S&S; Review: Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends

Title: Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends
Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: July 2012
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Slightly Mad Studios
Price: $49.99
ESRB Rating: E


I've always been a fan of the Test Drive franchise, mainly because of how consistently good their racers have been.  With Ferrari Racing Legends though, it just doesn't compare to the other good games in the series, especially in terms of quality.  
Presentation:
Its hard not to appreciate how good Ferrari Racing Legends really looks, if you can get past the rancid game design and gameplay, the presentation really shines.  For hardcore car enthusiasts and Ferrari aficionados, you will definitely notice the high level of authenticity the game manages to push out.  You'll also notice that you won't find the stylish over the top finishes on the cars, instead you find a more simplistic finish.  This is a small aspect that only the hardcore racing fans will notice.  Blur effects offer up an incredible speed illusions that really adds a sense of depth to the races.  The cockpit views are all impressively detailed, adding another deep sense of realism. The tracks are beautiful as well, giving the player a lot of vast environments for you to burn rubber in.  There isn't really any music in the game to complement all the intense racing you'll be doing.  Even with the absence of music, the loud engines and screechy breaking tires can really get your adrenaline going.  With all this said, the game's stellar presentation is really the standout of the title.
Core Gameplay and Multiplayer:
The gameplay in Test Drive: FRL is where the game suffers, in my mind.  The game really stands in the gray area between hardcore simulation racing and the generic arcade style racing.  For people who aren't good at games like Forza and Gran Turismo, you'll probably find it hard to get into the swing of things without throwing your Dualshock or Xbox controller in anger.  I felt like the game was really unforgiving at times, the slightest turn to the right, then you're skidding out of bounds and you have to start the race all the way over.   Seeing how this is the same team who brought us the Need for Speed Shift games, which were great in my eyes, Ferrari Legends just doesn't have the same balance that the Shift games shown.  You can adjust the difficulty level so you can play with the amount of physics and realism that fits your playstyle.  The campaign really makes it tough to unlock the 50+ additional cars because of the drastic spikes in difficulty.  The campaign sticks to your traditional style, ditching the open world gameplay for menu based races on closed circuits.  Different objectives for races add a little more spice to an otherwise dull race.  The online play is pretty basic giving a limited number of customization options for races.  Surprisingly, the online gameplay is really smooth.  I never saw any lag in the dozen or so races I finished.
Final Thoughts:
Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends is a solid racer, it just has a lot of problems that you can't just simply ignore.  Fans still can really appreciate the gorgeous visuals, and adrenaline revving of the engines.  If you can manage the difficult and unforgiving gameplay, you'll find a lot of racing goodness in this package.
S&S Rating: 6.5/10