Test Drive Unlimited 2 (Game)

Test Drive Unlimited 2

GAME » on February 8, 2011

PC (Platform)PlayStation 3 (Platform)Xbox 360 (Platform)

The sequel to the open world driving game, Test Drive Unlimited.

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Overview

Test Drive Unlimited 2 is an open-world racer developed by Eden Games, published by Atari and released on February 8, 2011. Test Drive Unlimited 2 features the new island of Ibiza, with more than 2,000 miles of road, as well as the Hawaiian island of Oahu from the first Test Drive Unlimited (Game) game. Other new features include dynamic weather effects, a day/night cycle, and improved vehicle damage, along with a plethora of new cars, including a new class of off road vehicles and motorcycles to collect, race, cruise and crash. The game features the same seamless integration between online play and single player as the first TDU, and has been described by the developer as being "always live" with updates being downloaded automatically during gameplay. Players are able to customize their vehicles and purchase in-game properties and clothing for their driver, leaving their own unique mark on the online world. This is part of a light story progression featured in the game.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 opens with you choosing your own character, and, unlike the more open nature of the first game, initially locks you into a series of events keyed together by a mild story. As a dopey valet who falls asleep at the wheel of a Ferrari California, you find yourself challenged by its owner to take place in a series of televised races that she is the host for. Licenses are required for progressing in these loose story events, and each class of race has a named driver that will taunt you for the duration of the event. The game opens up early on, but the story element remains in place until the end. During the course of the game's story, your character rarely speaks, leaving them devoid of a personality beyond what you define.

Progression

In TDU 2, players earn experience by reaching driving milestones and completing certain challenges, and use this experience to unlock new portions of the game. Additional cash can be earned by driving dangerously and performing stunts through the game's F.R.I.M. (Free Ride Instant Money) system, reminiscent of the Kudos system from Project Gotham Racing (Franchise), or the boost meter in the Burnout series. After each level of FRIM you earn, you have a few seconds to 'cash out' your earnings. Additional levels will increase your relative winnings ($100, $200, $350, $500, etc) but hitting anything with your car will reset the entire meter. Progression is displayed as a level for each player, visible in their own pause menu as well as beside their Gamertag when racing online. The maximum level attainable is 70, and your levels accumulate from four different categories - Challenges, Discovery, Collection, and Social. Each of these categories has 15 levels of their own and points are earned by small achievement-like challenges, from winning a set number of races to owning a certain number of cars or houses, or driving over a set percentage of roads. You can also add to your Global Level via the Casino DLC, with ten additional levels to attain. Within the standard game there are sixty levels - the additional ten bolsters the system to its final figure of seventy.

Challenges

Challenges consist mainly of races in the game, which are divided into different classes and subclasses that restrict your choice of car - C (classic) races, A (standard) races, and B (off-road) races, with decreasing numbers for each indicating the relative speed of the cars in question. A class ranges from 1 to 7, with 7 being the slowest cars such as the Volkswagen Golf GTi or Alfa Romeo MiTo. The races consist of the same variants found in the first Test Drive Unlimited - point to point or circuit races against opponents, speed trap races where you hit the speed traps as fast as possible, time trials, and overall speed challenges, where points are earned gradually for every mile over a set speed you drive for a given period of time.

The challenge group also includes character challenges and licenses. Licenses are earned for each of the aforementioned car classes and doled out as the story progresses. Character challenges are found at set places around the map and only show up for a set period of time each day in-game. These involve ferrying a person from their location to another, holding a certain speed for a daredevil, trailing a guy's girlfriend, and more. The most common are the taxi-like missions, and they have different requirements depending on the person - some people have a time limit, some people like being driven slowly because they have weak stomachs, and some tolerate you hitting traffic or driving off the road more than others.

Collection

Collection is also divided up into a number of categories - cars, houses, furniture, clothing, and hairstyles/makeup. Points are earned for collecting a set number of each, although acquiring higher level clothing and hairstyles requires your discovery level to be reasonably high, as it's linked to item unlocks and car performance upgrades. Simply purchasing cars and houses, and customizing both of them will attain some of these points. Collection points also restrict the availability of different content for customizing your avatar. Some clothing and hairstyles are locked until you reach a certain level, whereupon they can be purchased.

Discovery

The Discovery category relates entirely to driving around the island. Points can be attained for discovering new roads around the islands, finding different locations, finding photo spots, and finding wrecked cars. These all contribute to your Discovery level, which defines what can b purchased from the tuning shops in the world. The Discovery levels do not apply in different regions of the two islands. Content cannot be bought in Area 1 of Ibiza if a player only has a high enough Discovery level in Area 2. Wrecked cars also contribute to this overall level - there are ten wrecks hidden in each of the island areas, and you can earn six cars via finding these wrecks. These cars cannot be attained in any other manner.

Social

Social level pertains to the level of sociability you personally have in the game, though it does not decrease. These points can be earned for playing with friends or being part of a racing club in the game. Partaking in multiplayer races and challenges also contributes to one's overall Social rating. If a player joins in a police pursuit with another player this provides a further boost to Social experience. Available in the game is a social network of sorts, called MyTDULife. The system apes popular networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, allowing players to post status updates and set their mood, as well as customize a profile other gamers can browse with images and other information about how they like to play.

DLC

Casino

Upon launch of Test Drive Unlimited 2, Atari released the Casino as content. This download unlocks a casino area, where players can gamble on games of poker and roulette, as well as play on slot machines. The Casino also comes with an exclusive track where players can race the cars available on the island, which are exclusively unlocked via the casino. Among these cars is the Audi R8 Roadster, which is notoriously difficult to acquire. At launch the Casino was plagued with many issues and Atari took it down, though it has since been returned in a more usable state. The Casino also came as a bonus with some retail copies of the game.

Exploration Pack

Released in May 2011, the Exploration Pack came as free content from Atari. The pack adds gameplay improvements, new content, bug fixes, and 3D capabilities with both the PC and PlayStation 3 versions of the game. The pack comes with twenty new events, and two new event types. These new event types are Extreme Convoy, and Timed Convoy. They play in the same manner as regular convoy events, except causing any damage during Extreme Convoy results in a failed mission. Timed Convoy simply adds a timer to the existing Convoy mission style. With each of these events completed a new wreck is discovered. Upon completing all these events players unlock two cars: the 1969 Dodge Charger, and the Lancia Stratos Rallye. Three new 'Discovery' levels can also be gained, with new clothing tied to them. New races are also available in Multiplayer mode, though they are exclusive to the Lancia Stratos. Accessible via the television, a help channel becomes available. Bug fixes and gameplay improvements are detailed below:

Gameplay improvements:

Players can sell their cars in the used car dealer (including cars won in duels)
Effect of collisions with rocks and trees is now less severe
Instant challenges have been tweaked to exclude very short or very long races
Cruising as a passenger now unlocks roads
Lower car-road impact sounds
New restrictions on MP races (to stop the prevalence of top end cars in all races)
Session lost messages are now more descriptive
Koenigsegg CCXR performance tweaked to be competitive with Bugatti Veyrons
Y axis inversion option added
Additional race restrictions added to avoid Bugattis having complete dominance
Lobby: Club cars are now allowed in multiplayer and solo modes
We scrutinize savegames for specific hacks and take measures when they are detected
Nat info text displayed on the Start screen if a potential network configuration problem is detected
Lobby: « With/Without collisions » info added
Lobby: « Inner club » & « club vs club » info icons added
Players can now cancel on the search games loading screen
[PC] Chat window moved and positioned according to the game mode
[PS3] Mic & Voice IP options added
[X360] It is now impossible to join a ranked match once it has started
[X360] Rich presence is now more descriptive, based upon what players are doing in the game

Bug fixes:

Cars can be launched into the air by glitches in the road
Cars can end up in the sky if the player goes to the map while their car is falling
Possible to get through walls/scenery by going in and out of map mode
Unable to enter sessions with a co-driver
Cars sometimes turn invisible
Unable to start a multiplayer race with the Caterham Superlight R500
Unable to play club races with club cars
The Final Cup can be repeated to earn the grand prize an unlimited number of times
Missing car door interior when switching to some low-res models
Stickers not appearing when in a friend’s garage
Invisible avatars immediately after a club upgrade
Hawaii – collision problem on the “Hydro House”
Collisions problems in many sectors
Infinite loading in sticker shop when no more storage space is available
Crash when loading a photo in MyTDUHouse
Crash at the end of chase mode online
Crash at end of a duel
Crashes in chase mode & freeride
Crash when exiting a championship challenge
Other random crashes
Sticker shop: Matt paint available twice, replacing metallic as an option
Mylife Info : Incorrect number for clothes (collector box) & road unlocked (cruising box)
Pause menu: MyLife and Player info incorrect for levels higher than 60
Gameplay icons not removed when you press start on the results screen
Wrecks: Instant Challenge invites still active when opening wrecks popup
Map : Players sometimes displayed at the top-west corner of the map, in the sea
News: Not possible to delete news items
Club member list not updated when the president fires someone (members not notified)
Disappearing GPS road sections on Hawaii
Logitech on-wheel LED not accurately representing RPM and engine danger zone
Unable to sell pre order and DLC cars in game
[PS3] Logitech wheel issues
[PS3] Possible to get stuck in an invalid session
[PS3] The Ranked Matches search results not correct
[X360] Problems caused by changing devices
[X360] Players can get kicked out of sessions for no reason
[X360] Crash when selecting a challenge icon very quickly on the map
Casino: Rankings not appearing correctly
Casino: Roulette exploit
Casino: Crash on slot machines when another player wins a jackpot and leaves the room
Casino: Crash at level 10 cut-scene
Casino: Crash when you use back on track at the entrance to the Casino in Hawaii
Casino: Changing profile when you win a car makes it impossible to win or purchase cars

Cars

AC

1967 AC 427

Alfa Romeo

2010 Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde
2005 Alfa Romeo Brera Italia Independent
2007 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
2009 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider

Ariel

2006 Ariel Atom 300 Supercharged

Ascari

2007 Ascari A10
2005 Ascari KZ1 R Limited Edition

Aston Martin

2010 Aston Martin V12 Vantage Carbon Black Edition
2008 Aston Martin DBS Coupe
2010 Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black Edition
2010 Aston Martin One-77
2009 Aston Martin V12 Vantage
2007 Aston Martin DB9 Coupe
2007 Aston Martin DB9 Volante
2008 Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Audi

2010 Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI Quattro
2010 Audi Q7 V12 TDI Quattro
2008 Audi Q7 V12 TDI Quattro - TDU2 Inuit Edition
2010 Audi TT-RS Roadster
2009 Audi S3
2010 Audi RS5 Coupe
2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI Coupe
2010 Audi TTS Coupe
2010 Audi RS6 Avant
2010 Audi S5 Coupe

Bugatti

2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Centenaire
2010 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Sang Bleu
2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4
2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

Caterham

2010 Caterham Superlight R500
2008 Caterham CSR 260

Chevrolet

2010 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS
1957 Chevrolet Corvette (C1)
2010 Chevrolet Camaro LS Cynergy Green Edition
2010 Chevrolet Camaro 1LT

Citroen

1967 Citroen 2 CV

Dodge

2006 Dodge Charger SRT8
2008 Dodge Viper SRT10
1969 Dodge Charger

Ferrari

1985 Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole
2010 Ferrari 458 Italia
2010 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
2010 Ferrari 599 GTO
2010 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
2010 Ferrari California
2004 Ferrari Enzo
2009 Ferrari F430 Scuderia
2009 Ferrari F430 Scuderia Spider 16M
2009 Ferrari FXX Evoluzione
2007 Ferrari 612 Sessanta
2009 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano China Edition
1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS

Ford

2005 Ford GT
1968 Ford Mustang Fastback
2011 Ford Mustang GT
2010 Shelby GT500

Ginetta

2010 Ginetta F400

Gumpert

2008 Gumpert Apollo Sport

Hummer

2007 Hummer H3

Jaguar

2010 Jaguar XKR Speed Pack / Black Pack
2010 Jaguar XKR
1955 Jaguar D-Type
1968 Jaguar E-Type

Koenigsegg

2008 Koenigsegg CCXR Edition

Lancia

1993 Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione II
Lancia Stratos version Rallye

Land Rover

2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE

Lotus* 1981 Lotus Esprit S3

2010 Lotus Evora
2008 Lotus 2-Eleven

McLaren* 2011 McLaren MP4-12C

Mercedes-Benz

2009 Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG
1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL GullWing
2010 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss
2010 Mercedes-Benz SLK 55
2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR 722 S Roadster
2009 Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG Black Series
2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Nissan

2009 Nissan 370Z Optional Parts
2007 Nissan GT-R R35
2009 Nissan 370Z

Pagani

2008 Pagani Zonda Cinque
2010 Pagani Zonda Tricolore Coupe
2005 Pagani Zonda F
2007 Pagani Zonda F Roadster
2002 Pagani Zonda C12S Roadster

RUF

2010 RUF RT 12
2006 RUF RK Spyder
2005 RUF RGT
2000 RUF RTurbo

Shelby

1965 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe

Spyker

2010 Spyker C8 Aileron
2010 Spyker C12 Zagato
2010 Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder
2010 Spyker D8 Peking-to-Paris

Subaru

2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Sedan

TVR

2006 TVR Sagaris

Volkswagen

2009 Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI
1967 Volkswagen Beetle
2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI

Weismann

2003 Wiesmann Roadster MF3

PC System Requirements

Factors	Minimum	Recommended
Operating System	Windows XP SP2	Windows 7
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.2GHz / AMD Athlon X2 4400	Intel Core 2 Duo : 2.2GHz / AM Athlon X2 4400
RAM	2GB	2GB
Graphics	Nvidia GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 3870	Nvidia GeForce GTX 280 / ATI Radeon HD 4870
DirectX	DirectX 9.0c	DirectX 9.0c
Hard Drive Space	14GB	14GB
Sound	DirectX 9.0c compatible	DirectX 9.0c compatible
Peripherals	Keyboard / Mouse / Controller	Controller
Other Requirements	Broadband connection / Microsoft .NET 3.5	Broadband connection / Microsoft .NET 3.5

Test Drive Unlimited 2 is unique in the fact that it requires 2GB of RAM as a minimum. Making an attempt to run the game with less than 2GB of RAM will present an error dialog to alert a user that they cannot run the game without upgrading their RAM.

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