It’s
interesting how game genres and specific franchises choose to evolve each
generation. RPGs get more epic. Action games become more immersive.
First-person shooters get faster and look more realistic. The trend goes on
from there, with racing games shooting for pretty graphics and vehicular
growth (that is, more vehicles crammed onto one screen). Look back on the
transition from the original Driver to Crazy Taxi, and from that game to Grand
Theft Auto III. Isn’t it amazing what new hardware and a few years can do for
a genre?
The new
generation has allowed developers to expand our racing games again. For the
creators of Test Drive Unlimited, the Xbox 360 MOOR released last fall, it
meant being able to produce an online world unlike any other. MOOR, the
moniker applied to this genre-defining racer, stands for “Massively Open
Online Racing.” That’s a quick and easy way to sum up the experience, but it
fails to describe the game’s leading values. Drive anywhere – across 1,000+
square miles – and race any real player at any time just by flashing
your headlights.
When a next-gen
game is ported to an older console, it’s not hard to think that changes are
going to be made. Obviously graphics needed to be downgraded, though not much
as you might have expected. The car models look great, featuring almost as
much detail as those offered in Gran Turismo. For any developer to achieve
that status, you know they’ve put a lot into the game.
Fewer cars
are on the road than in the Xbox 360 version, limiting the number of
bumper-to-bumper collisions. You’ll still crash – there are plenty of traffic
lights and electricity poles to guarantee that. There are also the strange,
tough-as-nails bushes that stop vehicles dead in their tracks. They cannot be
driven through, only around.
On the
bright side, the controls of Xbox 360 are present in this version, giving PS2
players the same level of vehicular depth as its next-gen counterpart.
Steering feels rigid for the first 30 minutes of play, but after that the game
controls very naturally. The reason for its initial stiffness is because of
the overemphasized controls of most other racing games. Most gamers are used
to an arcade style of driving (myself included). I consider this game to be an
arcade racer but its mechanics have more in common with a simulator. The
combination is great.
Like a
Rockstar
Test Drive
Unlimited doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. The cars truly are the
stars. Hot rides from leading manufacturers are emphasized from the start. At
the onset you are nothing in TDU’s world, but you have 150,000 credits to
spare. Credits are used to purchase cars, upgrades, and housing complexes. One
credit isn’t that different from a dollar, but the neutral currency allowed
developers to skew vehicle prices however they please.
As a new
citizen of Hawaii, you start off without a ride or a place to stay. Your first
objective: rent the coolest vehicle available. The Ford GT, Dodge Viper SRT
10, Aston Martin D89 Volante, and Mercedes-Benz 55 AMG are ready to be driven.
Next stop:
one of three car dealerships. Head over to Ford for a Mustang GT. While you’re
there, you can also take a look at (but cannot yet afford) the Shelby Cobra
Concept and Mustang GT-R concept. Alfa Romeo is your second option, offering
the GT V6 for under 40,000 credits. The Saturn Sky is that manufacturer’s only
sports car. Its small size and sleek exterior are to die for, but its firm
handling could lead to death. Not actual death – no one dies in this game. But
you are guaranteed to die out of several races.
After a
vehicle has been selected, cruise on over to the realtor for your first home.
The cheapest one is 100,000 credits, nearly emptying your wallet. The next
step: complete as many objectives as possible. They include (and are limited
to): racing, racing, and more racing. No lame games of hide-and-seek. No time
wasted on a Crazy Taxi knock-off. Test Drive Unlimited is all about cars and
what cars do best.
Master Ps
Since the
PS2 version took an extra six months to get here, the developers wanted to add
something that couldn’t be found in the 360 edition: Master Points. Racing
game fans are no strangers to the concept of scoring points for reckless
driving. Master Points work the same way – drift, slipstream, score airtime,
or just cruise the island for instant point growth. You’ll earn the most
points for winning race competitions, a challenge that doesn’t require
dangerous maneuvers but doesn’t discourage them either. There is one
exception: some races do not allow you to drive off the road. Staying on
course is tough, but an off-road meter starts to fill the second you disobey
the rule. If it fills the race will end, leaving “quit” or “restart” as your
only options.
Bowling
Ball Effect
Racing games
have changed a lot over the years. The Burnout series showed that there is no
end to the possibilities of virtual wrecks … so long as you don’t involve a real
car manufacturer. Some are stricter than others, but most manufacturers don’t
want to see their vehicles demolished in a game.
Test Drive
Unlimited is filled with licensed cars, hence the elimination of vehicular
destruction. When you crash, cars bounce back, skid off the road, and continue
on as if nothing had happened. Head-on collisions have a bowling ball effect.
The two vehicles are tossed back and lifted into the air immediately after
impact, almost like bowling pins after a strike.
Though it
won’t help you avoid collisions, the Auto-GPS will help you locate important
destinations. The system lets you track where you’re going and where you’ve
been. Test Drive Unlimited’s massive world would be impossible to navigate
effectively without this feature. However, the cool map from the 360 version
has been reduced to a more simplified cartoon layout. As a result, the switch
from map to game world is not nearly as dynamic.
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Gameplay: 7.5
Faster than the
previous Test Drive games and more expansive than any other third-party racer,
Test Drive Unlimited is an enormous, larger-than-life sequel. You could drive
for miles and miles, hour after hour, and still not have cruised every road or
shortcut. The controls are great, and the car lineup couldn’t be better.
However, this version cannot compare to the next-gen experience had on Xbox
360.
Graphics:
6.3
Test Drive
Unlimited succeeds as being a virtual car commercial. The car models are great
– superb renderings and excellent interior and exterior details ensure that
every vehicle looks accurate. Gearheads will be able to decipher individual
models just by their taillights.
That’s the
good 35% of the game. There’s also an in-between 10% when chilling in your
virtual apartment. The remaining 55% isn’t very appealing. Oahu is free of
load times as promised (while cruising – there are brief load times before and
after specific races). But the world doesn’t look good. Trees are stiff and
pixelated, the mountainous and woodsy areas are boring, and if you look off
into the distance, you’ll see the world fade in like a game from the PSone
era.
Sound: 7.0
Loads of engine
sounds and a rock/techno-oriented soundtrack.
Difficulty: Medium
You won’t
complete this game in one sitting. Most won’t finish it in 10 sittings.
Concept: 7.0
A PS2 port of
last year’s innovative MOOR (Massively Open Online Racing) game.
Multiplayer: 7.5
Limited options
and a less-than-massive structure are not as cool as the Xbox 360 edition’s
open-ended online world.
Overall: 7.5
Those of you with
an Xbox 360 should pick up that version right away. If you’re without
Microsoft’s next-gen console, don’t think of this version as being the one you
settle for – think of it as a great racer that pushes the boundaries of the
previous generation. Compared only to PS2 racers, Test Drive Unlimited is
fantastic. The content is amazingly deep. If there’s a sports car you’d love
to drive, chances are it can be found in this game. That can be said for a lot
of racers, but it’s not every day that the vehicles handle uniquely and look
very close to their real-world counterparts.
