Infogrames has officially announced the tentatively titled Test Drive for the Sony PlayStation 2. The game's courses are set in cities from around the world, including the winding and hilly streets of San Francisco. As with previous games in the core Test Drive series--not including the off-road and Le Mans games--Test Drive for the PS2 will include licensed high-performance vehicles. Infogrames has not announced a vehicle list at this point, but the Ford Mustang, Dodge Viper, and Nissan Skyline GT-R are among the models shown in the screenshots.

　　The PlayStation 2 game will be based on an entirely new graphics engine and will implement such effects as real-time lighting and shadows and multilevel reflections on the car chassis. Additionally, the courses in the game will be cluttered with traffic and pedestrians. According to Infogrames, the AI in the game has been designed to orchestrate street intersections and vehicle and pedestrian responses in complex ways, as people will jump out of the way of oncoming traffic and vehicles will react to traffic signals.

　　"The new Test Drive has everything necessary to be the best racing game ever," Laddie Ervin, director of marketing for sports and racing at Infogrames' San Jose Label, said. "With superior technology, lightning quick racing action, and the stunningly realistic graphics, it's going to blow the competition away this fall."

　　Other features in Test Drive for the PS2 include true-to-life engine sounds and a two-player split-screen mode. UK-based Pitbull Syndicate is developing the game--the company has worked on Test Drive 4, Test Drive 5, and Test Drive 6. Test Drive for the PS2 will be released this fall, and GameSpot will have further information on and media from the game as they become available.