24 Hour Test Drive? Hah, They Ripped It Off This Game
Written: Aug 18 '03
Product Rating:
Pros: Racing for 24 hours in real-time
Cons: 24 friggin' hours? You insane?
The Bottom Line: If you do plan on playing the 24 Hour race all at once, please - eat pizza responsibly. Wouldn't want to get grease and stuff on a Dreamcast controller, right?
awoolcott's Full Review: Test Drive Le Mans for Dreamcast
Racing games never really got top billing on the Dreamcast. As the console was much more known for fighting games and arcade ports, the selection of racers paled in comparison to the competition, though some gems were to be found, in games like Metropolis Street Racer, though the best known "car" game was of course Crazy Taxi. However, in late 2000, Infogrames quietly snuck their own racer on the market, at a $30 price to boot. That game was Test Drive Le Mans, and it's easily the best racer on the Dreamcast, by a long shot. While the game was expanded a year later on the PlayStation 2, the quality of the game took a nosedive in comparison, and the Dreamcast version, despite being not as deep feature-wise, is the better looking and playing version. If you don't think the DC has any good racers, and haven't played Le Mans for whatever reason, pick up this sleeper classic and prepare to be surprised.
Naturally, Test Drive Le Mans (known as Le Mans 24 Hours on PS2) is most known for its 24 hour Le Mans race. Yes indeed, you can race for 24 straight hours, complete with realistic day to night to day effects and variable weather. Of course, you don't have to play it all in one sitting (and I suggest you don't, as the last thing you need is a broken Dreamcast after that kind of non-stop wear), as you're allowed to save every time you pit. Thus, it's a tad less of a pipe dream to finish the race, only it will take weeks at a time, depending on how often you play. Of course, you can also play the race in increments of 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 6 hours. Each have accelerated day/night effects, as the clock moves super-fast so you can see it in action and retain the 24 hour feel.
There is a lot more than just one race, though. In fact, TDLM is absolutely loaded with gameplay types to keep you playing for a long time. Not only are there meaningful single race and time trials (as they actually unlock more tracks and even bonus cars), but there's also an involving championship mode that takes you to some of the most famous courses in the world - Suzuka, Donington, Brno, Bugatti (which is the smaller version of Le Mans which is built inside the gigantic Le Mans track), and of course, the huge Le Mans track. Most of the courses even have tracks within tracks - for instance, Suzuka has 2 other tracks, Suzuka East and West, that go along with the main track. Needless to say, TDLM is loaded with some good track variety, and since they're based on real designs, they are very good and challenging as well.
Beating each round of championship unlocks more cars, though many are copies of other cars, with different numbers on them and slightly different performance. However, the new cars you unlock tend to be some great rides like the Nissan R390 and Panoz Esperante GTR, to go along with many other cars, including the Dodge Viper (though it's called the Chrysler Viper, it's Japanese name) - actually, there's a few different kinds of Vipers depending on the racing team, that feel nothing like the others.
Of course, multiplayer is supported, though it really takes a backseat to the involving solo player exploits.
On the track, the thing that makes Test Drive Le Mans work so well is the great mix of simulation aspects and arcade-style controls. The cars move around the tracks very realistically and even make you really master the art of turning and braking, if you expect to win a race against a challenging computer opponent. Adding tire wear and gasoline gauges make things more interesting, as you can play the pit game and pull out a victory if you play your cards right. On the other hand, the cars don't take damage, and you can tend to make the perfect turn into a powerslide, borrowing from the best arcade racers. The result is a solid feel when driving - one that can be a simulation yet not get bogged down too much in simulation aspects until it's time to head for the pits for some fuel. You can also adjust a few options before the race such as downforce and choose your tires, though it never gets sim heavy like perhaps Gran Turismo might (or even Sega GT, in Dreamcast terms).
Top this off with a fair, yet tough set of computer opponents and you get a really thrilling racing experience. Of course, I suggest you forget all about the Beginner mode - not only are the AI cars slow and rather stupid, the game even controls your braking, meaning all you have to do is hold down the throttle and turn through corners without much effort. And that's no fun. So head to Intermediate, which supplies a very tough game of computer opponents that are physical and smart as well. You can get into some really violent shoving games between cars, as they'll try to bump and clip you off the track or into a wall, costing you valuable seconds. Even in a race where you're way ahead (as tends to be the case in the Le Mans race...once you get ahead it's hard to really blow it), or have lapped really slow cars, the computer will do what it can to do damage to you despite it. And it's all done without the presence of any kind of cheap AI - if you blow the doors off, good for you, you deserve a huge win. However, if you screw up too many times, then you're SOL and you might as well race for pride. It is somewhat unfortunate, however, that the DC version doesn't have interchangeable difficulty settings like the PS2 version - customization is never a bad thing.
It all adds up to a brilliant racing experience. Every race, every turn is a battle, as the slightest error could give an opponent an opening to make some time up and possibly pass you. The pit game is a game in itself, as the 20 or so seconds you lose sitting in the pit can either help you open a lead more or get you stuck in the back of the pack. Even the 24 hour race can whiz by quickly if you get into the race, as the game never gets boring when it's such a constant challenge. Once you get sucked in by the great gameplay of TDLM, you won't rest until you've beaten everything and unlocked every car. In fact, the only real problem, aside from the difficulty customization thing, is the inability to save between races in championship mode. On the PS2 version, you're able to save in between each race, letting you pick it up later. On the DC, you cannot, meaning if you're in a set of 3 races at 15 laps each, it could be over an hour before you're done, meaning you need to invest some more time - and no, you can't save when you pit; only the Le Mans race lets you do that.
Visually, TDLM is one of the best looking games on Dreamcast, racing or not. The game does maintain a slightly dark, dim overall look (no doubt simulating the European skies that seem to always be dark and lacking a lot of sun), but neat effects like the sun peeking through the clouds and casting light onto your shiny car really stick out. The 24 hour day-night-day effects too shine - when you begin, it's daytime, but the sky steadily turns dark, and other things such as lights on houses, street lights, and the turn chevrons start to light up to guide you through the chicanes, making the night race very different from the day portions. And when it turns daytime, everything goes in reverse and the morning sky steadily rises. The only thing missing is a cackling rooster.
The amazing thing is, TDLM is much, much better looking than the washed out PS2 version, which was riddled with a poor port. When comparing the 2, the difference in visual quality is astounding, despite the DC version being a year older. PS2 version notwithstanding, Le Mans is a beautiful racing game that is perhaps not a stunner in 2003, but was a work of art in 2000, and still shines on the Dreamcast.
Unfortunately, the game takes a huge dive with sounds. Not only are the engines generic sounding, and the crowds are not heavily enthusiastic, but the in-game music is horrific techno-crap that has no business being in a racing game. Given it's not an American game, this isn't a total shock, but the music is so low-key that it almost can put you to sleep after a while. Still, it's not as bad as Metropolis Street Racer's awful jazz and country stations. Those still give me nightmares.
The Real Bottom Line
Test Drive Le Mans is one of those games that will sneak up on you. Released to rave reviews but little fanfare in 2000, the game failed to make an impact on the Dreamcast which was hurting in sales at the time as it was. It's unfortunate, because Le Mans is a great racing game that had a great price and still was overlooked. Not even the PS2 version could spark interest, and there doesn't seem to be a sequel in sight (the only thing close is Total Immersion Racing for PS2 and Xbox). Even so, it's well worth the $10 or so it costs now to buy a copy of Test Drive Le Mans - it might be the best 24 hours $10 can buy for your Dreamcast.
Test Drive Le Mans for Dreamcast offers more than 40 vehicles and 10 real-world tracks, as well as realistic physics and graphical effects such as dus...More at eBay
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