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Until recently, the racing genre was split down the middle between realistic simulations (i.e. Forza Motorsport) and powerslide happy arcade throwbacks (i.e. Burnout)… until Test Drive Unlimited bust the genre wide open with massively multiplayer… racing?! One could almost hear the sound of a thousand girlfriends screaming out, "Oh no... not World of Warcraft for Nascar fans!"
First of all, you're never racing with thousands of people all at once. Instead the developers at Eden Studios virtualized Hawaii's Oahu Island and placed you in the starring role in a massive racing experience. It plays out like a typical multiplayer racing game, except that your "game" is always open for other drivers to drop in/out of.
As you race around the thousands of miles of roads, you'll never feel alone because Test Drive Unlimited is constantly synchronizing players who are near your position from your game. The whole process happens seamlessly in the background while you're playing. In practice I loved the feeling that I was never really alone on the island. Not that you have to park and wait for players to stop and race with you. Hitting up pre-defined racing locations drops you into your typical matchmaking menu. If you're up for a custom defined route you can drop by one of the drive-in's on the island and try out little Jimmy's user-created race.
I don't know how much fun Jimmy had eating my dust, but boy was it fun screaming down the road in my dual-colored TVR Sagaris. Just how well cars control/handle in a racing game is my personal deciding factor, and Test Drive Unlimited wasn't a disappointment to this racing veteran.
Content is king in Test Drive Unlimited. Between the thousands of miles of blacktop to explore (yes, exploration in a racing game!) and the dozens of races, events, time trials, delivery/taxi missions, and unlockable cars (bikes too!) TDU is going to keep you busy this fall.
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The closest thing I can compare TDU in terms of feel/style is Microsoft's defunct racing series Midtown Madness. As in Microsoft's title, you'll find AI drone cars driving on the streets and highways for no other purpose than to get in your way and keep you on your toes. Test Drive Unlimited introduces cops to the mix and depending on how many AI cars you smash up, you may be getting a ticket.
Unlike Midtown Madness, individual cars have a little more personality when it comes to control. Yes, they all take head-on collisions like heavy bricks, and none of them is really Formula-D material. But when you're flying down the freeway at 150mph, you'll notice a difference between a Ford Mustang and a Saturn Sky.
Gameplay isn't balanced as cleverly between simulation and arcade style racing as is in Project Gotham Racing 3, but it works well given the variation in races, events, and time-trials present in TDU. Oh, and there are challenges to be found in this game... lots and lots of them in fact.
Bang for your buck. That's what they used to call it. You know, before micro transactions had publishers shipping games where you pay for every car you wanted to drive. Content is king in Test Drive Unlimited. Between the thousands of miles of blacktop to explore (yes, exploration in a racing game!) and the dozens of races, events, time trials, delivery/taxi missions, and unlockable cars (bikes too!) TDU is going to keep you busy this fall.
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