Test Drive Unlimited

UOL Jogos ( )

Por conta das carências desta versão, as edições para Xbox 360 e PC continuam oferecendo a experiência mais completa. Mas quem tem apenas os consoles da Sony pode desfrutar de muitas coisas boas e, definitivamente, ainda vale sentar na cabine de "Test Drive Unlimited".

Softpedia (8 out of 10)

Test Drive Unlimited is the return of one of the greatest racing titles of all time, but it has arrived a tad too late for this market, saturated with above the average simulators. We've been doing drifts and racing freely for years now... The good thing though is that we're now able to do those things in a multiplayer mode similar to a car-racing version of World of Warcraft. It it weren't for this innovative feature, I really don't know where this title would be now. Not in the driving games top 10, that's for sure!

Eurogamer.net (UK) (8 out of 10)

But if that's the only major complaint that can be levelled against a game making the difficult backwards transition from next-gen to last-gen then it'd take a sour curmudgeon to describe it as anything other than a roaring success. Such is its sprawling environment and potential for exploration that I've been fighting against the trite soundbite of "Oblivion with cars" for this whole review. Typically, I've been unable to hold back and it's now slipped out, like a dirty bird. Even though it's lazy journalism of the worst kind, it's also a pretty accurate summation of Unlimited's appeal - a game where the journey is just as enjoyable as the destination.

PSX Extreme (8 out of 10)

Test Drive Unlimited is most certainly one of the most ambitious racing games of all time, and it is the most ambitious of the entire series. It has some pretty obscure problems, like incorrect specifications for cars and no control configuration, and only one fifth of the soundtrack is worth listening to. But the rest of it is a pretty enjoyable experience from start to finish, as long as you don’t expect an immense amount of depth. 1000 miles of Hawaiian road is unprecedented. On top of that, being able to integrate your single-player experience with a massively multiplayer online experience is terrific. It's a visually decent game, with a smooth framerate, so it shouldn't bother anyone looking for a nice picture. All in all, Test Drive Unlimited is a good arcade racer that'll keep you busy for a very long time.

Digital Press - Classic Video Games (8 out of 10)

For a late release title on the hardware, Test Drive Unlimited is a showcase on how far the PlayStation 2 has come since its launch. It does it all, with a unique online aspect, superb graphics, and a fantastic game at its core. This is one of the best racing games you’ll find on the PS2, and given how much competition is available, that’s a statement that has a lot riding on it.

V2.fi (79 out of 100)

Loppujen lopuksi TDU:n PS2-versio on vain keskimääräistä laadukkaammin toteutettu autopeli, joka jäänee monelta virtuaalikuskilta kaupan hyllyyn, koska se ei komeista urheiluautoistaan huolimatta juurikaan pursua adrenaliinia. Sellaiseen tarpeeseen sopivat paremmin FlatOutit, Burnoutit ja Need for Speedit. Teho-PC:ttömille ja Xboxittomille sunnuntaisuhareille sitä voi kuitenkin tällaisenaankin suositella.

Play.tm (77 out of 100)

Test Drive Unlimited is without a doubt a fantastic technical achievement and should be commended as such. As a game its certainty one for the good pile, and will provide hours of solid well made driving entertainment on and off line, however having created such an open and immersive world so impressively it fails to build on that potential by not offering the player any real sense of progression or involvement in it beyond simply moving from race to race and buying more cars. Because of that it's not quite good enough to honestly be seen as one of the last great PS2 games, but it is damned close.

Da Gameboyz (7.5 out of 10)

Compared only to PS2 racers, Test Drive Unlimited is a really impressive title, worthy of a purchase. The content is deceivingly deep and the replay value for fans of the title is excellent. Add in a plethora of mid to high-end cars that you’d love to drive, and an almost infinite track in beautiful Hawaii, and you get a feeling that puts you in racing heaven. But I have to be honest though, Test Drive Unlimited pales in comparison to some of the next gen titles out there and if you have an Xbox 360 or PS3 you may just look elsewhere.

GameSpot (7.5 out of 10)

While Test Drive Unlimited blurs the line between single-player and multiplayer racing better than anything that's ever tried it before, it's not quite a slam dunk. The game's open-ended mission design belies its purposeless nature, and the whole massively open online racing thing isn't quite as massive as one might be led to believe. But even with its limitations, Test Drive Unlimited's concept is executed well enough to make it an addictive and interesting racing experience. Of course, if you already picked up the game on the 360, there's not much cause to do so again. But for PlayStation 2 owners that never got to try the game on any other platform, there's nothing else quite like it on the market right now, and though you're undoubtedly going to take issue with a few of the game's peculiarities, there's enough here to make it a racer worth checking out.

Pelit (75 out of 100)

Kaiken kaikkiaan Test Drive Unlimited on onnistunut käännös, ja siinä on kaikki olennainen, jota autopeliltä sopii odottaa. Havaiji tarjoaa miellyttävät puitteet ja teitä riittää tutkittavaksi. Keskinkertaisuus, johon Test Drive on ikiajoiksi tuomittu, ei johdu käännöksestä, vaan siitä, että elämys pettää ydinalueellaan. Ajaminen ei yksinkertaisesti ole riittävän hauskaa eikä onnistu herättämään tunteita sen enempää kuin kliinisten, persoonattomien autojen kerääminen. Kyllähän tätä pelaa, mutta paljon parempiakin autopelejä on saatavilla.

IGN (7.3 out of 10)

It's impressive that Test Drive Unlimited even works in its limited fashion on the PS2. A large portion of what made this game so good on the Xbox 360 have made it over intact and the robust engine still runs quite well with nice graphics and a fluid, streaming world. Unfortunately, features (specifically online ones) have been removed likely due to the limitations of the platform. The whole isn't quite as good as the potential behind it and some may find the lack of direction or features wanting, but the entire package is still strong enough to warrant a look for those that don't have the option of playing it on a more powerful console.

GameSpy ( )

In the PS3 and 360 era, a lot of PS2 releases can come off seeming like afterthoughts -- a bare bones version of a more quality product. Test Drive Unlimited is a pleasant exception. Sure, if you played the next-gen version, you'll definitely notice -- and miss -- some of things that didn't make the cut here: character customization, motorcycles, etc. But if this is your first look at the game, there's a lot to like. The unique inter-weaving of online and offline play alone makes it worth checking out. Add to that the solid look and the open-ended gameplay and you've got another disc that'll put a smile on current-gen gamers living in a next-gen world.

Gamer.nl (7 out of 10)

Op een gegeven moment gaat het racen op Oahu toch wel een beetje vervelen omdat je niet echt verschillende uitdagingen voor je kiezen krijgt. Je wilt eigenlijk alleen langer op het eiland blijven om zoveel mogelijk auto’s en de duurste crib te verzamelen. Door het feit dat het op de wegen op Oahu erg rustig is, zal je al snel terugverlangen naar gezelliger en drukkere plekken waar je auto een stuk lekkerder rijdt en er meer competitie voorhanden is. Het PS2-tripje naar Hawaï is dit jaar helaas een stuk minder geslaagd dan het heerlijke reisje dat we vorig jaar gemaakt hebben op de Xbox 360.

Gamers Globe (7 out of 10)

Det er en skam, at dette spil lider af så mange små fejl. Det har et potentiale, der måske ikke er enormt, men det er der i hvert fald. Det næsten uendelige landskab er en fryd for fans af bilspil, og alle de biler der er til rådighed, samt informationer om selv samme er til at dåne over. Desværre mangler spillet en vis realisme, og man føler at spillet er og bliver en overfladisk oplevelse. Spillet prøver ihærdigt at leve op til specielt NFS: Most Wanted, men det lykkes simpelthen ikke. Det bliver derimod en Most Wanted Light Edition tilsat en ordentlig omgang informationer om alle de forskellige biler og mærker. Der er ingen tvivl om, at ægte bilentusiaster helt sikkert vil kunne bruge flere timer på dette spil, men hvis man vil have et mere dybdeborende spil, så skal man vælge en anden serie at bruge penge på.

Video Game Talk ( )

If you own a PlayStation 2 and want a solid racing experience Test Drive: Unlimited is about as good as you're going to get with the last generation console. The island of Oahu is a beautiful place and it's full of street races to partake in whether you're online or off. If this game has any flaw it's that it is not quite as polished as the Xbox 360 version and some things went missing in the transition. You could do far worse if you're looking for a racing game but with the next generation upon us taking a step back like this seems a little silly. Recommended if you can't play the 360 version.

Jeuxvideo.com (14 out of 20)

TDU s'est fait attendre et il a eu raison. Malgré quelques soucis techniques et une jouabilité plutôt classique, il s'impose par son originalité et sa manière de combiner courses et notions de MMO. Il s'adresse à tous les publics et peut séduire un amateur d'arcade ou de simulation même s'il penche évidemment davantage du côté du premier nommé. On aurait aimé un contenu solo un peu plus exhaustif cependant.

4Players.de (68 out of 100)

Ja, ich zolle den Entwicklern meinen ehrlichen Respekt, dass sie das MMO-Racing-Konzept technisch auf der betagten Hardware realisiert haben und dabei sogar die Framerate meist stabil halten. Aber warum nur diese extrem vielen Kürzungen? Warum keine Ferraris, keine Motorräder, keine Nebenmissionen wie Anhalter oder Fahrzeugüberführungen mehr? Der Verlust der Klamotten und Accessoirs-Shops ist zwar weniger schmerzhaft, doch waren auch sie Teil der MMO-Erfahrung, da ihr so euren Charakter individuell gestalten konntet. Viel mehr stört, dass euch das Navigationssystem immer wieder in den Gegenverkehr leitet und euch die KI bei jeder Gelegenheit dumm anrempelt – oder selbst ein Opfer des Gegenverkehrs wird. Auch das neue Punktesystem sowie die Sofortherausforderungen können die PS2-Version mit all ihren Mankos nicht mehr davor bewahren, nur noch im Mittelfeld zu landen.