I purchased Test Drive Ferrari Racing Legends yesterday on my PS3 for $19.99. I had originally ordered the PC version back in July, but it never was released and I read, I believe on this thread, that the PC version has been canceled. So, I figured what the heck. I started following this game last year, when I saw this thread on gtplanet.net and the concept was immediately attractive to me. I love sim racing and I love Ferrari cars and so this is a natural for me. I also enjoy Slightly Mad Studios ("SMS") racing games, including the Shift games, but more recently, their upcoming masterpiece, Project CARS.
Anyway, I fired up the game and tried it on my T500RS wheel and pedals. No luck, I could not get it to work correctly.
I have since read that I needed to switch the T500 to "normal" mode and then it would work correctly. I will try that soon. I instead used my CSR Elite wheel and Clubsport pedals and the game immediately recognized those, albeit as a Logitech G25. But, it worked and I got the 900 degrees of rotation that I have seen folks rave about. My CSR H shifter also worked perfectly.
I love the concept of the career mode. There are three eras you race in - Golden (older cars), Silver (more up to date cars) and Modern (the newest and hardest cars). Yes, the game is linear and you do not have choices as to which car you use for each event, but that is fine with me. The black and white historic look at the beginning of races is very cool and different. You start with the classics and they are a ton of fun to drive. The cockpits look excellent, almost on par with the cockpits for the 200 or so deluxe cars in GT5. The graphics are dated, even for a console, but they work well enough. I love the track selection, SMS did a great job of getting many of the great tracks in the game, although it will take me forever to unlock all of them. They also included historic versions of many tracks, which is really cool.
The cars handle better than the cars in the Shift series. Overall, I like Shift 1 and 2, but they are definitely not up to par with the best console sims, Forza and GT5, and are light years behind the best PC sims, particularly iRacing and rFactor. Test Drive has pretty good physics, but this is definitely a simcade game, to use ISR's concept. Play it for fun, not simulation. The car sounds are great, but keep in mind, no tuning. You drive each car stock, no upgrades are in the game.
The difficulty of the game is uneven and overall, this is a tough game. One crash, even on the Easy setting, will usually make you fail the challenge, and there is no rewind option. IMO, rewind options should be standard for arcade or simcade racers. They have it in Forza, but not GT5. Why not? 💡 Those that don't like it can turn it off. Anyway, I did not get frustrated with the game, since I have only played a couple of hours, but the lack of a rewind feature will definitely hamper my ability to get through the whole game. I tried the first modern car challenge and got my ass handed to me, even on the Easy setting.
The force feedback with my CSR Elite wheel is excellent. I can feel what the car is doing quite well. When I get loose, the wheel becomes looser as the tires lose grip. So, this is one area where SMS has improved over the Shift games, which left a lot to be desired in the force feedback department. I like a lot of force feedback and the game allows for that. You can turn it down in game if you prefer a lighter wheel.
Overall, this is a good, but not great game. Its nowhere near as good as iRacing, rFactor and Project CARS. Its also a step down from GT5 and Forza 4, but its fun, and that is ultimately what matters. If you like Ferrari cars, and historic tracks, then try this game. Its $19.99 and so there is not a lot of cost involved. My guess it that it will soon get even cheaper, given the lack of marketing and availability of the game.
), and so on. Great variety there.
Sorry if it's too much to ask 
