Test Drive
- June 12, 2002 00:00 AM PST
Test Drive takes an urban tour of underground racing.
Sometimes you just want to drive. You want to jump into your car and jam on the accelerator. That�s Test Drive.This is straight-ahead fast and furious Xbox racing that doesn�t offer a lot of frills but instead enables you to smash machinery and tear up scenery. You can drive 20 cars including sports jobs like the Lotus Elise and the Jaguar XK-R, or American muscle cars like the Chevy Camaro Z28 or the good ol' Pontiac G.T.O. The four target cities are San Francisco, Tokyo, London, and Monte Carlo.
There are three gameplay modes. In two, you basically race to unlock cars. In story mode, you play a sort of renegade driver who�s racing for cash. It still gets down to being first to the finish line, but there�s some lively trash talk among the competitors.
Fender-Bending Physics
If there�s one thing Test Drive�s got going for it, it�s an adrenaline rush. This baby motors. The cars have shine even if they could use a little more polish. But you won�t be looking for luster as you�re crash-banging your way through insane six-car races. The controls are simple, but they do a commendable job of keeping you on the urban streets and picturesque highways. The otherwise bulky Xbox controller actually feels alright when you�re using the L and R triggers to brake and accelerate. The backgrounds do a nice job of mimicking actual city streets as you�re flying by. GamePro can vouch for the San Francisco run, anyway (shades of Bullitt).
The sounds get a lot of mileage from guest appearances by name acts like Ja Rule, Moby, DMX, and Saliva. But you can always rip your fav CD, too. The effects sound like a car, and that�s about it.
Go for a Drive
Sure, Test Drive�s got rough edges. You slam into the world�s hardest hedges, for example, and maybe the controls are too simple. This is just your average racer, but you tend to overlook the weak spots when you�re redlining your tachometer and sailing 2000 pounds of metal through the air.
