'Test Drive 6' Hums on PC, Sony, Morphs on Game Boy

By AARON CURTISS

Feb. 3, 2000 12 AM PT

Games bearing the logo of French publisher Infogrames crowded onto store shelves over the last year with titles for the PC and every mainstream video game platform from Nintendo Game Boy to Sega Dreamcast.

Its offerings are decidedly mixed, as demonstrated by a recent crop of racing titles for various platforms. Even within established franchises such as the “Test Drive” series, Infogrames titles suffer from dramatic inconsistencies that could undermine players’ faith.

Consider, for instance, “Test Drive 6” for the PC, Sony PlayStation and Game Boy Color. Although the differences between the PC and PlayStation are minor and predictable, “Test Drive 6” is not even the same game on the PC and Game Boy Color.

I know the two have vastly different capabilities and it’s not unusual to recast a game so it can be played on portable rigs. But the differences are so striking that they deserve to be pointed out.

Simply put, the PC and PlayStation versions rock. Literally. As I write these words, I’ve left the game running on another PC simply so I can listen to the soundtrack, which features cuts such as Fear Factory’s “Cars.”

But this is a driving game and “Test Drive 6” delivers where it counts. Players slip behind the wheel of any one of more than 40 high-strung cars from manufacturers such as Nissan, Lotus and Jaguar and then race through the streets of London, Rome and other exotic locales.

The goals of the game are simple: Place bets against computer opponents and then race for the kitty. Victory allows players to accumulate cash for new cars. But it’s not easy. The tracks snake through real-world environments--complete with other motorists and police officers. Neither likes having a bunch of hot rodders screaming through their communities.

I admire anyone who can just drive in Rome, but racing through the ancient city is a real kick as the course snakes around the Coliseum and through narrow cobbled lanes. Then there are the Roman drivers. In all, it’s great fun.

Sadly, none of that fun translates to the Game Boy version, which plugs along with a top-down perspective reminiscent of the pizza parlor racing games of the early 1980s. Many of the key elements exist intact, but a racing game depends on realistic driving action. On Game Boy “Test Drive 6” is a clunker.

Some may consider this comparison apples to oranges. Fair enough. But even when two similar Game Boy Color titles from Infogrames are stacked against each other apple to apple, one seems just plain rotten. “V-Rally” and “Test Drive Off-Road 3” for Game Boy Color don’t even seem like they were designed for the same platform.

As in the Game Boy “Test Drive 6,” “Off-Road 3” relies on a top-down view. And it’s slow. The races aren’t exciting and the graphics stink. Not even the built-in vibration feature can save it.

“V-Rally,” on the other hand, offers a more realistic perspective--just behind the car--and gives players a better sense of the race. The terrain changes with each new track and it comes as close to actual driving as one can get on Game Boy’s screen.

“Test Drive 6” on the PC requires a Pentium 233 with 32 mb of RAM and 250 mb of available hard drive space as well as a 3D accelerator with at least 4 mb of RAM.

“Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style”

Here’s some simple, unsolicited advice: If your kids beg and plead to buy “Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style” for Sony PlayStation, just say no. And then take them to a shrink. Despite some interesting twists on the fighting genre, “Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style” is one of the most gruesome video games on the market.

So gruesome, in fact, that the game requires players to enter a secret code to access the dismemberment and explosive beheadings that lie inside. The publisher, Activision, claims that this is a way to encourage responsible game play by making the sickest stuff available only to those who can handle it.

Problem is, the secret code is in the game manual and Page 2 tells players right where to find it, informing them that unless they enter the code, they will “only be able to play the edited version.” Better than nothing? Hardly.

Nowhere on the outside packaging does “Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style” tell parents that this feature exists. Nor does the packaging contain any of the most horrible images--such as the scene in which a character wraps a chain around his opponent’s neck and then pulls it tight to decapitate him in a Roman candle shower of blood.

Few things make me queasy. Many of my favorite games contain unspeakable acts of violence. But I know what I’m getting when I start the game. I’m an adult. I would never let a child play some of these games. The problem I have with “Wu-Tang” is that its packaging does not make clear what it contains. The fighting scenes on the back of the jewel case depict straightforward hand-to-hand fighting. Not a drop of blood.

That seems dishonest. Responsible parents ought to know that the mature rating from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board means something. But many can be confused. Pictures on the packaging help them decide whether it’s the kind of game they want their kids playing.

All of that said, “Wu-Tang” has its moments--particularly in the default, low-gore mode. The ability for up to four live players to duke it out against each other and computer opponents is nice and makes for some intense play.

To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send e-mail to aaron.curtiss@latimes.com.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Essentials

Test Drive Off-Road 3

* Platform: Game Boy Color

* Publisher: Infogrames

* ESRB rating*: Everyone

* Price: $29.99

* Bottom line: Yuck!

Test Drive 6

* Platform: Game Boy Color/PC/Sony PlayStation

* Publisher: Infogrames