Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown

As an arcade racing fan, Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown is an exciting jumping-off point and I can’t wait to see what it looks like down the road. Its driving physics and attention to detail are top-notch, and the unlock system gives me the incentive to work towards something. Unfortunately, I think I’m better off playing other racers at the moment while I wait for post-launch improvements that will likely come. I’m hopeful it’ll turn into something special, but right now it needs a little more work under the hood.

Despite my issues connecting to servers and the poor graphical performance on PS5, I’ve quite enjoyed my time on Solar Crown’s Hong Kong Island. The driving mechanics are easily the best the series has ever had, and the cars sound and feel viscerally dynamic. It’s a shame that a game that places such a strong emphasis on realistic immersion and map detail is dragged down by poor graphical performance and always-online server issues. Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown has the potential to overtake its rivals but it has too many faults slowing it down in its current state.

A relatively triumphant return for the long-dormant franchise, Solar Crown still has a ways to go before it can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its peers, but for now it’s off to a good start.

Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown is not, in my opinion, the game that pushes Forza Horizon off the open world racing throne. It's not exactly close with either its driving feel or visuals, yet still there is a lot of entertaining content to take part in for those who want to venture out on the virtual roads.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown doesn't scale the heights of other virtual tourism open world racers in recent years, but it's an enjoyable driving game in its own right, even with its rough edges.

The racing itself is good enough, but the not-so-abundant content and the terrible technical state of the game effectively hinder the fun. I really would be able to wait longer to get something better, and at this point I can only wish myself and you that the studio improves the condition of Solar Crown.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown really lacks an identity. Despite the name, it doesn't bear great resemblance to the previous games. Whilst there is a vast city to explore, the lifestyle element has been somewhat left behind and the car selection has significant omissions. It can be visually inconsistent but the driving model feels very solid. It lacks some detail but there is some decent digital tourism within. The worst of the connectivity issues appear to have been resolved but the way online is handled, and a general lack of atmosphere can make this feel like a lonely drive.

After years and years of waiting, Test Drive Unlimited is back. Kind of. Solar Crown is an open world racer for gamers who don't need constant gratification, but can be patient and work toward a key unlock and crowning car. It's just a shame that the game at launch will require patience while KT Racing fix, improve and hopefully expand it to meet more of its potential.

There are several issues that end up leaving the Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown experience far below expectations. However, none are worse than the entire technical aspect present, delivering a game in a depressing way upon its release. Racing game fans and those who are more patient in waiting for improvements can still enjoy the positive points if they decide to face the game in its current state.

Disappointing, that's the best word to describe Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown. Its handling is solid and it has a large open world filled with a variety of events and activities for you to explore, but technical issues, poor visuals and other frustrations just bring it down.

We're glad that Test Drive Unlimited is back, but right now what we have in hand feels more like an unfinished product than a new installment in a veteran driving saga. Hopefully the updates will be able to lift the Solar Crown competition to the podium it deserves.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown carries the weight of its heritage but has yet to deliver the whole experience expected of a modern racing title. While it is evident that the developers have a clear vision for the game, the execution leaves much to be desired. It can be fun if you go into it with expectations in check. And I do have high hopes for what is still to come. Though, as is the case with so many games these days, this is not the launch anybody would have been hoping for.

Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown is an absolutely phenomenal driving experience when it works. Each car is unique and you spend so much time with them that you form a real bond with your machines. Races are hard-fought and the neon streets of Hong Kong Island fun enough to explore in free roam. Unfortunately, a variety of technical issues hamper the experience, and the lifestyle elements and overall atmosphere of Hong Kong Island leave much to be desired. This is an ongoing, live service game with many seasons planned, so hopefully a lot of these issues can be ironed out. Until then, though, it’s still a pleasure to drive around in your favourite car, just soaking up the road.

KT Racing is presenting its most ambitious project to date, but any and all good ideas fall by the wayside when it comes to technical quality and some decisions in the design of the progression.

Solar Crown is a perfectly enjoyable open-world racing game with solid handling and plenty to do, but its world map is too large to maintain a consistent level of detail and it loses some personality as a result. This, combined with occasional frame rate issues even in Performance mode give the game an unpolished feel. If you're looking for a new open-world racer we'd still recommend it, as long as you don't expect anything particularly innovative.

There was reason to be happy about the return of Test Drive Unlimited: offering a gigantic map based on the faithful reproduction of Hong Kong Island and always with this immersive aspect specific to the series, Solar Crown had good arguments to seduce. The bottom line is that the title relies on a repetitive and frustrating progression that almost never rewards the player brave enough to invest hours of hard work; worse still, its alarming technical aspect simply prevents us from enjoying the gameplay and artistic direction that are nevertheless successful. Instead, we will have to make do with a mandatory internet connection that degrades the experience to the point of sometimes making it unplayable and indigestible; we will also have to put up with uneven graphics and a broken framerate, bugs galore and an unbalanced AI that pushes to recurring nervous breakdowns. Fortunately, the sensations and effects of speed are good, the number of cars is correct and the environment pleasant, but it is difficult to appreciate them at their true value for all the pitfalls in question.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown offers some solid fundamentals in terms of driving mechanics and course design, to the point the game might have been worth a qualified recommendation despite its surprisingly-bland recreation of Hong Kong, so-so visuals, and spotty performance, but ultimately, the game’s egregious always-online requirements make that impossible. Persistent server issues and a completely unreliable cloud save system send this racer careening off-track and it’s going to take some serious elbow grease to get this Solar Crown shining like it ought to.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown has solid gameplay and an excellent setting, but is plagued by severe technical issues that ruin the experience. Frequent server problems, framedrops, and graphical shortcomings make it feel more like an early access title than a full-priced game. Despite its potential, the game’s online-only design and performance issues prevent it from delivering on expectations.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown doesn’t break the mold of any other generic racing simulator, which isn’t inherently a bad thing. It definitely scratches the itch of purchasing cool cars, racing them, upgrading them, and customizing them. The backdrop of Hong Kong Island is beautiful, but the overall visual fidelity here is lackluster and disappointing, especially in 2024. The progression wipe and constant server issues along with other technical bugs are unacceptable though, so I suggest waiting for a sale or more patches to polish out the experience.

Too often, Solar Crown embodies what’s wrong with the modern racer. Sure, the cars are meticulously modeled and even have working windows. But these minutiae matter little when fundamentals like a fluid framerate and the ability to race offline are absent. Sadly, the latest entry in the Test Drive Unlimited franchise struggles to match the competency of decade-old racers.

If this game came out in 2012 I'd probably have nicer things to say. It could potentially have been ahead of the pack back then. But now, in this day and age where developers have taken the formula and ran with it, having created racers in the same vein that are more impressive in almost every way, KT Racing have sadly finished in last place.

One of the most generic open-world racers ever made. Add in server issues, uneven AI difficulty, level grinding, and visual woes and there’s very little to love.[Issue#46, p.84]

The new Test Drive game is, unfortunately, marred by several issues, giving the impression of a title in (very) early access. Its always online restriction is especially problematic, causing many of the game's major frustratios. Additionally, the car list is quite limited compared to the competition, and the handling model is derivative.

An open world massively multiplayer online racer with a decent handling model and an okay car list, that’s hampered by dated graphics, some baffling design choices, and a clutch of technical issues.

Visiting Hong Kong is a pleasure in Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown, especially with the game's cars, which handle well. The game also certainly has potential and fun elements, but everything is grandly negated by persistent connection problems. Even a month after the release it's a challenge to be able to race online... In addition, the performance is lousy and visually it does not impress. With more time, this certainly could have been a good game, but its current state is not the best.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is a disappointing mess, unworthy of a once great and unique racing franchise. It has great potential to become a fun driving game, but with its nonfunctional online-only campaign, lack of content and cars, and completely outdated visuals, it is really hard to recommend to anyone.

The long-awaited sequel to the beloved Test Drive Unlimited feels like it still hasn’t arrived. What Kylotonn has done with the franchise can't even be considered a bad attempt. Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown may have a fun driving model, but that’s where the short list of positives ends. It's a poor game lacking content, optimization, and visuals that would at least match last-gen standards.