Infogrames, Inc., a global publisher of interactive entertainment software, announced today that the newest installment in the Test Drive Off-Road™ series, Test Drive Off-Road -- Wide Open™, will hit stores this week for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. Developed by Angel Studios, the game features advanced technology enabling “go anywhere” environments, 15 licensed off-road vehicles and 30 wide-open tracks in three untamed landscape locations.
“We’ve taken off-road racing and packed it full of unstoppable brute force and power,” said Laddie Ervin, director of marketing at Infogrames’ Los Angeles label. “Test Drive Off-Road -- Wide Open gives gamers the freedom to plow across open terrain at full throttle and freely explore massive real-world locations, rendered in some of the largest environments seen on Playstation 2, in some of the hottest 4x4s.”
Following the Test Drive® formula of racing real cars in real locations in an unreal way, Moab, Utah, Yosemite, Calif. and the Big Island of Hawaii set the stage for white knuckle off-road competition. Chosen for their diversity in textures and environments as well as their potential for extreme off-road racing, each of the games’ three locations will contain eight to ten tracks, including circuit courses and A-to-B races with variations in track sizes and styles. Players will have the freedom to choose the path that is best suited to their truck while attempting to complete the course in the fastest time possible.
Test Drive Off-Road -- Wide Open contains a variety of fully customizable licensed off-road vehicles, each offering its own unique handling and abilities. Vehicles include the AM General Humvee®, AM General Hummer® Wagon, AM General Hummer® Open Top, Rod Hall Hummer®, Jeep® Wrangler, Jeep® CJ5, Ford® F-150™, Ford® Bronco™, Dodge® RAM 2500, Dodge® Durango, Dodge® T Rex, Shelby® S.P. 360™, Chevrolet® Blazer and the Chevrolet® Silverado. Gamers can personalize their rides with paint options and other upgrades, including tires, wheels, light bars, brush guards, lift kits and more. Each vehicle upgrade produces a visual change in the appearance and performance of the vehicle.
Test Drive Off-Road -- Wide Open features a licensed soundtrack including Fear Factory, Unloco, Digital Assassins and the rock-and-roll legends Metallica. The game shipped to most major retail stores this week with an estimated retail price of $49.99 and an ESRB rating of E for everyone.
Angel Studios strives to create gameplay with fewer limitations and more options by developing the most advanced video game technology. Responsible for recent PlayStation 2 game console hits like Midnight Club™ and Smuggler’s Run™, Angel Studios is recognized as one of the top game developers in the industry.
About Infogrames, Inc.
New York-based Infogrames, Inc. (Nasdaq: IFGM) is the #2 third-party publisher of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company develops video games for all consoles (Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft), PCs, and Macintosh systems. Infogrames’ catalogue of more than 1,000 titles includes award-winning franchises such as Alone In The Dark™, Civilization™, Deer Hunter®, Driver™, Roller Coaster Tycoon®, Test Drive®, and Unreal®, and key licenses including Survivor™, Warner Bros. Looney Tunes™, Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues™, Dragon Ball Z, Mission Impossible®, Harley-Davidson®, Major League Baseball®, and the National Football League™, among many others. The Company’s Humongous Entertainment and MacSoft labels are leaders in children’s entertainment software and Macintosh entertainment software, respectively.
Infogrames, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (IESA), a global publisher and distributor of video games for all platforms, as well as interactive digital television, mobile smart devices (WAP, HDML) and in-flight entertainment systems. In 2001, IESA acquired Infogrames Interactive, Inc. (formerly Hasbro Interactive), including its line of software based on well-known licenses such as Monopoly®, Jeopardy®, Tonka®, and Atari®, which are distributed in the U.S. by Infogrames, Inc. For more information, visit the Company's Web site.
