TDU2 Review
Ever dreamt you had it all? Beautiful partner, sweet crib, stylish clothes, good-looking friends, a garage full of fast cars, and more money than you knew what to do with. That life appears to be yours at the start of Eden Games' Test Drive Unlimited 2. Sadly, after a short cruise around Ibiza in a shiny new Ferrari, reality hits home and you're just a daydreaming valet - that is until you drive a moody TV presenter to an appointment, as if she's incapable of driving herself, and are then given a place in a massive televised racing competition for your efforts. It makes little to no sense, but get used to it, as you're going to have to suffer a lot of nonsense in order to see all Test Drive Unlimited 2 has to offer.
Putting TDU2's problems aside for a moment, the idea is that you get to live the life of an up-and-coming racing celebrity and all it entails. So you're driving lots of flash cars, but also buying new clothes, getting cosmetic surgery and expanding your property portfolio. You'll start off on the gorgeous island of Ibiza before eventually being able to cruise around Oahu, Hawaii, with the goal being to compete in events and reach the distant level 60 - a rank determined by in-game accomplishments across four areas: Collection, Social, Competition, and Discovery.
The wonderful open environment is the star of the show. Whereas the recent Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit was open for exploration, it was essentially a series of connected freeways without any normal streets. In TDU2 you get a complex road network complete with everything you'd expect, from dull but essential motorways to tight streets that snake between old town residential buildings.
When free-roaming you can earn money with a fairly clever risk/reward system called F.R.I.M. (Free Ride Instant Money) that sees you building cash before banking it - slip up before banking and the counter will return to zero. You are also rewarded for exploration and finding hidden items (encapsulated within the Discovery section of your overall rank), but the real meat of the experience lies within the racing championships. These are groups of races, time trials, speed runs and more, with a tiered points system for placement eventually resulting in a final leaderboard. You earn more money the better you perform, alongside points which go towards your overall rank.
It's not just racing slick sports cars on tarmac, either, with plenty of off-road racing also available. Racing on city streets can take some getting used to, as the racification (thanks PGR4) of the courses is minor, leaving you to rely on the GPS rather than massive great signs with arrows on. Dirt racing, on the other hand, feels more natural, with a far gentler learning curve. Things do eventually become easier on tarmac, but you'll always need to have your wits about you, as corners aren't nearly as obvious as in other genre titles.
User Comments
CheekyLee@ Clockpunk
How is it possible that these things never occur to people in the industry?
Clockpunk@ CheekyLee
CheekyLee@ Clockpunk
Clockpunk
(A club needs a French name, and I couldn't fit the additional 'de com', but it sounds better as is! ;))
xboxlive
EISPower
Clockpunk
After all, should you wish to change an in-game character's appearance, how else would you have it done? Magical pixie-dust sprinkled over their faces while they sleep? Especially as the game provides six basic pre-rendered character models at the beginning of the game.
But on the other had, requiring such a procedure to attain a few of the points necessary to level up/attain an achievement or Trophy is a bit... funny.
Perhaps if they didn't assign value to customization, and allowed an intial level instead so people wouldn't have to pursue that line of the game if they didn't wish to, would have been a better solution.
Or perhaps the French dev team didn't think it that much of an issue, seeing as how the lifestyle being touted within the rest of the game focuses on glitz and glamour of celebrity racing, of which plastic surgery is a large part outside the world of the game.
It's a tricky area to philosophise over, but I can't say it bothers me in the least to be honest.
IamBugged
EverTheOptimist
EverTheOptimist
reynoldio
clangod
I'm still determined to play it and learn first hand what if any appeal the game has for me, but I will not be rushing out to buy it off the shelf based on what I've read collectively so far. One particular review stated that the wheel support leaves a lot to be desired which in itself is a warning sign for me and racing games now. Also, I have had little chance to decipher what the gameplay might be like as all video I've seen so far is in third person which I never use for driving games. I find this view very hard to stomach even in the more accomplished racers. It always looks, just... wrong.
I've commented already that the avatar customisation doesn't appeal to me. Nor does the virtual assets facet of the game as a whole. I like the idea of a virtual garage and the ability to congregate with other players to create and execute challenges. I also like the idea of huge open - world playable areas with 'sometimes' breathtaking views but ultimately none of that holds any sway with me unless the user input in the driving control translates into a challenging, precise and rewarding driving experience.
For those of you currently enjoying TDU2 I ask you:
What racer if any would you compare it to with regard to the driving alone?
thompo555@ TomO
I can understand and didn't think of that to be honest. I'm not a fan of the feel that I get from Hot Pursuit; although the idea of having to "make do with the layout of the road network" does interest me somewhat.
Did you, or has anyone on the forum, played this with a wheel?
Clockpunk@ TomO
TomO