Test drive off road game

Even a rocking soundtrack cannot save this marginal underdog from mediocrity. Greg Kasavin's review at GameSpot says it all: "The ancient conflict of man vs. The human-made racetracks and highways of common racing games give way to dirt, snow, and mud paths in Off-Road, and you can heed their calling in a military Hummer, a classy Land Rover, a rugged Jeep Wrangler, or a rock-solid Chevy truck in a mud-soaked race to the finish line. Buckle up in one of said road hogs and take to nature's trails in a dozen different tracks, ranging from temperate to snow-covered to desert.

You'll race against three other opponents at any one time, and split-screen and network options are available if your friends think they can take you on.

And if you're fast enough to dust the competent computer-controlled competition, you'll unlock several hidden vehicles, including a monster truck and a dune buggy. Test Drive: Off-Road is pure arcade action: Speed, cornering, and the handbrake for those extra-sharp turns are all you need to worry about. You'll take some big spills in Off-Road , but your ride's performance will never falter.

Even if you tumble over, you'll magically reappear rightside-up to continue the race. But beneath the simple gameplay, Off-Road boasts a cleverly realistic physics model, as your truck will convincingly bounce over rocks and ditches and topple if you hit a bump during a sharp turn. The assorted vehicles handle differently, while various road conditions add still more variety to the race. Each track is pleasantly spacious and unrestricted, and as the title suggests you needn't stick to the road at all.

Indeed, if you're hoping to bust some records, you should count on having to take a shortcut or two. Just make sure to pass every checkpoint along the way. A down and dirty 3-D engine powers the action, while authentic sound effects and appropriate musical accompaniment by Gravity Kills add flavor to the package. And the sound effects are effective, though slightly underpowered. And yes, you can honk the horn. The game looks great at maximum screen resolution with all options enabled; each vehicle is painstakingly true to life, and you can choose its color and styling before you take to the track.

Test Drive: Off Road Test Drive: Off Road 2 There are two different play modes: Class Racing, in which only vehicles of one type race, and Unlimited, in which all types of vehicles compete. Test Drive: Off-Road received mixed reviews on both platforms.

Not by a long shot'. Strangely, I completed a race and came in second place but had a higher average speed than the winner. The saying goes, the difference between a good game and a bad game is they've cut out all the boring parts in a good game. Off-Road 2 left nothing on the cutting-room floor. The fun comes when a player can finally afford one of the better vehicles - and I'm not talking about the simple upgrades; I mean the really good vehicles.

Let me qualify that the only fun vehicle is the Military Chenowth buggy. Everything else pales in comparison. But by the time you've earned the money on the tour to drive the Military Chenowth, the game is pretty much over.

Saving the best for last? Graphics: The graphics are, shall we say, pre? Some games sacrifice eye-candy for frame rate or even gameplay. Not so with Off-Road 2.

Even with my Voodoo2 I found the framerate somewhat jerky. It's not slow, but it's not silky-smooth as you would expect - given the horrible appearance of the game. The 3D geometry lacks lighting so every surface takes on the same brightness.

Drive from bright sunshine into darkness and nothing changes except your car's shadow is now brighter relative to the surface texture. This looked cool in Doom , but looks plastic compared to other games. The vehicles are low-polygon models so don't expect much detail.

For that matter, don't expect anything visually pleasing from this game. Sound: Sound and music is average to below average. If you like metal then you might like the sound track. If you don't and I don't then you'll play the game without background music. Fans of Sevendust , Gravity Kills and Fear Factory will probably find the soundtrack the best feature of the game. The sound effects consist entirely of engine noise and the creaks of your vehicle as you crawl across the terrain.

Each vehicle uses the same creaking sound rather than its own unique sounds. You might think that an off-road experience with a force feedback wheel would be fun, right? Surprisingly the force effects were quite subtle compared with road games.

I've had more force feedback from a keyboard. Controller setup in the game is almost completely absent, allowing the players to choose "digital" or "analog" only. The whole game left me with a constricting feeling of entrapment. I couldn't select the vehicle I really wanted to race because I didn't have enough money. I couldn't race the tracks I really wanted to race because I hadn't completed the necessary tours. This concept of "unlocking as a reward" is not new, so why complain about it here?

Because the game isn't fun. Test Drive: Off-Road 2 is already at the bottom of my I won't be playing this again pile of games. Screenshots from MobyGames. Stinnger 0 point. Mrmack 2 points.

Morgan TDOR 2 was absolutely panned by PCGamer at release getting special marks for horrible graphics, bad driving, and crashing all the time. Morgan 2 points. Any idea on why the game keeps crashing?