Test Drive Unlimited for PSP

For a long time now I have been waiting for a unique racing game.  Sure I've played a lot of "fun" racing/driving games, but there was something lacking in all of them.  I prefer a driving game with a lot of depth.  Maybe that's why I like games like Sega GT and Vanishing Point.  And I really enjoy Gran Turismo 4 from time to time.  I don't want to just race, I want customization, mini-games, and the "street racing feel" in a game.

I've never really been a fan of the Test Drive series except for maybe the fourth installment.  So I was really hesitant on purchasing Test Drive: Unlimited for the Sony PlayStation Portable.  The last game in the series I played was Test Drive 6 for the Sega Dreamcast.  And it was terrible.  The game didn't utilize any of the console's hardware specifications to the fullest at all.  The game was horrible looking, control was terrible, and the list could go on...except that'll have to be talked about at a later time.

Test Drive: Unlimited changes my perception of the series and I actually look forward to the next installments.  First off the graphics are one of the best I've seen in a PSP racing game.  The game is set in a scaled down version of the Hawaiian island, Oahu.  While the "exact" layout of the city is altered from the actual location in real life, it's pretty darn good looking.  The game also features accurate time effects and even the weather changes.  Clouds move in and out as well as the day changing to night.  All of these effects seem related somewhat to the PSP's clock.  The city is also filled with traffic of all sorts.  Cars, trucks, jeeps, delivery trucks and of course the occasional police car (which will be explained further in the review).

The cars available to purchase are all officially licensed representations of the real things.  You have the ability to purchase and even win past and current models from Ford, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, Lotus, and Volkswagen.  I am currently driving a Nissan 350Z Nismo R-Tune Power sports car which happens to be my favorite car as of now in the game.  The cars all look like their real life counterparts down to every detail like logos and insignias, hub caps, etc.  Most cars have windows you can see through and the developers took the time to render the driver too.  When you move the analog stick to steer the vehicle, you can see the driver on the inside of it turning the steering wheel.  When you hit the brakes, the back lights are lit up as well as the reverse lights come on when you are backing up.  When you peel out you leave behind track marks on the road.  I would have liked to see smoke come from the tires when you peel out, but other than that the graphics are fairly realistic.

The sound effects are great and each car sounds pretty much how they should.  The Nissan 350Z has a real high powered whine to it and the Shelby Cobra has a deeper growl.  Also individual car horns sound different from car to car.  You also have a companion that speaks to you during your cruising around the island.  Actually you have a GPS unit that speaks to you telling you things like "at the next intersection turn right", "recalculating your itinerary", etc.  Also you have a police scanner that you can hear the dispatcher and various officers speak to each other.  The only time you hear the police, is when you collide with another vehicle on the road or are caught speeding.  In fact they even mention what vehicle you are driving and talk about your "record" to one another instead of saying the same generic stuff over and over again.  The music can be changed or turned off if you wish.  The music ranges from classical music to rock, and even techno.  It would have been nice to be able to listen to your own tracks like you could in Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars.  The techno, trance, and ambient music really fit the free roaming theme of the game nicely.

The gameplay is really where the game shines.  The game plays similar to Midnight Club Racing 3 DUB Edition in the way of being able to "roam" around looking for races and shops.  Like I said before the game takes place on the island of Oahu and the idea of the game is to drive around looking for competition ranging from time trials, club races, and elimination events.  Each type of race requires specific vehicles and licenses and winning races allows you to earn Credits to purchase new vehicles as well as performance and aesthetic upgrades.  The game limits you on the number of vehicles you own by forcing you to buy new houses all over the island.  Another aspect of the game that I think is pretty interesting is the ability to visit realtors and purchase new houses.  Each house depending on its size also has a different size garage so you can park your collection of cars.  All of the cars handle fairly accurately too.  The AC Cobra get's kind of "squirrely" at higher speeds especially off road and the Ford GT drives pretty smoothly, etc.  As well as car dealerships and parts stores, there are also car rental places that allow you to rent cars for 30 and 60 real time minutes.  You can't upgrade rental cars but you can use them for races and other challenges.  Also parts stores allow you to upgrade your car to increase performance.  While the upgrading of parts isn't as in depth as a Gran Turismo game, it gets the job done.

Your GPS unit also tells you how far to the next challenge as well as visually showing you where you are going.  It also shows you were the police cars are patrolling.  If you don't crash into any other vehicle on the road they usually leave you alone.  Also if you don't pass a police car going too fast you also don't catch their attention.  But if you happen to do so they will chase you.  A meter pops of at the top of the screen telling you when you've lost them.  Once you lose them everything reverts back to "normal".  The first couple times they pull you over you just get a warning, but after several times you "have a record" and they fine you.  If they catch you, you usually get a ticket and are fined a certain amount of Credits based on how many cars you hit and how long it took for them to catch you.  The longer you run from them the bigger the fine is, assuming you get caught before the meter turns back to normal.  It would have been cool to be able to play the police car, especially online. 

The game features online gameplay assuming you have wireless internet in your home or are at a public hotspot (which I play at from time to time at the mall I work at).  When you play online, all of the traffic is gone with the exception of other users who are online.  Drive-in's appear on the map allowing you to meet with other racers online, or you can catch up to other users and challenge them to races.  I have played online every-so-often and it is a lot of fun (my screen name is "DragonNinja").  There is surprisingly not a lot of slowdown, assuming your opponent(s) have a strong signal.  The map you have online and offline resembles a satellite image of Oahu that you are able to zoom in and out of.

The controls are set up just right and I don't see anything really wrong with them.  The cars are all automatic transmission which is a little bit of a letdown, but it does free up the buttons.  The analog stick is used to steer the car and it is very responsive without being uncontrollable.  You have a Parking Break (O-Button) and a regular Break/Reverse Gear (Square-Button), Accelerator (X-Button), as well as a Horn (Triangle-Button).  The view can also be changed from First Person to two-different Third Person viewpoints.  It would have been a cool feature to be able to get out of the car as well and go into your house or various stores.

Overall the game is a lot of fun and it's pretty addicting driving around the island.  Everywhere on the island is accessible.  You can drive off road, through the suburbs, and of course downtown with the skyscrapers.  One of the biggest things I would have added to the game is the ability to get out and walk around as well as adding the Mazda brand to the roster of cars.  But that's a minor issue and you can't always have everything.  This game reminds me of a vehicular version of the game "Shenmue", without a story though.  I look forward to future releases in the Test Drive series assuming they carry on with this style of gameplay.
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 [TITLE]
Test Drive: Unlimited

[PLATFORM]
Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP)

[DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER]
Melbourne House Studio/Atari

[YEAR of RELEASE]
2006

[GENRE]
Driving/Racing

[ESRB RATING]
E10+ (Everyone 10+)
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© Copyright 2009 Chris_Billings