There are moments in Test Drive Unlimited 2 when everything snaps together perfectly and you get an all too rare, blissful, zen-like rush of pure joy. If it’s the right time of day with the sun setting on the horizon ahead, an open road at 150mph and Paul Van Dyke blasting through the in-car radio like Kevin and Perry going large, it’s a dreamy, unworldly sensation that could only be captured with all the variables firmly in place. TDU2, when it works, is breathtaking.
But when it doesn’t, it’s a wreck. Take, for example, the risible voice acting and character animation that makes up almost everything off the asphalt: the cut-scenes, horrendously produced and unskippable, are meant to portray a Second Life-esque overarching bubble but end up looking amateurish and occasionally verging on embarassing, the interaction between these dumb, vapid avatars sub-PlayStation Home. The game is filled with this exposition, and for the right reasons, but the implementation is terrible.
But Test Drive Unlimited 2 succeeds: not in spite of the RPG aspects (which we’ll come back to), but because of them.
It’s an interesting conundrum: where does the driving genre go now that Gran Turismo 5 has sewn up the hardcore sim angle and the likes of Need for Speed have captured the arcade, drift-heavy crowd with regular annual updates? The only path open to a game wanting to squeeze in betwixt these behemoths is the one marked convergence, and although it’s fair to argue that the first Test Drive paved the way, the sequel expands on the notion of presenting a lifestyle sim rather than a racer to all new levels.
And speaking of levels, taking into account the San Andreas-like hairdressers, frighteningly liberal cosmetic surgeons and countless boutiques, this is a role-player than manages to tap into every aspect of your progress with alarming completeness. Find a new bit of road you’ve not driven on? That’ll boost your Discovery rating. Join a club? Community stat +1. Win a race: Competition. Buy an expensive yacht and accompanying six-car garage? Collection.
These four markers: Discovery, Community, Competion and Collection, all go towards your total rating, which creeps up in levels accordingly as if Square were behind this game, not Atari. And whilst you won’t be fighting invisible monsters you will be hunting out wrecked cars, venturing off-road in a SUV and taking photographs of particular scenes all in the name of your virtual standing amongst your peers. Cars can be bought with cash, but your level must be earned the hard way.
Does it work? That depends on the player, because, and this is where Test Drive 2 falters slightly, the racing isn’t actually that much fun. Yes, there are highlights, and they’re wonderful, but on the whole what Eden have developed is a competent but slightly bland set of physics that do little to excite hardcore racers beyond the questionable thrill of the unknown. These aren’t race tracks, or pre-built courses, these are streets, filled with hills, ninety-degree corners and lined with houses.
Ibiza, where the game is set (at least until you open up the airport) is a varied island topographically, and it makes for some interesting challenges behind the wheel. But the engine driving the game isn’t as precise as the ones under the bonnet of the cars you’ll race. Clipping a stone can throw the vehicle around one-eighty with a weightlessness rarely seen, for example, and given the rubber banding a final corner accident can mean a frustrating restart. At least the load times are tiny.
But I’m guessing that this isn’t really the point. Certainly, I’ve had the game for a week now and have spent most of my time exploring, driving, and enveloping myself in the overall experience, something which Test Drive Unlimited 2 actually does quite well, despite its flaws and shortcomings. I don’t know how that would translate into the opinions of others but I’ve always been a sucker for a world ripe for just inhabiting, even if this one is slightly soulless – something that could have been rectified by allowing the player to walk outdoors.
Those that have pre-ordered will get access to the Casino, another potential distraction from the racing, but even without the poker table there’s more than enough here to occupy your time: car showrooms, license tests, hunting out hidden cars with a metal detector, and then there’s the social aspect – setting up clubs, going on cruises with mates, tuning (and decorating) your cars and saving up for the Ferraris. All things that you’d normally find split up amonst multiple games of multiple genres.
And then there’s the graphics: away from the ugly avatars, the game is beautiful when photographed in the right conditions but, on PS3 at least, hardly smooth in motion – an issue somewhat balanced out with lovely day-night transitions and gorgeous rain effects but the often sub-30fps frame rate a problem when racing. The engine notes, however, are pitch perfect, raspy, brutal and loud, something even the likes of Polyphony never seem to get quite right. Swings and roundabouts again, then.
So: it might not be the perfect driving game, not by a mile, but at least TDU2 tries to offer up something different, and it’s perfect for some TSA Meets…
Beelzie14
Hmmm you may just have swung me into having a cheeky purchase of this. I am intrigued if not exactly excited by the prospect. If there are ad-hoc wrecks to find and things like nurture an old banger back to a pristine condition (like a hidden Easter Egg I suppose) for collective and bragging purposes, then this would definitely interest me. I can handle imperfection in a game – God I think GT5 has taught all of us a lesson in perspective and patience – if there is genuine endeavour to bring something new and endearing to the racing genre. Gran Turismo did it, Split/Second did it, Mario Kart did it, Colin McRae Rally managed it too …
wick15
I got TDU2 today and so far I’m enjoying it greatly. As a massive TDU1 fan this is a welcome improvement. I do agree though that the cutscenes are pretty bad and in my opinion irrelevant. At the end of the day I didn’t get TDU2 for the racing aspect. I got it for the huge amount of free space their is to explore and the social factor.
Jaffa-the-Cake
Everything I’ve seen of this game has convinced me it’s awful. Cutscenes, as you say, are something from the PS2 era. The world looks bland and I still can’t for the life of me fathom why you need a clothes shop when all you can see when your driving is your car.
Moakesice
So this is a racing game yeah? where the actual racing isnt good? so whats the point? am i missing something? a couple of mates are raving about it and i`m just not bothered
Zephyre
Played for a couple of hours last night, solo only as I didn’t fancy trying the multiplayer element just yet and I’m quietly impressed. yes the driving physics aren’t GT5 standard but once I got used to how the cars handle the fun started. OK, you seem to have to handbrake turn round pretty much every corner but it’s certainly entertaining!
freezebug2
“The only path open to a game wanting to squeeze in betwixt these behemoths is the one marked convergence”
Utterly brilliant interpretation and description of your findings Nofi…great stuff. *thumb smiley*
I’m holding out for a while on this game until people have some mileage under their belts and maybe a TSA verdict write up as first impressions don’t exactly stir TBH.
freezebug2
That sentence should have been one of those enlarged highlighted side printed quote thingy’s….amongst others ;)
aerobes
Sounds utterly bizarre in all honesty, I’m completely in two minds about it and if I’m in the store, holding it my hand, it’ll just come down to what kind of mood I’m in at the time.
It certainly sounds like something which to understand needs to be experienced but your comments on the driving aspect are wholly underwhelming. I’ll be paying close attention to your review later today. (I think it was mentioned somewhere that a review would be up on Friday)
double-o-dave
Like aerobes mentioned, I’ll look forward to seeing the review for this. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while but I’m slowly getting put off it the more I read about it or see it, especially when I first saw the Home like avatars. I’d be quite happy if they cut all that rubbish out and I could just drive round the streets of Ibiza but from what I’ve seen on youtube the actually driving or handling of the cars looks pretty poor
double-o-dave
I’m beginning to realize why reviews of this game had a midnight embargo or is this normal for a lot of games now. I normally find it seems to be the games which end up with a slightly lower score than I would of liked them to have
Cerberus
The embargo didn’t stop Eurogamer,Gamescentral and nowgamer but I don’t get what’s taking TSA soooooo long to come to a decision… they had it for a week right ????
Tuffcub
You’re right, Alex should of played the game for 30 minutes and let us know his views. How selfish of him to try and explore every aspect of the game.
Jaffa-the-Cake
Even Gametrailers have held off their review until a patch is released allowing them to actually experience the online portion of the game.
Cerberus
Seem to remember being told a review was done and would be up at midnight yesterday.
BIGAL-1992
Welcome to TSA; the home of Reviews that are so heavily researched, even GT5 hasn’t got a score yet.
Cerberus
That I didn’t know lol.