishes and nail biting action throughout races, even if sometimes the action is a little crash-heavy.
My only real complaint of the racing featured in the game is that traffic cars coming in the opposite direction tend to swerve out of the way (which is completely believable of course), in random directions and sometimes for no reason, leaving players at a disadvantage having tried to avoid whatever's coming their way.
Graphically the game is pretty nice for the late PS1 era, it doesn't push the console to its limits, but there's no trouble with recognising hazards, other cars or what's going on in general. The soundtrack is mainly electronic music, which is bearable, but there's also a Gary Numan track on there too which is fun to race to.
Overall Test Drive 6 is by far the best game in the series that I've played. There's a wealth of cars of different performance levels, a fun career mode with a nice gradual progression of difficulty, many nicely designed tracks that lead players through the landmarks of different cities, and a fun police chase mode to top it all off. If I had to sum this up in a phrase it'd be a PS1 arcade racing fun fest.
Rating: 81/100
Grade: B
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