Originals November 29, 1999

Test Drive: Off Road - Wide Open

Posted by: kombo

It seems gamers have had to decide between 2 things a lot in recent times. Do they want an Xbox or a Gamecube? Now that they have an Xbox, they have pairs to choose from in nearly every genre. If you want a football title, you will have to choose between Madden and Fever. If you want an NHL title, you have to choose between Hitz and NHL 2002. Now, double vision has struck the racing genre, namely the off-road sub-section. Right off the Xbox launch, there have been 2 titles available; 4x4 Evolution 2, and Test Drive: Off Road - Wide Open. The first thing you will notice when playing Test Drive: Off Road - Wide Open, is that it plays, looks, and feels like an arcade game, rather than a simulation. It is a fast paced, edge of your seat racer that has traded realism for fun. The game is more spread out then 4x4 Evo 2, but does not look nearly as good. Donâ€™t get me wrong though, the game is beautiful, but isnâ€™t the best example of the Xbox Consoleâ€™s power. Gameplay This game appears to be as frustrating as 4x4 Evo 2â€™s corrupt CPU system was, at first glance, mainly because you cannot seem to beat the A.I. They are faster, they know the tracks, and they arenâ€™t afraid to slam you out of control. But if you honestly bought a racing game expecting to conquer it immediately, then you donâ€™t know this genre. After practice with choosing the spot on car, and investigating the itinerary a couple of times to tunnel out all of the shortcuts and secrets, you will begin to relax your aggravation, as you will start winning like there ainâ€™t no tomorrow. You may find it hard to flip your vehicle, because you appear to be glued to the ground. You can ride up mountains, and soar off cliffs on your side and still land on four legs. One thing I actually enjoyed, was instead of stopping on the dime when hitting things, you could bounce off them and keep going, or turn into Casper the Friendly Ghost and ride right through them. Although coughs of unrealism, it was awfully convenient. Those who have gone through entire races in 1st only to smash into the post of the checkpoint right at the end and lose will understand where Iâ€™m coming from. There are several modes of gameplay in Test Drive: Off Road - Wide Open. Career Mode, Single Races, and Stadium Mode are the main single player forms. Career Mode, much similar to games like Tony Hawkâ€™s Pro Skater 2x, allows you to play, win, and gain cash to buy new cars, or upgrade your current one to one of 4 levels. Unlike Gran Turismo type games, you do not have to worry yourself with souping up the carâ€™s engine, shocks, drivetrain, etc. Single Races allow you to choose your own race, Stadium Mode locks you in close quarters as you race around aâ€¦ you guessed itâ€¦ Stadium. The multiplayer mode of Test Drive: Off Road - Wide Open is solid, there wasnâ€™t much they had to do to make it fun; take single player, add your friends. Sounds easy, but a lot of developers have messed it up by adding, or taking away, aspects of the game in multi mode. You can either race your friends, or take them on in an innovative King of the Hill mode; stay in the circle to gain points, while your friends are also trying to do the same thingâ€¦ could get ugly. Graphics Although the graphics of Test Drive: Off Road - Wide Open are beautiful, they do not show the intensity of detail game like 4x4 evolution 2, and Project Gotham Racing have. The environments are huge, but get redundant. One thing I can say about Test Drive though, is that they have put more detail into the little man driving the car, then any other off-road title. If you can manage to sick the camera to the front of the vehicle, you will see what I mean. Even though the graphics donâ€™t show the true potential of this console, it is a very good-looking game; it will be interesting to see what they do next with this series. Sound Angel snagged some pretty top bands for their game, which include Metallica, Fear Factory, Celldwellers, UnLoco, and several others. Iâ€™ll be honest with you; I am not a big fan of heavy rock music, so I went to the options and discoveredâ€¦ There is no personal soundtrack option, so basically, you are stuck with what they have given you. The engine noises are decent, you will hear the essential Vroom, Squeal, and Crash. The environmental sound effects arenâ€™t anything special, they may even go unnoticed. Overall Donâ€™t expect a simulation when you pick up this game, you will not have to worry about souping up your car, or starting off with anything cheesy. All in All, Test Drive: Off Road - Wide Open is the better of the two Off Road titles. Itâ€™s fun arcade style - fast paced gameplay overshadows the points lost through graphic and sound issues. --Matt Durrant