Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1048 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Atari
• Released on: 2007-09-28
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Platform: Xbox 360

Manufacturer's Description
Test Drive Unlimited is the ultimate automotive experience for car and bike enthusiasts alike. Visit the most sophisticated car and bike dealers to purchase new vehicles or simply take them for a test drive. Choose from all the real-world manufacturer interior and exterior options to make each vehicle one-of-a-kind.

Test Drive Unlimited challenges players online and offline to experience the most exotic and fastest vehicles on more than 1000 miles of diverse Hawaiian roads. Gamers win races, challenges, missions and tournaments to earn credits and purchase new cars, bikes, apparel, homes and garages.

Packed full of innovation, Test Drive Unlimited is destined to reinvent the racing genre:

The Challenge:
Choose from an astounding 360 multiplayer and solo challenges, including a combined online and offline total of 125 race challenges, 44 time challenges, 51 speed challenges, 40 club challenges and many more. And if that's not enough to satisfy you, design your own. Challenge gamers around the world to take you on in 8 player races or meet with 1000s of other petrol heads in the 24/7 online community to chat, trade and race.

The Vehicles:
Offering an unprecedented choice of the world's most luxurious cars and bikes, Test Drive Unlimited features 90 of the most desirable vehicles on the planet, including Lamborghini, Ducati, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Shelby, Mercedes, Pagani, Koenigsegg, Saleen and Jaguar each officially licensed. Additional vehicles will be made available via Xbox LIVE Marketplace after launch.

The Location:
Explore over 1000 miles of Hawaii's Oahu island paradise, where every metre of road, building and landmark is mapped out using authentic GPS data. From the volcano rises to the sun-drenched streets you'll experience one of the most diverse and challenging terrains on the planet.

The Individuality:
Customise your avatar with a choice of popular branded clothes and create your own unique look with a vast range of hair styles, colourings and the ability to fine tune all the facial features. Personalise your car or bike with options from the actual manufacturer's catalogue then boost each vehicle's power with performance upgrades.

The Lifestyle:
Stack up the cash by winning races and completing challenges then go beyond racing by bagging yourself a fine crib in the hills and filling your garage with sleek, sexy models of automotive art. As you cruise around the island, admiring the landscape and seeking out new challenges, watch out for convoy missions to take on, hitch hikers looking for a free ride, and even girls to pick up.

The Showrooms:
Cruise into the classiest car and bike dealerships completely furnished to precisely replicate the manufacturers' real-life showrooms, from the walls, to the carpet and the floor plan. Purchase new rides, or take them for a free test drive. Every vehicle is rendered with incredible fidelity and boasts unrivalled interior details including full car functions such as radio, electric windows, horn and more.

If you want it all the sun, the exotic life, the pad, the kudos and the beautiful surroundings Test Drive Unlimited can take you there. It's not just a racing game. It's a racing lifestyle.

Customer Reviews

Hot and Cold
Initially I like many others had a bit of a time getting to grips with the game physics when driving on this game. Eventually i got used to it and i really enjoy those moments when you find yourself on a clear stretch of road in a fast car like the Koenigsegg or Zonda. Though these things were fun eventually I started to lose my temper with the braking on some cars and the more than less unhelpful GPS system. When doing a race in a Mclaren SLR(a car known for having extremely hard brakes) im having to put the brakes on before i can even see the corner on the screen and the only reason i know its there is because i went straight through it the first time with both the main brake and handbrake on.The GPS seems to have been built with the idea that your going to be going 30mph everywhere because when its guiding you around the island its not so bad but when you have it switch on in races,which sometiems you jsut wouldnt be able to do without it, it seems to wait until the last possible second to tell you to turn left and you overshoot it because your doing 200mph and have no possible chance of braking in time. Couple that with the random arrows that tell you pointlessly where to go in some cases and it makes for a really big distraction.

The graphics though are immense and its really fun trying to build a virtual version of yourself. My avatar is usually wandering around in sandles bermuda shorts and a scruffy shirt which still makes me chuckle when going into a car shop to buy a car worth more than a million. The cars/bikes themselves are varied enough that i actually own all of my favourite cars/bikes in from round the world because its all road cars not racing cars. The general interest the game inspires also helps a lot as i've even got my girlfriend doing the car transport missions because you are paid to drive a car from A to B without damaging it and theres no time limit so shes happy to drive a ferrari 20 miles at 30mph,lol.

Personally i think this game is a car enthusiasts game trying to be arcade or vice versa and something somewhere hasnt quite geled properly and im not sure what. Some days i cant stand playing this game other days i cant wait to put it in the console.

I borrowed it from a friend before i bought it and decided to buy it when it got to a more reasonable price.

EXCELLENT GAME
I ordered this on Thursday, dispatched by Friday and arrived on Sat. I stuck it into my xbox straight away, I had already played the demo so I knew what I was in stall for! I loved every single aspect of it from the customization to the challenges set. Anyone who likes cruising around, driving fast or slow would like this game! I played the game for 4 hours on the day I got it and I reached Expert level which, is quite an achievement for me! I love trying to get the achievements by doing the races etc (I never really used to!) I've put cars up for sale online, took some amazing photos in game but still have to join or create a club! I have around $70700 just from playing for 2 days but I accidently purchased a Saleen so I could have had more than that and been a millionaire!! I did try the millionaires challenge where you have to beat the estimated time of 60minutes to get 1mil but I failed by 30 seconds and won 250k. This is my favourite game so far on the 360 (thats why I rate it so good), it keeps me interested and I'm sure it will take me a long time to complete it unlike other games.

A very good and unique driving game.
"Test Drive Unlimited: A drving enthusiast's view."

We have seen many different types of racing game on the Xbox 360, from the rock-hard simulation in Forza Motorsport 2, to the semi-realistic arcade racing on PGR4, to the full on foot to the floor adrenaline racers like Burnout: Paradise.

Well, Test Drive Unlimited, while not a new title, is good and interesting in that a put's a unique spin on an established genre.

Racing games are not known for their epic, sweeping storylines, and TDU is no different. This time you play a hotshot racer, who has landed on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, and you set out to make a name for yourself.

Graphics.

Firstly the cars themselves look, beautiful, they have been modelled from every angle in beautiful detail, you can see a lot of effort went into replicating each vehicle fully. The bodywork is perfect from every angle and the in-car driver's seat view, is very realistic as you can see all the dials, indicators etc and even little details, like the driver, pressing down on the pedals or changing gear as you accelerate this is all very satisfying on the eyes.

The Motorcyles are also, very well done, and allow you a chance to admire the character modelling, sadly there are no pedestrians, so this only way asides from wardrobe mode, to have a good llook at the character you have created, there is also a a Helmet view for riding the motorcycles, but I would avoid it, unless you enjoy being nauseated through the turns.

The island of Oahu, has been replicated perfectly, the scenery is stunning, whether it be the inner city streets and boulevards of the cities and towns bustling with traffic to the twisting mountain roads and back country lanes going past villages and farms.

The only that is slightly disappointing thing is that there are no weather effects to speak of save for a few crowds floating overhead occasionally.

Also the game feature's no damage model, NPC cars can be damaged, but your car can crash into a wall at 200 plus mph and drive away without a scratch.

Rating 8/10

Sound

The sound in the game is very good, every car's engine has a unique sound to it. Whether it be the turbo charged whine of straight-6 in a Nissan R34 Skyline, the high pitched wail of a Ferrari V12 in a 575, or the deep throaty roar of a big V8 in an old school muscle car like the Shelby Mustang GT500, or the scream of a Kawasaki Ninja as you accelerate.

The other effects are good, gearboxe's click as you go through the gears, tyre screech and scream as you gun the engine and spin your wheels off the line.

I chose not to review the music in the game, as I suspect that most gamer's will prefer to stream your music of choice through the dashboard.

Rating 9/10

Gameplay

There are three things that make Test Drive Unlimited unique among racing games. The first is that the game is a sandbox title, rather than being restricted to race tracks like most games, you are free to drive wherever you please, and boy oh boy, is it good, the island of Oahu is huge and will keep you exploring, there are plenty of places to drive. Go into the center of town and drag race down the boulevards, or drive down the motorways, or tear it up through the mountain roads and hills, drive wherever you please.

Another thing that makes Test Drive Unlimited unique, is that as long as you are connected to Xbox Live, Test Drive Unlimited is always online, so you will frequently cross the paths of other racers while you drive around, and how you interact is upto you. You can just drive your separate ways, join up and just cruise, or challenge them for a head to head to race.

The great thing about this, is that unlike other racing games, TDU does not force you into being competitive all the time, in the way that Forza 2 or PGR4 does. The game allows you to drive at your own pace, whether you are just admiring the scenery or driving with a few friends or pushing your limits in a race against other players.

Finally the driving engine itself, now this is what makes or breaks a good racer. So thankfully, it's a good one here. The game drive quite realistically, but not so much that it punishes every mistake you make. It manages to find a happy medium, allowing you to to drive as you please, it follows the standard layout R Trigger accelerates L Trigger Brakes Of course every car handles differently, but all can be mastered with relative ease.

For those wanting a realistic experience the good news is, that the game is fully compatible with the MS Wireless Wheel, and works very well with it.

Rating 8/10

The Cars.

Now in a driving game such as this, the cars are important, so I though I would give a quick rundown of what to expect. Cars range from the 60s right upto the just out models, you get every thing from old school muscle cars like the Shelby Mustang GT500 to the newest Ferrari, Lotus, Aston Martin, Koenigsegg, Spyker, Audi, Ford, Mercedes Benz, Lamborghini, Dodge and Chevrolet offerings and that doesn't include the cars that can be downloaded from the Xbox marketplace.

Overall Rating.

This is a top notch game and will offer up many hours of enjoyment, and I as a racing enthusiast with an eye only for top quality, can happily give this game my highest recommendations I have enjoyed thoroughly, so if you like cars and driving you should give this a go.

Rating. 8/10