Test Drive: Eve of Destruction Xbox Review

Title: Test Drive: Eve of Destruction .............................................. Publisher: Atari .............................................. Developer: Monster Games .............................................. Release: 8/24/2004 .............................................. Xbox Live: No .............................................. ESBR: Teen ..............................................

Everything about Test Drive: Eve of Destruction is dirty. The cars are dirty, the tracks are full of dirt, the racing is dirty, and the crashes are just outright nasty. Maybe it is time to give up the tricked out Skylines and Ferraris for something a little different. Atari takes a different approach to the racing genre with the newest Test Drive game. Test Drive: Eve of Destruction is more of a destruction derby then a high speed street race. The cars are complete junk and the object of the game is to complete the missions while crashing as many other cars as possible. This is defiantly a very different type of racing game and it is nice to see something besides street racing and cars with neon, huge spoilers, and nitrous in a racing game.

Gameplay

The main part of the game takes place in the Career Mode. This mode is pretty much similar to most other games that have the career mode integrated into the game. In the career mode there is a number of things you can do to get money, new cars, and even upgrades and respect points. Test Drive: Eve Of Destruction also has a rank system that lets you know basically how much of the game you have completed. Once you achieve the highest rank you have beaten the career mode.

Once you start the game you will find that you will frequently have to use your map to get to places. You have the option to drive to most of them; however it is much easier to just hop to the location using the map. Once you have selected a location you will automatically be transported there. There are many areas on the map that you are able to go to, on of them being your garage, where you can upgrade, repair, and even paint your car. The salvage yard is where you can buy or trade cars for new and better ones. You will have to travel out of town in order to take place in the main events, or eves. There are also a number of places you can go to race against an opponent or against the clock for money or respect points.

The main part of the career mode is the eves you can play in. Each eve consists of a number of events that you must compete in. If at the end of the events you average first place in the eve you will be awarded the maximum prize for the eve, as well as get to see your car in the winners circle! As you progress through the game the amount of money won in each eve will increase allowing you to buy better cars or upgrade your current ones.

The number of different events is what really makes the game enjoyable. There are a total of twenty five crazy events you can compete in. The game includes the normal things you would think of such as destruction derby and figure eight races but there are also a large number of events that will most likely be new to everyone. For instance, one of the events called Red Rover is very similar to the actual game Red Rover. Other events will have you pulling other cars, spinning around poles, going against oncoming traffic, and even have you trying to run a hearse off the road.

There is a large variety of cars to choose from and they are all unique. None of the cars look exactly the same or drive too similar to each other. There are a total of thirty cars which range from normal junk cars, to old buses, to hearses, and even ambulances. The cars are ranked on three factors, their speed, handling, and durability. A good skill to use is to buy multiple cars and use different cars in each event for their specialties. For example in a destruction derby you will want a more durable car however the handling is not important. Mainly because you don't really car what you hit as long as you hit something and your car does not take much damage.

Another great part of the game is the four player multiplayer mode. In this mode you can play, with other people on your Xbox, any event in the game you wish any amount of times you want. The single player mode is fun but it is really funny to play against people you can laugh. Another plus is that you are actually playing with a live human instead of a computer that is programmed how to play the game. On the down side this game does not support Xbox Live so you are only limited to whoever you can drag onto your Xbox controller.

Graphics

Test Drive: Eve of Destruction doesn't really show what the Xbox is really capable of. The graphics although not great are good enough to still enjoy the actual gameplay of the game. The best aspect of the graphics is defiantly the detail in the damage of the cars. The detail in the environment is not great either but the environment does go well with the game. You can see things such as passing traffic on other roads while in a race which is probably the neatest part of the environment .

The detail and graphics of the cars are just about as junky as the cars but the detail in the wreckage of them is quite outstanding. If you slide into a wall you will see some metal fly up from the side of impact as well as damage to your car. If you get a little too crazy in some of the events you will even be able to see things such as car doors flying off as well as other parts of your car. Soon your car will become very beaten up and bare do to loss parts. At this point you can even see the driver and the engine which is pretty neat even though your car is almost completely totaled.

The tracks in which you will race have a number of objects such as bails of hay, tires, and road signs you are able to interact with. If you happen to veer of the main road you may hit a number of these objects that will actual slow down your cars speed. The objects that you hit are also not screwed into the ground as such objects seem to be in most other games. So if you hit a bail of hay or a stack of tires you will see it bounce around a little and if you don't get it away from the front of your car it will continue to slow you down.

Audio

The audio is very similar to the graphics of the game. It contributes to the gameplay very little but is enough to make the game enjoyable. There are only a few sound tracks that are played in the game. After you start to hear the same songs over and over again it gets to be pretty dull. However if you don't enjoy the music included in the game at least you have to choice to use your own soundtracks on your Xbox. Test Drive: Eve Of Destruction takes advantage of the fact that with the Xbox you can store a large amount of music on your Xbox and allows you to play these songs in the game.

Besides the soundtrack of the game the there is a very small amount sound effects but they sound quite good. One of my favorites is the sound when you land from a large jump. It sound very realistic as if your car has actually fallen a great distance onto a dirt surface.

Overall

Overall Test Drive: Eve Of Destruction is really a different type of racing game. It is different because it is complete opposite from what most people view racings games as. Which is racing through crowed streets in a million dollar tricked out car with nitrous oxide, a wicked paint job, and neon lights. This game is quite opposite and it is nice to play a different game every now and then. The game play is very enjoyable and will have you laughing quite a few times. The graphics, and audio are a week area of the game but does not really take away from the game that much. This game is worth at least a look but if you are unsure about the whole dirt tracks, and junk cars maybe Burnout 3 will be your better game of choice.

7 Overall Score  Fun 8.5  Gameplay 7  Graphics 6.8  Sound 6.6  Replay 6.5

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Xbox Core Rating System