Straight from the small-town tracks across America, it's fender-flattening mayhem where being the fastest doesn’t guarantee you a checkered flag. From outrageous Demolition Derbies to head-on Suicide Races, you've gotta dish out the dents to survive. Brace yourself for a total free-for-all!

Features:

• Experience unfettered no-rules competition based on real-life extreme racing events.
• Unlock real Eve of Destruction video footage, inspiration for the game.
• Rip through the “car-nage” in 25 insane events!
• Wreak havoc in over 30 vehicles including cars, buses, hearses and ambulances!
• Take on single races, a career and split-screen multiplayer races!
• Jam out to metal-mangling music!

GCM:	Thank you for your time. Please start us off by introducing yourself and telling us about the team behind Test Drive: Eve of Destruction.
John Schneider:	My name is John Schneider and I’m a producer with Monster Games. We are the team that brought you Viper Racing for the PC, NASCAR HEAT for the PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 2, and NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona for the GameCube and PlayStation 2.

GCM:

What inspired the gameplay direction taken by Test Drive: Eve of Destruction?

John Schneider:

During the production and testing of our last product, NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona, we noticed that many of our multiplayer sessions ultimately became huge crash-fests. In some cases, the winner was the only one left with a moving car. We thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if we developed a game where the primary goal was taking out the other cars?” So, we went out and did just that. In Eve of Destruction, we implemented a reputation system that rewards you for running into opponents, disabling other cars, and using any tactic you can think of to gain an advantage! It’s the only way to race!

GCM:

Please tell us about the damage system in Eve of Destruction and just how deeply it affects a car’s performance?

John Schneider:

First of all, we have an extensive damage modeling system that we are quite proud of. When we initially went to work on Eve of Destruction we decided that damage effects were going to be an integral part of the overall game experience. So we worked very hard and designed a location specific damage modeling system. If you get hit in your left rear, your left rear will get smashed but the rest of your car will be fine. Based off of where your car is hit, you will see doors fly off, your radiator start to smoke, and even wheels come off. However, once you lose your wheels, you are out of the race.

GCM:

What type of vehicles will be found in Test Drive: Eve of Destruction?

John Schneider:

Let me start by saying that our game is modeled after races and events that take place in real life. The Figure 8 Race is a real race. The Trailer Race is a real race. The Gauntlet is a real event. An Eve of Destruction is a collection of these races put on at local track by promoters for the pure enjoyment of the fans. In our game you will find a wide variety of vehicles people use at a typical Eve of Destruction. We have school buses, hearses, and even cars towing campers. We also have a hodgepodge of compact, midsize, and muscle cars to round out the field.

GCM:

What can you tell us about the A.I. that will be used by competing cars?

John Schneider:

Our AI will do whatever it takes to win an event. To stop them, feel free to run them off of the road and into barriers or t-bone them as hard as you can! Be forewarned, though, because we have implemented a feature called “AI Vengeance.” The unforgiving AI drivers remember exactly who took them out and they will come looking for some payback. One of the nice things about this feature is the fact that the AI will often go after other AI. From time to time you’ll see them chasing each other down and taking each other out of the race. Since you’ll see the AI hammer on other AI, you will never feel like the game is cheating you or that all of the AI drivers are out to get you. However, if they do come after you, be prepared to bring the noise!

GCM:

Please give us a sense for the type of tracks / arena’s that players will find themselves crashing their way through.

John Schneider:

You will find a wide assortment of tracks and locations where a typical Eve of Destruction may take place. Primarily, these locations are small town dirt tracks that have a definite down home, country feel about them. To reinforce this, we’ve added features to each track to really draw the player in. For instance, many of these types of events take place during a county fair. Baxter (one of the tracks in the game) has a full blown midway in the background complete with a Ferris wheel, swings, and a roller coaster.

GCM:

What can you tell us about the physics system being employed in Eve of Destruction?

John Schneider:

This is something we struggled with for a long time. On one hand, our game is modeled after a real life sport. We want to accurately reflect how the car handles as realistically as possible. At the same time, we also want to create a fun experience that is accessible to everyone. We went to work on a no compromises physics system designed to make the game fun to pick up and play while at the same time maintaining an authentic driving feel. The end result is a game that most anyone can enjoy, but the cars still look and behave realistically.

GCM:

Please tell us a bit about the multiplayer options in Eve of Destruction.

John Schneider:

Eve of Destruction really shines when you get a few friends over and start playing multiplayer. With the huge variety of events, everyone is bound to have a good time. We wanted to be certain of this, so we spent a lot of time tinkering with multiplayer making sure it was as good as we wanted it to be. The first major enhancement we added was an extensive awards system. We really enjoy the trash talking aspect of multiplayer and our awards system reflects that. You will find awards like The Dominator, Mr. Perfect, and, my personal favorite, Total Loser. After the awards were tuned to our satisfaction, we tweaked some of the single player events so that they worked even better in multiplayer. Events like Detention, Gauntlet, and even Wrangling were completely overhauled and enhanced and take multiplayer to another level. Once you get hooked on the multiplayer versions of these events, you may never want to play solo again! The last thing we did was add a couple of events you will only find in multiplayer. Although both of these events are extremely entertaining, Battle steals the show. Here, your vehicle is harnessed with an exploding chicken launcher! Do whatever it takes to destroy your opponents!

GCM:	Above all else, what do you feel will separate Test Drive: Eve of Destruction apart from other games in its genre?
John Schneider:	The sheer amount and variety of gameplay. You can play the game for hours and hours and never have the same experience twice. With 25 different events, Eve of Destruction has something for everyone!

GCM:	Thank you again for your time! Would you care to close the interview with any last thoughts or comments for our readers?
John Schneider:	Test Drive: Eve of Destruction has tons and tons of variety and satisfies your deepest destructive urges. The focus is on short attention span racing and the game rewards you for driving irresponsibly! What could be better than that?

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