Test Drive: Unlimited

Test Drive: Unlimited is the sequel to the popular yet sub-par PS2 game Test Drive. Will the sequel improve upon the original? Let's find out.

Finally! A freakin racing game that doesn't take place in a city! TDU takes place on the island of Oahu. THE ENTIRE ISLAND OF OAHU. It would take you over 30 minutes to circumnavigate the island. And the best part: it's stunning. The game's graphics engine is a variation of PGR 3's. It looks fantastic. There are things like craters and mountains that will take your breath away. And just chillin by the beach is simply amazing.

There is only one word to describe (most of) the cars in Unlimited. It starts with an H. It ends with an O-T. The cars in TDU are just plain hot. It has:
-Lambourghini's
-Ferrari's
-Maserati's
-Jaguar's
-Mercedes'
-Nissan's
-Pagani's
-Cadillac's
-Corvette's
-Viper's
-Honda's
-Saturn's
-Saleen's
-Ford's
-Audi's
-Aston Martin's
-Koenigsegg's
-Lotus'
-Mazda's
-TVR's
-Alfa Romeo's
and more. HOLY SHIT. All the cars look stunning. Aside from the paint, there isn't much visual customization, but preformance upgrades are present. But the cars aren't the only thing you can drive. Motorcycles, too. Kawasaki's, Triumph's.... everything is there, from choppers to crotchrockets. The bikes are hard to get, as you have to find every single car dealership to unlock them. But they are soooo much fun. And fast. And you can use them in races. Yay.

Being a racing game that isn't Need For Speed, TDU has no storyline. But the races have a ton of variety. In some races, its a standard sprint or circuit. Then there's some where you have no time limit and you have to drive someone elses car a long distance without A. Hitting other cars or B. Going off the road. If you do either of those, you lose points. The number of points at the end of the drive detirmines how much $$$ you earn. Making it perfectly gives you a hefty bonus. In these races, you can earn up to 200 grand. Wow. Then there's hitchhiker and hottie races. These are when someone hitches a ride and if you hit cars our go off the road, you lose points. When you run out of points, you lose. You again get a bonus for perfection.

The last piece is XBox Live capability. Test Drive Unlimited boasts huge online play, as racers can challenge others for higher ranks. You use the cars you have in career mode, so completing that is important. But you can challenge others and choose any track in Oahu. You can even make custom routes to race on. There are circuits, sprints, speed races, and more. Overall, the XBox live is pretty standard.

Test Drive: Unlimited is the best racing game i've ever played. Better than PGR. Better than Most Wanted. Better than Midnight Club. I don't know what it is, but i had oodles of fun playing this game. 10 out of 10.