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| Game: |
Test Drive - Eve of Destruction |
| Genre: |
Racing |
| Developer: |
Monster Games |
| Publisher: |
Atari |
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| Related Links: |
Coming Soon. |
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Hands On Preview:
Let's get it out in the open and be honest. The only reason anyone really watches racing is to see two or more cars slamming into each other in a spectacular crash.
Ok. So maybe there are a few people out there who actually like to see a winner, but you can't deny the appeal of seeing two vehicles smearing their Quaker State across the racetrack in a collision? Well at least I can’t.
Welcome to Test Drive: Eve of Destruction, Atari's latest foray into the racing world which aims to capture that destructive feeling in what appears to be a very fun and accessible addition to any racing fan's collection.
Our preview copy didn't reveal much more than the game play, as we couldn't determine exactly which Xbox specific features would or would not be supported. Custom soundtracks and Xbox Live support of any kind are still unknown, yet the game does boast over twenty-four different game types. Including (among the ones we were able to play) Suicide Race, Figure Eight Race, and Destruction Derby. We even saw footage of a vehicular soccer game which appeared novel and an interesting blend of styles.
The graphics were something of a mixed bag. While it was obvious nothing had been fully optimized for the mighty Xbox hardware, they were still reasonably detailed. Supporting impressive environments and what looked to be some pretty awesome crash physics, which displayed no visible signs of slowdown.
The controls felt smooth and should work for most players, but we're still unsure if there will be any button mapping features or other tweaks.
The sound was also something of a question mark (regarding soundtrack support amongst other concerns), as there wasn't much of a menu to navigate and only featured generic rock at present. The only noteworthy thing to listen to during game play was a very genuine sounding track announcer, and of course, the roar of the engines.
While Test Drive may still sound like something of a mystery, one thing is noteworthy: it was fun. Destruction Derby especially, as it pitted you against several other drivers in a free-for-all, last man standing smash-and-crash-fest. Suicide Race was also quite an experience, as you and your competitors are forced to drive against traffic.
With a plethora of different vehicles to choose from, including ambulances and school buses coupled with unlock able videos, interviews with real life destruction derby drivers, the aforementioned twenty-plus game types; Test Drive: Eve of Destruction is showing a lot of promise close to its launch. We'll have the full review when the game ships stateside August 24th.
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| Preview By: Jared Brickey |
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