Almost everyone is familiar with the name "Ferrari," whether they're into cars or not. The brand with the prancing horse logo polarizes opinions. For some, these vehicles are decadent fashion accessories, for others, they are beautiful sports cars and, in many cases, a childhood dream. The folks at Slightly Mad seem to belong to the latter group, as they've dedicated an entire game to the red speedsters from Maranello, Italy. "Test Drive Ferrari Racing Legends" is the studio's latest production, but the game has nothing to do with the "Test Drive" games Atari has previously delivered. So, it's best to forget about any limitless open-world fun.
The single-player campaign is divided into three parts – Golden Era (1947-1973), Silver Era (1974-1990), and Modern Era (1990-2011). As a Ferrari test driver, you'll be on over 30 racetracks in more than 50 Ferrari models, performing demonstration runs to prove the new model is superior to its predecessor, competing in races, and of course, qualifying for them. In total, there are over 200 events to complete. This will definitely keep you busy for a while. Fortunately, you can switch between the three parts at any time if you get stuck, because "Ferrari Racing Legends" is quite challenging even on the easiest difficulty setting. However, after a fairly short time, you'll find yourself simply going through the motions of the events. The vast number of events ultimately falls into three categories: races, time trials, and demonstration events, where the goal is to overtake all the cars ahead of you within a certain number of laps. You are given a car, complete a few events with it, then you get a different car and the game starts again. Each event has a main objective and a bonus objective (e.g., main objective: finish the race in at least third place, bonus objective: reach the finish line in first place).
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Before each event, you can choose the difficulty level: easy, normal, and hard. This changes qualifying times, and the AI drivers are faster. Driving aids are controlled via the three driver modes. While "Beginner" offers plenty of support, "Pro" largely forgoes electronic assistance. This significantly alters the handling. Unfortunately, you can't individually switch the driving aids on and off or adjust them, as you might find in games like "DiRT 3" or "Gran Turismo 5".
There's nothing inherently wrong with the multiplayer. Connecting to the game is seamless, and you can create races according to your own criteria. However, finding online teammates proved very difficult. Of the seven available slots in the lobby, usually only one was occupied, with the rest filled by AI drivers. This is a real shame, but it could be worse, as the AI is actually quite well-designed; it doesn't just blindly follow the racing line. This is especially noticeable when you make a mistake, end up sideways on the racing line, and all the other cars swerve to avoid you.
The steering is solid, though initially a bit sensitive, which fortunately can be adjusted in the options. The automatic transmission was a definite plus. You never get the feeling of being held back from cornering because the gear is too high and the engine speed too low. Furthermore, you can manually intervene with the automatic transmission and downshift if necessary. The individual models differ noticeably in their driving characteristics, and the soundscape also varies considerably from car to car. You won't find a one-size-fits-all experience here.
Unfortunately, there's not much to say about the sound. While orchestral music can be heard in the menu, there's no background music during the races, and aside from the occasional radio announcement, there's no voice acting. Overall, this makes the game feel rather lonely and isolated, not least because of the extremely basic menu itself, which gives the impression that the developers simply lacked ideas for making the races more engaging for the player.
Graphically, Ferrari Racing Legends looks somewhat dated, and everything off the track lacks detail. The car models themselves look consistently good, although some details could have been rendered more effectively. The lighting and shadow effects are well done, and the cockpit view offers good visibility. However, the overall visual impression is marred by frequent jagged edges, which is likely due to the PS3's known anti-aliasing issues. The gauges, in particular, appear quite frayed. A damage model is also included, but it's limited to minor cosmetic damage such as a few scratches and dents. It's safe to assume that this decision was largely made by Ferrari. After all, what manufacturer wants to see their cars completely wrecked, even on screen? None, as we all know.
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The game has been reduced to its essentials – Ferrari. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you do feel somewhat isolated, especially in career mode. There's no starting grid for races, and nobody even has a name. Everything feels very anonymous. The loading screen before events is filled with text panels containing some information and the requirements for successfully completing the events. You'll search in vain for more detailed information about the tracks and cars. A showroom where you could take a closer look at the vehicles would certainly have been interesting, but again, there's nothing to be found.
Furthermore, "Test Drive Ferrari Racing Legends" doesn't quite manage to ignite the player's enthusiasm for the Ferrari brand or motivate them to continue playing. This is likely due to the fact that, aside from the cars and tracks unlocked by completing events, there are no extra bonuses. Tuning is also absent, which isn't surprising or problematic for a licensed game like this. A leveling system, now found in almost every racing game, is also missing.
Written by Christian Klisch
