Software:Test Drive III: The Passion

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Short description: 1990 racing video game
Test Drive III: The Passion
Developer(s)Accolade
Publisher(s)Accolade
Producer(s)Sam Nelson
Designer(s)Tom Loughry
Artist(s)Justin R. Chin
Roseann Mitchell
Composer(s)Russell Shiffer
SeriesTest Drive
Platform(s)MS-DOS
Release
Genre(s)Racing, simulation
Mode(s)Single-player (1–4 players, one at a time, same computer)

Test Drive III: The Passion is a racing video game developed and published by Accolade in 1990 for MS-DOS. It is the third game in the Test Drive series. While the first two Test Drive titles were developed by Distinctive Software, the third one was developed in-house at Accolade. This resulted in many differences from the first two games.[1]

Gameplay

Unlike the first two titles, the third game has the concept of a free landscape; the player does not have to drive on a preset course. Each section contains alternate routes and shortcuts for reaching the finish line and the player can go wherever they want, i.e. drive off the road and onto the grass, hills, farms etc. The landscape includes features such as bridges, tunnels, water, hills and mountains. It also features railroad crossings with a real train running in a loop. The player must also obey the speed limit when a police car is in sight, otherwise they could be caught and fined.[1]

The test course, situated in Northern California from Pacific Coast to Yosemite National Park, consists of five distinct sections (Scenic Coast, Coast Hills, Valley Farms, Foothills, and Sierra Vista) featuring varied landscapes. The game features three cars to drive; the Lamborghini Diablo, Ferrari Mythos Pininfarina Concept, and the Chevrolet Corvette CERV III Concept. Other features include changeable radio stations, windscreen wipers, headlights, and varying weather conditions and times of day.

Racing options include nine skill levels, head-to-head competition against two computer-controlled drivers, time trials against the clock, and racing against up to three other players, one at a time, on the same computer. Gameplay includes joystick and keyboard support as well as multiple viewpoints and replay options.[2]

Development and release

While the first two Test Drive titles were developed by Distinctive Software, the third one was developed in-house at Accolade. This resulted in many differences over the first two games.[1] The game was radically different from the previous two installments by abandoning sprite graphics and using a combination of bitmapped and polygon-fill 3D graphics, and digitized car interiors instead. Unlike the previous games which were released on a variety of platforms, it was released exclusively for DOS.

An add-on package, Road & Car, was released in 1991 as an extra purchase, featuring a New England road course from Cape Cod to Niagara Falls, and the Acura NSX and Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo cars. New to the Test Drive III environment were covered bridges, low-flying airplanes, hot air balloons, horses and buses. It allows the player to combine vehicles and landscapes from both the original game and the add-on for variety.[3]

Reception

Computer Gaming World stated that Test Drive III: The Passion, while not spectacular, was a fine driving simulator and "a well-designed package".[4] The magazine praised the Road & Car expansion's New England scenery and automobile reproductions, and stated that it provided "more of the same, with a slightly different angle" to the original game.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "The DOS Gaming Scholar: Test Drive III: The Passion". 26 April 2011. http://dos-scholar.blogspot.hu/2011/04/test-drive-iii-passion.html. Retrieved 2012-10-19. 
  2. ↑ Test Drive III: The Passion manual
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kawamoto, Wayne N. (June 1991). "Another Day at the Races". Computer Gaming World (83): 88. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1991&pub=2&id=83. Retrieved 17 November 2013. 
  4. ↑ Wilson, David M. (April 1991). "A Passionate Tryst with Speed". Computer Gaming World (81): 51. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1991&pub=2&id=81. Retrieved 17 November 2013. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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