Did Eden Games manage to create a worthy successor to the Test Drive series? How dynamic is Test Drive Unlimited 2 and does it have a storyline? Read the details in the review!
Graphics and Level Design
Credit must be given to the developers of Test Drive Unlimited 2: squeezing the maximum out of a five-year-old engine and making it deliver such an excellent picture is no easy task. Beautiful dynamic day and night cycles, weather, seamless landscape loading, high-quality textures and models — the list goes on, but the important thing is that all the graphical elements are executed excellently. This inspires confidence — it's immediately clear that the programmers at Eden put in the effort and brought the visuals up to modern graphical standards.
However, the physics of objects turned out to be lacking. Few objects can be knocked down by the car; most of the environment (trees, shrubbery edges, telephone poles) all seem to be cast from concrete. It's impossible not to note this unfortunate oversight, as adding destructibility always significantly changes the driving experience.
The two islands where we actually play — Ibiza (Spain) and Oahu (Hawaii) — are crafted beyond praise. At your disposal are thousands of kilometers of roads, both for sports cars and SUVs: from narrow dirt paths where two cars can barely pass each other to 12-lane highways and high-speed sports tracks.
As we travel through the game world, we realize that the main highlight of the game is the magnificent landscapes, which the developers did not skimp on. The forests and fields of Ibiza are replaced by Oahu with its high, sparkling skyscrapers and steep mountain slopes. Landscape design has always been a strong point of Test Drive Unlimited and delights us wherever we are. There are dark forests and sunny beaches, residential areas and office districts, and many other types of terrain. Naturally, all of this is done in the national color (just look at the old residential areas of Ibiza!)
Vehicles
Players have plenty to travel on — 7 categories of passenger cars and two more — for classics and SUVs. In total, about a hundred cars, and all of them are available immediately, you just need to have enough money to buy them. Special thanks are due to the Ferrari fleet and some other rare cars, as these cars are not found in other projects. Of course, they didn't forget about other cool sports cars — Bugatti, Pagani, Koenigsegg, Aston Martin. It's just a pity that game licenses don't allow you to smash them to pieces or paint them in all the colors of the rainbow.
Keyboard controls are quite convenient, although the car physics are mostly arcade-like. Nevertheless, there is a significant difference when driving a sports car versus an SUV, as well as when driving on asphalt versus dirt roads.
Your New Life
Moreover, the producers from Atari have focused on the currently popular socialization, and with a license key and broadband internet access, Test Drive Unlimited 2 pulls you in completely, allowing you to compete with friends and opponents online, create your own clubs, and even party in the casino. The game features a character leveling system — the final level depends on four parameters: roads, races, fashion, and contacts. By leveling each of them separately, we ultimately increase our fame in the game, which also has its advantages.
The developers also took care of our computer partner — their appearance and outfit can be changed, which will give fashion points. We also have houses at our disposal, where we can change clothes, cars, interiors, and more. Special praise should be given to the interior designers for decorating homes in "luxury" and "VIP" styles, such colorful interiors are not seen in every magazine.
We can earn money through the official "Solar Crown" championship campaign, winning which gives us more and more money. Although you can also earn by completing random tasks — choose any, they are similar to each other, and even the division into "sub-genres" doesn't differentiate them much. Eden didn't have enough strength to refine the single-player campaign — the "entertain yourself" attraction is in full swing here — game tasks are boring, races are easy, and the plot itself is very simple. For a racing simulator, it may not be important, but in TDU 2 it boils down to winning new and new championships, with shouts of "Our rookie is winning the championship!" The writers, if there were any, were too lazy to develop the main character's storyline and tell about the life of the racers, although there were all the possibilities for this.
One can also recall the "warm-up" before races with an unkind word, such as: "The psychological tension is starting to show," "The stewards clashed with the Wylders again," etc. By the end of the championship campaigns, these phrases are memorized by heart. Why they were needed is completely unclear, as races have long started with one or two words before the start. Certainly not with a lecture about the "vicissitudes" of the battle for the championship cup. And what about obtaining racing rights and licenses? To enter the championship, you need a license, which means 8 races that take about an hour. In that time, you could easily win a couple of championships! Considering you need to obtain ten licenses, we will simply be wasting time.
***
Despite some drawbacks, Test Drive Unlimited 2 may turn out to be a long-lasting piece, as after completing all the championships, you can try driving on all the roads in the game, or focus on leveling up your character and playing online with different opponents. There are plenty of opportunities for self-realization in the game.
