Test Drive Unlimited

"Test Drive Unlimited: A drving enthusiast's view."

We have seen many different types of racing game on the Xbox 360, from the rock-hard simulation in Forza Motorsport 2, to the semi-realistic arcade racing on PGR4, to the full on foot to the floor adrenaline racers like Burnout: Paradise.

Well, Test Drive Unlimited, while not a new title, is good and interesting in that a put's a unique spin on an established genre.

Racing games are not known for their epic, sweeping storylines, and TDU is no different. This time you play a hotshot racer, who has landed on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, and you set out to make a name for yourself.

Graphics.

Firstly the cars themselves look, beautiful, they have been modelled from every angle in beautiful detail, you can see a lot of effort went into replicating each vehicle fully. The bodywork is perfect from every angle and the in-car driver's seat view, is very realistic as you can see all the dials, indicators etc and even little details, like the driver, pressing down on the pedals or changing gear as you accelerate this is all very satisfying on the eyes.

The Motorcyles are also, very well done, and allow you a chance to admire the character modelling, sadly there are no pedestrians, so this only way asides from wardrobe mode, to have a good llook at the character you have created, there is also a a Helmet view for riding the motorcycles, but I would avoid it, unless you enjoy being nauseated through the turns.

The island of Oahu, has been replicated perfectly, the scenery is stunning, whether it be the inner city streets and boulevards of the cities and towns bustling with traffic to the twisting mountain roads and back country lanes going past villages and farms.

The only that is slightly disappointing thing is that there are no weather effects to speak of save for a few crowds floating overhead occasionally.

Also the game feature's no damage model, NPC cars can be damaged, but your car can crash into a wall at 200 plus mph and drive away without a scratch.

Rating 8/10

Sound

The sound in the game is very good, every car's engine has a unique sound to it. Whether it be the turbo charged whine of straight-6 in a Nissan R34 Skyline, the high pitched wail of a Ferrari V12 in a 575, or the deep throaty roar of a big V8 in an old school muscle car like the Shelby Mustang GT500, or the scream of a Kawasaki Ninja as you accelerate.

The other effects are good, gearboxe's click as you go through the gears, tyre screech and scream as you gun the engine and spin your wheels off the line.

I chose not to review the music in the game, as I suspect that most gamer's will prefer to stream your music of choice through the dashboard.

Rating 9/10

Gameplay

There are three things that make Test Drive Unlimited unique among racing games. The first is that the game is a sandbox title, rather than being restricted to race tracks like most games, you are free to drive wherever you please, and boy oh boy, is it good, the island of Oahu is huge and will keep you exploring, there are plenty of places to drive. Go into the center of town and drag race down the boulevards, or drive down the motorways, or tear it up through the mountain roads and hills, drive wherever you please.

Another thing that makes Test Drive Unlimited unique, is that as long as you are connected to Xbox Live, Test Drive Unlimited is always online, so you will frequently cross the paths of other racers while you drive around, and how you interact is upto you. You can just drive your separate ways, join up and just cruise, or challenge them for a head to head to race.

The great thing about this, is that unlike other racing games, TDU does not force you into being competitive all the time, in the way that Forza 2 or PGR4 does. The game allows you to drive at your own pace, whether you are just admiring the scenery or driving with a few friends or pushing your limits in a race against other players.

Finally the driving engine itself, now this is what makes or breaks a good racer. So thankfully, it's a good one here. The game drive quite realistically, but not so much that it punishes every mistake you make. It manages to find a happy medium, allowing you to to drive as you please, it follows the standard layout R Trigger accelerates L Trigger Brakes Of course every car handles differently, but all can be mastered with relative ease.

For those wanting a realistic experience the good news is, that the game is fully compatible with the MS Wireless Wheel, and works very well with it.

Rating 8/10

The Cars.

Now in a driving game such as this, the cars are important, so I though I would give a quick rundown of what to expect. Cars range from the 60s right upto the just out models, you get every thing from old school muscle cars like the Shelby Mustang GT500 to the newest Ferrari, Lotus, Aston Martin, Koenigsegg, Spyker, Audi, Ford, Mercedes Benz, Lamborghini, Dodge and Chevrolet offerings.

Overall Rating

This is a top notch game and will offer up many hours of enjoyment, and I as a racing enthusiast with an eye only for top quality, can happily give this game my highest recommendations I have enjoyed thoroughly, so if you like cars and driving you should give this a go.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/19/08

Game Release: Test Drive Unlimited (EU, 09/08/06)