driving emotion

A SPINDLY PACK of Porsche 911s stalked the back straightaway, howling like hair dryers as the sun retreated to the horizon. Its dwindling rays transformed the heavens into a melting pot of complementary color, bathing the landscape with rufous highlights and swaddling racecars with an eerie, metallic glow.

Mulsanne straight has traditionally been one of the longest stretches in motorsport. But in recent times, safety-minded officials have parceled it into sections using two speed-numbing chicanes. Yet, even in fragments, Mulsanne offers a rare opportunity to stand on the throttle and bask in the scenery.

up close and personal

The rolling hills of la Swathe loomed like a mural on the horizon. And its wild greenery crept trackside where gangling trees whizzed by in a blur. At nearly 180mph, gears whined angrily and wind clawed furiously. But their hapless symphony did little to smother the bassos of a Panoz car nearly a mile behind us.

By the time we tackled the last section its raspy whisper had become a deafening roar. Disquieted, I peered over the huge rear wing and watched an aluminum Panoz Esperante emerge from the shadows. It looked like a Chrysler Viper on protein powder. But with the cantankerous rumble of a NASCAR V-8 it sounded even more menacing.

Desperately trying to avoid each other’s slipstream, we formed a jagged line and braked hard for Mulsanne bend, slowing to a mere 60mph. (Mulsanne straight, after all, ends abruptly at Mulsanne bend, a right-handed hairpin that is incredibly easy to overrun.) I watched the bonnet sink beneath shifting weight and then felt the front-end quake violently as greedy calipers froze onto radiated discs...

your turn

Putting aside the photo-realistic textures, the convincing 3D models of 10 ACO approved tracks and over 40 incredibly detailed cars, I could go on and on about all of the nuances in this game! Like the gentle pounding of raindrops against the TV screen. Like the spectacular way dusk yields to dawn (in real time). Like the intoxicating sensation of speed and the horrifying sense of helplessness one feels when, under hard braking, the tires lock and begin to skip across the pavement.

24 Heures du Mans isn’t the only event in Infogrames’ latest Test Drive release. But it is, by far, the greatest spectacle. Whether you squeeze the entire 24-hour race into a time-elapsed 10- or 30-minutes, 1- or 6-hours, or go for the gusto in a mind-numbing 24-hour extravaganza, reality seems to thrive within its temporal domain.

Admittedly, timeworn detail is savored only in Le Mans mode. For the other modes of play—Arcade, Championship, Multiplayer and Time Trial—occur at fixed times. Yet, ironically, they aren’t any worse for wear because of it. Truth be told, the other modes will introduce players to courses and conditions that are considerably more difficult.

tracks of the trade

At Suzuka, a (bumpy) Japanese course better known for its moto events than automotive ones, weather shifts can be as unpredictable as they are fast moving. It’s not uncommon to see clear skies at one end of the serpentine figure eight and endure a stormy gale at the other. And if that wasn’t enough, its unusually skinny lanes corral racecars, making traffic congestion a hair-pulling reality.

(Suzuka is the second-largest circuit in the game. But at 3.604-miles, it is roughly the length of Le Mans’ Mulsanne straight.)

Arguably one of the best-kept secrets in motorsport, Brno treats drivers to a surprisingly spacious trek through the mountains of the Czech Republic. There’s considerably more elbowroom here than at Suzuka (or any of the other tracks for that matter). Nevertheless, novices find it more intimidating simply because its girth tends to hide the choicest driving lines. Moreover, its mountainous topography caters to the normally aspirated racecars (like Panoz Esperante), which are more difficult to drive.

Having said that, Donington, a comparatively flat English course, is probably the most frightening of the bunch. Ominous clouds loiter overhead and, shielding the sun, threaten to cast torrents of rain. But in the driver’s seat, the 2.500-mile circuit becomes a harrowing composition of blind corners, forcing drivers to rely on instinct more than intellect.

Without question, the most difficult course in the game is Circuit de Catalunya, one of four Gran Prix circuits near Barcelona. Although its layout looks appallingly simple, it is in fact deceptively abrasive and curvaceous. Here, drivers are summarily re-acquainted with the stuff spinouts are made of—garden-variety corners marinated in ‘snap’ oversteer.

(Though there are 10 circuits in Test Drive Le Mans, only five are unique; the other five are derivatives of existing ones.)

reading between the lines

“Twenty-four cars at full detail on track, each racing with full physics and AI simulation, detailed lighting, reflection-mapping effects, contrails, dust, smoke, exhaust explosions, 3D sound and reverb, without ever slowing down below 30fps.” —Infogrames Melbourne House

What makes Test Drive Le Mans unique is that it allows several different racing classes to compete simultaneously, each helping (or else hindering) the others. You’ll find that it’s just as exciting to pass cars from a faster class as it is to rush through a throng of slower ones. And in a roundabout way this is probably its most ingenious quality, as it ensures that slower cars will not become obsolete in the shadow of faster ones.

But a broad outlook on physics is what propels the game light-years ahead of its contemporaries. For within its wonderfully interconnected universe, actions cause reactions; and their goings-on are seemingly governed by natural law.

the inside track

Ironically, cause and effect (not racing) is the game’s most pungent theme. Causality has a way of making small things significant and big ones utterly convincing. It causes events to cascade, each influencing the other, with the end result being that nearly everything happens for a reason.

As tires wear, for instance, racecars gradually lose their ability to perform. Effete traction stifles handling ability, which in turn, plunders fuel economy. But as fuel cells are being depleted, racecars are becoming lighter and more nimble! Needless to say, the performance boost rapidly erodes tires, which only perpetuates the cycle. Discovering how each car copes with this paradox is one of the most exciting aspects of the game.

Notwithstanding, the most profound consequence of causality is the way that it gently prods players into mimicking the actions of real world drivers. You’ll find yourself shuffle-steering prototypes like McLaren F1 (“prototypes” are cars that have been purpose-built for racing) in order to coax them around corners. But with the slower GTs like Chrysler Viper (“GTs” are cars that have been snatched from the ranks of mass production), a more deliberate and steady approach works best.

(In the real world, driver error and mechanical failure whittle the racing field, thereby giving each participant a chance to win. In Test Drive Le Mans, CPU drivers tend to be as error-prone as you are. But without mechanical mishaps, members of the slower classes will never win events in which faster classes are present. This is the game’s most notable shortcoming.)

in a nutshell...

Test Drive Le Mans is a racing simulator. It bombards players with issues that not only relate to driving, but also are imperative to racing.

Moreover, gorgeous graphics, frighteningly human AI, realistic sound effects, shameless control and a draw distance that’ll put premier driving games to shame are just a few of the elements that make Test Drive Le Mans one of the best driving games on a console.