Off-Road Confirmed for the PS2

Infogrames has confirmed that the latest game in its Test Drive Off-Road series, Test-Drive Off-Road Wide Open, is in development for the Sony PlayStation 2. The game is being developed by Angel Studios, the company behind Rockstar's Midnight Club, and it will be released in the summer of 2001. According to Clinton Keith at Angel Studios, Test-Drive Off-Road Wide Open incorporates "amazing graphics and superior driving physics with the concept of creating wide-open, sprawling environments that won't limit gameplay to a track."

The PS2 version of the game will feature 16 licensed off-road vehicles and 30 tracks. The courses are based in Moab, Utah; Yosemite, California; and the big island of Hawaii. Angel Studios selected those courses because of their diverse textures and also because they are authentic venues in the real-life sport of off-road racing. There will be eight to ten tracks readily available for each of the three courses. The game's licensed vehicles include the AM General Humvee, the AM General Hummer, the Jeep Wrangler, the Ford F150, the Ford Bronco, the Dodge RAM 2500, and the Dodge Shelby Durango. The vehicles are fully customizable, and players can tweak tires, wheels, light bars, brush guards, lift kits, and more.

"With the technical advancements allowed by the PlayStation 2, this new addition to the Test Drive Off-Road family will go beyond what any off-road game has accomplished before," commented Chris Downend, director of product development for racing titles for Infogrames. "Players will have room to roam in the 'go anywhere' environment. Racing freely through expansive real-world locations that are graphically magnificent and true to life in some of the world's most desirable off-road vehicles will make this one of the first must-have racing games for the PlayStation 2."