Racing games seem to be staple diet for games players and whilst the Xbox 360 has had the likes of Project Gotham 3, Need For Speed Most Wanted, Ridge Racer 6 and Moto GP 06 as well as some more on the horizon it seems fair that racing games are popular, hence why so many are made. I guess it’s about recreating a feeling, a feeling that most of us are unlikely to experience in real life, whether that be eluding the cops in a tuned up car to taking first place on a professional circuit. Racing games come in all shapes and sizes and aren’t strictly limited to cars either well Test Drive Unlimited beeps its testosterone enhanced horn and growls at the competition as it debuts on Xbox 360. The Test Drive series isn’t a new one and in fact has been around for several years now, however that was then and this is now and so let’s take a look at what Test Drive Unlimited (I assume the Unlimited refers to the unlimited number of online challenges the game boasts) has to offer.

Gameplay

From the offset, Test Drive Unlimited reeks of coolness and sophistication, as you pick an avatar or character should I say, from a selection of wannabe ladies and gents whose sole purpose is to basically race until they drop, all the while becoming the richest person on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The island of Oahu boasts some 1000 miles of open roads which lays host to plenty of driving, racing opportunities. Test Drive Unlimited isn’t just about racing, well it is predominately yet its underlying theme is to live an exotic lifestyle which is well suited for having the honour of blissfully whiling away hours and hours by racing and generally not doing much else, other than plenty of shopping.

Test Drive Unlimited presents players with an overhead satellite view of the island, which can be zoomed in and out at will. This viewpoint gives players the option to check out various challenges, missions and other places of interest such as car showrooms and properties to buy all over the island. What is more, players can also tweak the options so that the map only shows the icons that are suitable for them and believe me, as you progress further it’s a very useful feature indeed. As per usual when starting out, players only have limited funds and so the emphasis is firmly placed on getting a move on and starting racing as soon as possible.

There are several challenges players can get involved with which feature clear roads and roads that are filled with regular traffic. Challenges are either open (any vehicle) or class specific which means players will have to choose the right class of car before taking part. The challenges include checkpoint races versus suitable opponents, timed runs, top speed runs which involve speeding past cameras as fast as possible. The other challenges include taking hitch hikers to a point on the map in a time limit, however there is a twist; drive into one too many cars or stray off the road too often and your ungrateful passenger will think you are a manic and insist on walking instead. Other challenges include delivering goods to a point on the map or delivering cars and to be honest I really enjoyed this one the most. What you are presented with is a pristine car and lots of potential cash whereby you have to take the car several miles away through heavy traffic infested roads. The catch is that with every bump or crash with another car or leaving the road will start to lose you money off the delivery fee which is displayed. Well in this mode there is no time limit what so ever which means you have the choice of tearing through the traffic like a madman (because you’re impatient perhaps) or taking things easier and driving respectably by obeying the traffic laws. I found this aspect to really emphasise the fact that you are driving an expensive motor that you should care for rather than tear up with no regard or consequence. What is nice is the fact that there is an extra reward for a perfect run, which is a great incentive considering there’s so much to spend your money on in this game. This is a feature I wish more games would include as it’s normally something reserved for action games; I certainly think that it adds an emotional attachment to the game and is better for it.

Obviously winning races and getting gold on those challenges that pop up is the ideal here; however with all the accumulated earnings what does one spend it all on? Well for starters, Test Drive Unlimited does not give you an unlimited garage to store your cars and bikes. In fact you are going to have to buy properties scattered across the island to house them. These cost a small fortune and so management of your space and car buying is crucial. Then there are various car/bike showrooms across the map which features most of the well recognised world manufacturers such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ford, Jaguar, TVR etc. Here you can view cars, get in and check out the interiors, even open and close the windows before taking them out for a test drive. Then of course you can either purchase with your own choice of paint and rims (if you have the storage space for it) or move on. Other shopping includes buying clothing from various stores, however you don’t use cash for these but vouchers gained from doing the drop off challenges. Tweaking the look of your character is quite deep considering you won’t be seeing them as often as the cars you drive. The editor allows you to tweak facial features and head shape as well as kitting your character out in the garbs you have purchased.

What is important in any racing/driving game is the handling of the cars. It can either make or break the game as far as games players are concerned. Well Test Drive Unlimited offers a realistic approach to driving with high performance cars and bikes handling as you would expect. Every bump and uneven surface of the road is translated well and with the nature of some hilly roads combined with long freeways means that your driving skills will be tested to the max especially with the inclusion of the regular traffic and cops that roam the roads. The cops in particular take an interest in you should you have a nasty crash and will come at you with road blocks and such like should you be unsuccessful at evasion. Being busted can prove costly and can make huge dents in your bank balance; and so forces the onus on driving fast but safely.

One thing that is noticeably absent from the game is the fact that your cars are made of indestructible material, meaning they take no damage, even though cars on the receiving end of your wreck less driving do. It’s something that could have reinforced the nature of looking after you cars but I guess the developers have their reasons for not including a damage model for player cars; maybe something Eden Games can incorporate in their next game?

One of the biggest features of Test Drive Unlimited that separates it from other games is the fact that players can freely drive around the island at leisure. However, those who are connected to Live will be able to drive around the island along side other players in the single player game. By driving alongside a human opponent players can then issue challenges whereby the challenger can set points on the map to race. These are fun especially if you are simply cruising when suddenly your headset bursts into action as another player is in the vicinity. Also players connected to Live can enter a number of online race spots where regular races can be entered. This all happens in the single player game as there is no distinction between multiplayer and single player racing. Another cool feature is the option to set up your own challenges using an editor and then uploading the challenge for all and sundry to try and beat your score. What happens is the challenge is open for a set time and the winner is the racer who has the best score after the time has expired which could be anything from a few hours to a few days. There are some excellent cash rewards to be had here, although due to some cheating online it’s sometimes hard to know what is genuine and what isn’t. Online also offers the chance to buy and sell cars online (you can set your own prices), although at this time the feature isn’t working, something the team are in the process of trying to fix. I don’t see the point of this feature unless people are willing to sell cars for cheaper than in the showrooms. Players can upgrade cars using simple options however these are available to anyone at any time thus making cars common rather than unique.

Graphics

Test Drive Unlimited offers some great looking car models which reflect light off every curve and line. They are certainly highly detailed, especially when using the internal view which lets you take a look at the wonderfully rendered interiors. The recreated Oahu looks great and offers plenty of variety although one has to remember that it is a free roaming world rather than a confined set course so things aren’t going to look as detailed as say PGR 3.

The interface is very clean and easy to navigate as is the world itself as each car has an on board GPS system. It’s all very neat and tidy. To criticise then that would have to be on some of the close up detail in the world which can look basic at times when you stop to have a look. The world whizzes by when your travelling at 180 mph and this is recreated quite well by using some motion blur effects and so you shouldn’t really be noticing the finer track side details too much considering you have roads and traffic to navigate. I did notice some frame rate issues at times although they were infrequent and never hampered the playing experience.

Sound

Test Drive Unlimited features some excellent sound effects which makes every roar of engines sound authentic as you would expect. You can clearly notice the difference between the various cars and its great to hear the growls of motorbikes as they rev up. The music is reasonable, offering several stations to tune into featuring dance, rock and even some classical thrown in for good measure. Although there could have been a few more tracks to spice things up, players can use their own custom soundtracks when ever they please. The rest of the game is pretty standard as far as sound effects go, although your character is lacking in dialogue which would have made things a little more interesting during the cut-scenes when shopping etc.

Longevity

Test Drive Unlimited offers an unlimited number of online challenges to test your mettle. However if you aren’t connected to Xbox Live then you are left with a comprehensive single player game that will offer hours of entertainment. There are loads of things to buy and plenty of events to try and so getting 100% here is going to take even the most seasoned racers, quite a long time. Sadly there are no options for players to duke it out on one console which will no doubt annoy the unconnected as this seems to be something that a number of games are ignoring. I found the online portion to be good but not great considering finding games that were populated seemed to take a lot longer than they should. The online interface for racing is very welcome and it’s great how the team have incorporated it into the single player game.

Overall

Test Drive Unlimited offers a great racing/driving experience combined with a fantasy exotic lifestyle gamers can lead, something that hasn’t been done before as far as I can recall. The driving is recreated very well especially with all of the traffic and cops that patrol the streets, although they do turn a blind eye to driving fast and running red lights. Test Drive Unlimited takes the formula seen in games such as Forza and PGR and then adds its own unique style into the fold. I think it works really well even though it’s all basically the same thing of earning cash by driving/racing to buy more cars. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing the game and will continue to do so especially for unlocking the tougher achievements the game has to offer. If you like fast cars, exotic locales and a high octane free roaming street racing game then Test Drive Unlimited is definitely one for you. It’s worthy of a purchase in my opinion simply because there is no other racing game available that is like it at the moment.