|
Atari places its Test Drive brand on some good ol’ fashioned demolition derby game. Derby games are not as popular now as they once were but Atari’s Eve of Destruction is a solid attempt at bringing the genre back.
Test Drive: Eve of Destruction’s main mode is its career mode. Here, you start off as a nobody, living in a small trailer. You can drive around, and look for events in which you can race. You’ll need to complete a few races (there are twenty-five different events in the game) successfully so you can earn new cash. In addition, there are optional races you can compete in. This cash allows you to buy new cars from the game’s scrap yard or you can choose to simply upgrade or repair you car. While a good racer will be able to go a while with the same car, eventually, you’ll need to get a new one as your current one will be irreparable.
The other menu choice is Action. Here, you get right to… well action. You’ll choose your vehicle, race types (there are many which are either based on racing or smashing up other cars) and arena and off you go. EoD’s selection of vehicles is quite impressive and you’re likely to find something that fits you. Whether this is a school bus, ambulance or a muscle car is up to you.
The game allows you to play in up to four player split-screen multiplayer. Here you can vent out your anger for your comrades by smashing into them more times than should be allowed. In addition to the main derby modes, you’ll also be able to manage a giant ball around in Test Drive: EOD’s version of soccer. And you’ll be able to shoot chickens in the battle mode.
The actual racing in the game is sufficient but nothing out of the ordinary. The physics are rather forgiving when it comes to smashing into cars, as expected in a derby game where the whole point is to smash into other cars. However, smashing into a wall is out of the question and will bring you some costly damage. The handling of the cars is very arcade-like, possibly because you cars you race in aren’t that great themselves. Unfortunately, the game’s sense of speed could have been bumped up a few notches.
The controls are rather simple. You can choose to accelerate forward or reverse. You’ll also be able to brake. And lastly, there’s a shooting button for the chicken battle game.
The game’s visuals are pretty average. The car models are typical, and the numerous dirt tracks are standard for the genre. The textures are decent but nothing special and the crashes look nice but not nearly as exciting as other recent games. The game looks a little; tiny bit sharper on the Xbox but it is hardly noticeable. Unfortunately, it features a bit of slowdown when things get too hectic.
The audio is made up of the expected sound effects which primarily come from the crashes and the engines. Otherwise, an announcer broadcasts minimal messages. The soundtrack is made up of seven licensed songs, with the most notable band being Hoobastank. As is the case with having such a small amount of songs, they can get rather repetitive after extended play. Fortunately, the Xbox version allows you to use your own soundtrack.
Test Drive: Eve of Destruction is an overall solid attempt to bring the genre back to front of shelves. While there is nothing particularly wrong with it, it just doesn’t do much beyond what is expected in terms of actual gameplay. Genre fans will want to add this to their collection but racing fans in general may be better off trying before they buy. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Sep 8, 2004
|
