Test driving with Test Drive Unlimited

Nick Haywood, the lucky guy over at Hexus, has managed to get his hands on the eagerly awaited Test Drive Unlimited by Atari. The build he has been playing on, is definitely still some way from being completed and on shelves in time for the June 2006 release date, but to quote Nick ‘I can tell you what’s in there so far isn’t just a step forward for racing games … it’s a quantum leap’.

The game is set on Oahu (offering various road types from straight, open freeways, city and urban and country roads), a Hawaiian island which has been recreated as realistic as possible by using topographical maps and satellite imagery. As you progress through the game, you earn more cash and respect and unlock new areas of the island – which gives you access to buy a new apartment, new dealerships, clubs and shops.

The cars in the game are its standout focus, simply because they look so much like their real life counterparts both on the outside and the inside. You can customise them with everything from the official color schemes of the manufacturers to the official licensed add-on gear from other companies.

I could go on and on for awhile describing the game to you, but do yourself a favour and go and check out their hands-on preview (as well as the screenshots below) as the title is looking very slick indeed!

Nick Haywood, the lucky guy over at Hexus, has managed to get his hands on the eagerly awaited Test Drive Unlimited by Atari. The build he has been playing on, is definitely still some way from being completed and on shelves in time for the June 2006 release date, but to quote Nick ‘I can tell you what’s in there so far isn’t just a step forward for racing games … it’s a quantum leap’.

The game is set on Oahu (offering various road types from straight, open freeways, city and urban and country roads), a Hawaiian island which has been recreated as realistic as possible by using topographical maps and satellite imagery. As you progress through the game, you earn more cash and respect and unlock new areas of the island – which gives you access to buy a new apartment, new dealerships, clubs and shops.

The cars in the game are its standout focus, simply because they look so much like their real life counterparts both on the outside and the inside. You can customise them with everything from the official color schemes of the manufacturers to the official licensed add-on gear from other companies.

I could go on and on for awhile describing the game to you, but do yourself a favour and go and check out their hands-on preview (as well as the screenshots below) as the title is looking very slick indeed!