Volvo: Drive For Life Review

Volvo: Drive For Life is not presented like a typical racing game of the day. It’s almost like an educational game, emphasizing road safety over fast and aggressive driving. Its primary purpose is, of course, to be a Volvo advertisement. The game has four main sections, the Safety Lab and testing grounds for three Volvo cars, the S40, XC90 V8, and S60 R. The Safety Lab features a collection of videos from Volvo showcasing their rigorous crash testing to ensure their cars are among the safest in the world. 

Although you can play any of them in any order, the first section is the S40 test, which involves driving the compact sedan between cones while also getting to the finish line before time runs out. After completing this test, you get to customize and select options for your very own Volvo S40, just like you would at a car dealership. I’ve played racing games with customization, but none where you’re literally picking climate and comfort packages. After that comes the challenge stage: drive the S40 across the Pacific coast to Volvo headquarters while not running out of time. The challenge stage involves driving through traffic along the coast, dodging cars and reaching checkpoints to add time to the clock. In essence, it’s literally just OutRun! 

The next section is testing the XC90 V8, an early example of the crossover SUVs that have all but taken over the motorways of today. The first part of this is the Moose Test, which involves dodging fake moose with the XC90 and avoiding rolling over. After this test and the subsequent car customization comes the XC90’s challenge stage, the race to the Ice Hotel. In this challenge you drive the XC90 through the snowy mountains of Sweden to get to the aforementioned Ice Hotel, dodging obstacles and traversing the terrain. 

The third and final section is the Volvo S60 R, their premier sports sedan that was meant to compete with the likes of the BMW M3 and Audi S4. The S60 R proving grounds involve racing another Volvo to the finish line and then braking afterwards to avoid hitting the cones at the end. The challenge stage for the S60 R is the Italian Grand Prix, which is more like something you’d see in a traditional racing game. In this stage, you race other Volvos around a track for three laps to win first place.

As a video game, Volvo: Drive For Life isn’t exceptionally good. The handling of the cars can be stiff and unwieldy at times, and there’s really not a lot of content beyond the three car testing grounds, besides more Volvo promotional videos. I was able to see everything the game had to offer in under an hour. However, Drive For Life still fascinates me, from its unusual release circumstances to its emphasis on safety features and car options over traditional racing and fast driving. It’s also got that 2000s Automotive Aesthetic that I grew up with and absolutely love. I wouldn’t really recommend it as a video game to play, but I would definitely say that it’s an interesting piece of both original Xbox and automotive history.