Test Drive Unlimited 2 First Impressions

Although I’m a huge Need for Speed fan, I also have enjoyed playing games from the Test Drive series ever since the first release, so of course, I’ve been anticipating Test Drive Unlimited 2 for months. Does it live up to my personal hype? After sinking about four hours into the game so far, the verdict is still out on that, but so far, the game seems to be quite a bit of fun.

First, the bad. A lot of people are complaining about the control (handling) in this game, but so far, that’s not something I can complain much about. It doesn’t seem spot on, like in a Need for Speed, but it’s still sufficient, and no crashes have been caused by the poor handling, as far as I can tell. It’s important to note though, that I use an inside car view for all my racing games, so that might make a difference.

The voice acting… horrible. Truly ridiculous. Past that, there’s a major social aspect in the game, where you absolutely must be part of the online community in order to reach the maximum level of 60 (you’d top out at 45 otherwise). For completionists like me though, the game offers a good deal of depth, and it encourages you to explore and take roads that you might not need to. As one example, you must find car wrecks all around the map, and in doing so, you can gain points to level up. It seems corny, but for those who love to explore in games, it’s fun.

The story so far is rather generic… you’re a poor racer working up the ranks. It’s been done before, but in truth, it doesn’t need to be much better than that. Story aside, there are many races to partake in, and customizations for your character to dabble with. You can alter your hair, your clothing and of course, purchase accessories.

If there’s one major complaint I have about TDU2 so far, it’s that there is such a major focus on story/social that I feel like there isn’t enough racing. It literally took me one hour from starting the game before I was into an honest-to-God race, though after that point, they happen frequently. If there are no tournaments you can immediately enter, you can always flash your lights on another racer and race continually against that person in make-shift race tracks. Again, not an original idea, but fun.

So far, I’m loving the game quite a bit, but we’ll see if I still feel the same after I complete it. For around the $40 USD price though, it does look to be a lot of fun for those who might enjoy a racing game that doesn’t focus on just one style, and has a lot to unlock and explore.