Test Drive: Ferrari Legends Review

Written by Erik Kubik, kube00 Thursday, 19 July 2012 06:00

Gamers, start your engines! I was half hoping to hear that sometime during this racing game. Test Drive: Ferrari Legends looks like the perfect blend of racing simulation all behind the wheel of a Ferrari. The big question is there enough to keep gamers interested?

The campaign revolves around gamers driving through the history of Ferrari. Much like other racing games such as Porsche Unleashed, gamers will spend time with the history of the car from the early days of Ferraris to the modern times. The same folks that brought you Need for Speed: Shift are behind this game, and for those gamers familiar with the Test Drive series they will feel right at home as well. I thought the game captures the essence of driving a Ferrari well, complete with the handling and sound effects. The cars looked and felt like the era they were from, for most of us this will be the closest we get to actually driving a Ferrari.

The most recent racing sim game I have played is Gran Turismo 5 and the two games feel similar. To succeed in this game, players will have to learn to drive carefully on the track, adjusting their speed as needed to take corners and not spin out. I also found that the multiple viewpoints from the cockpit or behind the car made a realistic difference while driving. My advice is try not to crash and burn too much and there are no shortcuts in this game.

Gamers will notice there is a lot to do and unlock. There are 50+ unlockable rides. All of them drive differently. Players can tweak the realism and physics levels to suit their skills. The novice level will keep rookie players driving while cranking up the difficulty will make veterans really work for a win. The campaign has a linear feel and most of the races take place on closed circuit tracks. One must complete events to move on and this means players may have to replay races. The story is non-existent. The game throws a few curves in player’s direction to mix it up. Some of the races have players overtaking all the cars, beating certain times, or straddling a few seconds behind opponents. Variety is the spice of life, and in a racing game the more there is to do the better.

Personally, I enjoyed the Golden Era which takes place between 1947-1973. This was the most enjoyable. But by the time I got to the modern era which covers the 90s on, the campaign ramped up the difficulty. This will make even the most dedicated gamers wince as they try to finish. It's hard to say if in the long run the unlockables are worth the agony of some of the events. Outside of the campaign there are multiplayer and time trials which are marginally fun providing gamers can find others to play with. If you are a car-crazed enthusiast, a Ferrari nut, or like challenging racing sims, then go ahead and check out the game. For the rest of us I would wait until the game comes down in price to under $30 or pick it up as a rental to see what you think.