Test Drive Unlimited

"The REAL DEAL: Test Drive Unlimited Review 8.6"

Imagine yourself in an exotic supercar at a red light. As you're waiting for the light to change, another supercar pulls up beside you an honks the horn, you both know what that means an take off. That's just one of the realities TDU throws at you.

What makes it stand out even more is that the other driver isn't an AI bot, it's some other driver playing the game over XBL, there's no option, as long as you're connected to LIVE it's seamless, you will run into human drivers.

Ok, now let's break it down:

GraphX

Off the bat, this game isn't glitzy, it uses more natural hues, shades an tones to bring a more realistic view of the Hawaiian Island of Oahu, from the trees an the mountainside to the coasts an plains, really has a natural look to it. The car models look great an Atari did a great job on the interiors as well. The frame rate can drop on occasions, but I find it to happen rarely (note it could also be a side effect of being connected on LIVE). Then there's the blur an camera shake effect, both help immerse the player, though personally I turned down the blur a bit an increased the camera shake a little to get a more realistic effect. Again, it's good, but not pretty glitzy as say PGR3. The character models look a bit plain as well, everyone seems to be border-lining starvation.

Rating: 8

Sound

TDU does a great job when it comes to sound, only other game that I'd say capture the sounds of a car so well would be the NFS Underground/Most Wanted series. Want to know the level of detail TDU did? Switch to in-car view, then drive with the windows up for awhile, then wind them down, yup, you can actually tell the difference. The music selection is weak though, but then, that's what makes the custom soundtrack feature of the 360 so great- You can customize your own music, so I wouldn't bash this issue too much. Environmental sounds are good, though sometimes I wish they would have included a bit more, like the sound of the ocean as you drive along the coast, but oh well. The crashes sound pretty decent also.

Rating: 8.5

Presentation

Everything was well designed an very user friendly- from navigating the map to viewing your cars, it's all easy to use. The opening when you first start the game really gets you hyped in anticipating the things to come, an the game walks you through things very well. Car clubs an customizing your own online races are neat features.

Rating: 9.0

Gameplay

I'll try to keep it short, but there is a lot of ground to cover in this one, so I'll break it up into sub-categories:

Handling:

I'll not lie, when I first played the 2nd demo, I felt underwhelmed an turned off with the handling. Then I took the time to practice an I caught it. This has been the real debatable part of the game, but I think it really stems from: a) People expecting a full-blown arcade feel ala PGR3, an b) Not having a keen eye to the road. To the untrained eye, the roads will appear smooth, hence why a lot of people will suddenly lose control of their car without knowing why, but if you look closely on the road you'll notice a lot of uneven areas that contribute to sudden loss of control. Steering sensitivity can be fixed an the various driving aids do indeed help smooth out the experience, especially when first starting. Overall it leans more towards simulation with some arcade thrown in, kinda like the first NFS game: Wasn't fully sim, but was far from arcade.

Bikes:

I decided to dedicate these separate from handling, because the bikes do feel kinda tacked on. They're decent, but do not expect Moto GP level of immersion on the bikes, though the in-helm view certainly gives you a feeling of them, they don't handle quite as well as they should.

Races:

There's really a ton of stuff to keep you occupied for hours on end, from traditional races to courier work, they do well, though on some courses you'll wonder why they didn't include traffic, an others you'll be scratching your head wondering why they DID include it. Online events seem to run smoothly for the most part, from single instant races to events. I only wish that for the event races that they'd have made class restrictions on some of the races. Players can also create their own races for online, a very neat feature. Wanna create your own version of Tour the Island? Go to it.

Traffic an Cops

The traffic handles realistically enough (in terms of idiot drivers being the majority), most of the time they will react to your presence, while other times, like in real life, they can be completely oblivious to you & can be frustrating at times in some events. As for cops: The system is flawed. You can blow by a cop at 200+ mph, roll down your window an insult their mothers for all they care, an they won't give chase, however if you get into an accident, even if there aren't ANY cops around, you'll get a badge point meaning they're onto you (those traffic people must have 911 on speed dial to be able to make a report that fast). An that brings me to my next beef with it: Now, I know I cause a lot of accidents, but what when the traffic runs into me? Do I get to press charges Mr Officer? Oh NO!! Apparently you're ALWAYS the one at fault! You could be parked an someone hits you, you'll still get the badge. Very 1/2 assed attempt on cops, the game probably would have been better without them.

Rating: 8.5

Lasting Power

With such a huge open world, tons of cars & events plus future downloadable content, the replay value is really up there. Racing people online never gets old an really helps stretch the life of the game. Be warned, if you don' t have XBL, it's not the end of the world, but you'll really be missing out on the appeal. All in all for the price of $39.99 here in the US, it's really the best value for money game currently on the 360.

Rating: 9.0

The Round UP an FINAL Score:

If you're looking for a solid racing game with tons of replay value, don't hesitate as this game will provide hours upon hours of fun! Add to that the downloadable content to come, an this sucker will really be around for awhile! Handling may throw some off initially, but practice makes perfect, an even Atari themselves said: Easy to play, difficult to master.

FINAL SCORE: 8.6 (9 due to round-up)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/12/06