- 5 Modern Super Cars: Jaguar XJ 220, Dodge Viper GTS, Chevrolet Corvette, TVR Cerbera and the Nissan.
Product description
-------------------
Test Drive 4 is more than a spin around the block. It's a race
in some of the hottest production cars from around the world.
Choose from today's high technology wonders or from yesterday's
powerful American muscle cars. It's Beauty versus the Beast. Test
Drive 4 takes you to international locations to race down country
roads and through city streets. You'll see the picturesque town
of Keswick in Englan's beautiful Lake District. You'll wind
through the streets of San Francisco including the Golden Gate
Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf. Blast down Pennsylvania Avenue in
Washington, D.C. Back in Europe, head for the Swiss-Italian Alps
and catch a glimpse of Bern and wind your way through the
majestic ains. Wrap up your world tour in Kyoto, Japan with
its startling mix of old and new.
Review
------
When I was thirteen, my favorite game was Test Drive II for the
Amiga. I don't know what made it so much fun, the variety of
extensive cars to drive or the exotic locales that I got to race
through at fast speeds. At the time, the concept was new, and
Test Drive set the standard for other driving games to follow. I
spent many weeks playing that game, and needless to say, the Test
Drive series has always had a special place in my heart.
Therefore, I was quite excited to pop Test Drive 4 in my
PlayStation and revisit the series that I hadn't seen in so long.
Sadly though, it's not as much fun as I remember it being. I've
played many driving games in the past eight years, and I have
liked most of them. Test Drive 4 made me realize something
though, and it finally hit me: I don't have the same sense of awe
when playing driving games now. Why? Because I have a driver's
license and my driving experiences take place outside of the
home.
Everything I remember about the old Test Drive game is here. Test
Drive 4 features five super cars, (the Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge
Viper GTS, Nissan 300ZX, Jaguar XJ 220, and TVR Cerbera), five
muscle cars (the Shelby Cobra 427, '71 Plymouth Hemi Cuda, '69
Chevrolet Corvette 427, '69 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and '70
Cheverolet Corvette SS 454), and five tracks (San Francisco;
Bern, Switzerland; Keswick, England; Washington D.C.; and Kyoto
City, Japan). The game also has multiple gameplay modes, which
include circuit racing, multiplayer tournaments, two-player
racing (including a link mode), and a drag strip race, and all of
the nuances of the Test Drive series are here, from oncoming
traffic to highway patrol.
The graphics in Test Drive 4 look good and easily compete with
the other driving games out there; the 3D animation is smooth and
there is a minimum a of pop-up. The game's seven
perspectives are enough to hold you over during the gameplay, and
the game also offers a replay of your past race. Hands down, this
game looks good enough; it just seems to lack in other areas.
Test Drive 4 feels like driving your car while on medication -
you know how to control the vehicle, but for some inexplicable
reason you can't. It's not that the play control sucks, rather
you will have trouble controlling your vehicle at high speeds,
and, every once in a while, you will spin out and stop
completely. This is the most annoying thing that happens during
the game, and every time it does happen the action comes to a
standstill. Each course is also full of twists and turns, meaning
that you rarely get to reach your vehicle's maximum speed.
The cars in Test Drive 4 offer a good a of variety for
driving fans. Each car controls differently, but the diversity is
pretty superficial. It's good that Accolade gives players a
choice, but I for one don't get too excited about driving a
Jaguar, let alone a Dodge Viper. I mean, come on, it's a video
game - getting excited about driving a particular car in a game
is about as sad as remarking that Chun-Li is hot. The five
courses presented are fun though and provide a good variety of
racing terrain. However, these tracks are rather short compared
with some of the other racing games out there and don't contain
the depth that other games do (for the best comparison, compare
any track in San Francisco Rush with the San Francisco track in
this game). The music is also lackluster, failing to build any
sort of excitement and perhaps proving once and for all that
European-sounding techno is played out.
With so much competition out there, it's hard for this game to
rise above the rest. Most games of this type are virtually the
same, and it's amazing to see the genre so crowded with
look-alike titles (but then again, how much variance can driving
games have?). Surprisingly, the game's most unique feature is its
drag race mode, which allows you to step on the in a mad dash
to the finish line against another gamer. That aside though, this
game fails where other Test Drive games have succeeded - instead
of leading, it feels like it is merely one of the pack. --Glenn
Rubenstein
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