Test Drive Unlimited
About the Game
Test Drive Unlimited lets players choose one of several characters, both male and female, waiting at an airport to check in for their flight to the Caribbean dream island O'ahu located in Hawaii. The characters do not have different statistics; that only applies to the extravagant, licensed cars. The whole island is accessible from the beginning, and after players has bought their first home and car, they can either drive around and look for events, or load up the map and jump directly to a location of a race, a car dealership or other locations—much like in Need for Speed Underground .
Gameplay & Core Systems
Every bought car has a built-in navigation system, guided by a woman's voice to get players to their destination, either pre-programmed in the game or decided by players. Using a GameSpy account, players connect to the official TDU server immediately after loading the game. New options become available online, such as a meeting lounge where the statistics and looks of other players can be looked up. It also provides access to player-created matches shown on the map screen. Creating a race here also works in the singleplayer modes.
Standout Features
- The money cannot only be used to buy new homes and new cars (and a little tuning for those), but also to buy new outfits for the avatar.
- At any location, the start and finish can be defined, as well as the type of the race, which type/classes of cars or bikes are allowed and how many people can participate.
- NPCs: The PSP and PS2 versions have a lower visual quality and lack a few features, such as manual transmission, avatar customization, certain cars and all motorcycles, dealership and tuning shop NPCs, the vehicle interior camera angle and certain missions.
- If not all slots have been filled up by other players, the AI will take control of the rest.
Modes & Ways to Play
The heart of Test Drive Unlimited is the online mode.
Player support includes Internet and Free-for-all / One-on-one (VS).
Presentation & Atmosphere
Display support includes Progressive Scan (480p), HDTV 720p, and HDTV 1080i. Audio support includes Dolby Digital 5.1.
