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Preview: Test Drive Unlimited 2
After hearing all about the game a few months ago, we finally got to see Test Drive Unlimited 2 in action at Atari's booth on the floor of E3, and it was just as impressive as expected. Eden Games has really expounded exponentially on their premise of creating an MMO racing game, and the result seems to be a title that all kinds of players will find enticing. Customization is one of the backbones of the MMO genre -- in a persistent world full of thousands of people, you've got to do everything you can to try and stand out. So Eden has made almost everything in the game customizable: the vehicles you drive, your own character, your home and your location. The first title in the series toyed with customization, but the second title almost puts it front and center.
Test Drive Unlimited 2 accepting beta applications
If you're one of those cautious, try-before-you-buy types, you may want to check out the recently posted beta application for Atari's online racer, Test Drive Unlimited 2. It's pretty much your basic application: Name, gender, address, computer specs, which consoles you own, how long you spend playing games each week, and detailed report on your sexual history over the past eighteen months. You'll need to register for an Atari account to fill in these parameters, thought if you've already got a Champions Online or Star Trek Online account, you should already have access to the application. Also, we were kidding about the whole "sexual history" thing. They only want to know about the past six months. Whew! [Thanks, B1gg_Randall]
Test Drive Unlimited 2 drives off the lot Sept. 21
Those awaiting the arrival of Test Drive Unlimited 2 shouldn't make any travel plans for the second week of September, because Atari's already booked you for a trip to Ibiza. The scenic racing game is due to be released on September 21, 2010 in North America, and pre-order campaigns will roll out beginning this week (May 28). As has become the norm, various retailers will feature unique bonuses in exchange for your solemn vow to purchase the game from them. Here's a quick rundown of what's being offered to pre-purchasers: Amazon pre-order bonus: Aston Martin V12 Vantage Carbon Black special edition, in-game avatar apparel and Amazon video games store credit (amount TBA) Atari.com: custom Nissan 370Z Best Buy: Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black special edition GameStop: TDU2: Casino Online bonus game (including poker, roulette and slots; playable with friends online) and two exclusive unlockable cars Walmart: Inuit finish Audi Q7 V12 TDI Quattro, in-game avatar apparel and Walmart.com gift card (amount TBA). We recently saw Test Drive Unlimited 2 in action and will have hands-on impressions of the game from E3.
Test Drive Unlimited 2 director reveals plans for beta and bikes
There's a lot of news on Eden Studios' sequel, Test Drive Unlimited 2, coming out of Spain today. VG247 attended the event and spoke to the game's director, Alain Jarniou -- he had a lot of new information to impart. First, players will no longer find themselves bound by their automobiles. In the sequel, it will be possible to run around on foot and interact with the game world "in specific places." An example given by Jarniou is the pre-race: in the first game, there was simply a lobby for players to interact in before they got down to business. In the sequel, it's an in-game place where avatars stand around and interact. He also revealed that plans are underway to offer an open Test Drive Unlimited 2 beta. "Right now, the plan is to have an open beta of TDU2. The difficulty of having a demo for a game like this is the fact it's a huge island, and a huge amount of data. It's not the best way to show the game. So yeah, for now the plan's an open beta." Finally, Jarniou promised bikes will be available in the game -- just "not for the day one version." He says that the developer rebuilt the way cars handle from scratch, as Eden Studios wasn't totally pleased with how that worked in the first game. "So we decided to start from the beginning," he said, "and we now have a new handling for the cars, and we want to, of course, [do the same] for the bikes."
Test Drive Unlimited 2 feels like Home in this new trailer
If you clicked on the video above before reading this, you're probably a little confused. Yes, it looks like you've somehow pulled up footage from PlayStation Home. If you stick with it for a bit, though, you'll see that it isn't. It really is footage from Test Drive Unlimited 2. Like we said in our preview last month, the game is essentially an MMO, incorporating player avatars and various places for folks to hang out when not racing. That's what you're seeing. Crazy, right? The video provides you with a pretty good look at this aspect of the game; thankfully, it also contains a decent amount of actual racing, specifically highlighting TDU2's day/night cycle, weather effects and off-road driving. You know -- the other stuff you'll be experiencing when not shopping for clothes, getting cosmetic surgery or chilling in a jacuzzi on-board your yacht. (Actually, the MMO stuff is pretty cool ... )
Impressions: Test Drive Unlimited 2
It's been four years -- a.k.a. a long time -- since Eden Studios introduced "massively open online racing" with the original Test Drive Unlimited. The series returns this fall in the sequel, which is still MOOR but not just MOAR of the same. Eden and publisher Atari gave me a peek at the work-in-progress racer yesterday, which was running on PC for demo purposes but at the same resolution and level of detail planned for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. It's already looking gorgeous -- the video above doesn't do it nearly enough justice -- but that's not what impressed me the most. So much has been expanded, tweaked and added to this sequel that I would have believed it if the developer had told me it'd been working on the game since 2006. It also seemed so finished that I couldn't believe we won't be playing it until near the end of this year. %Gallery-92051%
New Test Drive Unlimited 2 screens feature night rider
click to zoom in on the Viper blades After promising the addition of fancy day-night cycles to its dignified open-world driving game, Eden Games has delivered the cold, moonlit proof in a new batch of Test Drive Unlimited 2 screenshots. You see that shot above? There's the night cycle, clear as day. And all it took was for one of the designers to double-click on the sun and press "delete." This just in: Test Drive Unlimited 2's VP of Global Illumination Aseel Houette has contacted us, castigating us for our "gross oversimplification" of the changes made to the game's lighting techniques. "Dear Joystiq," he or she wrote, "I am extremely disappointed by your recent article on our upcoming Xbox 360, PS3 and PC game. Implementing day-night cycles is not, as your gross oversimplification implies, as simple as deleting the in-game sun. That's not how game design works at all. If you delete the sun, the in-game earth is completely destroyed, as are all the beautiful vehicles we've spent months modeling." When asked how the new effect was really achieved, Houette simply insisted that "it's all done with mirrors." %Gallery-87181%
Test Drive Unlimited 2 leaves the showroom this Fall
Is no one impressed by your massive stockpile of (relatively) ancient virtual cars in Test Drive Unlimited? It's almost time for you to pick up this year's model -- Atari recently announced that this coming Fall would see the release of Test Drive Unlimited 2 on PS3, 360 and PC. This sequel will offer the persistent, open-world multiplayer racing of its predecessor, while introducing new elements such as vehicle damage, day and night cycles, and weather. The press release promises "the world's most desirable vehicles," but we all know the best part of Test Drive Unlimited was the fancy clothes you could buy for your character. We can't wait to see what exciting fashion lines TDU2 brings to the table. %Gallery-87181%
Rumor: Test Drive Unlimited 2 under development?
GRY Online, a Polish game publication states that Eden Studios is working on a sequel to Test Drive Unlimited, with March 2008 as their target release window. Their trusted source also divulged other useful tidbits of information, such as Test Drive Unlimited 2 featuring over 2400 km of roads, off-road racing capabilities and dynamic weather. So, have you played the first TDU? Did you enjoy your Hawaiian vacation? We'll be sure to bring you more news should this prove true.
