| From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: | ||||
| Test Drive is a racing video game developed by Distinctive Software and published by Accolade, released in 1987 for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and DOS, in 1988 for the Apple II, and later ported for the PC-98 in 1989. It is the first game in the Test Drive series.
The player chooses one of five supercars (Lamborghini Countach, Lotus Esprit Turbo, Chevrolet Corvette C4, Porsche 911 Turbo (930), or Ferrari Testarossa) to drive on a winding cliffside two-lane road while avoiding traffic and outrunning police speed traps. The course's five stages are separated by gas station pit stops.
In 1987, Accolade published Test Drive as a computer game worldwide, and Electronic Arts imported it to the United Kingdom. The quality of the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and DOS ports differ from each other. The Amiga version's detailed visuals and audio realistically depicted the game's racing theme, 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. Test Drive was a commercial hit. In late 1989, Video Games & Computer Entertainment reported that the game's sales had surpassed 400,000 units and were well on their way to the half-million mark. 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'. David M. Wilson reviewed the game for the magazine in 1988, stating that 'there may be more competitive racing games on the market, but this game combines the enjoyment of driving five of the most exotic sportscars in the world with outrunning 'Smokies' on mountain highways. What more could a race car junkie (or arcade fan) ask for?!' Compute! praised the excellent graphics and sound, but noted that the game only had one course. 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. Test Drive spawned several sequels and spin-offs. Distinctive Software developed its 1989 sequel, Test Drive II: The Duel.More details about this game can be found on Wikipedia.org. |
| From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: | ||||
| Test Drive III: The Passion is a racing game released in 1990. It was the third entry in the Test Drive series of video games. The game was very different from the previous episodes. Mostly because the graphics were entirely new. Accolade said goodbye to sprite graphics and started using 3D graphics instead.
Test Drive had the concept of a free landscape. The player did not have to drive on a preset course but could go wherever they wanted, i.e. drive off the road and onto the grass, hills, farms, etc. The player would also have to watch out for the speed limit when a police car was in sight, otherwise he could get caught. A level also featured railroad crossings with a real train running in a loop. Car radio, windscreen wipers, and headlights were featured in this game. The game shipped with three cars to drive; the Lamborghini Diablo, Ferrari Mythos Pininfarina Concept, and the Chevrolet Corvette CERV III Concept. Developed in-house by Accolade, the third series of this fabulous game resulted in many differences from the first two games. As we said, the graphics. They were made using a combination of bitmapped and polygon-fill 3D graphics, and digitized car interiors instead. Unlike the previous games, this was released exclusively for DOS. An add-on package, 'Road and Car', was available as an extra purchase featuring a Cape Cod to Niagara road course, and the Acura NSX and Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo. More details about this game can be found on Wikipedia.org |
| From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: | ||||
| The Duel: Test Drive II is a cross-platform racing game developed by Distinctive Software and published by Accolade in 1989. It is the second entry in the Test Drive series of video games. Like the original Test Drive, the focus of The Duel is driving exotic cars through dangerous highways, evading traffic, and trying to escape police pursuits. While the first game in the series had the player simply racing for time in a single scenario, Test Drive II improves upon its predecessor by introducing varied scenery, and giving the player the option of racing against the clock or competing against a computer-controlled opponent. The player initially is given the opportunity to choose a car to drive and a level of difficulty, which in turn determines whether the car will use an automatic or manual transmission—the number of difficulty options varies between gaming platforms. Levels begin with the player’s car (and the computer opponent, if selected) idling on a roadway. Primarily these are two to four lane public highways with many turns; each level is different, and they include obstacles such as bridges, cliffs, and tunnels in addition to the other cars already on the road. Each level also has one or more police cars along the course. The goal of each level is to reach the gas station at the end of the course in the least amount of time. Stopping at the gas station is not mandatory, and one could drive past it if inattentive. The consequence of not stopping results in running out of gas, and thus losing a car (life). The player begins the game with 5 lives, one of which is lost each time that the player crashes into something. If the player completes a level without crashing or running out of gas, then he or she is awarded a bonus life. In addition to losing a life, crashing adds thirty seconds to the player's time. Cars could crash into other traffic or off-road obstacles such as trees; they could crash by falling off the cliff on one of the mountain levels, or they could sustain too much damage by staying off the roadway for too long on the flatland levels. Players could also lose a life when using a manual transmission by redlining and consequently blowing the engine. Crashing into a police car instantly ends the game, regardless of the number of lives the player has left. Police cars appear in every level, and if the player is driving faster than the speed limit when encountering one of them, the police car will follow in pursuit. If at any point while being pursued the police car is able to pass the player’s car, the player is forced to pull over and receives a ticket stating the offense and the speed of the vehicle. While this doesn’t cost the player a life, it does take away valuable time. Players can avoid being pursued by police by slowing down before encountering them, anticipating them through the aid of a radar detector, which comes standard in all vehicles in the game.More details about this game can be found on Wikipedia.org |
Platform: This game was designed for PC with an operating system compatible with DOS.
| From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: | ||||
| Stunts (also known as 4D Sports Driving) is an early 3D racing video game developed by Distinctive Software, Inc.. The game places emphasis on racing on stunt tracks and features a track editor, it is clearly influenced by the earlier arcade game Hard Drivin' and has many similar elements to the game Stunt Driver which was released around the same time. In Stunts, players race a lap around the circuit, with the aim of completing the lap as quickly as possible without crashing. However, these laps often feature special track areas such as loops, jumps (including over tall buildings), slalom roads and corkscrews. Stunts (DOS)The game area is restricted by a large fixed size square area defined and surrounded by a fence which the game is designed to prevent the player from leaving. Players can either race against the clock or choose between six different opponents; there is no support for real-time multiplayer. Stunts features 11 different drivable cars, with either automatic or manual transmission. Replays of races can be saved and reviewed. There are four camera views available during replay and actual driving, and the dashboard is an optional overlay on all views. Another major feature of the game is the built-in track and terrain editor which allows the user to design arbitrary new tracks or modifications of existing tracks. |
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Street Rod 2 is a video game developed by P.Z. Karen Co. Development Group and Logical Design Works as a sequel to Street Rod, based on an original concept by Magic Partners and published by California Dreams for Amiga and MS-DOS. Street Rod 2 exclusively features American muscle cars, specifically those from GM, Ford, and Chrysler. In December 2012, MK Consultancy, a Dutch company, acquired the copyright ownership of the Street Rod games and re-released Street Rod 2, as well as the original game and an updated version, as freeware in 2014.
Changes from Street Rod
The game is set in the summer of 1969, beginning on June 14, the first day of summer vacation. (Street Rod was set in 1963).
A largely different set of cars is available, most of them dating from the 1960s.
There are now two variants of each car available to buy - an abused one (cheaper, with worn parts) and one in good condition. All cars can only be bought once during the game.
The differential, muffler and exhaust manifold can be replaced.
The engine is shown in the engine bay and tuning takes place on the same screen.
Car stickers are unavailable.
Races are arranged outside of "Burgers Bungalow" instead of "Bob's Drive-In".
There are two road tracks: Mulholland Drive, largely based on the Road race from Street Rod, and a completely new track, the Aqueduct, which resembles the aqueduct in the movie Grease.
A car crash can result from hitting rocks, drains, barriers and bridge supports at any speed, or from passing through roadworks on the Mulholland Drive track at speeds greater than 50 mph. Travelling too far up a sloped wall on the Aqueduct at high speed results in the car flipping over.
The King drives a 1967 Shelby GT500 (erroneously labeled as a 1969 one,[2][3][4]), with a unique supercharger that is unavailable as an upgrade within the game.
Every Wednesday night, the player can compete in a bracket racing drag competition called "Grudge Night". For a small entrance fee, the player is required to set a "breakout time" down the drag strip, after which the player must defeat all opponents without running faster than that time.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Street Rod is a racing video game developed by P.Z.Karen Co. Development Group and Logical Design Works, based on an original concept by Magic Partners and published by California Dreams for Amiga, Commodore 64 and DOS. Street Rod exclusively featured Hot Rods, and early American Muscle Cars, specifically those from GM, Ford, and Chrysler. In December 2012, MK Consultancy, from the Netherlands, acquired the copyright ownership of the Street Rod games and re-released Street Rod as freeware in 2014. Street Rod SE, an updated version which includes all of the vehicles from the Car Data Disk, was also released as freeware in 2014
Gameplay
The player character starts off on the garage, where cars and parts may be purchased from the newspaper. Purchased parts must be installed by entering the hood of or going under the car and then removing a series of screws to remove parts of the engine or transmission. Then, these parts must be re-installed in order and the bolts replaced, otherwise the car will be undrivable. Installing tires can be done by simply jacking up the car, allowing the old tires to be replaced with new ones. While racing, the car will eventually run out of fuel, which the player must obtain from the gas station.
Competition to race is found by leaving the garage and going to a local diner. Races take place on either a dragstrip (drag race option) or an open country road. Wagers on the drag races can be set from "Just for kicks!" (no wager) to $10 and $50. On the road, race wagers can be set from $25 to $100 and "pink slips" (the winner receives the loser's car). When the race starts, the player character must wait for a signal to be given to go or else he forfeits the race.
If the player character's car does not have an automatic transmission, he can either "drop the transmission" during the race while keeping the accelerator pressed and shifting gears, or blow the engine if the tachometer dial is in the red zone for too long. In either case, the player character would lose the bet he made and be transported back to the garage, where the car will require a new part to be able to race again.
If the player character crashes his car during a race, he can get the car fixed for a fee, or "junk it", i.e. have the car scrapped and receive the scrap value. However, if he gets involved in a serious crash or the car has already been repaired several times before, he is only able to junk the car. If the player character has no cars in garage and not enough money to buy one, the game ends. During a road race, the player character would occasionally also get chased by the police. The player can choose to keep speeding (fined up to $75 if caught) or pull over (fined $20 immediately). Getting caught by the police results in the race being forfeited, though the bet made for the race is not lost. If the player character cannot afford to pay the fine, he will be sent to prison and the game ends.
The player character has to win a predetermined number of races to be able to challenge The King in a road race. However, this has to be done within the in-game time limit, or it's game over. Upon winning this race, the player character gets The King's car and girlfriend, becoming the new King.
