''Test Drive Unlimited'' is a 2006

racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic raci ...

developed by Eden Games and published by

Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French holding company Atari SA (formerly Infogrames) and its focus is on "video games, consumer hardware, licensing and bl ...

for

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

and

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

. Atari Melbourne House developed the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

and

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...

versions. Being the eighteenth entry in the ''

Test Drive A test drive is the driving of a motor vehicle to assess its drivability or roadworthiness, and general operating state. A person who tests vehicles for a living, either for an automobile company, automotive media for review purposes, or a motor ...

'' series, ''Unlimited'' serves as a

reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

of the franchise, discarding the continuity of the previous games. The game features over 125 licensed

sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...

s and motorcycles and the terrain is modeled after the Hawaiian island of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

that features over of roads and highways. It was soon followed by its sequel, '' Test Drive Unlimited 2'' in 2011. A third game and soft

, '' Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown'', was released in 2024.

Gameplay

In the online world of ''Test Drive Unlimited'', players are able to drive both on-road and off-road in free-roam mode, challenging other players in real-time anywhere on the drivable map. It is also possible to drive on small islands outside of the main island. The Xbox 360 version has supported steering wheel controllers since launch. Following the third free update, ''Test Drive Unlimited'' supports force feedback wheel controllers such as Microsoft's Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel. The roads are modeled after satellite images of the island of

. There is a spectrum of different terrains including rain forests, mountains, sandy beaches and urbanized areas (featuring the city of

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

Single-player game

The game begins by purchasing a car and a house. The player is then free to explore the island; as this happens, key locations on the map are revealed.

Multiplayer game

The multiplayer component (branded as M.O.O.R. or ''Massively Open Online Racing'') works as an extra layer on top of the single-player game: all activities available in single-player are also available in multiplayer. On Xbox 360, Eden Games was allowed to add unique features to the Xboxlive in order to bring a new seamless Online experience. The following challenges are also available in multiplayer only: * Race against other players * Challenge players to complete tasks * Attempt other player challenge Custom services, added to the XboxLive by Eden Games: * Unique Free Roaming system. * ETrade system : Players can buy and sell their cars. * Drive-In : Player can Edit its own track, do its best time and publish it to a Drive-In spot and challenge other players to beat him in a lapse of time with participation fee. The best player wins the lot. * Live Island map : Allow players to set filters, see other players updates and join their game sessions * In Game news system, using live notifications * Clan system + Intra and Inter Clan matchmaking

Special NPCs in PlayStation 2 version

There were 1500 total beta testers in Atari's closed beta for ''Test Drive Unlimited'' for PlayStation 2. At the end of the testing period, Atari awarded 30 of the most active testers with "immortality" in the PlayStation 2 version of ''Test Drive Unlimited''. These 30 beta testers were allowed to name one of the

non-playable character A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...

s (NPC) in the game. Some chose to use their first and last name; others chose to use their screen names. These 30 special NPCs can be found spread throughout the virtual island of only the PlayStation 2 version. Atari and Melbourne House ensured the Beta Testers were given prominent positions as NPCs. Among the play testers were also friends and family of staff at Melbourne House, including staff members themselves, who are included within the different motoring clubs featured within the game. Most were granted President or Vice President status in the car clubs and were put in highly desirable performance cars.

Development

Beginning development circa 2003, the game's budget was between $15 million and $25 million.

Reception

''Test Drive Unlimited'' received "generally favorable" reviews, according to

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

. 411Mania gave the Xbox 360 version a score of 8.6 out of 10 and stated: "Even if you own a next-gen racing game, this is a title that you MUST try out. This is such an open ended game that never actually ends ala ''

World of Warcraft ''World of Warcraft'' (''WoW'') is a 2004 massively multiplayer online role-playing (MMORPG) video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Windows and Mac OS X. Set in the '' Warcraft'' fantasy universe, ''World of War ...

'' and feeling like you're a part of the Island with your homes, vehicles and club is too much of a cool thing to pass up." ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' gave the same version a score of four stars out of five and called it "a car aficionado's paradise and a novel concept in driving games. ''Unlimited''s online world is certain to be mimicked." ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' also gave it four stars out of five and claimed that it "comes closer than most games to re-creating the freedom of real life." In Japan, where the Xbox 360 version was ported and published by

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

on 26 April 2007, ''

Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...

'' gave the game a score of 34 out of 40. The

Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit organization of video game industry professionals. It organizes the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain Summit, better known as D.I.C.E., which includes the presentation ...

nominated ''Test Drive Unlimited'' for " Racing Game of the Year" at the

10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards The ''10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards'' was the 10th edition of the Interactive Achievement Awards, an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry during 2006. The awards were arranged by the Academy of ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2006 video games Atari games Beam Software games Eden Games games Multiplayer and single-player video games Open-world video games PlayStation 2 games PlayStation Portable games Racing video games Unlimited Video games developed in Australia Video games developed in France Video games set in Hawaii Video games using Havok Video games with gender-selectable protagonists Windows games Xbox 360 games