Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends is a multi-platform computer game in the genre of racing simulator/arcade, entirely dedicated to the cars of the Ferrari brand. The development of the game began as early as 2006, but due to a change of developers and publishers, Ferrari Racing Legends was released only 6 years later, in July 2012, on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The release date for the PC version was constantly pushed back, and gamers even feared that the release for home computers would not happen, but in December 2012, Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends finally appeared on Steam.
As mentioned above, Ferrari Racing Legends is dedicated to the cars of the famous Italian brand. The game features a multitude of racing cars, dozens of real (or once existing) ones, and several fictional tracks, as well as a couple of more or less standard game modes. The main mode is the campaign mode with three time periods: the 'Golden Era', the 'Silver Era', and the 'Modern Era'. In the 'Golden Era', players have to take control of cars produced between 1947 and 1974, while in the 'Modern Era', the cars are the most contemporary. There are many cars from various time periods in Ferrari Racing Legends, but for an uninformed racer, it is quite difficult to understand them – the game lacks an encyclopedia or even descriptions of the cars. A rather strange decision for a project where the 'main characters' are cars from one brand.
Players can complete the 'Eras' in a randomly chosen order. The tasks within them differ from each other, which brings a certain degree of variety to Ferrari Racing Legends. In some instances, the game features typical races, while in others, there are true test arenas. In one task, players must maintain a specific speed or stay at a certain distance from the leading car, while in another, they are required to complete the track in the shortest possible time. To help gamers adjust to the gameplay and 'find their game', the developers have introduced three difficulty levels.
The control of cars varies depending on the chosen era. If the cars of the 1950s resemble iron irons on wheels that struggle to navigate turns, modern cars behave on the roads with much more confidence. It cannot be accurately said where driving is easier or harder – players set their own priorities. The times are different, as are the technology and the tracks.
Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends boasts appealing graphics and high-quality car models, but the game has one significant drawback – an unrealistic damage model. Cars cannot be smashed or destroyed, but they can only be slightly damaged.