The Duel: Test Drive II
From Sega Retro
| The Duel: Test Drive II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| System(s): Sega Mega Drive | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publisher: Ballistic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developer: Distinctive Software, Accolade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Licensor: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sound driver: Accolade sound driver | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre: Racing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of players: 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Duel: Test Drive II is a racing game released for the Sega Mega Drive in 1992. It is the sequel to Test Drive.
Contents
Gameplay
Test Drive II is a racing game where the player can race against an AI opponent or against the clock. The player initially is given the opportunity to choose a car to drive and a level of difficulty. The two lower difficulty levels use an automatic transmission, and the two higher difficulty levels use a manual transmission. Races take place on two to four lane public highways with many turns; each course is different and may include obstacles such as bridges, cliffs, and tunnels in addition to other cars. Each course also has one or more police cars along the course.
The goal of each course is to reach the gas station at the end of the course in the least amount of time. The car is steered with 
and 
. A dot on the steering wheel indicates the direction that it is pointed. The car accelerates with 
and brakes with 
. When equipped with a manual transmission, 
upshifts and 
downshifts.
Police cars appear in every course, and if the player is driving faster than the speed limit when encountering one of them, the police car follows in pursuit. If at any point while being pursued, the police car is able to pass the player's car, the player is forced to pull over and receives a ticket stating the offense and the speed of the vehicle. This does not cost the player a life but costs time. Players can avoid being pursued by police by slowing down before encountering them, anticipating them through the aid of a radar detector, which comes standard in all vehicles in the game.
The car can crash into other traffic or off-road obstacles such as trees or by falling off the cliff, which costs the player a life. The car can also sustain too much damage by staying off the roadway for too long. Players can lose a life when using a manual transmission by redlining and consequently blowing the engine. Crashing into a police car instantly ends the game, regardless of the number of lives the player has left.
Cars
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Porsche 959 |
|---|---|
| The Porsche 959 has a 2.8 L twin-turbocharged six-cylinder boxer engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. It is rear-engine and all-wheel drive. It was produced from 1986 to 1993. | |
|
Ferrari F40 |
| The Ferrari F40 has a 2.9 L twin-turbocharged V8 engine and a 5-speed manual transmission. It is mid-engine and rear-wheel drive. It was produced from 1987 to 1992. | |
|
Lamborghini Diablo |
| The Lamborghini Diablo has a 5.7 L V12 engine and a 5-speed manual transmission. It is mid-engine and rear-wheel drive. It was produced from 1990 to 2001. |
Courses
| City | |
|---|---|
| Mountain | |
| Desert | |
Versions
Test Drive II was originally released for home computers in 1989, with the Mega Drive and Super NES console conversions arriving three years later in 1992. Both console versions run at a faster frame rate with more colourful graphics, though sound effects are lacking in comparison to the Amiga version, and neither console ports offer all the features obtainable by using the game's many computer expansion disks.
The Mega Drive version is the more accurate of the two 16-bit console ports, with the Super NES deviating from the original design in terms of track layouts and scenery. However, the Super NES version has a noticeable performance advantage over all other versions, although this might be achieved by its decision to render fewer objects on screen at any one time. The Mega Drive version is also the only version to have in-game music by default. In the SNES version, music may be enabled on options.
Accolade released expansion disks for the home computer versions that added additional cars and courses.
Production credits
- Developed by: Distinctive Software Inc. Burnaby,B.C.
- The Duel - TEST DRIVE II was programmed by: Brad Gour, Chris Taylor, Richard Kiss
- Artwork: David Gibbs, Jackie Ritchie, Ian Verchere
- Sound and Music: Alistair Hirst, Russell Shiffer
- Produced by: Pam Levins, Brad Gour
- Original Version of The Duel: Test Drive II designed and developed by Distinctive Software Inc.
- Software Libraries copyright (c) 1992 Distinctive Software Inc.
- All other software and materials copyright (c) 1992 Accolade, Inc.
Magazine articles
- Main article: The Duel: Test Drive II/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
also published in:
- Game Informer (US) #8: "January/February 1993" (199x-xx-xx)[7]
- Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #45: "April 1993" (1993-xx-xx)[8]
Physical scans
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66 |
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| Based on 30 reviews | |
| Mega Drive, US |
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   Cover
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 Cart  Manual  Poster |
| Mega Drive, US (alt) |
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 Cart |
| Mega Drive, US/EU (Video Game Classics) |
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  Cover
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 Cart |
| Mega Drive, US/EU (Accolade) |
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  Cover
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 Cart |
| Mega Drive, EU |
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 Cover
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Cart  Manual |
| Mega Drive, EU (ALT) White Cart |
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Cart |
Technical information
- Main article: The Duel: Test Drive II/Technical information.
References
- ↑ GamePro, "April 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 24
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 GamePro, "June 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 58
- ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1992" (UK; 1992-03-19), page 9
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sega Force, "June 1992" (UK; 1992-05-14), page 74
- ↑ Sega Zone, "November 1992" (UK; 1992-10-28), page 33
- ↑ File:Test Drive II MD credits.pdf
- ↑ Game Informer, "January/February 1993" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 41
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "April 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 31
- ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 242
- ↑ Consoles +, "Mai 1992" (FR; 1992-0x-xx), page 72
- ↑ Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 222
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "April 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 28
- ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 107
- ↑ Game Power, "Luigio/Agosto 1992" (IT; 1992-0x-xx), page 50
- ↑ Game Informer, "Summer 1992" (US; 1992-0x-xx), page 6
- ↑ Joypad, "Juin 1992" (FR; 1992-05-1x), page 78
- ↑ Joystick, "Mai 1992" (FR; 1992-0x-xx), page 194
- ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "January 1993" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 95
- ↑ Mega, "March 1993" (UK; 1993-02-18), page 81
- ↑ Mega, "June 1994" (UK; 1994-05-19), page 65
- ↑ Mega Action, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-20), page 64
- ↑ Mega Fun, "06/92" (DE; 1992-0x-xx), page 31
- ↑ Mega Play, "June 1992" (US; 1992-0x-xx), page 63
- ↑ MegaTech, "May 1992" (UK; 1992-04-20), page 45
- ↑ Mean Machines, "May 1992" (UK; 1992-04-28), page 56
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 142
- ↑ Play Time, "7/92" (DE; 1992-06-03), page 92
- ↑ Power Play, "6/92" (DE; 1992-05-13), page 150
- ↑ Sega Power, "May 1992" (UK; 1992-04-02), page 20
- ↑ Sega Pro, "June 1992" (UK; 1992-05-21), page 56
- ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 68
- ↑ Sega Zone, "November 1992" (UK; 1992-10-28), page 32
- ↑ Supergame, "Julho 1992" (BR; 1992-07-xx), page 21
- ↑ Todo Sega, "Julio 1993" (ES; 1993-0x-xx), page 64
- ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 200
- ↑ Video Games, "6/92" (DE; 1992-05-29), page 54
| The Duel: Test Drive II | |
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|
Main page | Comparisons | Hidden content | Magazine articles | Reception | Region coding | Technical information | Bootlegs | |
| Test Drive games, spin-offs and relatives on Sega systems |
|---|
| The Duel: Test Drive II (1992) | Test Drive 6 (1999) | V-Rally 2: Expert Edition (2000) | Le Mans 24 Hours (2001) |
| Test Drive Off-Road (unreleased) | Test Drive Off-Road 3 (unreleased) | Test Drive Cycles (unreleased) |