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   Even more than wreaking havok, the two newly released Xbox 360 games also reek of Havok, as the well-known physics engine developer saw fit to announce the release of Atari's Test Drive Unlimited and THQ's Saints Row on their website this week. And in doing so, of course, they went to great lengths in boasting the integration of their Havok engine in the fore mentioned titles.

   Test Drive Unlimited, the "massively open online racing" game developed by Eden Studios seems like an odd choice for integrating such an advanced physics system. When you think about lightning-fast calculations required during collisions, for instance, and then you think about the usual latency found in online races... well, it doesn't sound like a very happy combination if you ask me. But the fact is Havok's engine is there, and apparently it helped the developers a great deal in getting the game running fast. Eden Games' David Nadal said that:
"Using Havok's technology meant that we didn't have to worry about finding an efficient way to do all the complex physics calculations ourselves that are required to create a huge, vibrant, real time and persistent virtual world such as the one we've created for Testdrive: Unlimited. By using Havok, we could bypass a lot of the heavy physics math and concentrate our teams more on the creative content."    The TDU team also received some outsourcing help from external teams (such as the Romanian AMC Studio), so hopefully they had plenty of time to concentrate on the actual gameplay. The results can already be seen in the game's Xbox 360 version, and in November Test Drive Unlimited will also appear on PC, PS2 and PSP - the last two version being developed by Melbourne House.

   As for the Xbox 360 exclusive game Saints Row, publisher THQ and developer Volition have also opted to integrate the Havok physics engine, only this time it looks like much smarter choice. Being the GTA-like devastating game that it is, Saints Row gives players the opportunity to roam the mean and dangerous streets of the city of Stilwater, battling for turf, carjacking vehicles, taking hostages and building "respect" in a gameplay-rich (and physics-rich) world. According to David O'Meara, CEO of Havok:
"Volition has really made the most of Havok's advanced collision detection capabilities. Gone are the "smash and you're history" days. It's much more detailed and true to life - you're racing along in a pristine vehicle, you swerve against a parked car and you lose your wing mirror, you skid around the corner and collide with a trash can and your bumper is hanging off, but you're still going - Saints Row adds a whole new level of realism and power to the player's ride. Now, that definitely earns my respect."    Maybe yours, Dave. Maybe yours...