TEST DRIVE UNLIMITED

'''Test Drive Unlimited''' is an arcade-style racing game that features over 125 licensed sports cars and motorcycles and a terrain modeled 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.

Contents

Gameplay

Single-player game

Missing Content on PS2 and PSP

Multiplayer game

Downloadable content

Xbox 360

PC

PC patch history

Special NPCs in PS2 Version

Reaction

References

External links

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. Many roadways and highway are also missing or rendered far from its real-life counterpart.

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, coupons. Using these coupons, 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, Chrysler, Koenigsegg, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Audi, Dodge, Pagani, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Lotus, TVR, Jaguar, McLaren and Saleen, as well as motorcycles from MV Augusta, Ducati, Kawasaki, and Triumph.

Missing Content on PS2 and PSP

In the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions of ''Test Drive Unlimited'' is missing:
manual transmission
avatar customization.
Missing Cars:
Ferraris,
Maseratis
Corvette C6 And Z06
And Other cars
,resulting only in 67 cars on
Missing Motorcycles
Missing mission types
Missing Dealerships NPCs
Missing Tuning Shop NPCs
the car reflections are low
The PSP version lacks the interior camera angle the car is matte. However, the PS2/PSP versions also contain features that the Xbox 360 do not have. For example, they have features like Master Points, Auto GPS, and more.

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 Xbox Live, while the PC version uses the GameSpy network. 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.

Downloadable content

Xbox 360

On the Xbox 360, new cars can be downloaded via Xbox Live, similar to Project Gotham Racing 2 and 3's Booster Packs. Some individual cars are available to download for free, while others must be purchased (with real money) as part of a pack. All downloaded cars still need to be purchased with in-game money at their respective dealerships before they can be used in the game.

PC

PC version of TDU has had considerably weaker support from Atari than the Xbox 360 version. To date, only one patch and no download packs have been released. The patch, however, does include the Nissan Skyline GTR R34 and Audi RS4 quattro Saloon for free.

PC patch history

An administrator on the Atari Forums announced on May 25 2007 that the PC version would the get Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 and Audi RS4 quattro Saloon packed together with the first patch for free.^[2] This patch turned out to be heavily delayed and was not released on time.^[3]
Around July 10, two files were discovered on both the Australian Atari website and the Infogrames FTP server that appeared to be patches for the game. These files would update the game to either version 1.64A or 1.66A, and placed both the Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 and the Audi RS4 Quattro Saloon in the game as well. An administrator on the Atari forums recommended against installing these patches.^{[4] [3]} Regardless of this, many people had become tired of waiting, and installed the beta patch.
After the Beta Patches were leaked to the public, an administrator on the Atari Forums stated that the patch would be released on Monday July 16 ^[6] with the included Audi RS4 Quattro Saloon and Nissan Skyline GT-R R34. At 1:32 PM BST, the same administrator on the Atari forums announced that the patch would be released as planned, at 3pm GMT+1.^[3] He also mentioned that at the same time, the game's server would be updated and the online rankings reset, thus helping to eliminate the problems associated with cheating. This patch was indeed released on time, and the online rankings reset.
Like one of the leaked patches, the official patch updates the game to version 1.66A. There is apparently no actual difference between the leaked and official 1.66A patch. Users were dissuaded from using the leaked version simply because it had not been fully approved for distribution yet.^[3]

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.^[9] 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. ^[10]

Reaction

Upon release, Test Drive Unlimited (Xbox 360 version) garnered generally favorable reviews, with Game Rankings reporting an average rating of 82%^[11] as of April, 2007 for the Xbox 360 version, 82% for the PC version, 77% for the PS2 and 75% for the PSP.^[12]
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.

References

1. Experience Racing Reinvented on Xbox 360
2. Atari Forums - Official information on Patch #1 (Posts 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 respectively)
3.
4. Atari Forums - Important Info Re: Beta Patch
5.
6. Atari Forums - Official information on Patch #1
7.
8.
9. I’m Officially an NPC in Test Drive Unlimited PS2
10. I'm The Official President of the GT Racers Club of Oahu PS2
11. Test Drive Unlimited Reviews
12. Test Drive Unlimited Reviews

External links

★ 'Official'

★
★ Test Drive Unlimited Official Site

★
★ Eden Games company website