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Reviews: Racing Games Galore!

© Gregor Simeonov

Hey, you have to hand it to Nintendo, because they have some really great racing games for Game Boy Color, which is my favorite genre for the system. Which one's are good? You'll soon find out, read on.

Test Drive 6, Test Drive Off-Road 3, Test Drive 2001: These three are all similar games, with identical gaming engines and designs. Test Drive 6 and test Drive Off-Road 3 were released simultaneously , and were a pretty decent hit. You drive a handful of authentically licensed cars, from Prowlers to Vipers, from the Subaru Outback to the Hummer. Each game is equipped with different championship tracks, in which you can earn money to buy more cars, build them up and unlock new tracks. However, the racing aspects are very simplistic, with top-view style racing that can sometimes become a bit tedious. Test Drive 6 and Off-Road 3 have a few glitches in the game, like missing frames, bad triggers and are overall slow, so those factors really deplete the racing excitement. I enjoyed a couple of these games purely to unlock all the cool cars that I dream of having, and building them up to perfection, but the racing ethics just don't exist in these titles. If you find a copy for real cheap, consider buying it, but cheesy little ramps they placed in these games won't keep you bouncing with them for long

Score: 6/10

Test Drive LeMans: Now this game, even though part of the Test Drive series, is completely different from is predecessors. First of all, its a behind-the-car racer, with excellent, absolutely extraordinary graphics and depth. Test Drive LeMans is based on the LeMans 24 hours racing tournament, and when they mean 24 hours in this game, its true. This game has everything you would want: Arcade, Championship and LeMans modes. In Arcade mode, you can let go and enjoy a few power-ups you pick up along the way while you race 20 eager opponents. In Championship mode, you race licensed cars throughout a series of tracks, earning points to be crowned as the victor at the end, which will unlock some more advanced cars for you. In LeMans mode, you get to choose from 4, 25 or 100 (!!!!) laps around one track, through day and night and grueling weather conditions. This game is great because of the weather component. If you race in championship mode, it just might start raining spontaneously and you will have to make a pit stop not only to refuel, which you will have to do often, but change from dry condition to wet condition tires. In LeMans mode, you get to have the pleasure of racing during the day, then at night, then in the morning when the fog is out. The graphics in this game are beautiful and the racing engine is great too, so pick it up!

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