Test Drive Unlimited

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Test Drive Unlimited
Cover art for Test Drive Unlimited
Developer(s) Eden Games & Melbourne House
Publisher(s) Atari
Distributor(s) Akella (Russia)
Release date(s) PC:

North America March 29 2007
Europe February 28 2007
Russia April 2007
Australia April 16 2007
PS2:
North America March 20 2007
North America April 4 2007
PSP:
North America March 21 2007
Europe March 30 2007
Xbox 360:
North America September 5 2006
Europe September 8 2006
Genre(s) Street Racing
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer,Xbox Live
Rating(s) ESRB: Everyone +10 (E10+)
PEGI: 3+
Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360
Media DVD (PC/Playstation 2/Xbox 360), UMD (PSP)
System requirements Operating System : Windows 2000/XP/Vista

CPU : Intel P4 @ 2.4Ghz or AMD Athlon 2800+. GPU (Video Cards) : ATI Radeon 9800 256MB VRAM or Nvidia 6600 GT with 256 MB of VRAM. Video Cards with vertex/pixel shaders 2.x and above are recommended. SPU (Sound Cards) : DirectX 9.0 compatible Sound Card. System Memory : 512 MB, 1 GB recommended Hard Disk free space: 8 GB DVD drive: 8x minimum

DirectX 9.0C (included)

Test Drive Unlimited is an arcade-style racing game that features over 125 licensed sports cars and motorcycles and a terrain modelled after the Hawaiian island of Oahu that features some 1000 miles of roads and highways.[1] Test Drive Unlimited is the latest installment of Test Drive, one of the longest running racing game franchises ever.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

In Test Drive Unlimited, the player is able to drive both on-road and off-road, challenging any racers they encounter. Oahu is modeled to within a meter of detail of its real life counterpart, as the developers have used satellite imaging for precision modeling.[1] The terrain differs from rainforest and mountains to sandy beaches and Hawaii's capital city, Honolulu. The Xbox 360 version has supported steering wheel controllers since launch. Following the third free update, Test Drive Unlimited supports force feedback wheel controllers such as Microsoft's Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel.

Although advertising material for the game suggests it to be an exact depiction of the Hawaiian island, numerous government buildings (such as those on Pearl Harbor, Camp H. M. Smith, and Hickam Air Force Base), commercial buildings (Ala Moana Center, the convention center, the entire commercial strip in Pearl City and the Pearlridge Center), and notable landmarks (statue of King Kamehameha I, etc.) are not present in the game. This may be due to legal concerns and/or the rendering limitations of the game engine.

[edit] Single-player game

The game begins by purchasing a car and a house. The player is then free to explore the island; as this happens key locations on the map are revealed. These include:

  • Car/Bike dealerships
  • Car rental agencies
  • Tuning Shops
  • Real Estate Agents
  • Clothes shops

Challenges can also be found, which include:

  • Race vs CPU cars
  • Time challenges
  • Speed challenges
  • Hitchhiker
  • Top Model
  • Courier (Package Transport)
  • Vehicle Transport

Success in challenges is rewarded with in-game money, or in the Hitchhiker and Top Model challenges, tokens. Using these tokens, the player can buy clothing for their character at the many branded clothes shops on the island. Money earned may be spent on buying new vehicles, renting cars, upgrading cars and buying houses. Players can acquire a total of 90 sports cars from manufacturers including Ford, Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Audi, Dodge, Pagani, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Lotus, TVR, Jaguar, McLaren and Saleen, as well as certain brands of motorbikes.

The PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions of Test Drive Unlimited exclude a few features. Players do not have access to manual transmission options and avatars cannot be customised. Only 67 cars are available, motorcycles have been removed and the Model missions have been cut out. The PSP version also lacks the interior camera angle.

[edit] Multiplayer game

The multiplayer component (branded as M.O.O.R or Massively Open Online Racing) works as an extra layer on top of the single-player game - that is all activities available in single-player are also available in multiplayer. The following challenges are also available in multiplayer only:

  • Race vs other players
  • Challenge players to complete tasks
  • Attempt other player challenges

Racing against other players works using the player match/ranked match system employed by other Xbox Live games. It is also possible to create an immediate, ad-hoc race against another player by flashing headlights at their vehicle.

Players may create and join "clubs" which help organize player events. A patch has been added after the game's launch that allows vehicles to be traded between players through a central "clearing house"-style interface that lists the vehicles for sale along with class, mileage, specification, and price information.

[edit] Downloadable content (Xbox 360 and PC)

On the Xbox 360, new cars can be downloaded via Xbox Live, similar to Project Gotham Racing 2 and 3's Booster Packs. So far, there are 25 new cars available for download: the Nissan Skyline GTR R34, the Audi RS4 quattro Saloon, Cadillac CTS-V, Chevrolet Corvette C1, 1971 Dodge Challenger RT and Lexus IS 350 are available to be downloaded from the Xbox Live Marketplace without charge. The first payable pack was relesed in november 2006 and included Ferrari 250 GTO, Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition, Chevrolet Corvette C6 Convertible, Koenigsegg CCR, RUF RGT and Noble M400. In December a new pack was released featuring the 1971 Dodge Challenger RT, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, McLaren F1 GT, Dodge Viper SRT-10 Coupe, RUF Rt 12, Alfa Brera and the Edonis. On March 8, 2007 the latest car pack was released adjacent to the release of the long-awaited Hardcore Mode. This car pack included the Cadillac CTS-V, Ferrari F40, RUF RTurbo, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible 1971, Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Roadster, Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR, and the Audi S6. Once downloaded, the cars are offered for sale in-game in the relevant dealerships. A new dealership is added for the Lexus brand and a separate dealership is added for the McLaren F1 GT when those vehicles are downloaded.

Screenshot of Test Drive Unlimited (PC)
Screenshot of Test Drive Unlimited (PC)

Four other cars (The McLaren F1 LM, Pagani Zonda C12S Roadster, Spyker C8 Spyder and the Lamborghini Gallardo) were at one time available, but the McLaren and Pagani were limited to the first 10,000 people who could acquire a friend's promotional code and enter it along with his or her own via the referral program, which is now closed. The Lamborghini was a promotion available only to those who preordered the game. Presently, the only way to obtain these exclusive cars is to obtain a Token code, with which you can gain access to the download, but each code can be used only once. The Spyker was a promotion only available to those that preordered the game at certain game stores, mostly in Europe.

Nothing has been officially confirmed about the downloadable content for the PC, but there is a greyed and unfunctional button for download content in game. In that same Trade menu where this download button is found, when you go in the Buy menu in the filter options you can search for a individual car. Among these are a few cars not found elsewhere in the game, such as the Ferrari F40 (an Xbox360 Downloadable car) and the Lamborghini Diablo GT.

[edit] Possible future downloadable cars & motorbikes

The names of these vehicles can be seen on the back of the manual at the licenses:

Here is the list of vehicles that have been seen in screenshots but haven't been released yet:

Several other cars have been confirmed from various sources(IGN, Atari Germany, etc.):

[edit] Special NPCs in PS2 Version

There were 1500 total beta testers in Atari's closed beta for Test Drive Unlimited PS2. At the end of the testing period, Atari awarded 30 of the most active testers with "immortality" in the PS2 version of Test Drive Unlimited. These 30 beta testers were allowed to name one of the Non Playable Characters (NPC) in the game. Some chose to use their first and last name; others chose to use their screen names. These 30 special NPCs can be found spread throughout the virtual island of only the PS2 version.[2] Atari and Melbourne House ensured the Beta Testers were given prominent positions as NPCs. Most were granted President or Vice President status in the car clubs around the island, and were put in highly desirable performance cars.[3]

[edit] Reaction

Upon release, Test Drive Unlimited (Xbox 360 version) garnered generally favorable reviews, with Game Rankings reporting an average rating of 82.1%[4] as of March, 2007. The PC version of Test Drive Unlimited is also receiving generally favorable reviews on Game Rankings, with a rating of 84% as of March, 2007.[5]

Metacritic, a review averaging site, also reported "generally favorable reviews" with an average score of 82, and an average user score of 8.6 out of 10.

Recently, Atari has not been keeping its community happy by delaying patches for months and the "Monthly DLC packs" have been released almost quarterly now.

The PS2 version, while missing a lot of content compared to the 360 version, has still been said to redeem itself through superior gameplay, thanks to the work of Melbourne House.[6]. The PS2 version's exclusive Master Point system, a points-for-style system very similar to the Kudos points in Project Gotham, has also added to the version's popularity.

PS2 Scores:-

Gamespot: 7.5/10

Eurogamer: 8/10

www.consoleob.com: 8/10

OPM UK: 7/10

[edit] Problems with Test Drive Unlimited (PC)

Since the release of the PC version of Test Drive Unlimited, the Atari forums has been swamped with posts about problems with the game. For some users, it is practically unplayable. However a lot of the users have managed to make the game work, and its online popularity has soared, with a community that grows daily.

A list of problems can be found here: http://forums.eu.atari.com/archive/index.php/f-459.html

Unofficially, there is a patch by Eden in the works, but nothing has been said about its release date or what it will fix.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Experience Racing Reinvented on Xbox 360. Atari press release. GameSpot (2006-08-14). Retrieved on October 2, 2006.
  2. ^ I’m Officially an NPC in Test Drive Unlimited PS2.
  3. ^ I'm The Official President of the GT Racers Club of Oahu PS2.
  4. ^ Test Drive Unlimited Reviews. Game Rankings. CNET. Retrieved on October 2, 2006.
  5. ^ Test Drive Unlimited Reviews. Game Rankings. CNET. Retrieved on March 21, 2007.
  6. ^ Test Drive Unlimited PS2: After 5 Hours of Play, Redemption.

[edit] External links

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