Test Drive: Eve of Destruction
(August 2004, PS2 and Xbox, Atari/Monster Games)
A hard-hitting mashup between an auto race and a demolition derby. Compete in a wide variety of events ranging from the Whip-Around Race to the Push-Off to Stock Car Soccer. Take out the other cars and hold yours together long enough to come in first.
One of the games I was responsible for was Red Rover, in which the player drives back and forth between two end zones; the last car to reach the zone in each round is eliminated. The event was to be implemented at each of a dozen tracks, and could easily have become monotonous. I was able to add some variety to the game by modifying the shapes of courses, placing obstacles and ramps on the field, and making use of the terrain at each track. These variations on the theme changed the feel and playstyle of the game at different tracks: one level might be a tightly-packed scrum; another, a skills challenge that demands precision driving; another, a wide-open sprint from end to end. By varying the pattern in these ways, I was able to take a game that might have been throwaway filler content, and make something that provides players with a compelling experience.
A playthrough of the "Mankato: Red Rover" level from Test Drive: Eve of Destruction.
Other responsibilities I had on Test Drive: Eve of Destruction: tuning the Point-to-Point Race; scripting replay cameras; scripting cutscenes.