Test Drive 5 is a Very Well Done Racing Game that is Somewhat Long Forgotten
Test Drive 5 gives a wide selection of nice cars. Cars are the cream of the crop. The cars in this game are beauties and beasts. The beauties are the modern sports cars, such as the 1998 Dodge Viper GTS, 1998 Jaguar XKR, 1998 TVR Cerbera, 1998 Aston Martin V8 Vantage, 1998 Chevrolet Corvette, 1998 Chevrolet Camaro Z28, 1998 Saleen Mustang S351 and the 1998 Nissan Skyline GTR.
And for the beasts, which are classic 1960s/1970s muscle cars, you have the 1969 Chevrolet Corvette ZL1, 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda, 1969 Dodge Charger, 1968 1/2 Ford Mustang 428CJ, and the 1966 Shelby Cobra 427SC.
And a large amount of locked vehicles, some created by the developers. You have a strange Jeep-like vehicle called a Hot Dog, 1999 Aston Martin Project Vantage, 1998 TVR Speed 12, 1994 Jaguar XJ220, 1998 Dodge Viper GTS-R (a masterpiece), Caterham Super 7, Caterham 21, 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, Ford Mustang Hotrod, Chevrolet Camaro Hotrod, Behold the Mighty Maul!, Fear Factory Wagon, Pitbull Special, 4 cop cars, and the 1998 Nissan R390 GT-1. With this wide arsenal of vehicles and color changes for a big number of them with color changes, you have endless possibilities, also with several tracks, you have so many well animated courses.
Moscow Russia has a dark and overcast look and it looks a lot like the country, Endiburgh Scotland is well done, Sydney Australia is a shorter and well mapped out course, Blue Ridge Parkway is a very complex countryside highway, Honolulu is a paradise, Tokyo however doesn't look like a neon maze like it really, Keswick is a countryside road that is well done, San Francisco, Bern, Kyoto, and Washington DC are all from Test Drive 4 as well as Keswick. And finally Munich Germany, a long stretch of road.
There are also fun circuit courses, Jarash Jordan is a well done desert town, Maui is like Honolulu in some ways, Newcastle is a nice city, Cheddar Gorge is a place I never heard of, but it's nice, Courmayer is another place I never heard of, but it's snowy, like Bern. And then Montego Bay, a Carribean paradise, and then the custom track, Bez's Flat, made of VHS tapes, playing cards, toy soldiers, beer cans, and paper.
All of the linear courses can be done in reverse, day or night, it depends. While it may have arcade style racing, it is very fun. The gameplay has a minor problem, in which the other cars can do stuff to you that you can't, but you don't always have to race, you can just try out the cars and test your time, or take it to the drag races.
The graphics are underrated but amazing to me. The designs of the courses are magnificent. However, there is one minor problem, and that's the design of the opponent cars, for instance, if you are racing a Viper GTS, it'll appear with the triangular vent under the hood. The graphics are a lot better than Test Drive 4.
The sound is a big part of it too, the soundtrack is supplied by heavy industrial hitters like Fear Factory, KMFDM, Junkie XL, Gravity Kills, and Pitchshifter. However, sometimes the cuts when you are racing are a bit uninspired, especially without the lyrics. But it still sounds pretty good.
Overall, Test Drive 5 is underappreciated and yet very fun. Reccomended to the fans and people who want a fun driving game.