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A great game with loads of replay value.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 29, 2007
Author: Amazon User

First off I have to say I LOVE THIS GAME! I think its is very realistic and also very fun. Some of the things I really like in the game:
1. Graphics: OMG! The graphics are amazing! Everything from trees to the ocean, the cars and even the sun looks real. Cars are so accurate they look real and for a minute I can imagine that I actually have these cars! It is so great to joy ride in my Ferrarri syder or my multiple Lamborghini's.
2. Gameplay: Although I like the multiple races in the game, I don't like that only courrier missions and vehicle deliver missions actually pay. Hitchhikkers and models give u boutique vouchers. I like the races but I dont like the way the cars, even expensive ones handle at high speed. Other than that the game is solid here.
3. Achievements: Like most racing games, achievements are not hard to come by. One can easiily get a few hundered points by just bying cars, houses and driving. The island tour, a 50 min race is a great thing to do if you have the time. It gives you $200,000, 30 gamerpoints and a free alpha romero car! Although many have different methods to winning I beat it with my Lamborghini murcialago coupe upgraded to level 2. The top speed it supposed to be 218 but i got it up to 225 in this race!
Complaints: As I said earlier, I dont like how even expensive cars handle at high speed. This however can be overlooked. I dont like the way cars just appear outta nowhere on the road. I know they pushed the 360 to the limit with the continuous server and gigantic map, but it is hard to drive when u cant see. Also the police. It is really messed up. They r everywhere! Ansd they don't bust you for speeding or even driving wrong way, but the slightest tap of a car will get them on you! Very frustrating. But an otherwise great game!

AWESOME!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The number of cars is totally crazy! The handling of each car is different and it makes the game different with each new car. I love it!

This game is why the 360 was created!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

It's an amazing game with impressive graphics, great play and the features such as creating clubs, racing friends with online play and the interactive extras make this most definitely the best game of the year! Atari has outdone themselves again and this is certain to be their best game ever. The appeal is the ability to make transactions at "dealerships", find, race and invite friends to join you in either races or building clubs (online feature) and even selling your properties. This includes houses and cars! I can't wait to get home from work every day to get on the 360 and do some damage!!

Overall, a fun racing game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The visuals are pretty sharp, especially on HDTV. The online racing is a lot of fun (the more, the merrier) and the single-player missions are entertaining also. However, with the ability to leave the asphalt and the number of 4x4s in Hawaii, this game really needs to add some off-road vehicles to its repertoire.

Buckle up for the ride of your life!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Move over "Need for Speed" there's a new racing game in town that blows the doors off you and the rest of the competition. From the first time I played this game, I was like WOW, can they make it anymore realistic. The graphics are awesome, especially on a HDTV. You feel like you're in Hawaii in just seconds. I also love the soundtrack, the car selection and ease of playing this game. I promise you, play this game for 5 minutes and you'll be as hooked as I am.

Ultimate online racing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is amazing. While the visuals are great, it's really the online features that distinguish this game from any other game out there right now. While driving around the island, you can see other real-life people driving around. You flash your headlights at someone driving by and can instantly jump into a head to head race with that person. There are also tons of multi-player and single player races around the island. Every game should be doing online this way in the future.

Great community

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The original Xbox is home to many an amazing racing game whether you like a straightforward racing simulator of the ToCA variety or an arcade-like racer of the Midnight Club family and so far the Xbox 360 is off to a good start. With Project Gotham Racing and a Ridge Racer game already available, it was only a matter of time before Atari's Test Drive series made it to our new console. Yet Test Drive Unlimited just didn't aim to bring the same old racing experience but put us in an open world where the lines between offline and online have merged into an experience that makes this a racer fans will certainly enjoy.

Test Drive Unlimited begins in an airport where you are given the choice of picking your avatar from a small list of nameless characters. It should be noted that no other modes, at this point, are available to you including the online multiplayer. After you made your choice your avatar reaches his or her destination of Oahu, a tropical Hawaiian paradise with impressive buildings as well as miles of beautiful green scenery that makes up the other of half of the island. Your first stop, aside from a car rental place, is the offices of a real estate agent where you will get to purchase (from a small selection) your home and then off to buy your first vehicle. Now it's time for you to make a name for yourself in the Oahu's racing circuit as well as unlock the online multiplayer portion as well as a few extra features.

From the very start, Oahu is open for you to explore and believe me when I say that there is a lot to explore seeing as the game managed to cram as much of the place as possible into the map. While you won't see pedestrians taking a stroll or crossing the street, there is traffic that makes the place feel alive. Oahu's various locales are well represented in the game, changing the scenery dramatically as you move from the airport district to the city and finally off into the green fields. You'll be thankful for your GPS that is good at pointing out stores and other notable places like a dealership, detail shop and car rental lot (why buy an expensive car to beat a race that requires a specific car when you can rent it instead?).

The good news is that you will never be forced to follow a certain career path by going from major race to major race. You are given the freedom to take on any regulation race at any time and in any level as long as you meet the race's requirements. Some races require you to go behind the wheel of a different class of vehicle and meet certain conditions during a race. Aside from the major qualifying races, there are extra racing challenges that earn you rewards after completing them successfully. For example, the Top Model challenges have you picking up pretty girls that ask you for a ride home in return for some valuable shopping coupons you can use to purchase new clothes and accessories (cute sunglasses and shoes) for your avatar. The catch is that you have to get from Point A to Point B before the timer runs out and without scaring your passenger.

The racing challenges are composed of official trophy races to Speed challenges that have you racing through the map past some stationary radar detectors in order to attain the highest possible average speed. Then there's Time Attack where you try to race to the finish line in the shortest time possible. The racing challenges are actually fun but when it comes to short but enjoyable thrills the Top Model, Courier (deliver a package to a far off destination) and Hitchhiker (like Top Model, you take your hitchhiker from Point A to Point B) are fun distractions that will have you ignoring the main races for awhile. You'll even encounter other racers just zipping through traffic, oftentimes slowing down when they reach you as if to taunt you into a quick race. You can drive up to a street racer and challenge them to a race where you decide where the race will start and where it will end on the map. This is great stuff, indeed.

Test Drive Unlimited also includes loads of hot cars and even some motorcycles. You can jump into a Dodge Viper SRT 10 as well as a Chevy Camaro Z-28. Fans of the Pierce Brosnan Bond films will like the fact that you can slip into an Aston Martin Vanquish while bike fans will have a blast riding on a Triumph Speed Triple or even a Ducati 999 R. Atari took the "test drive" aspect of the title literally since you can walk into a dealership, get into a car and open or close windows and doors, honk the horn and then take a test drive with the car salesman in the passenger seat.

The problem, unfortunately, is that the cars themselves just don't drive as smoothly or realistically for that matter. Slam into oncoming traffic (and you will do this a lot and not on purpose) and your car will not even suffer a single dent so go ahead and ram a rival car all you want. The controls aren't horrible and they certainly are responsive enough, but they lack enough polish that would have made this an amazing racing game that can rival the likes of the Project Gotham Racing 3. Driving a motorcycle shouldn't be the same as driving a car, after all. Secondly, Oahu seems to swarm with cops when you break a few rules when oftentimes you'll find it hard to spot at least one squad car. While racing from the cops would have been cool, it just becomes tedious here. Expect to be caught and pay a hefty fine each time you come under the police radar (which only seems to happen if you ram one too many cars).

While we're concentrating on the negative, I should add that the game borders between beautiful to somewhat disappointing. Sure the game is about the hot cars that do look good and Oahu is just as beautiful in the game as it is in the real world but when it comes to displaying your avatar during cutscenes, the game just falls flat. In fact, the characters feel like they would feel right at home on the original Xbox and the same can be said about the lighting and smoke effects.

The game's sound is also something of a letdown since the car engines really start sounding the same no matter when car you're driving. Car enthusiasts will find it hard to believe that a Ducati engine sounds exactly like the rumble of a Pontiac Firebird. That's like saying Rod Stewart sounds like Frank Sinatra. Your car comes with a radio filled with different stations that play decent rock tunes and some from the likes of Queens of the Stone Age. While the variety isn't great (there is a good classical station) you can always use your own tunes.

While these things hold the game back from being true classic, it's the game's online component that makes up for some of the game's shortcomings. Hoping online basically changes your rivals and that's about it. You will almost seamlessly jump back into the same map only instead of finding AI racers zooming past you or waiting for you in a trophy race, you will find actual gamers in their place. It's almost like a racing MMO game where you'll be able to challenge anyone you come across on the streets. The other good news is that you can challenge others to accept a racing challenge of your own creation. You can unlock an editor that allows you to decide on the rules (motorcycles only or Class A vehicles only, if you wish) and where the race starts and finishes. Really, this is the reason you will still be playing this game long after you finish the single-player mode.

While it might not be the perfecting driving game or a strict racing game for the Xbox 360, Test Drive Unlimited is certainly a better alternative to the Ridge Racer series if you're looking for a game that blends offline and online play almost seamlessly. It's hard to dislike a game that tries to bring something different to the table and succeeds in putting gamers into an open world filled with plenty to do and the freedom to take on any race at any time. If you're a true racing fan or just a casual one you might want to seriously consider buying this game.

Simply Amazing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you're looking for a racing game that goes beyond the tracks look no further. Everything from custom paint jobs, sick cars and even a change of clothes for your character, TDU features them all. With miles and miles of roadway, you can choose to do missions, race or simply cruise around and interact with other users through Xbox Live. You can even join/create a "club" for you and your friends to be apart of. I can honestly say this is the only racing game that doesn't wear out it's welcome. Always something new to discover.

Decent game, great graphics

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Decent gameplay with some interesting racing options. Somewhat dependent on online functionality. Great graphics, really fun to drive around Hawaii.

Driving in Hawaii

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 16, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Great game, and fun to play. Just tough enough to keep my interest. I love the graphics.

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