Test Drive: Off-Road Wide Open

Last updated

Test Drive: Off-Road Wide Open
Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open downscaled cover art.jpg
North American PlayStation 2 box art
Developer(s) Angel Studios
Publisher(s) Infogrames
Series Test Drive
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Xbox
ReleasePlayStation 2
  • NA: August 24, 2001
  • EU: November 23, 2001
Xbox
  • NA: November 15, 2001
  • EU: May 24, 2002
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Test Drive: Off-Road: Wide Open (known simply as Off-Road: Wide Open in Europe) is a racing video game developed by Angel Studios and published by Infogrames for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is the first game in the Test Drive series to be developed for the sixth generation of gaming systems, and the fourth and final installment of the Off-Road series. Trucks from General Motors make a full return as playable vehicles after being sort of absent in Test Drive: Off-Road 3.

Contents

Gameplay

Test Drive: Off-Road: Wide Open, like the previous installments, focuses on off-road racing and utilizes three-dimensional graphics.

The player has a choice of off-road vehicles from manufacturers such as Hummer, Jeep, Ford, and others. Each vehicle has several variants that differ from each other in appearance and characteristics (climbing ability, top speed, acceleration, and handling): Stock, Modified, Pro, and Unlimited (the last two are unlocked during the game). Each car can be repainted. There is an option to shift weight, which enables to adjust the position of the car while in mid-air. The PlayStation 2 version includes a multiplayer mode with a split-screen for two players and the Xbox version for up to four players. In addition, the Xbox version includes more off-road vehicles.

The game features four modes. In "Single Race," the player chooses a difficulty level (easy, medium, or hard), a track, and an off-road vehicle, and must place first among the eight opponents to win. "Career Race" is a single-player mode that includes tournaments, in which the player earns the money needed to buy new vehicles. In "Free Ride", the player can explore one of three locations; Moab, Utah, Yosemite Park, and Hawaii. "Stadium Race" is a mode available only in the Xbox version, in which competition takes place on special enclosed tracks.

Development and release

Test Drive: Off-Road: Wide Open was announced on October 19, 2000. Angel Studios, known for another off-road racing game, Smuggler's Run, was responsible for development. The new game was the first in the Test Drive series to be released on PlayStation 2 and Xbox and was the last installment of the Off-Road sub-series. The game was shown at E3 2001. In the making, the graphics, controls, and game modes were greatly improved. Test Drive: Off-Road: Wide Open was based on the Angel Game Engine (AGE) used in previous games from Angel Studios. The soundtrack includes songs from Metallica, Fear Factory, and others.

It was released on August 24, 2001, on PlayStation 2 and November 15 on Xbox in North America. In Europe, the game was released under the shortened title Off-Road: Wide Open on November 30, 2001, on PlayStation 2 and May 24, 2002, on Xbox.

Reception

Test Drive: Off-Road: Wide Open received "mixed or average reviews" on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [1] [2]

Kristian Brogger of Game Informer initially gave the PlayStation 2 version a bad review in the September 2001 issue, stating that the graphics were poor and the sounds were so bad because of bugs in the game. [6] However, he raised the grade up to an average review in the November 2001 issue, saying that the game was "certainly leagues better without the infamous bug, but the game itself still seems to suffer from an attack of mediocre gameplay syndrome." [5]

Jim Preston of NextGen 's November 2001 issue called the same console version "An all-too-familiar entry in the Test Drive series, but there's fun to be had." [20] However, in its final issue, the magazine called the Xbox version "a flat and uninspired game, and it certainly can't compare to the large collection of stellar Xbox launch titles." [21]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Simpsons: Road Rage</i> Vehicular combat video game

The Simpsons: Road Rage is a 2001 video game based on the animated television series The Simpsons, and is part of a series of games based on the show. It was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. A Game Boy Advance version was released in 2003. The Simpsons: Road Rage was later added to the Backwards Compatibility program of the Xbox 360 for original Xbox games.

<i>All-Star Baseball 2003</i> Baseball video game

All Star Baseball 2003 is a baseball video game published by Acclaim Entertainment in 2002. The game features Derek Jeter on the cover.

<i>Madden NFL 2003</i> 2002 video game

Madden NFL 2003 is an American football simulation video game based on the NFL that was developed by EA Tiburon and Budcat Creations and published by EA Sports. The 14th installment of the Madden NFL series, the game features former St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk on the cover. This edition of Madden was the first to have EA Trax, the Mini Camp mode, and to feature Al Michaels as play-by-play announcer, who took over for Pat Summerall. Although it featured the expansion Houston Texans and the relocation of the Seattle Seahawks to the NFC, it was actually the second to do so. The game was released on August 12, 2002 for the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The PlayStation version also includes the Sega Genesis version of John Madden Football 93.

<i>Madden NFL 2002</i> 2001 video game

Madden NFL 2002 is an American football video game. It features former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper on the cover. Pat Summerall and John Madden are the commentators. The Madden NFL 2002 commercial first aired during Super Bowl XXXVI, three days after Madden NFL 2002 started selling in Japan. Notably, it does not feature the Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, who is included on later editions of the game as a roster update. It is also the first game to be developed by Budcat Creations.

<i>NBA Live 2002</i> 2001 basketball video game

NBA Live 2002 is the 2002 installment of the NBA Live video games series. The cover features Steve Francis as a member of the Houston Rockets. The game was developed by EA Sports and released on October 30, 2001, for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation, and November 15, 2001, for the Xbox. This game was commentated by Don Poier and former NBA player Bob Elliot. It was a launch title for Xbox in North America and Europe.

<i>4x4 Evo</i> 2000 video game

4x4 Evo is a video game developed by Terminal Reality for the Windows, Macintosh, Sega Dreamcast, and PlayStation 2 platforms. It is one of the first console games to have cross-platform online play where Dreamcast, Macintosh, and Windows versions of the game appear online at the same time. The game can use maps created by users to download onto a hard drive as well as a Dreamcast VMU. All versions of the game are similar in quality and gameplay although the online systems feature a mode to customize the players' own truck and use it online. The game is still online-capable on all systems except for PlayStation 2. This was Terminal Reality's only video game to be released for the Dreamcast.

<i>NFL 2K2</i> 2001 video game

NFL 2K2 is a video game released in 2001 for Dreamcast by Sega, and developed by Visual Concepts. It is the last game for the Sega Dreamcast in the series after being discontinued before Sega shifted to a third party publisher. Due to that, it was released later for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is the first Xbox game published by Sega. It is also the last game in the NFL 2K series to feature Randy Moss as a cover athlete.

<i>Test Drive Unlimited</i> 2006 video game

Test Drive Unlimited is a 2006 racing video game developed by Eden Games and published by Atari for Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. Atari Melbourne House developed the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions. Being the eighteenth entry in the Test Drive series, Unlimited serves as a reboot of the franchise, discarding the continuity of the previous games. The game features over 125 licensed sports cars and motorcycles and the terrain is modeled after the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu that features some 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of roads and highways.

<i>NASCAR Thunder 2003</i> 2003 Racing simulator video game developed by EA Sports and Budcat Creations

NASCAR Thunder 2003 is the sixth edition of the EA Sports' NASCAR racing simulator series. Developed by EA Sports and Budcat Creations and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for PlayStation, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox on September 19, 2002, and for Microsoft Windows on October 16. The product features Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the cover. It was the first time the NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award recipient was featured on the cover, although he did not win the award for the first time until the following year. Dale Earnhardt appeared in the game as a driver as a result of entering his name as a Create-A-Car driver's name; he did not appear in the previous game due to his death. He appeared as a legend in subsequent games.

<i>Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2</i> 2001 video game

Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 is a sports video game developed by Z-Axis and Full Fat and published by Acclaim Entertainment under their Acclaim Max Sports label. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in August 2001, and in the following months it was ported to the GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and Xbox video game systems. Both the GameCube and Xbox ports featured two extra levels that were not present in the PS2 version.

<i>4x4 Evo 2</i> 2001 video game

4x4 Evo 2, also known as 4x4 Evolution 2, is a racing video game developed by Terminal Reality for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to 4x4 Evolution and features more trucks, and more racing tracks than the original game.

<i>F1 Racing Championship</i> 2000 video game

F1 Racing Championship is a video game developed by Ubi Soft. Starring people and locations from the 1999 Formula One World Championship, it was released for several platforms during 2000 and 2001. At the time, it was facing steep competition by the ever-popular Grand Prix 3 and the rising F1-series by ISI. The sales were behind expectations. Reasons were a poor artificial intelligence and damage model and the bug-prone initial release. A patch to fix the reported issues was announced, but never released.

<i>NASCAR Thunder 2002</i> 2001 video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports

NASCAR Thunder 2002 is a racing simulator video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports that came out for the Sony PlayStation, Sony PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The theme song for the game on the six-generation systems is "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It is the fifth game in the EA Sports NASCAR series of video games, and is the first of the series to have a new title. Notably, it is the first NASCAR game to feature alternate paint schemes on the cars. It featured the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion Jeff Gordon on its cover and 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion Bobby Labonte on the disc.

<i>Arctic Thunder</i> 2000 video game

Arctic Thunder is a snowmobile racing game developed by Midway Games. It was released as an arcade game, as well as on the Sony PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles, and was a launch title for the latter. In the arcade version of the game, jets blow cold or hot winds, depending on the setting, in the player's face during gameplay. Arctic Thunder is part of Midway's Thunder series, which also included Hydro Thunder, 4 Wheel Thunder, Offroad Thunder, and Hydro Thunder Hurricane. The Xbox version of this game is not compatible with the Xbox 360. A Dreamcast port was also planned but was cancelled due to sagging sales of the console.

<i>Splashdown</i> (video game) 2001 video game

Splashdown is a water racing video game developed by Rainbow Studios and published by Infogrames originally for the PlayStation 2 and was later ported to the Xbox. It was released under the Atari brand name.

<i>NASCAR Heat 2002</i> 2001 video game

NASCAR Heat 2002, sometimes mislabeled as NASCAR Heat, is a NASCAR video game produced by Infogrames for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Game Boy Advance consoles. It is the successor to the NASCAR Heat game, and the predecessor to NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona. NASCAR Heat 2002 can have 24 racers (PS2) and 43 released on June 18, 2001 on the PS2, and has 19 official NASCAR tracks. The Xbox version was released on November 15, 2001 and the Game Boy Advance version was released on May 6, 2002.

<i>TD Overdrive: The Brotherhood of Speed</i> 2002 video game

TD Overdrive: The Brotherhood of Speed is a racing video game developed by Pitbull Syndicate and published by Infogrames for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows.

<i>EA Sports F1 2001</i> 2001 video game

F1 2001 is a racing video game developed by Image Space Incorporated for the Microsoft Windows version and EA UK for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox version and published by EA Sports for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is based on the 2001 Formula One season. A port for GameCube was planned, but cancelled for unknown reasons, and eventually released with minor changes as F1 2002. A Game Boy Color version was also cancelled during development.

<i>Le Mans 24 Hours</i> (video game) 1999 video game

Le Mans 24 Hours is a video game released for the PlayStation, Game Boy Color, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and Microsoft Windows. The Dreamcast version was ported and published by Sega in Japan on 15 March 2001, while the PlayStation 2 version was ported and published by the same company on 13 June. Based on the famous 24 hours of Le Mans race in France, the player is invited to race the entire 24-hour endurance course or take part in a simpler arcade mode. The game also featured tracks such as Bugatti Circuit, Brno Circuit, Road Atlanta, Suzuka Circuit, Donington Park and Circuit de Catalunya, as well as a weather and night system.

<i>Triple Play 2002</i> 2002 video game

Triple Play 2002 is a baseball sports game released for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2002. On the cover is Arizona Diamondbacks player Luis Gonzalez. It is the only game in the Triple Play series to be released on Xbox, and the last game in the series to date.

References

  1. 1 2 "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  3. ↑ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (Xbox) - Review". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  4. ↑ EGM staff (October 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open (PS2)". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 147. Ziff Davis. p. 146.
  5. 1 2 Brogger, Kristian (November 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (PS2)". Game Informer . No. 103. FuncoLand. p. 112. Archived from the original on November 12, 2005. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Brogger, Kristian (September 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 101. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on October 31, 2005. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (Xbox)". Game Informer. No. 104. FuncoLand. December 2001. p. 109.
  8. ↑ Jake The Snake (August 27, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro . IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 20, 2005. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  9. ↑ Dan Elektro (December 19, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open Review for Xbox on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 10, 2005. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  10. ↑ White, A.A. (August 2001). "Test Drive Offroad [sic]: Wide Open Review (PS2)". GameRevolution . CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  11. ↑ White, A.A. (February 2002). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (Xbox)". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on February 15, 2004. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  12. ↑ Ahmed, Shahed (August 28, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open Review (PS2) [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"]". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  13. ↑ Satterfield, Shane (November 30, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open Review (Xbox) [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  14. ↑ Padilla, Raymond (September 29, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (PS2)". GameSpy . IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 12, 2004. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  15. ↑ Burns, Enid (November 15, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (Xbox)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 13, 2004. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  16. ↑ Krause, Kevin (September 5, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on July 15, 2007. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  17. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (December 12, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open (Xbox)". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  18. ↑ Smith, David (August 23, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road -- Wide Open (PS2)". IGN . Ziff Davis. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  19. ↑ Lopez, Vincent (November 7, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road -- Wide Open (Xbox)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  20. 1 2 Preston, Jim (November 2001). "Test Drive: Off-Road Wide Open (PS2)". NextGen . No. 83. Imagine Media. p. 108. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  21. 1 2 "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open [sic] (Xbox)". NextGen. No. 85. Imagine Media. January 2002. p. 31. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine . No. 48. Ziff Davis. September 2001.
  23. ↑ "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open". Official Xbox Magazine . Imagine Media. January 2002.
  24. ↑ Boyce, Ryan (August 14, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (PS2)". Maxim . Biglari Holdings. Archived from the original on December 29, 2001. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.