[Sharpshooter]

Test Drive Unlimited pushes the boundaries of gaming a step or two in the multi-player direction. It makes a great single-player game but it manages to blend in the multi-player aspect seamlessly so that it feels like one continuous, free-roaming adventure

Best described as a massive, online multi-player game with a persistent virtual world, Test Drive Unlimited seems more like an experiment gone right than a game that possesses magical qualities. It’s still a thrill to play but there are some voids that need filling that keep it from being amazing. For one, there really is no goal or motive to play this forever. There is a certain redundancy to the gameplay that will eventually bore the average gamer. Things could change depending on the level of input that online players will have but as it stands now it’s basically just a very interesting curiosity.



There are three main elements to the gameplay: Racing, missions and leveling-up. Racing consists of standard street racing, time trials and speed racing. The missions are of the delivery variety. In one type of mission you will have to deliver illegal contraband from one location to another while avoiding the cops. In others you will have to drive characters such as models to and from their homes not unlike a taxi service. Other such missions include delivering the more expensive, luxury vehicles such as an Aston Martin, Mercedes or Lamborghini, to the dealership or to a repair facility for servicing. Of course once you drive one of these babies you’re going to want one of your own. When your Volkswagen just doesn’t cut it, then it’s time to upgrade. You do this by performing missions, taking part in races, selling vehicles and ultimately leveling-up your abilities through the acquisition of money and the collecting of experience points.



Taking place on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, the environment is huge. There are literally hundreds of streets to traverse in the city. On the outskirts you can enjoy courses with steep, winding roads that will challenge even the most experienced racers. But since this is Hawaii, you can set your own pace. There is no storyline and no particular objectives to fulfill, until you accept a specific mission. If you just want to drive around and enjoy the scenery, that’s your prerogative. Here you will see other online players driving around doing likewise. But if you aspire to have more material goods such as a awesome crib and a couple of Ferraris in your four-car garage, then you’re going to need some money and the way to get it is to race or undertake missions.

While driving around the island you will see a small number of icons on the map that will allow you to enter into races or missions. The more of these you take part in, the more will open up throughout the map. To access all of them, you have to drive through the neighborhoods where these icons are located. It’s a great way to explore the island since you have to explore it if you want to find these missions to get ahead. At any given time you can enter into a multi-player style race just by clicking on one of the icons. You can look for ranked matches so that you’ll be racing against players with similar skills. Near the beginning of the game you’ll start with lightweight licensed vehicles such as Volkswagens, Chevys and Chryslers, eventually upgrading. You can sell your old vehicles to other online players and likewise, you can purchase used vehicles from other players which might be more affordable than buying them new. Availability will all depend on the population of the online community and their participation.



In order to enter some races certain classes of cars will be required before you can participate. If you can’t afford such a vehicle at that time you can always rent one. They aren’t very expensive and you can rent them for as long as the race takes. Of course if you’re not a very skilled racer this expense will chip away at your bank account until you wind up in the poor house. On the other hand, if you start doing well in races and missions, you will be able to afford a nice house with a garage large enough to accommodate your collection of vehicles and motorcycles. You can spend the rest of your dough on superfluous accessories such as hip clothes, sunglasses and the like. Another way that you can make more money is to create custom races and invite others to take part in them. You set the rules, the course and the payout. If you get a lot of participants, you can make some extra money.

Unlike the title, some things are not unlimited. Although the entire world could be playing Test Drive at any given time, you will only be allowed to race with seven other players. For the most part that is enough but it’s certainly not unlimited. While free roaming around the island you will come into contact with other online players also riding around. By flashing your headlights at them you invite them into a race. They can accept or decline. The same offers will also be made to you from time to time. There isn’t an offline multi-player mode so you can’t play with your friends in your home. You’ll have to meet them online but in the lounge there is a buddy list so you can all find each other easily enough.

The cars control very well although they are suseptable to random spin-outs. At first the vehicles move like bricks on blackboard but as you upgrade into higher classes they control more like a brick on black ice. They are responsive and display a realistic sense of physics, albeit a little on the arcade side. The island is incredible looking with diverse street scenes including vehicular and pedestrian traffic not to mention a bevy of diverse storefront businesses in the downtown area. The vehicles look like high-res showroom brochures come to life. They sparkle, gleam and reflect light with what looks like incredibly polished paint jobs. The cars also sound as good as they look with roaring and whining engines and appropriate tire squeals and crash sound effects. The soundtrack is rocking but once again, it’s not unlimited and you’ll start to hear repeats after a few hours.



Despite what sounds like redundant gameplay, there is plenty to do in this game. Eventually it will get boring depending on your attention span but it’s guaranteed to give you many solid hours of entertainment. There is also the added aspect that the game may eventually be improved upon with more courses, races, cars and so forth. You may wind up getting more out of this game in the future than you did when you first played it. For the money I would say that Test Drive Unlimited is a good gaming investment for racing fans.

Features:

Test Drive Unlimited is redefining the racing genre online with M.O.O.R.: Massively Open Online Racing. It is the only game that allows for literally thousands of gamers to play within the same game world simultaneously. The seamless online connection offers unlimited new challenges, opponents and competitions as well as monthly additions of vehicles, aftermarket parts, clothes and apparel.
More than 90 licensed vehicles from exclusive manufacturers including Lamborghini, Ducati, Aston Martin, Mercedes, Saleen, Shelby, and Jaguar.
Realistic cars and bikes: Amazing render quality and unrivalled interior details including full car functions such as radio, electric windows, horn, wipers and more.
Personalization: Upgrade each car or bike with options from the actual manufacturers’ catalog. Players create characters, buy new homes and garages, and tune and upgrade vehicles with aftermarket parts.
Create challenges or races from more than 50 game rules and settings. Upload your created challenges online to become part of the player community.
A gathering of communities: Players can create or join a club to talk, chat, trade, race or organize club-based competitions and tournaments.
Simplified match making and division based rankings make this game the most comprehensive and accessible online racing experience.

overall 4.1 great