Miles on Isles- Test Drive Unlimited 2 Review

Unquestionably, 2006’s Test Drive Unlimited was an exceedingly ambitious title. With an always-online framework, the game allowed participants to effortlessly leap in and out of multiplayer competitions- an impressive feat still not trumped by more recent racers. Nearly as remarkable was the title’s meticulously detailed environment, which employed satellite imaging to recreate Oahu’s roadways. Yet, between the game’s humdrum driving physics and an undirected single-player component, TDU was never able to fully capitalize on its lofty aspirations.

Given four and a half years, developer Eden Games was able to remedy a majority of the title’s troubles. Recent release Test Drive Unlimited 2‘s tarmac and off-road handling has been significant tweaked, offering a number of elective aids allowing players to shape a more simulated or arcade-like driving experience. Additionally, the sensation of weight and traction across the selection of vehicles has been improved, making motoring more gratifying. With two vast islands to explore, four distinct aptitudes to hone, and the ability to purchase wardrobes, hairstyles, and even cosmetic surgery for your avatar,  there’s certainly legitimacy in Unlimited 2‘s moniker.

Despite these advancements, there’s still a few niggling performance problems which prohibit the title from reaching top speed. The game’s goal of creating an immersive petrol-fuel playground intermittently can become come weakened by sporadically disappearing AI drivers. Human-controller vehicles can be affected as well- I’ve seen more than a few cars bounce down the road like a rubber ball.  Whether the cause of these quirks is inaugural week server issues or an unseen glitch in the code, I’m hopeful that the title’s auto-update will remedy any major anomalies.

Far less likely to receive any kind of revision is the game’s single-player plotline, which seems culled from the script of an adult film. As an auspicious valet driver, you transition from near-job termination to race team wunderkind with illogical speed, encountering a bevy of native English-speakers on an exotic Spanish island. However, get past the game’s intro and an accelerated geniality by isle acquaintances, and you’ll find TRU2 offers a cornucopia of guided tasks in its robust single-player campaign. Racers gain experience points toward a global level by performing social, competitive, collective and discovery-oriented tasks. From scouring a hillside for a wrecked car, accepting photography assignments, initiating police chases, to getting cash for drifting, sideswiping, and jumping, the game’s no slouch when it comes to content. Cleverly, each activity is always active; if your attempt to drive down every Ibizan avenue becomes humdrum, there’s almost always a shop, race school, or competition nearby. The game’s multiplayer recreations augment the variety even further- from straightforward competitions, blowing past speed cameras, pursuing nearby traffic rule violators, or forming a cooperative racing convoy in a follow the leader mode, variety may be Unlimited 2‘s strongest virtue. Be warned, that the game’s casinos will require either a pre-purchase DLC code or ten dollar cover charge, if players want a seat at the tables.

Although TDU2‘s island paradises are marred by a bit of pop-in and a refresh rate that occasionally dips under the thirty frame/per second mark, is a decent trade-off for the game’s vast environments. Between glints of gilded rays thrusting through Oahu’s lush flora, to Ibiza’s posh ocean view penthouses (which recall Playstation Home’s non-angular and wide-open interiors) detail can be found in unlikely spaces. While the game’s car models are each fastidiously rendered, character design isn’t quite as skillful.