After years and years of anticipation, we finally locked eyes on Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown gameplay yesterday during Nacon's TDU Connect presentation. While the game didn't quite shout 'next-gen racer' during its gameplay debut (we're hoping it'll be nice and polished up for 2024), it did look very Test Drive Unlimited of old, and that excites me a lot given how much I personally loved the series on Xbox 360.
The first game in particular was incredibly impressive at the time of release. In 2006, racing fans were treated to a huge open world affair that took place on an impressively large rendition of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. In fact, TDU 1 was probably the first truly open world racing game many Xbox players would have experienced at the time, given that Need for Speed's locales were always limited and the likes of Forza hadn't gone open world yet.
It wasn't just the sheer scale of Test Drive Unlimited that impressed either; the variety of content within its open world was a huge plus point too. This series has never been solely about racing - collecting cars, accumulating houses, visiting casinos, taking part in GTA-like delivery/escort missions are huge parts of the experience as well. Back in the day I used to be obsessed with getting perfect scores on those expensive car deliveries in TDU 1!
While I never took to the sequel quite as much, mostly due to vastly inferior driving physics, it did modernise in other areas, even debuting features that eventually became staples in franchises like Forza Horizon. Day/night cycles made their debut in TDU 2, along with the game's F.R.I.M mechanic - an instant reward system that works much like Horizon's skill point feature. Oh, and the sequel got another huge map with the introduction of open world Ibiza, doubling down on the series' impressive sense of scale.
These games just had a certain style too - one that hasn't really been replicated in the genre since. Forza Horizon probably comes closest in this regard, but it's such a finely tuned racer at this stage that I miss some of the qwirks of TDU; like being able to explore player houses on foot, enter clubs and casinos, and interact with bits and pieces of each vehicle in the showroom.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is definitely giving off old school TDU vibes in that first gameplay showing, and while that might mean it won't be quite as polished as the likes of Forza Horizon 5, it hopefully means we're going to get some of the series' signature personality back in this third entry. The proof will be in the now-2024-shaped pudding of course, but I'm starting to feel a bit more relaxed that Test Drive Unlimited is in good hands over at KT Racing.
Did you play much Test Drive Unlimited? Let us know if you're excited for Solar Crown down below!
Comments 11
Has it been confirmed Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown will have houses? that was one of my favourite parts in TDU2.
@Solidchief I believe so, the start of yesterday's gameplay demo showed one of the devs leaving their room where you could walk around! Link's up there in that related article if you're interested in taking a look 😇
@Kezelpaso Thanks for response and that's good to know, I'll check out the link.
Yep loved the first two games, to the point the first two Forza Horizons didn't gel with me as much as I wanted to walk around showrooms and houses etc. (fourth one got me, then got me playing 3 and 5 too).
I remember doing loops of the entire Ibiza island sea road in the second one, while the first was just staggering in what they'd achieved
Good article, and I totally agree. The footage I saw was a bit disappointing, but then again it's still a work in progress. If they get the whole vision for the game correct, it should be a go-to game for me.
@Widey85 What I especially loved about the TDU titles was how they gave you maps with real roads that were true to scale. Driving 10 miles in the game was truly like driving 10 miles on one of the islands, and all the towns were fun to explore and drive around, where you would really just drive out to different dealers and shops for everything. Heck they even had details like having a plastic surgeon for changing your characters appearance, which would result in your character wearing bandages on their face for a few in-game days. For a car enthusiast it was the perfect little in-game world.
I loved TDU 1&2 back in the day but I honestly didn’t like what I saw of the gameplay reveal of Solar Crown, it looked way too arcadey like a Need for Speed game. I’d say The Crew Motorfest looked a better game despite me being burnt-out with the Forza Horizon series.
@JayJ I also loved how much more detailed and in-depth TDU was, like winding the windows down, putting the convertible roof down, putting on indicators, headlights etc. Not even sure if we can do those things in Solar Crown?
@MaccaMUFC Yeah I loved all of those little driving details as well. I used to play the game with my Logitech racing wheel and it would be about as close as you could get to a real driving simulator, and by that I mean something that just really captures the feel of simply driving a car around. Of course in the game it's a lot more fun because you can race around and crash your car without having to worry about getting killed or arrested lol. To me as someone who also enjoys taking joyrides in a fun car IRL, that's one of the things that made video games so enjoyable for me.
Nice article - and certainly one I agree with following the dev's deep dive, which didnt hide anything and suggested that all the little details that drew me to the original titles are likely to be present and correct.
Much as I love Forza Horizon, it will be a pleasure to go and explore an island without a festival booming in the background. I just hope they get the balance right in terms of how the cars handle, as other than that unknown, I'm convinced I'll be jumping in on this.
I want to like a new Test Drive Unlimited, but the gameplay has put me off. The framerate is janky and the visuals and world look barebones. That could perhaps still be improved upon since it's in alpha phase now.
But the handling... oof, the handling also looks so stiff.
@Bartig The handling is definitely the biggest concern, the TDU titles were sorta simcade but leaning more towards sim.
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