Customer Reviews

Test Drive Le Mans

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a huge race fan, and the main reason I play video games is to fulfill my racing career. Since Gran Turismo for the PSX and then Sega GT for the Dreamcast I've had a great selection of racing sims.

This game blows them away. If your a sports car fan then you know what the 24 hours of Le Mans is all about. This game recreates that race and more. The game itself has brilliant control, each car handles differently. The Dodge Viper is gonna handle different then a Porsche GT2. The car models themselves are simply gorgeous. They look like CARS, not polygonal crayola colored triangular looking things that resemble a Viper, heck, you can even see the brake calipers!! (How cool is that?). I haven't finished the game but it has around 40 different cars and 9 or 10 tracks (I haven't won all those yet either). You can even race a 24 hour race if you want, that's right a full 24 freakin' hours. That's a bit much, but it's there if you wanted to.

Overall this is the best racing game I have ever played. Bar none. It's not necessarily the deepest as far as number of cars or tracks or blah, blah, blah, but it is as close as I'm gonna get to racing the BMW V12 at Le Mans. With this game, I'm even ok withthat.

Go pick it up, you WON'T be disappointed.

Graphics - 4.5; Sound - 4.0; Control - 4.5; Replay Value - 4

What's up with Dreamcast? Even with the release of Playstation 2 and all its hype, Sega and it's partners are quietly releasing one outstanding game after another. Nothing against Playstation 2, as technically it's an admirable system and I might buy that too when available. But sometimes people forget that Dreamcast is also a 128-bit system with similar capabilities. And it's the games that sell systems, not the other way around. Right now Dreamcast has lots of 'A' games.

The last few weeks we've seen the release of one quality Dreamcast game after another - Test Drive V Rally, Skies of Arcadia, NFL2k1, Starlancer, Grandia II & many more upcoming ones. But now this - perhaps the best racing game on Dreamcast or any other console - Test Drive LeMans.

Test Drive LeMans'attention to detail is striking. Each car's reflections, shadows, headlights, sponsor ads. and symbols are the best I've seen. When driving at night, your car's tail lights even cast a foggy glow and the the car itself leaves a realistic and subtle 'trail' effect. Hard to explain, you just have to see it! When your car gets off-track, it leaves animated dust trails that rotate like a galaxy and slowly dissipates-unbelievable! Even the stars at night seem to twinkle and aren't just bright stationary pixels in the sky. I just received this game yesterday and who knows what else is in store. Only gripe is that the framerate is likely not 60fps. But the sense of speed is still there. The tracks are detailed enough but not outstanding.

As good as the graphics and sounds are, they would mean nothing without playability and control. But again LeMans excels. It's a great balance of realistic sim and slightly arcade. I've never felt a racing game give such a realistic sense of speed and danger when taking tight turns. It's difficult to get tired of the game as spoiler adjustment, tire-wear, fuel-load affects the control of each car as the race progresses giving some variation. Having over a dozen cars at once in a race is almost unparalleled with no slowdown. The 'LeMans' race itself has 24 cars and no slowdown.

There are many cars and several tracks to unlock, the replays are like broadcast quality, the racing sounds seems like there's a "Doppler" effect built in and etc. etc. etc. I just can't write enough good things about the game. Again the only negative is that the framerate is likely not 60fps and it would be nice to see more detail and color on the tracks themselves. But can't have everything until a 256K hardware comes along with a faster CPU.

But other than that another "must buy" for Dreamcast owners. Fine job Infogrames!

I picked up Test drive Le Mans a while back and to this day I still play it allot! It is the ONLY GAME for ANY system to generate 24 cars on the track at one time let alone in the same screen. You have over 30 cars to choose from. You have your basic 2 groups GT, and Protoype. In the GT you have your Porsches and Vipers, and then the Protypes had cars like the Panoz Esperante, Toyota GT 1 and many more. The graphics are absolutely splended. The smoke from squealing tires, and tire marks, headlights glaring, backround effects, weather (such as the rain looks spectacular.) The rain can be seen falling and making the little ripple on the ground, and the faster you travel, the wider the tracks are from your tires (where the rain splits from the tires) The handling is awesome. Easy to control, and fast and responsive. This game is a MUST HAVE for any dreamcast racing fan.

I'll admit, racing games never held my interest much until the Dreamcast came along. First, Metropolis Street Racer, which was so amazing I decided to get Test Drive Le Mans as well. Between these two, I'm hooked big time. My thinking used to be: "Let's face it, how fun can driving really really fast around and around a track be?" Le Mans caused me to eat my words before my first race was done. Why? The graphics are dazzling, even better than MSR. The weather changes during the 24 hour Le Mans race (yes, 24 hours in real time, if that's your thing) from sunstreaked skies to a thunderous downpour. The time of day is gorgeously simulated as well -- the sky slowly darkens and the full moon rises. This is the best-looking racer there is, no question. The controls are masterful: you can feel your car beginning to spin out and feel the weight shift as you barrel around hairpin turns. The thing I like the most, however, is the AI. Each car (up to 24 on screen at once!) has separate AI, so you'll see them jockey with each other, smash into walls, and spin out on the grass. None of the perfect, unchanging routes that made me hate racing games in the past. You actually have a chance of winning even if you're in the middle of the pack on the last lap!! There are around 40 licensed cars to choose from, all authentically rendered down to glowing brake discs and trails from spoilers, and meticulously detailed. The reflection mapping has to be seen to believed. You can choose quick race (which opens up all 10 real-life tracks), championship (opens up new cars), and Le Mans (offers the true 24 hour test, or compressed). Le Mans also stays away, thankfully, from tinkering with your car's particulars all day. I just wanna race! However, you can adjust fuel load and tire type, which is quite strategical rather than a needless detail. The sound is also top notch, with the exception of the somewhat generic music. However, I can't quite give this 5 stars because after all, you're still limited to driving around a track really fast, no matter how beautiful it is and how well it controls. MSR has more variety to its gameplay. However, if you want the best pure racing experience gaming has to offer, Test Drive Le Mans fits the bill to perfection. MSR and TDLM finally fulfill the promise of 128-bit systems beyond just prettier graphics, and raise the standard that hopefully others will try to surpass. As a new racing convert, I hope they do.

Ok, ok, so the best racer ever might be overdoing it a little, but hey, it's still a darn good, and the undisputed king of Dreamcast racers. Let's get on to the review.

This is yet another attempt from Infrogames to give the Test Drive series a comeback, in hopes of bringing the series back to the greatness of the good ol' days of Test Drive 1, 2, &3. 4, 5, and 6 failed horribly, and V-rally didn't take the series anywhere. The good game in the TD series was Test Drive Off Road. Now Le Mans has changed that. While not successful in terms of money, it was successful in giving the aging series its first magnificent game since Test Drive 3. Le Mans has realistic physics, detailed courses, good handling, and just about everything else that could make a racer great.

Graphics: Beautiful! It really shows what the DC can do, and is the first game to have photo-realistic cars that I know of! It puts over 5 million polys on screen per second, even though the Dreamcast is supposed to be limited to 3million polygons per second. Just marvelous. Each car is great detailed, with each sponsors name on the car, imitating how the car really looks in real life. While you can still easily tell that the cars are fake, they still look darn good! The sky is also cool. if you pay attention, you can actually see the sky change color, go from sun up, to sundown, to night. To light grey skies, to dark clouds. It can even change weather in the middle of a race.
This game is one of the best looking games on Dreamcast, giving this game 5 stars in this category!

Gameplay: Fun, fast, and furious. The 3 F's. Every good racer has to have 'em, and Le Mans has all of 'em!

Fast: Heck, your car can go nearly 300 mph! If that aint fast, than Sonic's a sloth.

Furious: In expert mode, other cars try and ram you off the road, there are tons of twist and turns in each track to make each a challenge, you have to time your pit stops, so you can fill up on gas and get some new tires before your tires blow out, you run out of gas, or lose your top spot! The AI is smart, and well, the game can be fast.

Fun: Come on, how could racing a fake car on a fake track not be fun? Ok, so some of you aint into games, but if you are, this is the sweet part. The AI is very intelligent, and can be a big challenge. The courses are very hard, and can be very long, and there are 7 to unlock (bringing the total number of courses to ten). There are 11 championships to unlock, each harder than the last. There are a total of 40 cars to unlock, each with its unique handling and look.

The game is fast, the game is furious, and most of all, the game is fun. 5 stars here!

Sound: This game has fairly average tunes. Each course has its own, jazzy theme that matches the mood of the game. And for anyone who doesn't like jazz, can listen to rock. But not the loud rock from EMINEM, but nice, calm rock. You can switch the music in the options menu. This game has realistic racing sounds. The race starts with horns blowing and people screaming, heck if you have surround sound and a decent imagination you could literally think you are really there! It also has the standard screeching and bumping sounds like any other racer.
So, since the sounds are so realistic, and the music isn't annoying like "cough"Crazy Taxi"cough", I give this section full 5 stars!

Replay Value: Good news my now bored-out-of-your-mind audience, were almost done. The replay value is very good; with over 40 cars to unlock and 7 unlockable courses, you will be playing and replaying this game, testing out each on each car, fooling with the weather, and heck, just having fun!

Best version out: The Dreamcast version is the best out of the three versions. In case you don't know what I'm talking about, I am referring to the PC and PS2 versions. When the game was ported to PS2, it lost stuff along the way. The handling wasn't as good, and the graphics seemed almost down graded from the DC original. The PC version is an absolute disgrace, with controls that are not good for a PC gamers, and bad car handling. The graphics are good though, but that's about it.

Another reason to buy a Dreamcast: Despite the fact that the DC is dead, it's still worth buying, and this is yet another reason to back it up. Hope this review helped a few decisions.

Thanks for reading!

Being a hardcore virtual racer, I have played my share of good and not-so-good racing games. This game belongs in the 'good' category for its superb graphics and playability. While the number of tracks and features are about par for any game, the graphics are what sets this game apart from all others. The cars are meticulously detailed and lifelike as compared to their real world counterparts. They drive like a dream and handled so extremely well, you can almost "think" them to drive exactly as you want. And the replays? In all honesty, I have never seen a more realistic playback ever! A word to programmers: Before you venture out to create a new racing game, do yourself a favor; watch a replay after you run a race to see how it's suppose to be done! Check out the way the headlights glare and undulate during a heavy rain storm. Check out the masterful use of lighting, shade, and contrast during a race at dusk. You can even see the eyes of the racers in each car stare unnervingly ahead focusing on the task at hand. The graphics are outstanding in every way.

Besides the usual plethora of categories (time trial, quick race, etc.)you have an actual 24 hour which can be played at smaller time interval to accelerate the 24 hours if you don't have the time or patience to sit for that length of time. There's also strategy involved as you have to change your tires and refuel during the race and not fall too far behind. OK, my nits are:

* No rearview mirror for the in-car view.
* Hitting other cars sounds more like billiard balls clacking together
* Tire grip in the rain it as good as the dry (which, I suppose, it not a bad thing).
* No car/engine specs.
* No means of tweaking for more performance/handling.
* Not enough tracks

OK, my hits:
* Better graphics than GT3
* Wonderful, snarly engine sounds
* Incredibly, detailed cars
* Weather features that can change during a race
* Superb car control, even with the directional pad

My ultimate game would have the detail, clarity, and realism of Le Mans, the large number of tracks like any of the Gran Turismo series, a huge number of everyday cars to choose from and the ability to tweak them 'ad nauseum', like many racing games, and infuse it with real songs like in MSR (read: no mindless techno). Until that game arrives, you cannot go wrong with Le Mans!

This game is amazing it offers everything a racer would want lots of tracks amazingly good looking cars and a large variety at that,And last but not least a lot of cars to unlock .Now the gameplay is amazing to first of all the graphics are so good that sometimes you can see the sun beam off the car these graphics are exactly as good as playstation 2 games.This game never ever gets boring any racer fan needs to buy this game now if they do not have it already.Also all the cars are sponsored by something for example one car is sponsored by adidas i think one is sponsored by dell computers and one is even sponsored by VIAGRA.But enough with that this game is definitley the best racing game on the market right now so forget all the other racing games and go to your local video game store and get test drive that is if you have a dreamcast.

I remember in the manual, if I'm correct, that they said you couldn't win the race, the 24 hour race, Circuit de La Sarthe, in a GT car - anything outside of the prototypes - the Toyota GT1, BMW V12 LMR, Panoz LMP-01 etc, but, I did win in the blue/white #52 Chrysler (dodge) Viper in the wet - lapping the 2nd place Toyota GT1 on the last lap. I had won in the BMW V12 LMR with a 14 lap lead on the 2nd place Audi R8C in the dry.

I have had this game for about 3 years now, I believe, and I still go after the LMP's in slower cars, just to make the game harder.

The AI is incredible - for instance, as I was following the Toyota GT1 in a Panoz LMP-01, coming around the last turn that goes 4 lanes wide to the first straightaway (the straightaway that leads to the first chicane), we had 2 porsche's in front of us, the AI took the toyota to the right side passing, and I immediately took the left side passing, and we both came back to the center of the track, at the yellow line when it went back to 2 lanes - it was the absolute pinnacle of AI perfection I have ever seen, and my friend who was watching me race, was simply in awe because of what I just did, and the AI performed that maneuver perfectly - even the AI in the 2 porsches riding in a single line, stayed on their line until we passed.

The graphics on this game are perfect - I have not seen one flaw yet, and I've given up looking - you can see the drivers eyes, which is a nice touch.

No car damage - at all.

I'm kinda proud to say that my best lap time in the BMW V12 LMR is (and it's been a while since i've played)...I recall between 3:11 and 3:15 in the wet. It's been a while, but I do know for a fact it was under 3:17 in competition.

This game is really great, even on the smaller tracks, which totally kick my ass, and I'm generally in the top 5 in the LMP's when finishing those races - the AI has me there, very challenging, hard to catch a first place finish every time.

Each car has it's ups and downs - they are all unique. The Panoz has a nice torque curve, the Audi has great mid to upper rpm power, and great brakes, the Toyota GT1 doesn't have smooth engine power - you can feel it sort of accellerate faster than the transmission, and let it catch up - seems weird, the Jaguar and the Sauber are rockets, the Mercedes CLK-GTR is a dream, and the BMW V12 LMR is the perfect car - will not go faster than 213 mph on the straights, unless you're in a draft, so you'll never use 6th gear. The Viper GTS/R - great car, awesome torque - you can change gears without ever worrying about changing at the redline, so you can change 1/2 to 3/4 way up the rpm range, because the torque wears off very quick, so keep the rpm's low. The Porsche's have a bit of oversteer, and are a little tricky to learn.

I'm going to get back into this game as soon as I beat Resident Evil 4, and finish destroying everything in Mercenaries.

Too bad there is no part 2 in this game, to add more LMP cars, animated pit crew, damage, and yellow/red/blue flags, and audio from your pit crew. Other than this, I would not change anything at all, just add these options on, and you've got the perfect game.

-Jeff
(...)

This is a very well made video game. It made EGM's 100 Greatest Games Ever and that is no small feat. I recently ordered it and Can't wait to play. It has great graphics and gameplay. From what ive seen, this game is worth it's 4 dollar price.

Hey, also try Jet Grind Radio, Crazy Taxi, and Countless others of DC games that are cheap and better than the crap now that comes out for PS2 and Gamecube and X-Box.

This isn't the perfect racing game. It does have an arcadey feel at times, cars tend to bounce off you like dodgeballs, the selection of tracks leaves quite a bit to be desired, there is no rearview mirror, and considering the enormous historical range of cars that have raced Le Mans, the selection here is almost inexcusable.

That said, this is arguably as good as racing gets on the Dreamcast, and in some ways, is equal or better than what you get in GT 3. In racing games, where good graphics make for easier driving and better playability, the graphics are exceptional. The variable weather and night driving are done especially well, feels natural, and actually adds something to the experience. Minus the car collisions, the physics engine is consistent, predictable, and is comparable to that in the Gran Turismo series. Add in that you can race against no less than 24 (reasonably intelligent) computer opponents simultaneously, and can drive the actual 24 hours of Le Mans in real time (that's right, 24 actual PLAYED hours, one race, with realtime pit stops, changing weather, and night driving), and you have a definite winner.

As for the negatives . . .

1. Any decent driving game needs a rearview mirror. You need to be able to block your opponents as they drive up behind you or to just get out of their way. That's part of racing.

2. The game offers three levels of difficulty. The first offers automatic braking and easy computer competition. The second offers traction control, some braking assistance, and average computer competition. The third level offers no driver assistance and hard computer competition. Why they didn't allow you to toggle the amount of driver assistance AND the difficulty of the computer competition SEPERATELY is beyond me. It's a big enough jump from medium to hard level that it almost feels like a different game.

3. In medium difficulty level, you can bounce other cars off the road fairly easily. The other cars seem to have little or no weight. In the hard level, YOUR car will ALSO bounce off the road fairly easily. Since the computers tend to want to drive THROUGH you at times, count on ending up in the dirt on a regular basis.

4. More tracks. Le Mans, Catalunya, and Suzuka are all outstanding, historically significant tracks. Donnington, Brno, and the alternate versions of Le Mans, Catalunya, and Suzuka are all fine, but that's not nearly enough for a game with such huge aspirations. Where are Sebring, Road Atlanta, Daytona (the road racing track), Laguna Seca, and Spa?

5. More cars. Porche, arguably the most dominant marque at Le Mans, is never represented in actual name, and when they do appear, it's only as a 911. Neither is Ferrari, but that's par for most racing games. There's a heavy emphasis on late model Le Mans cars, which means Audi, BMW, Toyota, Nissan, Panoz, and then Dodge Vipers and Porche 911's in the GT class. That they included the Peugeot 905, Mercedes Sauber C9, Mercedes CLK-LM, Lancia LC2, Jaguar XJR9 LM as winnable cars shows that they knew better.

6. That crazy Le Mans race: You can't save unless you've pitted, which means at least an hour and a half between stops in the full 24 hour race. Also, you can't race the GT class cars against other GT class cars: you race against ALL competition, which means getting blown away by the prototypes and finishing well out of the running.

That said, these are smallish gripes that merely show the game is flawed. It's not perfect, but at its best, it is insanely fun. With 24 cars on the screen at a time, great physics, and realtime racing at Le Mans, there isn't much of anything like it on the Dreamcast. As a racing junkie, simply blasting down the Mulsanne Straight at 3:00 am in a Toyota GT1 and finally inching past the lead car I had been chasing for the last four hours was as close to heaven as I've ever gotten in a car game.