Gaming Test Drive Unlimited 2 Review

A game that somehow makes driving super cars around Ibiza boring and tedious.

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2011/02/15/test-drive-unlimited-2-review/1

 

Got this on the PC, not sure about the gfx looks like someone smeared vaseline on my screen to do the AA with, there arent many cars on the road either, the world feels very dead.

 

Got this on PC aswell... shame I can't get a refund on it.

 

What happened to all the BETA development, that was all mainly about the multiplayer connections and server stress testing?

Developers don't seem to use testing for what its supposed to be for anymore, closed BETAs seem to just be publicity stunts to try and get some more pre-orders.

TDU 1 was a very good game, with a couple of flaws. What Eden should have done, is take TDU, and refine it to address the flaws, then go about adding extra features. And its not as if they were pushed for time.

 

its what they did do

the problem is what is acceptable in those days is now not acceptable

as for choppy frame rate issues i wish they just made it pc only as the game looks alot better than on 360 and doesnt suffer from fps drops

 

i was actually looking forward to this game but i think ill give this one a miss and save my cash for NFS Drift 2

 

It seems that the game is in BETA at the moment, much like Star Trek Online was when that was released. In fact. this seems to be Atari's way of reducing the development costs for game - skipping the BETA testing process and then hotfixing problems that come after release.

Compare this to World of Tanks, which is still in BETA-testing and has been for the last six months and more. WoT feels like a finished product and I'd happily pay money for it right now, whereas TDU2 could benefit from several months more work before actually being released.

 

shame, was waiting for this game so long and almost bought it on saturday, but watched some video review on youtube on friday and didn't like it. I guess i'll get tdu1 for ps3 (was it on ps3?). I've had it on pc and xbox and finished both versions. but this new one doesn't look good and what the hell is going on with physics? it's 2011!

 

Is this an Xbox 360 only review, it only says so on the second page, i'm a bit confused

Graphics look awful

 

2nd paragraph of this review made me laugh

 

I'd like to add I've had no frame rate issues though. Shifting seems fine aswell if you use H Shifter+Clutch.

 

Got to be honest and say so far I'm really enjoying the game though I think you need to approach it with an open mind. It's a shame becuase it feels like a lost opportunity - and there seems to be many items that worked in the original that simply weren't replicated here in TDU2. To me the problems largely centre around the handling and the inconsistent online options.

The handling in TDU was actually quite involving, let down by the choppy roads and their pitching as they went up hills. For TDU2 the handling has no feel whatsoever, there's the usual turn hard and feel the back end go + compensate but that's about it. Having a wheel doesn't make it any better either. This is such a shame since the roads are so much better, especially those involving steep and sweeping climbs up and down the mountains.

Online play is inconsistent and extremely unreliable which isn't really forgiveable - the beta period was there to test things like this! Because of this the game world feels strangely empty - you can see plenty of other drivers, however you cannot interact with them since it keeps saying 'server is down'.

Having said all that, I'm still having plenty of fun. Some of the race modes are really quite exciting though after a while it feels like a rinse & repeat exercise.

 

I can't get online... I've been playing offline, the driving is not very good, I use a steering wheel and even with tweaking I can't get a "feel" of the car, it's too bland...

The graphics aren't top notch as Codies latest games, but I can still enjoy the game. I too think that this game was rushed out, and quite honestly I wouldn't buy it today if I knew what was coming.

The "4" in the Bit-Tech is a bit too harsh, I think that u (just like me) were expecting too much of the game, I would give it a 6.

The game is still fun, even with those glitches/bugs... I just hope they patch it soon. In the meanwhile I'll be playing TDU1

 

Eurgh... I'm sorry but I thought that was an awful review.

For starters, the game is open-world so it is unfair to describe the graphics as poor (you even stated the car models were excellent). The draw distance on Very High is superb with only minor pop in on distant objects, and grass/tree LODs are sufficient to not distract me while racing (like in NFS: Hot Pursuit for example). The game certainly has a cartoony rather than photo-realistic look but I think the visuals are fine considering the scope of the game but sometimes they can look lovely, especially the lighting (check out the thunderstorms and day to night cycles!).

As for the gameplay, it isn't perfect but it is mostly fun, particularly exploring the island for hidden wrecks and discovering the various shops. There are also 100 random missons that crop up all over the map which you can do, some of which earn you 15,000 such as the car delivery ones. Some of these are better than others but at least they offer a distraction from the Championships.

Handling to me seems fine on the default setting. This is an arcade racer not a simulation but even so I can feel the difference between the cars I've driven so far which include a Lotus, Audi, landrover and Ferrari. Some of more twitchy on corners than others and the landrover for example handles offroad better, drifts easier but lacks speed.

I've had a lot of enjoyment out of this game so far - around 16 hours or so - and I haven't even been playing it online. It could be better in some areas, true, and it is very similar to the first game but I'd give this 7/10 personally. No way is this a 4/10 game in my book even taking into account the server issues which have made logging into the game a hassle at times.

 

My 16 year old step daughter seems to love it - perhaps she is the target audience? She spends all of her winnings not on cars, but clothes, plastic surgery and hair styles....

 

LOL... Never thought of THAT part of the game... My GF is going to love this game... ahahah

 

Blimey, I don't normally comment on Bit's game reviews but this one really is very poor.

It reads as if only the negative points of a longer review have been cut out and pasted together.

Alot of the points are either not expanded upon or explained at all whilst some of the features (for bad or for worse) are missed altogether.

I mean take for example the section about events - they are mentioned but that is it, where is the detail?

 

I guess this nailed it - it's audience, apparently the target audience is different from the one of TDU1

 

i think i've been playing a different game to the reviewer here.

yes the scripting is terrible, and the devs seem to have focussed on boobs - the camera focuses on them more than necessary. also has anyone noticed how everyones trousers are hanging off the top of their bottoms, both male and female - looks very odd. and i too find it annoying that you go through the panning around the car again if you restart an event.

the graphics are great though, and i have had no problems with my frame rate and i'm hardly playing with a top of the line gfx card here. (radeon 4890)

as Doctor Hades says above, it's not a simulation, and i too can definitely notice differences between cars, an alpha romeo i was driving definitely had a loose rear end and would slide out easily with the wrong handling.

in fact i pretty much agree with everything the good doctor said.

my only real complaint is the online issues, and i have to wonder how heavily it was tested in beta. i had a beta key, but the file was so huge (and slow) to download that after 3 days i had a 3rd downloaded and just gave up as by the time i'd got it the beta would probably have been over. i wonder if any others were in the same boat?

the clothing and plastic surgery seem pathetic but i supposeonce online is working properly they'll be more relevant for individualistaion.

again i agree with doctor hades, i'd probably say between a 6 or 7 out of 10, i couldnt' believe it when i saw the 4

 

I loved the original and having been playing this every chance I get lately on my laptop. The game does feel slightly unfinished but so did the original on release. I look forward to the next patch and add on content.