Customer Reviews
buggy - great when it works - miserable when it doesn't 
2008-08-11
My son loved this game - when it worked, which was only for one week after many many hours of messing around with it, troubleshooting, etc. then it started locking up and now it won't run at all, even after hours and hours of uninstall/reinstall etc. And my son's computer is no slouch - Dual core Athlon 64 with 2gb memory and an ati HD 3200 video card. According to the internet, many people experience lock-ups, freezes, etc with this game. It's just too buggy to pay real money for. Like I said, my son loved it when it worked but that only made it more disappointing when it started crashing. This game is so buggy, Atari has even released a seperate program meant to fix the issues every time they come up - unfortunately it was the use of that software that pushed it over the edge and now it won't start up at all. It seems to suffer badly from corrupted game files and Atari doesn't seem to have a real fix for that. Don't waste your money on this one - or at least wait until Atari releases a stable version of it. I wish I could get Atari to refund my money for non-functioning software, but I somehow doubt they would.
do not buy 2008-07-31
We purchased this game and loaded it on the computer. Despite having plenty of memory and all the other requirements it never worked and then we discovered that it was infected with viruses and malware. Do not buy!
Test Drive Unlimited Review 
2008-07-23
Test Drive Unlimited is a very cool game. There is a lot to do. Great graphics! However, it does take take a lot of system resources to run satisfactory.
Fun arcade style racing... 2008-06-30
Not a sim - which to me is a good thing - it looks very nice, plays fun, has enough depth to be interesting but not tedious. The cars look and sound great - overall a really good arcade style racing game.
More fun than a barrel full of Maseratis 2008-04-24
Amazing, almost photo-realistic tour of Maui. Works SO much better with a steering wheel than a gamepad (I got a Logitech Momo force-feedback wheel.) I haven't even scratched the surface yet. Online multiplayer holds much promise. Lots of fun!
Worse Driving Game Ever 2008-04-01
Test Drive Unlimited is Massively Open Online Racing. It's a truly unprecedented experience for racing gamers -- realistic racing with thousands of players simultaneously. Players can visit the most sophisticated car and bike dealers to purchase new vehicles or simply take them for a spin. Drive over 1000 miles of diverse Hawaiian roads and pass by thousands of other real players. Players can also collect and trade rare performance parts and customize vehicles. The seamless online connection offers unlimited new challenges, opponents and competitions as well as monthly additions of vehicles, aftermarket parts, clothes and apparel. Simplified match making and division based rankings for a comprehensive, accessible online racing
Good arcade driving with excelent graphics 2008-01-29
TDU is an arcade driving game with TONS of cool ultramodern supercars (like the McLaren and the Ferrari 450) and older classics (like the older Corvettes and the Mercedes GullWing - which is a very nice touch.) The graphics of the game are VERY photo-realistic. The cars and the scenery are very beautiful. The passerby cars (city life) are not very beautiful but it's alright. Having said that, I must say that I have a 8800GTX video card and 2Gb RAM which allows me to enjoy seamless video. People with lesser hardware might run into problems.
This game also has an online option where if you create an online profile, you can free-roam the streets of Oahu with other players, (kind of like NFS Underground 2) and challenge them to "outrun" sort of races (also like in NFS Underground 2) wagering as much money as you want.
The driving of this game is clearly very arcade-like and is far from simulation-type games.
Overall I enjoy this game a very much and would recommend it to others.
HD video DVD, rather a PC game 
2007-12-16
The graphics are HD quality, with Hawaii roads, you will definitely you will enjoy to watch the game.
With my Logitech Momo wheels, I could play all other race/road games without problem. Other games has superior ability to detect the wheel control compared Test drive. May be this game is good for other devices like Xbox/PS etc, but definitely do not have better control with logitech device.
Second thing is mouse control during the game play is not stable.
The patches they release will proof of the inability of this game.
Recomended for who wants to watch the HD DVD of Hawaii rather than play this game.
Also visit their forum, before purchase of this game.
Arcade style driving game harkens back to its roots 
2007-12-07
I've played several versions of Test Drive since its ages-ago origin in the late 1980s on Commodore computers. This latest incarnation sticks to those arcade-racing roots. That means this is a fun, easy to play, non-realistic racing game. It is NOT, and was not meant to be a racing simulator. For that, try the GTR FIA GT Racing Game racing games. But for fun classic arcade-style racing, this latest Test Drive is a great choice.
This edition is dressed up with the ability to own multiple houses, cars, outfits, etc. The cut scenes and other non-driving sequences feel like they should be more interactive than they are, and the voiceovers and character animations are a little simplistic. But you buy this kind of game for the driving, not for the fluff. And the driving is great! The cars are beautifully rendered, the engines and road sounds feel authentic, the scenery is pretty and flows by smoothly. Well done, and most importantly, fun to play.
I will disagree with the other reviewers who state this needs a top-end system to play. I played this with a current (mid 2007) entry level PC (lowest-end dual core Intel) but with a moderate video card (Nvidia 8600GT, this model: XFX GeForce 8600GT XXX Edition 620Mhz 256MB PCI Express x16 SLI Ready Video Card (Dual DVI)). With this combo, the game plays very smoothly at 1280x960, with the detail level and anti-aliasing turned all the way up. I first tried it with a low-end graphics card, the default card that shipped with my Dell (Nvidia 7300LE), and the game was unplayable on there. The moral of this story is you need a reasonably nice graphics card, not an expensive gaming system, so system requirements should not much limit this game's audience.
Recommended! Enjoy your driving!
Test Drive Unlimited Review for PC DVD 2007-05-13
As a frequent visitor to Oahu, I am very familiar with the roads in and around Honolulu and Oahu. TDU simulates the flavor of driving around the island, albeit not the details. Even if you know your way around the island very well, you'll still get lost because most of the landmarks and road markers are not in the simulation. It would be nice they would tell you which on-ramp or off-ramp takes you to H-2, for example. After a while, you learn to use the GPS to guide you from point A to point B.
If you drive out Farrington Highway down to Kaena Point, the road does not terminate abruptly as in real life, but they've completed the road so it goes completely around to the west coast of Oahu. The off-roaders and hikers will be disappointed. Also, they've fenced off Dillingham Airfield, so you can't drive into the parking area like in real life.
The controllability of the cars varies according to the type of car, but you'll get use to controlling a car after one trip around the island. Most people would say the controllability is pretty bad in general, considering these are world class sports cars we are supposed to be driving.
All in all, a nice diversion if you are familiar with and in love with Oahu. It's no substitute for actually going there, however.
