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Test Drive: Off-Road Wide Open
2001 video game

Test Drive: Off-Road: Wide Open (known simply as Off-Road: Wide Open in Europe) is a racing video game developed by Angel Studios and published by Infogrames for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is the first game in the Test Drive series to be developed for the sixth generation of gaming systems, and the fourth and final installment of the Off-Road series. Trucks from General Motors make a full return as playable vehicles after being sort of absent in Test Drive: Off-Road 3.

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Gameplay

Test Drive: Off-Road: Wide Open, like the previous installments, focuses on off-road racing and utilizes three-dimensional graphics.

The player has a choice of off-road vehicles from manufacturers such as Hummer, Jeep, Ford, and others. Each vehicle has several variants that differ from each other in appearance and characteristics (climbing ability, top speed, acceleration, and handling): Stock, Modified, Pro, and Unlimited (the last two are unlocked during the game). Each car can be repainted. There is an option to shift weight, which enables to adjust the position of the car while in mid-air. The PlayStation 2 version includes a multiplayer mode with a split-screen for two players and the Xbox version for up to four players. In addition, the Xbox version includes more off-road vehicles.

The game features four modes. In "Single Race," the player chooses a difficulty level (easy, medium, or hard), a track, and an off-road vehicle, and must place first among the eight opponents to win. "Career Race" is a single-player mode that includes tournaments, in which the player earns the money needed to buy new vehicles. In "Free Ride", the player can explore one of three locations; Moab, Utah, Yosemite Park, and Hawaii. "Stadium Race" is a mode available only in the Xbox version, in which competition takes place on special enclosed tracks.

Development and release

Test Drive: Off-Road: Wide Open was announced on October 19, 2000. Angel Studios, known for another off-road racing game, Smuggler's Run, was responsible for development. The new game was the first in the Test Drive series to be released on PlayStation 2 and Xbox and was the last installment of the Off-Road sub-series. The game was shown at E3 2001. In the making, the graphics, controls, and game modes were greatly improved. Test Drive: Off-Road: Wide Open was based on the Angel Game Engine (AGE) used in previous games from Angel Studios. The soundtrack includes songs from Metallica, Fear Factory, and others.

It was released on August 21, 2001, on PlayStation 2 and November 15 on Xbox in North America.12 The game was released in Europe and Australia under the shortened title Off-Road: Wide Open for PlayStation 2 on November 23, 2001,34 and for Xbox in 2002 on May 24 and May 31, respectively.56

Reception

ReceptionAggregate score
AggregatorScore
PS2Xbox
Metacritic70/100764/1008
Review scores
PublicationScore
PS2Xbox
AllGameN/A9
Electronic Gaming Monthly5.67/1010N/A
Game Informer(Nov.) 6.25/1011(Sept.) 3.5/10126.5/1013
GamePro1415
GameRevolutionB−16C+17
GameSpot7.6/10186.8/1019
GameSpy68%2071%21
GameZone7.3/10228/1023
IGN6.5/10247/1025
Next Generation2627
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine28N/A
Official Xbox Magazine (US)N/A5.6/1029
Maxim8/1030N/A

Test Drive: Off-Road: Wide Open received "mixed or average reviews" on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.3132

Kristian Brogger of Game Informer initially gave the PlayStation 2 version a bad review in the September 2001 issue, stating that the graphics were poor and the sounds were so bad because of bugs in the game.33 However, he raised the grade up to an average review in the November 2001 issue, saying that the game was "certainly leagues better without the infamous bug, but the game itself still seems to suffer from an attack of mediocre gameplay syndrome."34

Jim Preston of NextGen's November 2001 issue called the same console version "An all-too-familiar entry in the Test Drive series, but there's fun to be had."35 However, in its final issue, the magazine called the Xbox version "a flat and uninspired game, and it certainly can't compare to the large collection of stellar Xbox launch titles."36

References

  1. Ahmed, Shahed (August 21, 2001). "Infogrames ships two for the PS2". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 16, 2004. Retrieved June 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20040616213646/http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/driving/testdriveoffroadwideopen/news_2806346.html ↩

  2. Ahmed, Shahed (October 30, 2001). "Two games confirmed for Xbox launch". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/two-games-confirmed-for-xbox-launch/1100-2821290/ ↩

  3. "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open". Jeuxvideo.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024. https://www.jeuxvideo.com/jeux/playstation-2-ps2/00008537-test-drive-off-road-wide-open.htm ↩

  4. "Test Drive Off Road Wide Open". Game Nation. Archived from the original on July 12, 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20020712235150/http://gamenation.com.au/product/?action=view&id=672 ↩

  5. "2002 Releases". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20020602135034/http://eurogamer.net/release-dates.php ↩

  6. "Off Road Wide Open". Game Nation. Archived from the original on August 27, 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20020827121609/http://gamenation.com.au/product/?action=view&id=727 ↩

  7. "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 15, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2018. https://www.metacritic.com/game/test-drive-off-road-wide-open/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2 ↩

  8. "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 15, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2018. https://www.metacritic.com/game/test-drive-off-road-wide-open/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox ↩

  9. Marriott, Scott Alan. "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (Xbox) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20141115093514/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=36257&tab=review ↩

  10. EGM staff (October 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open (PS2)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 147. Ziff Davis. p. 146. /wiki/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly ↩

  11. Brogger, Kristian (November 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 103. FuncoLand. p. 112. Archived from the original on November 12, 2005. Retrieved February 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20051112172840/http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200111/R03.0806.1038.57059.htm?CS_pid=938198 ↩

  12. Brogger, Kristian (September 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 101. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on October 31, 2005. Retrieved February 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20051031111624/http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200109/R03.0805.1628.32487.htm?CS_pid=280129 ↩

  13. "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (Xbox)". Game Informer. No. 104. FuncoLand. December 2001. p. 109. ↩

  14. Jake The Snake (August 27, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 20, 2005. Retrieved February 8, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20050220213414/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/16366.shtml ↩

  15. Dan Elektro (December 19, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open Review for Xbox on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 10, 2005. Retrieved February 8, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20050310045122/http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox/games/reviews/19207.shtml ↩

  16. White, A.A. (August 2001). "Test Drive Offroad [sic]: Wide Open Review (PS2)". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2019. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/35939-test-drive-offroad-wide-open-review ↩

  17. White, A.A. (February 2002). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (Xbox)". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on February 15, 2004. Retrieved February 8, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20040215135455/http://www.game-revolution.com/games/xbox/racing/test_drive_offroad_wide_open.htm ↩

  18. Ahmed, Shahed (August 28, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open Review (PS2) [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2019. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/test-drive-off-road-wide-open-review/1900-2808679/ ↩

  19. Satterfield, Shane (November 30, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open Review (Xbox) [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2019. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/test-drive-off-road-wide-open-review/1900-2829095/ ↩

  20. Padilla, Raymond (September 29, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (PS2)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 12, 2004. Retrieved February 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20041212070739/http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/september01/testdriveoffroad/ ↩

  21. Burns, Enid (November 15, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (Xbox)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 13, 2004. Retrieved February 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20041213175051/http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/november01/testdriveoffroadxbox/ ↩

  22. Krause, Kevin (September 5, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on July 15, 2007. Retrieved February 8, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20070715135833/http://ps2.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r17177.htm ↩

  23. Lafferty, Michael (December 12, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open (Xbox)". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved February 8, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20050204112511/http://xbox.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r17177.htm ↩

  24. Smith, David (August 23, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road -- Wide Open (PS2)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2019. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/08/23/test-drive-off-road-wide-open-3 ↩

  25. Lopez, Vincent (November 7, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road -- Wide Open (Xbox)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2019. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/11/08/test-drive-off-road-wide-open ↩

  26. Preston, Jim (November 2001). "Test Drive: Off-Road Wide Open (PS2)". NextGen. No. 83. Imagine Media. p. 108. Retrieved September 15, 2021. https://archive.org/details/NextGen83Nov2001/page/n109/mode/2up ↩

  27. "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open [sic] (Xbox)". NextGen. No. 85. Imagine Media. January 2002. p. 31. Retrieved October 10, 2021. https://archive.org/details/NextGen85Jan2002/page/n31/mode/2up ↩

  28. "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 48. Ziff Davis. September 2001. /wiki/Official_U.S._PlayStation_Magazine ↩

  29. "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open". Official Xbox Magazine. Imagine Media. January 2002. /wiki/Official_Xbox_Magazine ↩

  30. Boyce, Ryan (August 14, 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (PS2)". Maxim. Biglari Holdings. Archived from the original on December 29, 2001. Retrieved February 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20011229093236/http://www.maximonline.com/articles/review_videogames.asp?videogame_id=1140 ↩

  31. "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 15, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2018. https://www.metacritic.com/game/test-drive-off-road-wide-open/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2 ↩

  32. "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 15, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2018. https://www.metacritic.com/game/test-drive-off-road-wide-open/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox ↩

  33. Brogger, Kristian (September 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 101. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on October 31, 2005. Retrieved February 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20051031111624/http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200109/R03.0805.1628.32487.htm?CS_pid=280129 ↩

  34. Brogger, Kristian (November 2001). "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 103. FuncoLand. p. 112. Archived from the original on November 12, 2005. Retrieved February 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20051112172840/http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200111/R03.0806.1038.57059.htm?CS_pid=938198 ↩

  35. Preston, Jim (November 2001). "Test Drive: Off-Road Wide Open (PS2)". NextGen. No. 83. Imagine Media. p. 108. Retrieved September 15, 2021. https://archive.org/details/NextGen83Nov2001/page/n109/mode/2up ↩

  36. "Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open [sic] (Xbox)". NextGen. No. 85. Imagine Media. January 2002. p. 31. Retrieved October 10, 2021. https://archive.org/details/NextGen85Jan2002/page/n31/mode/2up ↩