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By Contributing Writer Jimmy Payne Rating: Average Test Drive 6 looks pretty good in screen shots, and I was almost convinced that I was going to have a blast when I played it. I was disappointed to find that it's the worst racing game I've played in a long time. It has some redeeming qualities that keep it from being completely worthless, but it's still not very fun. Test Drive 6's biggest strength is its excellent track designs. Not only are the tracks laid out logically, but they are also very detailed, and I didn't notice much pop-in at all. A lot of Test Drive 6's tracks seem to have been inspired by San Francisco Rush. They're not as insane or unbelievable as Rush's tracks, but they're still more than enough to quench my thirst for catching big air. I also like the fact that the tracks branch off, so there is more than one path to be taken each time you race. This can lead to confusion at times, but most of the time it adds some much-needed strategy to the standard gameplay formula of "Get from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible." Another thing that I like about Test Drive 6 is the cop chase mini-game. This has been done before in other racing games, but it's still good fun (and it gives you something to do besides racing around a track). The Practice Mode is also very nice. It seems pretty dull until you realize that you can pick any track and then race on it with high-quality cars that would take days or weeks to acquire in the Simulation Mode. As much as there is to like about Test Drive 6, the negatives vastly out-weigh the positives. In the Simulation Mode, you have to win races in order to save up enough money to buy newer and better cars (where have I seen that before?). This is a great idea, but it doesn't come across well in the actual game. The cars that you start out with are terrible, and there's no feeling of excitement when you're finally able to buy a new car. Gran Turismo 2 makes me think, "Wow, this new car is awesome!" when I get a new car, while Test Drive 6 makes me think, "This car sucks slightly less than the previous one." Speaking of the cars, they are downright ugly. It seems like the developers spent all of their time making the Dodge Viper look perfect, and then just threw together a bunch of other cars in a short period of time. The backsides of the cars look horribly over-sized, and there's not much proportion at all. A big Mustang is about the same size as a Boxster, which is just silly. The physics and speed are what really ruined Test Drive 6's entertainment value for me. Most cars go from 0 to 40 miles per hour in about one second, and that's in first or second gear. When you hit another car on the road, you literally fly through the air and go backward or forward a few yards. I once saw two cars hit each other head-on, and they actually bounced off each other like rubber balls and flew off the track. In addition, Test Drive 6 is too fast for its own good. The great track designs can't really be appreciated because you're going so fast, and there's not enough time to think about upcoming turns, jumps, and changing road conditions. If these things had been cleared up, especially the speed issue, I would enjoyed this game a whole lot more. If you're looking for a racing game with a killer soundtrack, Test Drive 6 is the last place on Earth you should look. From the minute you hear the opening introduction song, you're going to thank God that someone invented the mute button. The vomit-inducing lyrics include, "Here in my car, I feel safe as can be, I can lock all my doors, it's the only way in, IN CARS!" The worst part about this is that the same pathetic song accompanies you throughout the options screen and while racing. The only breather you get from it is when a sub-par techno tune takes its place, but that doesn't happen very often. Test Drive 6 has some good ideas and track designs going for it, but these things alone aren't enough to make it a good game. The cop chase mode might provide you with a weekend of decent fun, but I'd rather throw my money into a mall fountain than use it to buy Test Drive 6. Send your thoughts on this review to jimmy@mastergamer.com
© 2001 ivan@mastergamer.com