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Test Drive price: no bargain for Europe
We broke the story earlier this month that Test Drive Unlimited would be available for the low, low price of US $39.99. This led some of our UK readers to hope and pray that the European price would be a bargain as well. Sorry, lads (and ladies), Test Drive Unlimited will cost £49.99 ($92.95, yikes!). The reason: prevailing market conditions, which translates as "not enough 360 owners." Interestingly, another factor mentioned by Atari was America's "much bigger Xbox Live Gold membership," making it easier to recoup costs -- through micropayments and in-game ads, no doubt. So much for affordable innovation for everyone.
Pie in the sky Test Drive concept car
Our auto-obsessed (addicted?!) colleagues at Autoblog have a bunch of shots of the entrants in Atari's Test Drive Unlimited contest to design a vehicle for the game. Out of the more than 100 designs submitted, Atari chose David Sichtermann's action figure getaway car in exchange for $2500 in remuneration. The other finalists were all much more ... y'know, realistic, while Sichtermann's concept looks like an updated MASK vehicle. But, with over 90 vehicles to drive in game, we suppose a little creativity isn't such a bad thing. See also: Joystiq hands-on: Taking Test Drive for a test drive
Test Drive Unlimited won't break the bank
Test Drive Unlimited will retail for $39.95 when it drops later this year. That's right, a brand new, shiny 360 game will cost you $39.95. Not only that, but more content including cars and music will be available in Marketplace shortly after the game's release, and the music, at least, will be free. CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Atari, Bruno Bonnell, had this to say of the deal: "Innovation should be available to everyone, not a privilege for those can afford high price tags, Our GamersFirst program demonstrated the positive impact of flexibility in pricing. We believe it is our mission to deliver triple-A games that are accessible to the masses. As such, we are offering Test Drive Unlimited - a game that is being positively touted and recognized by the media - for $39.95, and furthermore, will continue users' experiences past launch by featuring new cars and free music for download." Let's hope this flexible pricing strategy will catch on with other developers as well.
Sexy shots of Test Drive's GUI
Atari went to the trouble of releasing some new shots of Test Drive: Unlimited, and Planet Xbox 360 even went so far as to post them. Of course, we've all seen screens of boring old sports cars, but now we have some juicy shots of the GUI. That's where the real action is. Just look at all those photo options! I hear there's driving or racing or some such in the game as well. Seriously though, the screens look pretty slick. Anybody looking forward to this one?
Vote on fan-submitted Test Drive designs
Tired of test driving the same old Ferrari's and Lamborghinis? Cruise over to Atari.com and vote for your favorite fan fabrication in the Test Drive: Unlimited Design Contest before the final flag drops July 10. The winner gets their ride included in the game as a driveable car, plus $2500. [Thanks X Budd]
Joystiq hands-on: Taking Test Drive for a test drive
Driving games are dime a dozen, in my opinion, so when one comes around claiming to be "different," your ears are forced to perk up. This is where the latest version of Test Drive comes in. It's your standard, every day driving game but with a twist -- one that Atari and the developers hope is enough to draw you in. Whether or not you're a fan of these kinds of games, Test Drive Unlimited is looking to add more than just cruising and racing to your experience. When the game drops -- first on the Xbox 360 on September 5th, with the PS2, PSP, and PC versions following in October -- all of them will offer some unique online capabilities.
Alone in the Dark to bite TV formula
Eden Games has decided to adopt an episodic format for its next-gen horror sequel, Alone in the Dark. The game will be chopped into episodes, each containing 30–40 minutes of gameplay that ends with a cliffhanger and a preview of things to come. In addition, each episode will be preceded by a brief video summary of previous events. Eden is hoping that this format, popularized by TV dramas, will get players "permanently hooked."Rather than digitally distribute each episode, the entire "season" with be packaged onto one disk. Players are free to play through multiple episodes in one sitting, but the idea is to approach the game in short bouts, as if following a weekly television series.It's different than what we've seen in most contemporary adventure games, which tend to mimic feature films, but Alone in the Dark is still biting from an established format. With that said, does the game industry need to stop holding the hands of the film and television industries and step, alone, into the dark?
Screenshots: Test Drive Unlimited (Xbox 360)
Some new screens have surfaced for Atari's upcoming Xbox 360 racer, dubbed Test Drive Unlimited. In addition, the publisher has released the following gameplay details: More than 125 licensed and customizable vehicles Massively Open Online Racing (M.O.O.R.) via Xbox Live Unlimited number of players can be on the same island at the same time Voice support for up to seven other players With so many "perty" racing games being made available on the 360, which one are you most looking forward to?
New Test Drive Unlimited media
Here's a swift screenshot update: there are some great new images available to check out from Atari's Test Drive Unlimited, which is being developed by Eden Studios. This spring is the word on the release, so keep your eyes peeled for more information to surface soon.
