Format: Xbox 360 (tested), PS3, PC
Developer: Eden Games
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Released: Out Now (Xbox 360)
Score: 8/10
As the open-world becomes increasingly ubiquitous in this generation, isn’t it about time we actually starting paying attention to the specific types of free-roamable playgrounds developers are offering up in exchange for our precious time? You’ve got the satirical open world, like the GTA series with its twisted take on American consumerism; there’s World Of Warcraft’s chatroom-dressed-up-as-Tolkein; vertiginous climbing frames like InFamous and Crackdown; even grown-up Lego sets in Minecraft (for the creative-types) and Red Faction (for those more inclined towards destruction).
Test Drive Unlimited 2, though, goes for an altogether different approach. In its geographically meticulous recreated Ibiza, TDU2 is a simulacrum of a paradise that could never exist; a Spanish island solely inhabited by a genetically-cloned moron-horde of plastic party chasers, all of whom are inexplicably American. It’s the kind of thing you’d find in a far-flung vault in Fallout III, and promptly leave.
Your birth into this bizarre world comes in the form of a dream sequence that sees you struggling behind the wheel of a Ferrari as you speed along the sun kissed coast. Within seconds, you’re hauled back into reality (if that’s what you call it) and given a stern talking to by a truly horrendous woman, the likes of which no one should ever have to associate with. From there, it’s all about literally chasing that dream, as you obtain racing licenses then grind your way through TDU2’s event structure until you can be just as priggish as she, and have your own Ferrari to boot.
The opening moments are not favourable, even if you can look past the cutscenes. For a game so concerned about looks, Test Drive Unlimited 2 is a bit of a plane Jane; rough around the edges and plagued by an inconsistent frame-rate and persistent pop-up. You’re given a caravan to live in, a choice of three motors (asphalt, classic or off-road) and are free to go about your day however you see fit. As long as it’s behind the wheel of a car, and in the permanent company of a ringing cellphone where people constantly demand your time for trite driving-based missions.