Test Drive Le Mans

"A beau of a game! Or should I say un bijou!"

Just in case you don't know what beau means, beau means beautiful in French! People, if you still are interested in buying a DreamCast you better go out and buy it now. Its only priced at $50, and you'll be missing out on a lot of great games like this one. This game is a definite to your racing games collection. You'll be very pleased with this game and its only $20 new.

Controls 10/10
I know how big and cumbersome the DreamCast controller can be but once you get used to it, it can be very comfortable and intuitive. You can configure you control in two ways. One is the typa A configuration. The L trigger is for brakes, the R trigger is for your throttle, A button is for shifting down, X button is for shifting up, B button is for changing your camera view, and Y button is for looking behind you. I find this one hard for me to use. Type B is much easier to use IMO. L trigger is for shifting down, R trigger is for shifting up, A is for the throttle, B is for looking behind, Y is for changing your camera view, and X is for braking. And of course the analog stick is for controlling your dream cars.

Replay 10/10
This game will last you for a long time; I can tell you that. You'll fiercely compete with other cpu controlled racers in the 24 hour modes; there are 4 modes of it to choose from so that equals 31 hours and 10 minutes. Then there are the time trials. Completing them unlocks cars and tracks. You can also play against a buddy in a split screen action. Last but not least, there is the championship mode. Placing in first in all of the races unlocks cars for you to use.

Graphics 10/10
Amazing! You can see the brakes glow with a red orange color showing the effects under the friction of braking! This game also sports rain effects, which looks so real! While the rain is in effect, the game run at a smooth frame rate, which is very important to all games. The racers are completely modeled. I have one gripe about this one, though; why are they generic? Meaning why do I see the same ones being used in other cars? At least vary the drivers a little. Now on to the cars and tracks. The cars are completely modeled after their real life counterparts. You can see the sponsors and the paint jobs are right on. Just look at the GT ONE for example, the game has both the 98 and 99 models of it. You can see the Japanese flag on it and Esso Ultron to name a couple. The tracks are also made to the exact specification of the real life tracks.

Sound 10/10
You'll want to turn off the music for a good reason and a bad reason. The music isn't that good; just some plain boring rock music. Wanna know why I said to turn off the music for a good reason? The exhaust notes of the cars are astonishing! The real Le Mans cars sound like the cars in the game. People are always using the foghorn when you pass by. Not to mention, you can hear the gear box give a thump when you downshift or up shift. Nothing else to say about the sound.

Gameplay 10/10
I can't believe Infogrames actually got this aspect of the game correct while managing to program great graphics, sounds, and controls into the game. Some developers spend too much time on making the graphics eye-candy these days because that's what sells. Its just like music videos where sex sells. You can actually enjoy the game because of a nice control setup, the menus are easy to navigate, and its like the real thing. The physics are spot on and you actually have to drive with skills after you have set it to expert AI.

All in all, I recommend this game to anyone alike whether you are a fan of racing or not.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/02, Updated 03/06/02