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> Results: Test Drive Unlimited
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The ESRB Says
Language:GamerDad heard passengers express their disgust with some minor language when we took off-road short cuts. Mild Violence:we enjoyed forcing other drivers to crash into houses or other cars. Test Drive Unlimited takes players on a thrill ride to someplace very pretty and shows us some wonderful cars, but that isn't what makes this a big deal. The coolest things about the game are that you get to drive the entire island of Oahu, and that the lines between single player and multiplayer have been blurred to the point of irrelevance. Take a second and let that sink in - because those two items are what make this game so cool. You will spend more than a few hours tooling around in races and challenges and minor missions, then look at the map and zoom out and realize that you have barely begun to see the island! The rest of the game is solidly executed but without these items it wouldn't rise above the crowd of great looking racers - but with them it is definitely worth a second look! The nuts and bolts of the game are pretty solid - it looks great and sounds great (the PC version gives you full freedom to add a custom set of radio stations!), and offers tons of cool cars and plenty of missions and races to keep you busy. There is just enough tech stuff there for racing fans to geek out on while staying clear of becoming a simulation game, but there is enough reality injected to keep it feeling like a trip to the arcade. The load times are a bit long - especially on the PSP - but the satellite-like map system and excellent integration of multiplayer makes up for it. This is a fun overall game whether you're in it for racing, missions, or just a nice drive around the island.  
Racing games are a blast for kids and adults alike. The bulk of Test Drive Unlimited is a perfectly fun driving and racing game - indeed, as a driving game I would recommend it for kids of all ages: get a wheel controller and let your kids enjoy a nice ride around the island. Racing is tense but impersonal - the violence of a push-pull street race is never accentuated by adding a human element to the other drivers. However, the reason the game earned an E-10+ is that some of the non-racing missions include delivering questionable packages for decidedly seedy individuals, and picking up various hitchhikers and models and others who are not pleased if you drive dangerously - and do not hesitate to express their disgust with you verbally before hopping out of the car. It never approaches a serious caution level, but if you don't want to have your under-10 kids surprisedby words like 'damn' and 'hell' and a couple of others, you might want to hold off on this one.
Other Platforms Xbox360: Absolutely gorgeous, great controls, best performing version. PS2: Solid game, but pales visually compared to the PC and XBOX360 versions. PC: content identical to the XBOX360 version, but adds custom radio station tracts. PSP: near-identical to the console version, nice graphics but fairly long load times. Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Test Drive Unlimited |
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