Test Drive Unlimited 2

You can take the massively multiplayer game out of the PC, then, but perhaps not the PC out of the game. The endless beta testing, the freewheeling project management, and the agonies and ecstasies of the results. [Apr 2011, p.88]

With two immensely large islands to explore and dozens of cars to use, TDU lives up to its legacy. Too bad the graphics look so outdated.

There are a lot of reasons why TDU2 will appeal, but unfortunately most of them are underdeveloped or just boring. [Issue#69, p.82]

For all the added modes and interaction, simply strapping yourself into the seat of a Bugatti Veyron and unleashing power on the asphalt roads to no pre-destined destination is what makes Unlimited 2 memorable.

This title is very rough around the edges, but in spite of that, it's also still very fun.

Eden Games innovative spirit might have got the best of them as Test Drive Unlimited 2 stays true to its "unlimited" mindset, but wavers in its execution, which ends up feeling more like "semi-unlimited."

If you enjoyed the original, then chances are you will still like this release, but sadly this isn't the kind of driving game that will make your heart beat out of your chest.

There's plenty to do, two whole islands to explore and, if you can persuade the game to connect you with a mate or two, hours of pleasingly aimless road tripping to do. But when a game built for release in 2011 on a foundation of socialising has such an obtuse system for connecting with other players it's something a teaspoon of sugar in our petrol tank.

This was a title we'd all desperately wanted to see perform well, and while the core game does offer a lot of entertainment, it's frustrating to imagine what could have been if only Eden had a bit more vision. It's clear that if there's to be another edition to the series, it's going to need some serious work in order to remain relevant.

Please Eden, next time just focus on the driving.

The freedom of open-road driving, backed by beautiful landscapes, is like few other games, and the huge, shared world of races and missions can be as addictive as a good MMORPG. The catch is that TDU2 isn't best in any class; it doesn't do any one thing better than a number of more specific, less expansive driving games. It does do an awful lot, though, and won't be kept down by its faults--which are hardly few, but aren't deal breakers.

Eden Games tried to improve the online features of Test Drive Unlimited, but without any luck. The game's pretty much the same as what we saw on the first chapter, with better graphics and the isle of Ibiza as the main charm of the game. Call it 'virtual turism', but don't expect anything better than the first TDU - It's the same, but with tons of meaninless social options.

Developer Eden Studios has put way too much time in creating a good online experience. This is probably the reason why the gameplay hasn't really improved on its predecessor. Test Drive Unlimited 2 is a good game, but can't challenge the greater racing games of our generation.

Ambitious, enormous and an experience that many people can lose themselves in. But with its forgiving lack of consequences, obnoxious storyline and poor AI, the game's lasting appeal falls on the multiplayer and simply filling your garages with dozens of automobiles.

Another brave and ambitious effort from the consistently inventive Eden Games, then, but another flawed gem. If anything, Test Drive Unlimited 2 teaches us that it's not just the open world you create, but what you do within it that really forms its identity. A shame then, that despite coming across like the coolest guy at the party, deep down, TDU2 is still not really sure who it is.

We just wish the actual racing shared the depth and excitement of these considerable community features. [Mar 2011, p.82]

It doesn't get everything right, and its low budget is obvious at times, but this is still one of the most unique and ambitious racers of the generation.

It's a long journey through this huge game and TDU2 offers an unrefined, bumpy ride. Thankfully, if it all gets too much, you can set the grind aside for a long journey of your own – just following your front wheels across the islands, revelling in one of the great videogame open worlds...Unsteady but passionate and ambitious, TDU2 is fantastic escapism. It's just a shame it sometimes needs to escape from itself.

Unless you were a huge fan of the original, Test Drive Unlimited 2 is probably a ride you can skip. Between huge problems with the servers (which should've been fixed before the game launched, honestly), an iffy control set-up and a boring lifestyle-led story mode, it just never feels like paradise.

We were really looking foreward to TDU 2. The controls of the cars and the AI are really poor. Online multiplayer is more offline than online.

Ultimately, Test Drive Unlimited 2 is a fun game to play that will keep you entertained for hours upon hours. Despite a few annoyances and flaws, the game has so much to do and explore that you could spend hours playing in this part of the game without any actual online multiplay.

I am a bit torn when it comes to Test Drive Unlimited 2. It is definitely not the worst racing game I have played, but it is marred with technical problems that really do affect the gameplay. I would be willing to overlook these issues if the storyline was either better or nonexistent, but as it stands the story is not even enjoyable in an ironic sort of corny way – it is just frustrating to not give a damn about the characters, especially your own.

A patch is due out in early March to rectify many issues, and we'll take a look at the game after that to see just how many issues are fixed. However, in the state the game is presently in, I can't recommend a purchase. $60 is simply too much to pay for the game as it is now.

For all of its problems, TDU2 is still a fun game to play and it's very easy to lose an hour or more simply driving around the roads and taking in the views.

Test Drive Unlimited 2's flaws aren't bad enough to keep you from being sucked into the vast amount of single-player content. The problem is that it isn't designed to be a single player game, and the online features meant to be its biggest draw have been broken for far too long.

It feels particularly cumbersome in the wake of Need For Speed Hot Pursuit's simple yet ingenious social features. [Issue#107, p.100]

Test Drive Unlimited 2 is a strangely satisfying and very frustrating arcade racer.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 is extremely ambitious, but has suffered from an almost continuous flow of multiplayer related problems. While promising if Atari can get their servers working properly, the singleplayer content simply isn't convincing enough to warrant a purchase on its own.

Despite TDU2's lack of realism and a force-fed story-mode, the game does provide an open-world experience that very few titles have succeeded with in the past.

All in all, they have created an amazingly large, expansive driving game that's truly a joy to get lost within, but doesn't perform well enough to keep you within that illusion.

Doesn't live up the hype. It has licensed cars, good ideas and beautiful scenarios, but the game just fails compared to other options in this genre.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 is an example of a good idea gone wrong. The first game was such a huge step in the innovation of the genre but, since then, online implementation has come so far, and the team behind this series seems to have fallen behind.

The controls are an odd mix between arcade and sim, meaning that all the cars are much more skiddish than you'd expect. Weak AI means that the car handling is the only real challenge when you play alone, and coupled with the tiresome voice acting, the single player experience is sub par. Online, the game becomes much more entertaining, but so far the serves have been plagued by stability issues. TDU is pretty fun online, but if you only want to play on your own, steer clear of this game.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 is not a racing game, it's an MMO with racing elements. There is a lot to discover on the two islands and it can keep you occupied for dozens of hours, but it fails to live up to its predecessor. The controls are sluggish and the graphics outdated.

Sure, the car collecting is addictive and the races are quite entertaining. But the graphics are mediocre and that feeling of freedom never sets in.

At the moment – three weeks of regular play and barely scratching the surface – I'm erring on the side of caution with this score. Ask me again when I've made it to Hawaii and I suspect it may creep up a little.

I'm a fan of games that give you control of your character's life (see: buying houses, decorating, pimping sweet rides), but the driving is missing the raw energy it needs to stay interesting and the rest of the experience is bug-ridden.

The biggest failure of TDU2 is the random game save corruption that happens for no reason at all. You could be at level 50 and when you load up your game you run the risk of having a corrupted save which forces you to start your career from the beginning.

With development teams like Criterion and Black Rock constantly raising the bar, it's unfortunate to see a racing game as passionless as Test Drive Unlimited 2. Ambitious map size and amazing architecture (seriously, some of the purchasable homes are incredible) can't make up for lackluster racing.

As much as I loved powering around Ibiza and Hawaii in a Bugatti or Ferrari, it doesn't make up for the tedium of earning cars through repetitive, samey races against underwhelming (and teleporting) AI, the Z grade voice acting and the half-arsed attempt at injecting story into a game which very literally didn't need it. Test Drive Unlimited 2 is a wreck.