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Test Drive

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This article is about the video game series. For the first game, see Test Drive (1987 video game). For other uses, see Test Drive (disambiguation).

Test Drive
Genre(s)Racing
Developer(s)Distinctive Software (1987-89)
Accolade/Infogrames North America (1990, 99)
Elite Systems (1997)
Pitbull Syndicate (1997-99, 2002)
Xantera (1999–2000)
Eutechnyx (2000)
Velez & Dubail (2000)
Infogrames/Atari Melbourne House (2000-02, 07)
Eden Games (2000, 06-11)
Digital Illusions CE (2000)
Angel Studios (2001)
Monster Games (2004)
Slightly Mad Studios (2012)
KT Racing (2022-)
Publisher(s)Accolade/Infogrames North America (1987–2000)
Electronic Arts (1987–88)
Pony Canyon (1989)
Cryo Interactive (1999)
Infogrames (2000–2002)
Atari (2004-11)
Rombax Games (2012)
Nacon (2022-)
Platform(s)Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Apple II, PC-98, Apple IIGS, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Sega Genesis, SNES, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Game Boy Color, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
First releaseTest Drive
1987
Latest releaseTest Drive Unlimited Solar Crown
September 12, 2024

Test Drive is a series of racing video games that were originally published by Accolade until they were bought by Infogrames, which later turned into Atari. The first game was released in 1987 and has since been followed by several sequels and spin-offs, the latest of which was released in 2024 and is the first by Nacon after purchasing the franchise from Atari.

Gameplay

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Gameplay of Test Drive 4

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

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Test Drive Unlimited includes an open world environment and allows for the purchase of houses, cars and character customisation.

History

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Early titles (1987–1991)

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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.[5] It received generally positive reviews from video game critics. Computer Gaming World stated in 1987 that Test Drive "offers outstanding graphics and the potential to 'hook' every Pole Position fan".[6] Compute! praised the excellent graphics and sound, but noted that the game only had one course.[2] The game was reviewed in 1988 in Dragon #132 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 41⁄2 out of 5 stars.[7]

Test Drive spawned several sequels and spin-offs. Distinctive Software developed its 1989 sequel, The Duel: Test Drive II, using several software libraries. Distinctive (as Unlimited Software, Inc.) used the aforementioned software libraries for an MS-DOS port of Outrun, resulting in the Accolade v. Distinctive lawsuit. Distinctive Software won, so the rights to make the Test Drive games without the source code transferred to Accolade. The court also found that Accolade had failed to demonstrate that the balance of hardships was in its favor.[8] Another sequel, Test Drive III: The Passion, was developed and published by Accolade in 1990.[9]

Revival series (1997–2004)

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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 Test Drive: Off-Road, an off-road truck racing spinoff,[10] and Test Drive 4, the first video game developed by Pitbull Syndicate.[11]

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 Infogrames for a combined sum of US$60 million, US$50 million of which in cash and US$10 million in growth capital, and was renamed Infogrames North America, Inc.[14][15] The company chief executive officer, Jim Barnett, was named head of Infogrames Entertainment's American distribution subsidiary.[16] As a result, Test Drive 6 was the first game in the series to be published by the newly named Infogrames North America in 1999.[17] An in-house team at Infogrames North America would go onto develop Test Drive Off-Road 3 in 1999, and would also go to develop Test Drive Cycles, which was cancelled in June 2000 with the exception of the Game Boy Color version.[18]

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 - Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open, known in Europe simply as Off-Road Wide Open, was released on the PlayStation 2, being developed by Angel Studios. An Xbox port was released a year later with additional content and graphic improvements.

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)

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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.

A spin-off title called 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. The game was heavily based upon technology developed for Shift 2: Unleashed, and shares little with the Unlimited series.[23]

In 2016, French publisher Bigben Interactive (later renamed Nacon) acquired the Test Drive intellectual property from Atari, with plans to revive the franchise.[24] 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.[25]

In April 2020, Nacon filed a trade mark to the Intellectual Property Office for Test Drive Solar Crown,[26][27] 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.[28][27][29] The Kylotonn-developed game would feature a 1:1 recreation of Hong Kong Island and later expanded to Ibiza.[29]

Games

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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 Accolade, 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 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.[30]
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, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

References

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  1. ^ "Finals". Next Generation. No. 37. Imagine Media. January 1998. pp. 154–155.
  2. ^ a b c Tucker, Troy (February 1988). "Test Drive". Compute!. p. 50. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  3. ^ "CVG Magazine Issue 076". February 1988.
  4. ^ "The Games Machine Magazine Issue 04".
  5. ^ Staff (November 1989). "Chart-Busters; SPA Platinum". Game Players (5): 112.
  6. ^ "Christmas Buyers Guide: Test Drive". Computer Gaming World. November 1987. p. 20.
  7. ^ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (April 1988). "The Role of Computers: Test Drive". Dragon. No. 132. pp. 80–85.
  8. ^ Dannenberg, Ross (May 30, 2005). "Case: Accolade v. Distinctive (N.D.Cal. 1990) [C]". Patent Arcade. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  9. ^ Wilson, David M. (April 1991). "A Passionate Tryst with Speed". Computer Gaming World. p. 51. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  10. ^ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Test Drive Off-Road (PS) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  11. ^ "Pitbull". www.pitbull.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2002. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  12. ^ Wigmore, Glenn. "Test Drive Off-Road 2 (PC) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  13. ^ Sackenheim, Shawn. "Test Drive 5 (PS) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  14. ^ IGN Staff (April 19, 1999). "Infogrames Takes Accolade". ign.com. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  15. ^ Mullen, Micheal (April 27, 2000). "Infogrames Buys Accolade". gamespot.com. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  16. ^ IGN Staff (May 10, 1999). "Accolade's Barnett to Head Infogrames US". ign.com. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (May 11, 2000). "E32000: Infogrames Halts Test Drive Cycles". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ IGN Staff (4 February 2000). "A Late Rally Has Been Held Off".
  21. ^ White, A.A. (June 2002). "Test Drive Review (PS2)". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ Schembari, Sam (2012-02-13). "Ferrari Racing Legends: A Single-Make Historical Tour, From Atari". Wheels Blog. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  24. ^ Parfitt, Ben (December 15, 2016). "Bigben has acquired the Test Drive brand". MCVUK.com. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  25. ^ Leonard, Michael (October 18, 2018). "Kylotonn Games Working on the Next Test Drive Unlimited?".
  26. ^ "Trade mark number EU018224192: TEST DRIVE SOLAR CROWN". Intellectual Property Office. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ Test Drive [@testdrive] (July 3, 2020). "We're back! ☀👑 #NaconConnect 7th July" (Tweet). Retrieved July 4, 2020 – via Twitter.
  29. ^ a b Robinson, Martin (July 7, 2020). "Kylotonn's new Test Drive Unlimited officially unveiled". Eurogamer. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  30. ^ IGN Staff (February 4, 2000). "A Late Rally Has Been Held Off".
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