Fresh off the lines!
September 16, 2005 - Our first experience with Test Drive Unlimited was ages ago at Atari's 2005 pre E3 event. The game was running on one of the G5 alpha kits and was extremely early in its development cycle. The version on the floor of TGS was fully playable, but not drastically different in terms of visuals.
Our experience started just outside of a mansion on the island of Oahu Hawaii. As we've previously reported, the game allows players to customize their collection of cars and their driver from the comfort of a dream house on the Island. The geography has also been replicated from satellite imagery and includes all of the major buildings and landmasses on the island.
We pulled out of our driveway in an Enzo and sped off down the twisty highway. The interior of the cars have been created down to the wood grain on the stick shift and this becomes very apparent with some of the interior views. Players can drive from behind the wheel, the front of the car, a third-person mode, or with a transparent HUD.
Test Drive feels like more of a simulator than an arcade racer. Players are able to reach some incredible speeds on the highway, but taking turns requires quick breaking and delicate handling. We shot off of the road on numerous occasions and kicked up grass and dirt as we plowed back towards the highway.
TD is mostly structured around a massive online component that allows player to cruise the island and look for people to compete against. We played the offline version and had to explore the street until we reached an icon that entered us into a four person point-to-point race. Our opponents appeared on the line in extremely hot cars, and the race tour through some residential areas while passing a series of checkpoints.
Test Drive still has some visual kinks to work out, but it was promising to see it playable on the floor of TGS. We'll have more information on this game as it approaches launch.
