Customer Reviews

Test Drive V-Rally

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Graphics = 4.5; Control = 4; Sound = 3.5; replay value = 4.5

After being disappointed by Sega Rally 2, I was hesitant on purchasing another rally game. I'm glad I bought Test Drive V-Rally. The graphics are unbelievably good, the large selection of cars and tracks guarantees you will be discovering new things for a while giving this game lots of replay value. Unlike Sega Rally 2, the difficulty level is set just right. ... the game is top value.

Some negative things are: there is some "pop-up" on the horizon when playing. But the framerate is fast. The track editor is a plus but you can only use tracks you created on time trial mode (no other cars but you). But with the included 80+ tracks where you can race against 3 other cars, it's more than enough. Remember though only 4 cars race at once including yours.

Best looking driving game in my opinion on Dreamcast perhaps until Metropolis Street Racer - and I own several racing games on DC. GO BUY THIS GAME IF YOU LIKE RACING GAMES.

Fine job Infogrames! I'm now waiting for their DC game Test Drive LeMans.

I work on computers all day writing lines and lines of code. When I play video games I want something very arcade-like in feel, with substance for longitivity and excellent graphics and sound.

Needless to say I'm not a big fan post PlayStation GT style races (Sega GT) where you have to customize you car and spend long hours to acheieve goals, based on reviews my choices were this title and Test Drive: Le Mans. I'm glad I went with V-Rally!

This game is very arcade like, very fun (me and my wife love to play it togeather), the controls are simple, the tracks aren't so simple. Real weather conditions, over 80 rally tracks from around the world, and a track editor make this my favorite racing game yet.

First off: this is not designed by the same simpletons who make the regular Test Drive series (such as the pathetic Test Drive 6)! This is a completely different programming team that has crafted a superb Rally game! Not only does this game single-handedly make the Test Drive label sound good for once, but it has been entirely rebuilt above the related title on Playstation (as proof of the unique origin, that original title was a "Need for Speed" brand).

Be it graphics, sound, features, or analog-trigger-based gameplay, the game takes advantage of the DC hardware. In fact, of all the racers I have for the system, I'm currently most likely to pick this one and play.

It is a really tough call, but I place this one on generally equal footing with Ferrari F355 and Sega Rally 2. It balances so that it has more cars and reasonable chance of winning versus F355 (every time I crank up the superb F355 it admittedly takes time to restore your skills just to place 3rd or 4th); and it balances against Sega Rally 2 by offering more serious Rally modes as well as an Arcade option.

While not better than those superb titles, it IS better than the overhyped Sega GT, providing a better balance than that still-good game ultimately manages.

Graphics: 8.5/10

Sound: 8/10

Gameplay: 8.5/10

Controls: 9/10

Overall: 8.5/10

This is a great racer that racing and even non-racing fans will have a lot of fun with.

PROS...

*Pretty to look at

*Fast, fluid graphics

*Good car control and physics

*Very fast loading of game menus and races

*Lots of cars to choose from

*Variable skill levels

*Good selection of courses

CONS...

*Some "pop-up" of scenery graphics

*Cars flip over too easily

If the two negative aspects above had been addressed by the programmers, I would give this game five stars. These are relatively minor issues, however, and don't take away from my overall enjoyment of the game (and, in terms of the car flipping, it doesn't happen too much since I learned how to drive ;) ). All in all, Test Drive V-Rally is an excellent racing game, and one of the best available for the Dreamcast.

First off: Don't let the Test Drive moniker scare you if you ever played Test Drive 6 (a real abomination of a racing game), as Infogrames picks the Test Drive name out of the mud and cleans it off with this fun rally racer.

V-Rally has the basics of your given rally racing game: varying driving surfaces, varying weather conditions, varying times of day. The changes in handling between driving surface/weather combinations are done well; snowy roads are slippery without being undrivable, rain provides a good medium between snowy and dry, dry gravel gives good grip while still allowing for the powerslidy goodness of rally racing, and asphalt provides a shocking bite and responsiveness to spice things up.

The actual engine really tends towards being like Speed Devils (a game which really should have been marketed as a rally game) rather than being a sim like Gran Turismo 2's rally mode (which can be a lot of fun, if limited).

The damage, while not an unheard-of feature (the aforementioned Speed Devils had it), is a nice addition and is done well. Damage isn't a factor except in the championship game mode, and there it's not overwhelming because of the design of the tournament. In addition, the effects of damage throughout the race, while not very visible on the body of the car, are done very nicely in the variance in handling. You can feel steering getting worse as you take more damage to it, and you can see the car bouncing along when your suspension's shot.

However, the feature that really makes this game a lot of fun is the track editor. The idea is very simple: Plot out N units of track, up to a hundred units, and then vary the bend and elevation of the track. It sounds overly simplistic, but it allows for a lot of fun to be had beyond the regular game. You can pick the setting, weather, time of day, etc. and optionally loop the track and then test drive it (no pun intended).

Of course, there are the requisite problems with the game, the most notable of which is the alarming frequency of rolling your car. If you clip the inside edge of a curve, you'll roll the car 9 out of 10 times easily. It got so ridiculous at one point that on a track I had made with the track editor, I just started trying to do barrel rolls by clipping the side as I went over a hill. FAR more annoying, though, is the habit of flipping forward when going over even gentle bumps. While the former can more or less be controlled, the latter can just happen out of nowhere without any warning.

In general, though, Test Drive V-Rally is a fun game that's really enhanced by its special features. For a slightly different take on rally, I would recommend Speed Devils, which adds an interesting setting for the racing and has much more visible car damage (even down to having headlights go out on night courses, which really adds to the experience).

Rally racing's lack of popularity in the USA continues to baffle me and this game only adds to that puzzlement.

Crisp graphics and detailed sounds are to be expected in any good game. In particular, the in-car view is second-to-none. You actually feel disoriented by the tossing that your car gets from the bumps in the track.

What really sets this game apart from other Rally games is the greater adherence to realism. In other Rally games, the road is widened considerably to make the game approachable. As any Rally fan will attest, in real Rallying, the road is two cars wide at best. This game captures this claustrophobia better than any other.

You will not find a better Rally game.

Control is tight (for a rally race, that is...so 'realistic' is perhaps a better word). Plenty of cars and tracks, and if you get tired of all the tracks and weather combinations, there is a fairly strong track editor to allow you to make more. The only downside is perhaps that it suffers from the common 'invisible walls' dilemna. Great game!!!

this is a good, well made game. but it just isnt fun for someone who wants to buy a racing game that'll be good fun for himself and friends. the soundtrack is so bad that you need to turn it off, and then you realize that the sounds of the chainsaw engines isnt any better. the steering is hard, pretty much every time you go off the road to roll your car . there is about 10 ft on either side of the road in which you can actually drive, and then its just invisable wall. my advise for someone who isn't real serious on simulation, is do not buy this game and save you money and pick up 4x4 Evolution. i know i wish i did.

I have played dozens of racing games in my life, but I'm not sure if any have been just plain fun like this one. This is an absolute blast to play. The graphics are quite sharp, the cars control well enough to get the job done,(although the flipping does get a little annoying) and the amount and variety of tracks is great. I know I sound like a commercial, but if you want a game to simply pick up and play, you will have fun with this title.

If you are a fan of rally racing, this is the only Dreamcast game that comes close. Unlike Sega Rally, this game factors in damage, repairs and true strategy (although I would love for someone to push all three a little further and factor in more catastrophic damage, random engine failure, etc.) There are still problems with some graphic glitches (your car can partially disappear in a wall, etc.) and vague instructions from the "co-driver" but overall, tt looks great, is a blast to play. Until someone brings Colin Mcrae Rally to the DC, this is the one to get.