When Test Drive Unlimited dropped in ’07, we gearheads ate it up because a ton of the fun was not racing, which is admittedly odd for a game that focused on being a “M.O.O.R: Massively Open Online Racing game.” Between the high-speed challenges littered across miles of highways and back roads, players of TDU were free to ogle their garages outfitted with cars bought with race winnings. And if they wanted something out of their immediate price range? A player could pop in to any car dealership on the island and take any car or motorbike out for a spin. Between all this and shopping for outfits for your character, TDU allowed us regular folks a taste of what it’d be like to be a care-free car collector on a tropical island.
We can expect to indulge in new petrolhead car-porn fantasy sim this fall, as Atari has announced the pending arrival of Test Drive Unlimited 2. The newest installment will let you compete and partner up with other drivers that will populate “a brand new island.” TDU2 will feature vehicle damage, day and night cycles, and weather effects. The single player narrative has been revamped, but will still retain the whole luxury “lifestyle customization” elements, meaning you’ll still spend time shopping for luxury beach houses, buying clothes to match your super car, and customizing the car to suit your standards.
New race types, a slew of new vehicles, and the promise of a new island to explore should keep us busy as we re-hibernate at the end of 2010. We’ll keep you appraised of updates until then, and check out www.testdriveunlimited2.com for more info.
