Test Drive
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2014) |
Test Drive | |
---|---|
Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch | |
First release | Test Drive 1987 |
Latest release | Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends July 3, 2012 |
Test Drive is a series of
Gameplay
In Test Drive, the player typically uses one of several exotic performance cars to race to a finish line against opponents or in a time limit, while avoiding traffic and police.[1]
Unlimited series
Test Drive Unlimited includes an open world environment and allows for the purchase of houses, cars and character customisation.
History
Early titles (1987–1991)
In 1987, Accolade published Test Drive as a computer game worldwide, while Electronic Arts released the game in the United Kingdom. The quality of the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and DOS ports differ from each other.[2][3] The Amiga version's detailed visuals and audio realistically depicted the game's racing theme,[2] while its Atari ST counterpart used simplified graphics and sound effects. The Commodore 64 and DOS ports were of similar quality to the Amiga version. The gameplay was kept intact for all platforms.[4]
Test Drive was a commercial success, with sales having surpassed 250,000 copies by November 1989.
Test Drive spawned several sequels and spin-offs. Distinctive Software developed its 1989 sequel,
Revival series (1997–2004)
After a few years of the franchise being in dormancy, In 1997 Accolade reinvented the franchise with brand new titles. The first of these was
In 1998, Pitbull Syndicate developed two further Test Drive titles, Test Drive 4X4 (also known as Test Drive Off-Road 2), a sequel to the Test Drive: Off-Road spinoff, and Test Drive 5; both games were the two last entries in the series to be published by Accolade.[12][13]
In April 1999, Accolade was acquired by French video game company
In 2000, due to copyright problems between Infogrames North America and Infogrames Multimedia over the Test Drive trademark, Cryo Interactive picked up publishing rights to Test Drive 6 in Europe for a May 2000 release,[19] while Infogrames Multimedia released Test Drive Off-Road 3 under the name of 4x4 World Trophy in April 2000. Around this time, Infogrames North America released Le Mans 24 Hours and the Dreamcast version of V-Rally 2 under the localised names of Test Drive Le Mans and Test Drive V-Rally respectively. A Nintendo 64 localisation of Michelin Rally Masters: Race of Champions known as Test Drive Rally was also planned, but this was cancelled in February 2000.[20] Fellow Game Boy Color titles included Test Drive Cycles and Test Drive 2001, an update to the GBC version of Test Drive 6.
In November 2001, the last entry in the Off-Road subseries -
In May 2002, Infogrames released TD Overdrive: The Brotherhood of Speed (released as Test Drive in North America), the last entry in the series to be developed by Pitbull Syndicate[21] and the first one to feature a storyline.
The next game in the series, Test Drive: Eve of Destruction, was developed by Monster Games in 2003, and was released in 2004. The game was released in Europe under the name of Driven to Destruction.[22]
Unlimited series (2006–present)
Test Drive Unlimited, developed by Eden Games and released in 2006 and 2007, features an open world modeled after the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Its sequel Test Drive Unlimited 2 was released in 2011 and includes both Oahu and the Spanish island of Ibiza. Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends was developed by Slightly Mad Studios and published by Rombax Games under license from Atari, in celebration of the 65th anniversary of Italian sports car manufacturer Ferrari, featuring Formula One, sports cars, and rally cars.
In 2016, French publisher Bigben Interactive (later renamed Nacon) acquired the Test Drive intellectual property from Atari, with plans to revive the franchise.[23] In 2018, Bigben acquired French racing game developer Kylotonn, with Roman Vincent, president of Kylotonn suggesting they were working on the next installment of Test Drive.[24]
In April 2020, Nacon filed a trade mark to the Intellectual Property Office for Test Drive Solar Crown,[25][26] the last two words referring to the Solar Crown in-universe racing competition series featured in Test Drive Unlimited 2. The full title of the next game in the series is Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown.[27][26][28] The Kylotonn-developed game will feature a 1:1 recreation of Hong Kong Island.[28]
Games
Year | Title | Developer | Publisher | Platforms | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | Test Drive | Distinctive Software | Accolade | Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Apple II, PC-98 | Apple II and PC-98 ports were released in 1988 and 1989, respectively. |
1989 | The Duel: Test Drive II | Distinctive Software | Accolade | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple IIGS, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, Sega Genesis, SNES | Sega Genesis and SNES ports were released in 1992 |
1990 | Test Drive III: The Passion | Accolade | Accolade | MS-DOS | |
1997 | Test Drive: Off-Road | Elite Systems | Accolade, Eidos Interactive | MS-DOS, PlayStation | |
1997 | Test Drive 4 | Pitbull Syndicate
|
Accolade | PlayStation, Microsoft Windows | |
1998 | Test Drive 5 | Pitbull Syndicate
|
Accolade | PlayStation, Microsoft Windows | |
1998 | Test Drive 4X4 | Pitbull Syndicate
|
Accolade, Electronic Arts | PlayStation, Microsoft Windows | Titled Test Drive Off-Road 2 in North America. |
1999 | Test Drive 6 | Pitbull Syndicate | Infogrames North America
Cryo Interactive |
PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Dreamcast | Published by Cryo Interactive in PAL regions. Dreamcast version was not released in Europe |
Xantera | Game Boy Color | ||||
1999 | Test Drive: Off-Road 3 | Infogrames North America
|
Infogrames Multimedia
|
Microsoft Windows, PlayStation | Titled 4X4 World Trophy in PAL regions. |
Xantera | Game Boy Color | ||||
2000 | Test Drive Le Mans | Eutechnyx | Infogrames
|
PlayStation, Microsoft Windows | North American localisation of Le Mans 24 Hours |
Velez & Dubail | Game Boy Color | ||||
2000 | Test Drive V-Rally | Eden Studios | Infogrames
|
Dreamcast | North American localisation of V-Rally 2: Expert Edition. |
2000 | Test Drive Le Mans | Infogrames Melbourne House
|
Infogrames
|
Dreamcast | North American localisation of the Dreamcast version of Le Mans 24 Hours. The later-released PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows versions were released under the original game name |
2000 | Michelin Rally Masters: Race of Champions | Digital Illusions CE
|
Infogrames
|
Microsoft Windows, PlayStation | A Nintendo 64 port was in development under the title Test Drive Rally but was canceled.[29] |
2000 | Test Drive Cycles | Xantera | Infogrames
|
Game Boy Color | A Windows, PlayStation and Dreamcast version was developed but was cancelled in June 2000. |
2000 | Test Drive 2001 | Xantera | Infogrames
|
Game Boy Color | Updated version of the Game Boy Color version of Test Drive 6. |
2001 | Test Drive: Off-Road Wide Open | Angel Studios | Infogrames
|
PlayStation 2, Xbox | Titled Off-Road Wide Open in PAL regions. |
2002 | TD Overdrive: The Brotherhood of Speed | Pitbull Syndicate
|
Infogrames
|
PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows | Titled simply Test Drive in North America. |
2004 | Test Drive: Eve of Destruction | Monster Games | Atari Interactive | Xbox, PlayStation 2 | Titled Driven to Destruction in PAL regions. |
2006 | Test Drive Unlimited | Eden Games | Atari | Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows | |
Atari Melbourne House
|
PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable | ||||
2011 | Test Drive Unlimited 2 | Eden Games | Atari | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
2012 | Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends | Slightly Mad Studios | Rombax Games | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows | |
2024 | Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown | KT Racing | Nacon | Microsoft Windows,[30] Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5,[31]Xbox Series X/S |
References
- ^ "Finals". Next Generation. No. 37. Imagine Media. January 1998. pp. 154–155.
- ^ a b c Tucker, Troy (February 1988). "Test Drive". Compute!. p. 50. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
- ^ "CVG Magazine Issue 076". February 1988.
- ^ "The Games Machine Magazine Issue 04".
- ^ Staff (November 1989). "Chart-Busters; SPA Platinum". Game Players (5): 112.
- ^ "Christmas Buyers Guide: Test Drive". Computer Gaming World. November 1987. p. 20.
- ^ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (April 1988). "The Role of Computers: Test Drive". Dragon. No. 132. pp. 80–85.
- ^ Dannenberg, Ross (May 30, 2005). "Case: Accolade v. Distinctive (N.D.Cal. 1990) [C]". Patent Arcade. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ Wilson, David M. (April 1991). "A Passionate Tryst with Speed". Computer Gaming World. p. 51. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- All Media Network. Archived from the originalon November 15, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ "Pitbull". www.pitbull.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2002. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- All Media Network. Archived from the originalon November 15, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
- All Media Network. Archived from the originalon November 14, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ IGN Staff (April 19, 1999). "Infogrames Takes Accolade". ign.com. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ Mullen, Micheal (April 27, 2000). "Infogrames Buys Accolade". gamespot.com. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ IGN Staff (May 10, 1999). "Accolade's Barnett to Head Infogrames US". ign.com. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ Mosquera, Fernando "Lagi" (November 24, 1999). "REVIEW for Test Drive 6 (DC)". GameFan. Shinno Media. Archived from the original on January 26, 2000. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ Gantayat, Anoop (May 11, 2000). "E32000: Infogrames Halts Test Drive Cycles". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
- ^ Bye, John "Gestalt" (2 February 2000). "Cryo to publish Test Drive 6". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- ^ IGN Staff (4 February 2000). "A Late Rally Has Been Held Off".
- CraveOnline. Archivedfrom the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- ^ Kato, Matthew (October 2004). "Test Drive: Eve of Destruction". Game Informer. No. 138. GameStop. p. 123. Archived from the original on January 8, 2006. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
- ^ Parfitt, Ben (December 15, 2016). "Bigben has acquired the Test Drive brand". MCVUK.com. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ Leonard, Michael (October 18, 2018). "Kylotonn Games Working on the Next Test Drive Unlimited?".
- ^ "Trade mark number EU018224192: TEST DRIVE SOLAR CROWN". Intellectual Property Office. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ a b Bodnarescu, Florin (July 3, 2020). "Test Drive Solar Crown teased, reveal happening on July 7 during Nacon Connect". Neowin. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ a b Robinson, Martin (July 7, 2020). "Kylotonn's new Test Drive Unlimited officially unveiled". Eurogamer. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ IGN Staff (February 4, 2000). "A Late Rally Has Been Held Off".
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown - Head to Head". YouTube.
- ^ Julians, Joe (October 7, 2020). "Full PS5 games list – what you can play and what to pre-order now". Radio Times. Retrieved October 17, 2020.