Infogrames, Inc. Revolutionizes The Racing Genre with Test Drive -- Coming To Sony Playstation 2 This Fall
The most graphically superior Test Drive game ever made features a new game engine, the hottest car licenses and state of the art lighting and audio.
Put the pedal to the metal this Fall courtesy of Infogrames. The company announced today that its top-selling racing franchise, the Test Drive series, is coming to Sony PlayStation2 with Test Drive. With more than three million copies sold, the Test Drive series has enjoyed tremendous commercial success. Utilizing the power of the PlayStation2, the new Test Drive will surpass any Test Drive game to date with its advances in technology and superior graphics. The game will be available Fall 2001.
“The new Test Drive has everything necessary to be the best racing game ever,” said Laddie Ervin, director of marketing for sports and racing at Infogrames’ San Jose Label. “With superior technology, lightning quick racing action and the stunningly realistic graphics, it’s going to blow the competition away this Fall.”
Developed by the Pitbull Syndicate, Test Drive continues the successful formula of the Test Drive series with players racing some of the world’s most sought-after licensed vehicles in exotic real-world locations. Whether a player is looking for the prestige and strength of an exotic sports car or the raw power and rugged good looks of an American muscle car, the game will offer something for every taste. The fast-paced Hollywood-style racing action in Test Drive will find players blowing through crowded city streets with the cops on their tail as pedestrians flee and cross traffic comes at them from every which way.
With a brand new, built-from-scratch graphics engine designed to take advantage of the PlayStation2 technology, the game will utilize numerous cutting edge graphics techniques that maximize visual realism. Some of the techniques utilized in the game include anti-aliasing, mip-mapping, real-time lighting and multi-level reflection mapping. With these technologies implemented, players will experience real-time shadows and lighting on cars, throughout the game’s environments, including on cars and people.
To accomplish the feel of a crowded and realistically interactive environment in Test Drive, the artificial intelligence (AI) editor in the game has been designed to orchestrate street intersections and vehicle responses in complex ways. For example, vehicle traffic and pedestrians will respond appropriately to traffic signals changing from green to red. People will jump out of the way of cars as they come closer and city traffic and other moving vehicles will be choreographed to create mayhem heightening gameplay.
A partnership between Infogrames, Inc. and Staccato Systems, Inc. means Test Drive will also have the most true-to-life engine sounds and audio available. Staccato Systems, a subsidiary of Analog Devices, Inc., provides SoundMAX with SPX technology that creates sound in real-time instead of playing back static sound from a pre-recorded file. The interactive synthesized sound and audio processing can be uniquely changed and controlled in real-time. The technology means that players of Test Drive will be able to distinguish intricate sounds such as the difference between certain car engines. For example, a player will be able to differentiate between the turbo charger on a turbo V6 engine and the deep bass boar of a normally aspirated big block V8. For more information on Staccato’s sound technology visit www.staccatosys.com.
Test Drive for the PlayStation2 is developed by the Pitbull Syndicate and will offer a fully licensed soundtrack. The game will also have 2-player multiplayer options via split screen and dual shock and analog controller support. Based in the United Kingdom, The Pitbull Syndicate is known for developing Demolition Racer and the highly successful Test Drive 4, Test Drive 5 and Test Drive 6 games. For more information on The Pitbull Syndicate visit www.pitbull.co.uk.
“The new Test Drive has everything necessary to be the best racing game ever,” said Laddie Ervin, director of marketing for sports and racing at Infogrames’ San Jose Label. “With superior technology, lightning quick racing action and the stunningly realistic graphics, it’s going to blow the competition away this Fall.”
Developed by the Pitbull Syndicate, Test Drive continues the successful formula of the Test Drive series with players racing some of the world’s most sought-after licensed vehicles in exotic real-world locations. Whether a player is looking for the prestige and strength of an exotic sports car or the raw power and rugged good looks of an American muscle car, the game will offer something for every taste. The fast-paced Hollywood-style racing action in Test Drive will find players blowing through crowded city streets with the cops on their tail as pedestrians flee and cross traffic comes at them from every which way.
With a brand new, built-from-scratch graphics engine designed to take advantage of the PlayStation2 technology, the game will utilize numerous cutting edge graphics techniques that maximize visual realism. Some of the techniques utilized in the game include anti-aliasing, mip-mapping, real-time lighting and multi-level reflection mapping. With these technologies implemented, players will experience real-time shadows and lighting on cars, throughout the game’s environments, including on cars and people.
To accomplish the feel of a crowded and realistically interactive environment in Test Drive, the artificial intelligence (AI) editor in the game has been designed to orchestrate street intersections and vehicle responses in complex ways. For example, vehicle traffic and pedestrians will respond appropriately to traffic signals changing from green to red. People will jump out of the way of cars as they come closer and city traffic and other moving vehicles will be choreographed to create mayhem heightening gameplay.
A partnership between Infogrames, Inc. and Staccato Systems, Inc. means Test Drive will also have the most true-to-life engine sounds and audio available. Staccato Systems, a subsidiary of Analog Devices, Inc., provides SoundMAX with SPX technology that creates sound in real-time instead of playing back static sound from a pre-recorded file. The interactive synthesized sound and audio processing can be uniquely changed and controlled in real-time. The technology means that players of Test Drive will be able to distinguish intricate sounds such as the difference between certain car engines. For example, a player will be able to differentiate between the turbo charger on a turbo V6 engine and the deep bass boar of a normally aspirated big block V8. For more information on Staccato’s sound technology visit www.staccatosys.com.
Test Drive for the PlayStation2 is developed by the Pitbull Syndicate and will offer a fully licensed soundtrack. The game will also have 2-player multiplayer options via split screen and dual shock and analog controller support. Based in the United Kingdom, The Pitbull Syndicate is known for developing Demolition Racer and the highly successful Test Drive 4, Test Drive 5 and Test Drive 6 games. For more information on The Pitbull Syndicate visit www.pitbull.co.uk.