Test Drive 6

''Test Drive 6'' is a racing video game developed by Pitbull Syndicate for PlayStation, Microsoft Windows and Dreamcast. In the United States the game was published by Infogrames North America, while in Europe the game was published by Cryo Interactive. The game featured 37 licensed cars, plus four police car variants. As a first for the series, cars from General Motors are not playable in this game, instead they appear as traffic cars. The soundtrack featured industrial rock and techno music from artists such as Fear Factory, Lunatic Calm and Cirrus.

A Game Boy Color version was developed by Xantera, a small developer that also developed other Test Drive titles for the handheld.

Gameplay

''Test Drive 6'' is an arcade racing game similar to previous titles in the series. The game features Single Race, "Race Menu" (career) mode and a splitscreen multiplayer mode.

Single race allows players to choose a car and track and play it without any of the requirements or repercussions of career mode. Likewise, this mode has a small selection of cars from all classes available even if the player has not unlocked or purchased them in Race Menu.

The Race Menu career mode allows the player to purchase a vehicle from the Tier 1 dealership and provides them with tournaments to race in, limited by tier. The player wagers in-game currency on each race in the tournament and can receive an extra bonus payout for overall finishing position. Tournaments increase in length, difficulty and payout amounts by tier. The mode also features Stop The Racers and Stop The Bomber modes wherein the player drives a police car in pursuits.

Game Boy Color version

''Test Drive 6'' was released on a black cartridge for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. It was developed by Xantara. The handheld version of the game is a RC Pro Am clone. It features a limited selection of licensed vehicles from the main game and tracks named after real-world cities. A sequel was released exclusively for the Game Boy Color in 2000, called ''Test Drive 2001''.

Reception

''Test Drive 6'' received "mixed" reviews on all platforms except the PC version, which received "unfavourable" reviews, according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.

The writers of ''IGN'' gave many different opinions to each of the game's system releases. First, David Zdyrko said of the PlayStation version: "After six tries, they still haven't gotten it right." Arun Devidas said of the PC version: "It's not the best racer in town, but Test Drive 6 still has a few redeeming qualities." Craig Harris said of the Game Boy Color version: "Cruising along city streets in real cars should be more fun than this Game Boy racing title." Matt White said of the Dreamcast version: "Infogrames struts their stuff, showing us that they have what it takes to slaughter an innocent game." Jeff Nash of ''The Electric Playground'' gave the same Dreamcast version six out of ten, saying that it "offers some cheap thrills with its arcade racing style that may satisfy racers for a short time, but its lack of challenge, technical shortcomings, and unnecessary racing sim qualities make this game only worthy of renting." Nick McElveen of ''Computer Games Strategy Plus'' gave the PC version two-and-a-half stars out of five, saying, "While it is not as good as the last two ''Need for Speed''s, ''Test Drive 6'' nevertheless succeeds to some extent at being an enjoyable arcade-style driving game that gets the heart racing, so to speak."

Matt Sammons of '' NextGen'' said of the same Dreamcast version: "This strange mix of bumper cars and sports cars is stunningly mediocre. Test before driving."

In one review, Lamchop of ''GamePro'' said that the PlayStation version "offers a sweet sampling of exotic cars that you'll probably never own, but it has some stiff competition. Unless you're a hardcore driving nut, this game will eventually take a back seat to '' Gran Turismo'' and '' Need for Speed: High Stakes''." In another review, iBot said of the same console version: "With all the race games out, picking a game has become very tough. ''Test Drive 6'' packs all of the features you'll want, but it doesn't hold up graphically. If you are a hi-res graphics snob, you might just want to hold out for the Dreamcast version of ''TD6''." Dr. Zombie said in one review that the Dreamcast version "will satisfy your need for speed—and for entertainment. The excellent graphics and gameplay, plus the wide assortment of vehicles, tracks, and game modes ensure there's something for racers of all calibers. Don't just ''Test Drive'' this hot ride—this game merits a down payment." However, Uncle Dust said of the same console version in another review: "Without breathtaking visuals, but with control problems, ''Test Drive 6'' is not poised to be the leader of the Dreamcast racing pack, and the system desperately needs a good racer. Dreamcast owners should keep holding out for the next big racing title."

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1999 video games
Accolade (company) games
Cryo Interactive games
Dreamcast games
Game Boy Color games
Infogrames games
Midway Studios Newcastle games
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PlayStation (console) games
Racing video games
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Video games about police officers
Video games developed in the United Kingdom
Video games set in California
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Xantera games