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Test Drive Le Mans
"If you’ve the skills to prevail, you’ll face the ultimate challenge of the 24 Heures du Mans"
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Developer  Eutechnnyx Game Type  Racing
Distributor  Infogrames Review Date  Apr 00
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Setting the Scene:
 
      Hear the scream as your foot squeezes the accelerator, feel the engine throbbing as your hands tighten on the wheel. A bead of sweat rolls down your forehead, the sun glints off your visor as you approach the hairpin side by side with another car. Not much room, late on the brakes, control the back end, the crowd goes wild, flashbulbs exploding from the stands as you edge ahead. Welcome to Le Mans, one of the most famous races in the world....a grueling race over 24 hours where drivers pit their skills against one of the most unforgiving races ever.

Do you have what it takes to become part of the legend?

Since 1923, year of the first ever Le Mans 24 hour race, car manufacturers and drivers alike have dreamt of victory at the legendary Circuit International de la Sarthe.

Over 70 years on, emotions still ride high: the variety of competitors, originality of race regulations and the party atmosphere, combine to make Le Mans the mother of all races.

Sound and Vision:
 
      Powering up the disk things slip straight into gear to the pounding of a Stones style track, performed by the Dandy Warhols. This, accompanied by video footage of action from Le Mans, create the perfect atmosphere to get you in the mood and ready for action. Very nice indeed thank you.

Menu options are simple and well presented making the game easy to navigate. Either drive straight onto the track or go for one of the other race options. You also have the opportunity to set-up your car and although some of the changes can have quite drastic effects, the graphic interface is simplicity itself. Aerodynamics, fuel etc., once selected, are altered by a simple slider bar.

Choose a track and you're treated to a quick drivers eye view of the circuit, guided by commentary from Tiff Needal who gives background information. This is more than welcome, unlike the radio chatter which drones in your ears as you tear round the track.

The occasional comments, most of which sound half hearted, soon began to irritate and once to often you'll be told you've just moved up a place when the maneuver has long since taken place. Luckily, Tiff can be well and truly muffled during the race from the options menu. To be honest, this isn't a swipe at the commentator, but a criticism which can be leveled at most racing games where sound bytes are selected from a small library of phrases, repeated once to often during a race.

Other in-race sounds add greatly to the atmosphere. The crackling of exhausts and roaring of the engine, raise the adrenaline as you hang on to the car, flying through the gears and careering around corners. Hit the straight, floor it and the engine positively sings.

On-track graphics are more than adequate, displayed in the highest resolution available for the Playstation, 512*240. Yet, even then, they're not quite as polished as those in other racing games available on the market. However, after a few laps you don't honestly care. As in most race games they eventually become visual markers so you know where to slam on the breaks and what your race position is.

There are a few neat touches thrown in, such as the giant trackside video screens, scrolling billboards and the onslaught of camera flashes that go off when you roar past some of the stands.

You have a choice of three in-race views, a drivers eye view, minus the dashboard and two views from behind, one being slightly more elevated so as to give a better view of the track ahead.

One of the main features worth mentioning is the night/day cycle which comes into effect when racing the Le Mans 24 hour. During the race the sun goes down, leaving you driving by your headlights and the seat of your pants. As it rises again, hanging low in the sky, you can momentarily be blinded by the glare as you drive straight into it.

Weather effects include rain which can become torrential, starting and stopping during the course of a race, resulting in trails of spray from the tyres. This spray is graphically pretty weak and not very realistic.

During the race waving flags are displayed to indicate race rules or warning of hazardous track conditions, although there is no description of the numerous colors in the manual, so if you don't know what they mean it'll leave you guessing.

The cars themselves are detailed, nice touches such as sparks flying out from the back and flames flashing underneath which momentarily illuminate the tarmac are quite impressive.

One glaring omission is car damage. No matter how many times you trounce a car the only visible damage is to the spoilers. No sign of crumpled bonnets, scratched paintwork or smashed windows here, only a few missing polygons as a token effort. As the teacher used to say "Could have done better!"

Once a race is over you can join the ranks of the couch potatoes and sit back as the obligatory replay unfolds before you. Things might have looked and felt all right during the race but this view can be a real eye opener.
 
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