I think this is the one where the Test Drive series started to go down the drain.
Lets start the gameplay off with this: The AI on this game is impossible to deal with. The other cars are just there. They get pulled over by cops also, they avoid traffic, but they dont have any life. They dont try to run you off the road. They take shortcuts alright, but they seem to take them and the hard corners with such grace that it seems like they're riding on rails. And the traffic makes mewant to go ballistic and destroy something. Brainless. They only respond to you honking your horn, even then they can completely get in the way. And why is there a cop every 20 feet in each locale? This game is nothing short of impossible. Having a nail permanently embedded into your hand is better than playing this game. Oh, and I hope you have a sturdy keyboard and desk. You'll find yourself slamming your fist constantly.
The graphics might as well have been just blocks going back and forth. The cars look nothing like their real world counterparts. And I think they looked better on the PS version. The levels try to create a real-world feel and it pulls off nicely. To a certain extent. Your too busy cussing at the traffic to pay attention to the scenery. And the bugs and glitches... OMG. In several places, you seem to run into invisible pillars. And you get hung on walls that ended 5 feet away. If there had been a patch to fix this issue it might be okay today. But there's not. So you just have to deal with it. The only good thing about the sound in this game is the soundtrack. Eve 6, Cirrus, Lunatic Calm, Fear Factory, and Kottonmouth Kings. Fear Factory even has a video with Gary Numan about the song "Cars." Even the video is bad. Fear Factory is a great band but even they arent enough to save this game from the humiliation it serves. Once you get done listening to the songs over and over again, you'll want to listen to your own music with something running in the background. Yeah, good luck with that. The cop sirens drown out everything in order to make you alert that there is a cop chasing you. As if you couldn't figure that one out by the red and blue dot flashing on your radar and the constant swerving you'll be doing. The cars don't even sound powerful. More like midis stuck on play & loop. The engine upgrades do nothing to the sound, so its best left at the lowest possible level.
This game lasted as long until I could stand it. One point, I loved it. But looking back, what was I thinking? Years down the road you may want to go back and relive this nightmare. After the twenty or so minutes of living through the hell again is over, put it back in the case and throw it away.
This game belongs in the back of your collection. If you're into old games, you'l; love it. If you like the new nowaday racers: Test Drive what?