Ludography
Test Drive Off-Road cover

1997 · Elite Systems · Racing

Test Drive Off-Road

PlayStation console exclusive

It's time to wander off the beaten path with Test Drive Off-Road, the first off-road racing game in the popular driving series. Players can hit the road with one of four licensed 4x4 vehicles, each rated in speed, handling and acceleration: a Hummer, Land Rover Defender 90, Jeep Wrangler and Chevrolet K-1500 Z71.

Released
28 February 1997
Platforms
MS-DOSPlayStationWindows
Genres
Racing
Developers
Elite Systems
Publishers
Accolade
Series
Test Drive
Modes
MultiplayerSingle-player
Perspective
First person
Themes
Non-fiction
Country
United Kingdom
Age ratings
ESRB E

About

Test Drive Off-Road is a racing video game developed by Elite Systems and published by Accolade for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation.

Keywords

  • bink video
  • unlockables
  • licensed cars
  • upgradeable vehicles
  • greatest hits

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

There are two different play modes: Class Racing, in which only vehicles of one type race, and Unlimited, in which all types of vehicles compete.

Reception

Test Drive: Off-Road received mixed reviews on both platforms. Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, stating that "all in all, TDOR doesn't muster up to the competition. Not by a long shot".

Reviewing the PlayStation version, Kraig Kujawa of Electronic Gaming Monthly praised the use of real vehicles and complexity of the tracks, while criticizing the small selection of vehicles. His co-reviewer Dean Hager said the game has a sufficient mixture of intensity and realism, but many of the tracks become repetitive and the competitors are not challenging enough. Both concluded it to be the most acceptable of the "hordes of mediocre off-road racing titles [that] have been coming out recently". While GamePro complimented the realistic engine sounds and soundtrack, it had a more negative overall assessment, summarizing that "Test Drive: Off-Road's loose controls, aggravating pop-up problems, and uninspired gameplay stall its overall appeal".

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
MS-DOS27 March 1997North America
PlayStation28 March 1997Worldwide · Europe 1 July 1997 · Japan 31 July 1997 · North America 31 December 1997 · North America 31 December 1998

In the same series

All

Games like this

Alike

Collections1 collection

Publishers

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.