Realism and immense detail
We’ve got so much in here that I’m almost at a loss for where to start. I guess the best place would be the apartment your in-game character owns, as this is where the game picks up when you first load it. You need to know that the entire of Test Drive Unlimited is set on the Hawaiian island of Oahu which has been recreated using topographical maps and satellite imagery to give as realistic and faithful reproduction of the island as possible.
Click for larger imageIn case you’re wondering why we’re on Oahu (pronounced wa-hoo), it’s because the island offers up various road types from the straight, open freeways (ideal for outright speed blasts) to city and urban roads where slow moving traffic is the main obstacle, down to tight, winding country roads to give your technical driving skills a challenge. And no, it’s nothing to do with being able to take a Ferrari 308 GTSi and ‘do a Magnum’ off the grass verge… though you can, if you want…
Click for larger imageBut another reason for choosing Oahu as the location is that the island itself fits in perfectly with the other side of Test Drive Unlimited’s game, which allows you to express your mercenary ‘bling’ side. You see, rather than just give you some dosh, let you do some racing, unlock a new car and all that stuff we’ve seen before, Test Drive Unlimited plays a more realistic ‘lifestyle’ type game.
Click for larger imageIf you’re an uber-racer, you’re going to win cars and cash on a regular basis. In real life you’re not going to blow all that disposable income on cars, you’ll be wanting to get your apartment kitted out with all the latest gear… you’ll want to dress well buying designer clothes… in essence, you’ll want to lead a life worthy of a guy or girl earning a lot of dosh, and in Test Drive Unlimited you can do just that.
Click for larger imageAs you progress through the game (which I’ll cover in detail in a minute), you earn more cash and respect and unlock new areas of the island. This gives you access to new apartments to buy, new dealerships, new clubs and new shops. The apartments obviously cost more in the ‘elite’ areas of the island, but you can then run a stable of more cars in the garage too. The dealerships give you access to nicer, faster and more exclusive cars and the shops will let you buy some top quality gear to kit your character out in.
Click for larger imageAtari have been working hard to make everything in Test Drive Unlimited as true to life as possible, so you’ll find that everything in the Ben Sherman shop is actually available in real life too. I’ve got a couple of Ben Sherman shirt’s which I saw in there as well as a top I fancied getting… so we kitted my guy out in that. Speaking of your character, as is the norm for games these days, you can totally customised facial features to create an in-game version of yourself if you want to, so now you can have a look and see if the Pagani Zonda really does suit you…
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